0:00:02 > 0:00:06# It's a wonderful day for a ride on the train. #
0:00:06 > 0:00:11April 2011, and Wales' latest railway is almost complete.
0:00:11 > 0:00:1425 miles of a narrow gauge track
0:00:14 > 0:00:17running through the stunning scenery of Snowdonia.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20It's got to be one of the great mountain railways of the world.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22It certainly will be when it's finished.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24I like building railways, full stop.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28I'm looking forward very much to it.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31It'll be one of the nicest runs in Europe, I'm sure.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Supported by royalty and donations from around the world,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38the Welsh Highland Railway has taken 15 years to build
0:00:38 > 0:00:41and cost almost £30 million.
0:00:42 > 0:00:43Whoa!
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Whoo-whoo!
0:00:45 > 0:00:47But it hasn't been an easy ride.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52Many have objected to what they see as the defiling of a quiet valley
0:00:52 > 0:00:53in the National Park.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56The railway's here and we can't do anything about it.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58We've got to work around the railway.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01It won't succeed. The one before it didn't.
0:01:01 > 0:01:02It's just toys for rich men.
0:01:02 > 0:01:07But for the volunteers who do it for the love of steam,
0:01:07 > 0:01:09it's a dream come true.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12This is not an enthusiasts' railway.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14This is a railway.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29Built to carry slates from the mountainous quarries of Snowdonia to the port of Porthmadog,
0:01:29 > 0:01:34the trains running on the original Welsh Highland were too small
0:01:34 > 0:01:38to operate successfully on the steep gradients between Dinas, Waunfawr,
0:01:38 > 0:01:45Rhyd Ddu, Beddgelert, Nantmor, Pont Coroesor and Porthmadog.
0:01:45 > 0:01:51The railway went into receivership in 1927 and closed in 1937.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55Some, though, like retired local farmer John Pritchard,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57still remember it in its heyday.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05I remember it being built when I was very, very young in the first place,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08from Rhyd Ddu right through to Porthmadog.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11They used to come up from the school at Beddgelert
0:02:11 > 0:02:15for a weekend with my granny up the road there on...
0:02:15 > 0:02:17I think it was the 3:00pm train.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22Dropped at the little station and walked down to the farm.
0:02:22 > 0:02:28I remember very well Miriam Roberts, she was about my age,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31and she'd dress up in a Welsh costume
0:02:31 > 0:02:36and she sold little souvenirs in the station in Beddgelert.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40During the Second World War,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43the railway was stripped of sleepers and tracks
0:02:43 > 0:02:47as metal of any kind was a valuable commodity in the war effort.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51The track bed was never sold off, but remained an entity,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55incorporated into fields, farms and footpaths.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59But the dream of resurrecting the railway held fast
0:02:59 > 0:03:03and in 1996, after years of local controversy
0:03:03 > 0:03:07and thanks to the personal intervention of Transport Minister John Prescott,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10work finally began in Caernarfon.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Welcome to the launch of the Welsh Highland Railway project.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17We're delighted to see you all.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Launching the construction of the railway
0:03:20 > 0:03:23is something we've planned for for many years.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29The two men closely associated with the planning
0:03:29 > 0:03:33and execution of the project have become known as the two Mikes.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38Mike Hart runs a manufacturing business in Yorkshire.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Mike Schumann is a successful businessman from Norfolk.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45I like building railways, full stop.
0:03:45 > 0:03:51This is a railway, which has been crying out to be rebuilt for years.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55But the Welsh Highland Railway could never have been rebuilt
0:03:55 > 0:03:59without its thousands of supporters and hundreds of volunteers.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02People like Tony Murphy from Caernarfon.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05It's just the enjoyment of coming out. The fresh air.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07It's totally different from work.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10We've got a mixture of people here.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13The computer men, ex bank managers.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16A good gang of lads.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18What more do you want?
0:04:19 > 0:04:22I'm a gas engineer with British Gas.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27I haven't done any other job. That's where I've been all my working life.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31So to get out and do something different is fantastic.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35It was Thomas the Tank weekend and we'd gone with the boys.
