On 19th September 2004, Huw Williams, together with his friends - John and Huw Griffiths - came to the Ffestiniog Railway for a day with the ‘Guest Driver Programme’.

This is his account of what happened while he was here…

The big train-driving day arrived at last! Along with John and Huw, I signed on at Boston Lodge at 6.30am and met Roland Doyle and Bill Heynes - our ‘official’ driver and fireman for the day.

After our safety briefing we went over to inspect our engine, which Bill was already lighting-up. ‘Taliesin’, a Single-Fairlie tank, is a magnificent Victorian engine in maroon livery with loads of bright work, including an enormous brass dome.

We had an introduction to the cab and to the process of lighting the oil burners with the compressed air supply. John and Huw then set to helping with polishing the engine, while I helped Roland with oiling the valve gear; this included a rapid exit from the inspection pit when the boiler pressure popped the safety valves!

After a briefing on the controls and an introduction to the mysteries of the vacuum brake, regulator and the gearing - not to mention the intricacies of the injector - it was time to set off. Before we did so, we picked up our rake of coaches from the carriage sheds - two ‘thirds’, a buffet car and a brake/first observation car.

The regular crew took us up to Minffordd, with the two Huws on the footplate, to pick up wives and friends and then up the line and over the level crossing at Penrhyndeudraeth. This was the moment of truth, when we each had a go at starting and stopping the train. The regulator was no problem and the vacuum brake didn’t cause me any difficulty - but bracing oneself to shift the gear and get the juddering lever up a few notches took a while to even begin to get the hang of!

I then drove up to Blaenau - with Roland taking the controls at the stations - and Huw firing, under Bill’s supervision. What a way to travel! I shall always enjoy the memory of driving the train up the line through the beautiful woods to Tan-y-Bwlch, and of looking back down the train as we negotiated the spiral at Dduallt, before running along the side of the lake to Tanygrisiau - and that’s without the thrill of hearing the engine working and looking out for the signals and the ‘Sound Whistle’ boards!

At Blaenau Ffestiniog, ‘Taliesin’ ran round the train and we took on water. I again had the controls - all the way down to Porthmadog - with John and Huw taking it in turns to fire. I don’t think I disgraced myself, except coming into Minffordd when I messed up the vacuum brake!

Crossing the Cob we experienced the keen wind blowing right through the cab! After a short stop at Porthmadog to collect our packed lunches, we were given our route and we were off again up the line.

This time I fired all the way up to Tan-y-Bwlch, while John and Huw took turns to drive. The instructions I was sent when I booked were right when they suggested that three hands would be an advantage! Still, I managed to keep up enough steam without making too much dark smoke - thanks to Bill’s instructions and the occasional helping hand. We had a wait at Rhiw Goch for a ‘down’ train, headed by the Double-Fairlie ‘David Lloyd George’.

We picked up water at Tan-y-Bwlch, before Bill showed us how to set the points so that ‘Taliesin’ could run round the train for the last time. We waited for the ‘Victorian Train’ to pull in - looking splendid with ‘Prince’ and the rake of beautifully restored 1870s coaches.

By this time Huw was proving himself to be a ‘natural’ fireman and so he fired while I drove back down the line. We said goodbye to our passengers - and John - at Minffordd, before pulling into the yard at Boston Lodge to drop the carriages and say ‘goodbye’ and ‘thanks’ to Phil Brown - our guard.

Before disposing of ‘Taliesin’ we had to cross the Cob one more time. Back on the main line Roland told me to take over and drive to Porthmadog - so I duly put ‘Taliesin’ into forward gear - apparently it works every time! Heading in the right direction we ran through to the oil tanks to refuel. Huw and Bill busied themselves underneath the cab cleaning an oil filter - I think we have a volunteer fireman in the making!

Some 350 litres of fuel oil later, it was time to run back to Boston Lodge to dispose of the engine. We helped with degreasing and - after Bill had blown down the boiler - we saw ‘Taliesin’ into the sheds and collected our certificates.

So it was back to Castell Deudraeth on ‘cloud nine’ to get cleaned up and to find that Kath, my wife, had even ‘bought me the T-shirt’.

As a ‘hands-on’ experience this must be hard to beat. The length of time that you have to get the feel of the engine, and the line, makes it much, much more than the sort of ‘taster’ that other such days provide. Best of all, is having your own private rake of coaches and friends along to enjoy the whole thing with you. It is also very therapeutic - I still smile every time I think about it.

Diolch o’r galon i Rheilffordd Ffestiniog am ddiwrnod fendigedig!

[Heartfelt thanks to the Ffestiniog Railway for a fantastic day!]

Huw Williams