Reconstruction of Bryn-y-Felin Railway Bridge, Snowdonia

A project is under way to reinstate the narrow gauge Welsh Highland Railway between Caernarfon and Porthmadog in North Wales. Progress to date has seen the railway opened for 19·4 km between Caernarfon and Rhyd Ddu. The remaining 20·3 km section between Rhyd Ddu and Porthmadog is due for completion in 2009, which when connected with the existing Ffestiniog Railway at Porthmadog will result in the longest heritage railway in Britain by far, with a total length of nearly 62 km. Bryn-y-Felin Bridge forms a prominent landmark where the railway crosses over the Glaslyn River near Beddgelert in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park, near to the popular and much photographed beauty spot of the Aberglaslyn Pass. The structural form of the bridge is a steel half-through Warren truss, replicating the style of the previous bridge on the site. The aim was to produce a cost-effective design that reflected the heritage of the railway, and that could be readily constructed and maintained.