0:04:35 > 0:04:41There was a Welsh Highland caravan with a big banner, WHRS.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43So he went and joined up.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47He said he was going on a weekend, so I said,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49"You're going with your WHRS?" And it stuck!
0:04:49 > 0:04:52They go on trips and that, which he loves.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55- It's nice and quiet... - Get rid of me, yeah?.- Yes.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00Other volunteers have spent years working here in Boston Lodge Works.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04This is the engineering heart of Ffestiniog Railway
0:05:04 > 0:05:09where steam engines and railway carriages are built and maintained
0:05:09 > 0:05:12under the beady eye of former speed cop, Tony Williams.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16I had a lot of interest in the proposal to open the railway
0:05:16 > 0:05:20from Porthmadog to Caernarfon or Caernarfon to Porthmadog.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24and the fact they were looking to purchase steam locomotives
0:05:24 > 0:05:27in South Africa to operate on the railway.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32When the opportunity came, I and a few others went out to see
0:05:32 > 0:05:37what we had agreed to buy and had been renovated in South Africa.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41It was a very interesting experience!
0:05:48 > 0:05:52The new steam railway needed steam engines and these were found
0:05:52 > 0:05:55in Port Shepstone on South Africa's east coast.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00The Beyer-Garratt locomotives that worked the Banana Express line
0:06:00 > 0:06:04were probably the only ones in the world still capable of working
0:06:04 > 0:06:07the steep and difficult terrain of North Wales.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11We had a person who worked here, Evan Davies,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15who was due to take charge of the locomotives when they arrived,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19he was out there gaining experience.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22We're greasing up. We've got to grease every day.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24These parts, they move so much,
0:06:24 > 0:06:29that they'll wear if you don't grease them.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33For the Welsh enthusiasts who made the trip to South Africa,
0:06:33 > 0:06:38seeing steam locomotives on a working railway was a boy's own dream.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Before I forget, they're all wearing there...
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Evan Davies' tutor on the Alfred County Railway
0:06:44 > 0:06:48was Afrikaans train driver, George Van Niekerk.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51That you can do with grease.
0:06:51 > 0:06:57It's a great sense of achievement that we planned so long ago
0:06:57 > 0:07:01to bring these engines back for the Welsh Highland Railway.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05It's exciting. We're about to set off with these machines
0:07:05 > 0:07:10up a railway, which has not had a passenger train for quite a number of years.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12You know... It's great.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16It's in my heart and it's a big day for us today.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20By the time they've finished sorting the engines out
0:07:20 > 0:07:25and the tank of water, because they don't carry enough water,
0:07:25 > 0:07:29get all that sorted out and the train sorted out.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34I'm not sure how many but there's a lot of empty wagons going up and the carriages behind,
0:07:34 > 0:07:39but once we get all that on we'll be going up to the Banana Express Station
0:07:39 > 0:07:45to pick up all the travel from the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway.
0:07:54 > 0:08:01I remember Evan in the cab of the locomotive enjoying himself with a big smile on his face.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04That's never disappeared.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Unfortunately, he always had a cigarette that went with his smile.
0:08:09 > 0:08:15The thing in Africa was they'd been provided with a little swing-out seat
0:08:15 > 0:08:18so the driver was quite comfortable sitting out,
0:08:18 > 0:08:20feet dangling over the scrub.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24We were just able to reach the break with one hand
0:08:24 > 0:08:29and the regulator with the other. It was the cool breeze.
0:08:38 > 0:08:43It's a huge undertaking to track down and transport two locomotives
0:08:43 > 0:08:46from the South African veldt to the mountains of Wales
0:08:46 > 0:08:50at a cost of well over £200,000.
