Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway - Christmas Mountain Spirit (DBLM Steam)

#FfestiniogandWelshHighlandRailway #JamesSpooner #FWHR
Double-Fairlie James Spooner, piloted by Blanche - hauling the Christmas Mountain Spirit service on the Ffestiniog Railway - on Friday 29th December 2023 - and filmed at Minffordd, Tan y Bwlch, Glan y Pwll, and Tan y Grisiau where the train crossed a short works train hauled by Lilla.
There's an extra touch of magic about the Ffestiniog in mid winter - with the trees clear of their high-season growth and an almost complete lack of people apart from those on the trains. The arrival at Tan y Bwlch was quite eery with a rare easing of the wind and rain and a lone buzzard circling the environs of the station almost to welcome the arrival of the train!
Various issues forced an early conclusion to the day's filming, notably the early arrival of forecasted heavy showers. (North Wales had endured days of heavy rain, strong winds and several gales). (And the sharp-eyed will have noticed the train leaving Minffordd despite the red signal and staff at the points at Tan y Grisiau - I believe lightning strikes the preceding day may explain signalling issues).
I hope you enjoy what you see and hear and that you will be tempted to explore further in the DBLM Steam Complete Playlist where there is a sizeable collection of steam from the main line and a variety of preserved railways. There's a link below and at the very end of the video. Thank you for viewing - and please feel very welcome to share the link to this video and any of the others!

   • DBLM Steam