We all met at Waunfawr where Prince soon arrived blasting under the road bridge

Saturdays weather was dull all day but we made the best of the first location at Clogwyn Y Gwin were Prince started by smoking up the slate tips

Prince putting on a display under the old Snowdon Quarry tips

Prince, still sprightly, despit being built in 1863 comes out from the curves and is now blowing off

Starting the next run passt aproaching UB114

A brieaf bright spot on the curves under Clogwyn Y Gwin

The next location was Ffridd Isaf and starting the first pass almost from where we first started

Ffridd Isaf curves

Just beneith the cloud cover (and Snowdon summit) Prince run towards us again with the Clogwyn Y Gwin roack just behind to the left of the van

Zoom in of the previous shot

Approaching Ffridd Isaf curves with Russell by the wall

Murk down the valley as Prince crosses it's head near Rhyd Ddu

Ffridd Isaf from above

charging towards Rhyd Ddu at Ffridd Isaf

Palmerston was already at Rhyd Ddu under the south water tank. Prince's train entres the contruction line on the left and the old tamper is on the right

The photographers were taken down to the locations phase 4 by two former London Transport RMLs. Prince overtakes one on the road above Rydd Ddu

Prince on the parallel section with the road approaching Pitts Head

The train head into the cloudy gloom before we followed

We are now just behind Beddgelert station in the middle of the dramatic S bends

Prince, breaking the train down hill approaches the deep Cutting Mawr amidst spectacular Autum colours

Palmerston, faceing uphill, now takes the train back up towards us. The large loco water tank at the north end of Beddgelert station platform can be seen across the field

At this point the railway is on a constant uncompensated 1:40 gradient and has decended most of the hight from under the cloud visible on the mountain behind.

All I did from the last shot was turn 90 degrees a wait 90 seconds to see Palmerston blast up through Cutting Mawr for the first time this weekend

Mawr in Welsh is long or big.

More effort under the massive rocks

Working hard into the cutting Palmerstons exhaulst towers up the rock faces and beyond

Starting the next run by the farm gate

Too much effort, Palmerston slips

I make no excusses for featuring this spectacular section of track looping around three sides of this field

Close up of Palmerstons effort 100 feet lower at the foot of cutting mawr.

Emerging from the cutting the railway curves round some more to continuasly gain hight

Palmerston is no spring chicken having been built for the Ffestiniog Railway in 1864, but is still very agile

Backing back down to the farm driver Andy records the route so he can learn it more easily bbbefore the start of regular services

The Molwyns in the back ground Palmerston enters the 180 curve before cutting Mawr

Having rounded the field with squeeling flanges the train now heads for the cutting with a group of the photographers laying in wait under a wall

Whisteling for the next run by

Now into stride and with drama on the footplate the next section of track can be seen imediatly above behind the tree

Palmerston has imerged from cutting mawr and curves round the field towards the stream

I'm now sheltering under the wall as the train heads through the colours below the cutting