0:08:50 > 0:08:55And to everyone involved it's an amazing moment and a rebirth of their dream.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Welcome to Alfred County Railway.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03Our own staff, John and Evan, have been here and have mucked in
0:09:03 > 0:09:09and were working late yesterday to make sure that our engine could go on your train.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14Huw and Mike have provided the money to pay for the locomotives to be rebuilt.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Mike, perhaps you would like to receive a small memento.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Loco number 143.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25And, Huw, locomotive number 138.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31Here's a small token of my appreciation to my tutor
0:09:31 > 0:09:33for putting up with me.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37It's that. That's my engine in Ffestiniog Railway.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40David Lloyd George.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49The special charter in South Africa was a huge success
0:09:49 > 0:09:54but, sadly, for Evan Davies, it was to be his last involvement with the railway.
0:09:54 > 0:10:00Within months of returning home, he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Evan is missed, very much so.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11When he passed away, the train passed the cemetery
0:10:11 > 0:10:16and the train slowed and made a salute with the whistle.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20A very moving experience.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27I never thought I'd be sitting here today
0:10:27 > 0:10:32with responsibility for the maintenance of the rolling stock
0:10:32 > 0:10:36on both the Welsh Highland and the Ffestiniog Railway.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40Perhaps it's just as well we don't know what's going to happen.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46After nine months at sea, the South African Beyer-Garratts
0:10:46 > 0:10:51finally arrived in the UK, ready for restoration work to begin.
0:10:51 > 0:10:57It would be several more months before they reached the Welsh Highland Railway depot.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00It's the gala weekend of the Ffestiniog Railway.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03It's an event we hold every two years or so.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08It gives people a chance to see aspects of the railway they wouldn't normally see.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15This year, the main attraction are the scarlet locomotives from South Africa.
0:11:15 > 0:11:20We've got the red one, which is in the condition it was in in Africa
0:11:20 > 0:11:23and the green one has been refurbished.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29With each step in the renovation dependant on securing new funds,
0:11:29 > 0:11:34the track began to take shape, winding down from Caernarfon, through Dinas,
0:11:34 > 0:11:41to the foot of Snowdon at Rhyd Ddu, the highest point of the track at 650ft above sea level.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46I'd been coming up here from Llanelli, 129 miles,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49and I don't get anything from them.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55It's such a thrill, I've been waiting for this to happen for about three years.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58It's nice to see it getting there.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02I live in Oregon. I've worked there for the last 20 years
0:12:02 > 0:12:05building the light rail system there.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10Now I've retired I have time to come back and work on this.
0:12:10 > 0:12:15The more volunteers we have, it's another way of finding match-funding
0:12:15 > 0:12:19because every hour of volunteer work has a value placed on it
0:12:19 > 0:12:23and that enables the Millennium Commission to release cash to us.
0:12:23 > 0:12:28The volunteers are necessary and, hopefully, we can attract them
0:12:28 > 0:12:30as we do on Ffestiniog
0:12:30 > 0:12:35by giving them self-fulfilment in the jobs they do.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39My name's Helen Streeves and I've come up with my husband,
0:12:39 > 0:12:43who is a regular supporter of the railway.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47We come up every... whenever we can, really.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51It's very male orientated. We have good fun though.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Persuading her to come more often is the problem.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57It's nice to get away from Swindon, really.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00One, two, three.. come on!
0:13:00 > 0:13:06The Black Hand Gang came about when everybody was getting black finger marks everywhere.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11Of course, "This Black Hand Gang have been here again, like."
0:13:11 > 0:13:14There were finger marks everywhere on the walls.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17It's something that's stuck - it's the North Wales gang.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21The other gang is the rest of the world gang - a miserable lot.
0:13:21 > 0:13:27Our gang has to re-do what the rest of the world gang has done because they rush the job.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29They don't even stop for a "panned"!
0:13:31 > 0:13:35By 2003, the railway had reached the halfway mark.
0:13:35 > 0:13:41But with work at a crucial stage, the Railway Inspectorate have not yet given permission
0:13:41 > 0:13:46for Ffestiniog to run passenger services to Rhyd Ddu. But they made one exception.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49It's a very special day today.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52We have the Prince of Wales arriving in an hour's time.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57He's going to ride on the section between Waunfawr and Rhyd Ddu.
0:14:00 > 0:14:05This train we've got today is a 1920s train, really.
