A luxurious railway carriage from the Welsh Highland Railway was the star attraction at a major travel show in London's Olympia this month.
The Best of Britain & Ireland (BOBI) exhibition was open to the travel trade and the public and is the main event of the year showcasing the tourist attractions of the UK. The First Class Pullman observation car, built for the Welsh Highland in Porthmadog's world famous Ffestiniog Railway Boston Lodge Works, travelled to Olympia by road and took pride of place on the railway's stand, shared with North Wales Tourism.
During the course of the show, celebrity guests visited the carriage to talk to the press and public. Record producer and railway enthusiast Pete Waterman explained his innovative apprentice scheme aimed at teaching young people essential engineering skills. One of the scheme's first major projects is the rebuilding of a sixty ton Beyer Garratt locomotive for use on the Welsh Highland Railway (click here for details).
Mayor of Caernarfon Hywel Roberts - who also attended the show as a guest of the railway - commented: "As someone who grew up in Ffestiniog I was delighted to see the development of the Ffestiniog Railway into the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog. This was an enormous boost to the tourist industry for Blaenau.
"And as someone who lives in Caernarfon I was delighted with the reopening of the Welsh Highland Railway into the town. Again a big boost to the tourist industry in Caernarfon.
"In my early teens I lived in the village of Llanfrothen and on summer evenings we used to go on our bikes to Pont Croesor to swim in the Glaslyn river. I'm therefore particularly looking forward to seeing the opening of the railway to Pont Croesor in the Spring," he added.
For the show, the FR produced a new video showcasing the attractions of Snowdonia which has been uploaded to YouTube to help in promoting the event. You can view the video here, or below:
For further information and high-resolution photography, or to arrange a visit, please contact Andrew Thomas on 01766 516000 or at andrew.thomas@festrail.co.uk
Mayor of Caernarfon Hywel Roberts - who also attended the show as a guest of the railway - commented: "As someone who grew up in Ffestiniog I was delighted to see the development of the Ffestiniog Railway into the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog. This was an enormous boost to the tourist industry for Blaenau.