0:14:06 > 0:14:11It's quite appropriate because it would have been typical
0:14:11 > 0:14:16of the trains that started running in 1922-1923
0:14:16 > 0:14:20when the Welsh Highland was first opened right through.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25It's named after the then Prince of Wales
0:14:25 > 0:14:27in 1864.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31He was later King Edward VII.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36It's a great honour that the Prince of Wales
0:14:36 > 0:14:42has asked to visit the railway and see what we've been doing for so many years.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47It's doubly so that he's requested to ride in the train part of the journey
0:14:47 > 0:14:52and then join us on the engine from Snowdon Ranger to Rhyd Ddu.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57Hopefully, he'll want to drive the engine himself and I look forward to it.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01They're not difficult to drive. Perhaps a little bit of hype regarding it.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06It's just an experience. I'm sure he's more than capable of driving the engine.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10One or two of us were selected to stand at the front.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15He shook hands with me personally and other prominent members of the track gang as well.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22We had these badges made up especially.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26We're called the Black Hand Gang because we get a lot of grease
0:15:26 > 0:15:30on our fingers when we're assembling the track panels.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Not today. I cleaned my fingernails so it's all nice and clean now.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38The privileges of being the Prince of Wales.
0:15:38 > 0:15:44Prince Charles had let it be known that he would like to drive the loco on this historic day.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49At Snowdon Ranger halt, Mike Hart was on hand with a clean overall.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06APPLAUSE
0:16:11 > 0:16:15It was very enjoyable for me. He was an excellent driver.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19I was very impressed with the skills he has.
0:16:19 > 0:16:25In fact, it might be worthwhile writing to St James' Palace and ask if he'd like to volunteer.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Since 1990, when the project kicked off,
0:16:28 > 0:16:34this is the day when we achieve the halfway point in the reconstruction.
0:16:34 > 0:16:39We can say, we've done that, we've built 20km of railway,
0:16:39 > 0:16:40only another 20km to go.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42# It's a wonderful day
0:16:42 > 0:16:47# It's a wonderful day for a ride on the train. #
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Within a few days, and with the Railway Inspectorate now on side,
0:16:51 > 0:16:57passenger trains were allowed to run as far as Rhyd Ddu, generating much-needed cash.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02Today has been an excellent day so far, and we're only halfway through.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06I think we're going to make piles and piles of money. I hope we are anyway.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12But not everyone was happy to see the railway reinstated.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Many locals still oppose the railway on environmental grounds.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18The most important thing
0:17:18 > 0:17:24is that it's taken a really quiet, secluded valley in Snowdonia
0:17:24 > 0:17:29in a National Park where we're supposed to have quiet enjoyment of the countryside
0:17:29 > 0:17:35and it's intruded with noise and bustle and things.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40It's really been very difficult for us as a farm here.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44It's divided our farm into two and made it very difficult
0:17:44 > 0:17:47to gather sheep and to deal with the sheep.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55How many people were tourists on there?
0:17:55 > 0:17:58It was all railway people again, wasn't it?
0:17:58 > 0:18:01They owe them a fortune in free tickets.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07We've lost, because of this, good walking routes,
0:18:07 > 0:18:11it's damaged wildlife, it's lost amenities.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13This is going to be the seventh...
0:18:14 > 0:18:18..tourist railway in the National Park.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21It won't succeed. The one before it went bankrupt.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25This money from the Lottery, the Millennium Fund,
0:18:25 > 0:18:29has been given to something, which is just toys for rich men.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35Despite all the opposition and legal wrangling, work continued,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39thanks, in part, to Welsh and European grants,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43gifts from supporters and the effort of volunteers.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47By 2005, track laying had progressed beyond Rhyd Ddu
0:18:47 > 0:18:52and special excursions were organised to keep the work in the public eye.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54It was an opportunity for Paul Lewin,
0:18:54 > 0:19:00Ffestiniog Railway's newly-appointed general manager, to show off his driving skills.
0:19:00 > 0:19:05On my days off, I can put my overalls on and drive this lovely steam engine.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08That is just great. It's the bonus.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13But what driving means is you get to meet people.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17Up here, this tells you that the breaks are off.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22I'm very proud of this railway and what those volunteers have achieved
0:19:22 > 0:19:24in building the railway.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27It's great to have an opportunity to show it to people.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31For important passengers like John Pritchard,
0:19:31 > 0:19:33the Black Hand Gang's unofficial mascot,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37it's a chance to ride the line again.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41I'm 90 years of age so I'm still looking forward.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46I've even drove it a little bit, under instruction, of course, from the experts.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54I'm looking forward very much to it.
0:19:54 > 0:19:55Very much.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59It'll be one of the nicest runs in Europe, I'm sure.
0:20:02 > 0:20:07John Pritchard's neighbours are not so enthusiastic about the project.
0:20:11 > 0:20:16Hill farmers John and Gareth Owen are facing the biggest upheaval of their lives.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21The bottom land will be divided into at least seven different
0:20:21 > 0:20:26parcels of land which will create a lot of problems for us.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36Negotiations have proved, up to now, difficult...
0:20:37 > 0:20:41..as regards to various aspects of ownership
0:20:41 > 0:20:44and rights of way and one thing and another.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47I hope that at the end of the day
0:20:47 > 0:20:51we come to a satisfactory conclusion.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59The close-knit gang of volunteers, under the leadership of Dafydd Thomas,
0:20:59 > 0:21:02are embarking on another weekend of laying track.
0:21:02 > 0:21:08The camaraderie has grown because the gang have been together for the last 15 years.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12People have come and gone, but that core of people has been there
0:21:12 > 0:21:15and we've made friends for life.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18It's a form of relaxation.
0:21:18 > 0:21:23People sometimes say, why do you work for nothing for the railway?
0:21:23 > 0:21:28I say to them, why do you organise a football team? This is what we do.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31On Cwm Cloch Farm on the outskirts of Beddgelert
0:21:31 > 0:21:34lies one of the most challenging sections of track.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39John Owen and his wife, Sian, were opposed to reinstating the railway,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42fearing the disruption it would bring.
0:21:42 > 0:21:43That's the problem we get.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48See that sheep? There could be eight or ten of them.
0:21:48 > 0:21:54Dafydd Thomas attempts to build bridges with Sian Owen and her family.
0:21:54 > 0:22:02Today I've taken Mrs Owen Cwm Cloch and her grandchildren on the train for a short trip up the line
0:22:02 > 0:22:06and I think it pays dividends ten-folds afterwards.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11We've lived here 36 years and only last summer we walked through it for the first time.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18It's no good barging in and saying, we're going to build this railway.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22We've got to work with them. That's the best way to do it.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Tell them what we're going to do.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Thank you!
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Gobeithio 'welwn ni chi eto cyn bo hir!
0:22:35 > 0:22:39This area, Cwm Cloch, is a very unusual bit of railway
0:22:39 > 0:22:41with a complete spiral.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45I'm not sure what the drop is in terms of metres
0:22:45 > 0:22:47but it's steep all the way down.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52This is one bit in particular I've been looking forward to working on.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54One, two, three.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58That's all right. It's still creeping back a little bit.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Caernarfon gas fitter Tony Murphy is also here.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07Each length of track is 18 metres or 60 foot.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10There's 24 sleepers per length.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13On a good day we'd get six lengths down.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17So, 360 foot of track down on a good day, you know?
0:23:20 > 0:23:25It is hard work but it's only as hard as you want it to be.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28SCREAMING
0:23:28 > 0:23:30Damn it!
0:23:30 > 0:23:33If you don't want to do hard work, you don't have to.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36That's the beauty of being a volunteer.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40I came across this railway when I moved to the area
0:23:40 > 0:23:42in the early 1970s.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Like many of the other people,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48it seemed too good a dream to pass up on,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50the thought of putting it back,
0:23:50 > 0:23:54especially when other railways are being closed left, right and centre.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56As long as the railway don't charge me,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59I'll be one of the first to go on it.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03For many enthusiasts, seeing the Beyer-Garratts working the S-bends
0:24:03 > 0:24:06and the steep gradients through Cwm Cloch Farm
0:24:06 > 0:24:08was always going to be special.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12But, for many, the real excitement would be the completion of the track
0:24:12 > 0:24:17through Beddgelert and the restored Aberglaslyn Pass.
0:24:17 > 0:24:22This is a historic day in the story of the Welsh Highland Railway.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27For the first time in over 70 years, trains are running again
0:24:27 > 0:24:30through the world famous Aberglaslyn Pass.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34On board, some very generous supporters.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39Something like £10,000 is what I've put in to this railway.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43I think it's been well worth the money both for my own personal point of view,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46but also I think for the value it'll bring to the area.
0:24:46 > 0:24:52I remember many years ago when I was a student here in Bangor,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56walking along through the tunnels in the Aberglaslyn Pass,
0:24:56 > 0:25:03and I just said to myself, wouldn't it be wonderful if one day we have a train through here.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05For the first time, it's an experience.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09The noise, because the engine is working quite hard climbing the hill,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11is quite deafening.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20You just burst out of this dark hole into this beautiful bright sunlight
0:25:20 > 0:25:23and it's one of the best views in the world.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26It's just stunning. It really is stunning.
0:25:26 > 0:25:27It's a great thrill for me.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31I love seeing steam locomotives in operation, I have to admit.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34In that respect, perhaps I've never grown up.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38But it's also a great thrill to see this wonderful new resource
0:25:38 > 0:25:40for Snowdonia coming into operation.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49We'll be able to take people in a green,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51environmentally sustainable way
0:25:51 > 0:25:56through one of the most stunning landscapes in the world.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00I couldn't tell you when I started being interested in steam locomotives
0:26:00 > 0:26:04but I can claim to be a trainspotter while still at infants school.
0:26:04 > 0:26:10Steam railway is Wales' gift to the world.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Railways such as this were devised in Gwynedd in the 1860s
0:26:14 > 0:26:18and they became a model that was followed all over the world.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22They were a cut-price way of opening up parts of the world
0:26:22 > 0:26:26that couldn't afford a mainline railway but needed the means
0:26:26 > 0:26:30to export their goods or move their people around.
0:26:30 > 0:26:35So you find railways based on this one in India, China, Mexico,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37all over the place.
0:26:40 > 0:26:46It's made me think of my school days when I used to go on the train
0:26:46 > 0:26:50from Beddgelert to the farm to see my granny.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58I enjoyed it. I had some very good photos of the river.
0:26:59 > 0:27:04With the railway nearing completion, and with only four miles to go,
0:27:04 > 0:27:0793-year-old John Pritchard had set his heart
0:27:07 > 0:27:09on seeing the project through to the end.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11But it was not to be.
0:27:11 > 0:27:16For the Black Hand Gang, the death of their unofficial mascot
0:27:16 > 0:27:18remains hard to take.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22John Pritchard was quite a guy really.
0:27:22 > 0:27:28He lived and died on a small farm just outside Beddgelert.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31It was an inspiration to some of the gang, I suppose,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34that this man in his 90s was taking an interest
0:27:34 > 0:27:36in the railway and our achievements.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40It was great talking to somebody actually,
0:27:40 > 0:27:45who had been on this railway originally.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47It can only be described as a tragedy
0:27:47 > 0:27:51that God didn't give him enough time to see the thing through.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54But he's watching from up there. I'm sure he is.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10Next time in Full Steam Ahead, the work continues in all weathers
0:28:10 > 0:28:15when the railway's very own steam Santa has to cool things down among his little helpers.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Come and get me if you think you can!
0:28:18 > 0:28:21And things like this happen as well!
0:28:21 > 0:28:25Completion draws nearer as a national celebrity is invited
0:28:25 > 0:28:27to declare the railway open.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31But there's sadness too for members of the Black Hand Gang
0:28:31 > 0:28:33as they contemplate what lies ahead.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35It's going to be strange.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39I'm a little bit tearful now.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:52 > 0:28:54E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk