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Railway Attraction Celebrates Successful End To Season

A railway museum in Porthmadog is celebrating record October visitor figures, thanks to good weather during half term week. The Welsh Highland Heritage Railway has been unexpectedly busy during the recent school holiday period, with hundreds of people enjoying a short train ride and visit to the interactive museum.

James Hewett, Chairman of the WHHR, said: “on one or two days during the last week of October, we saw passenger numbers similar to what we’d expect during July or August. It’s almost as if people have taken advantage of the nice weather to enjoy an extra break before winter arrives.”

Over two hundred people also came to ride on the WHHR ghost train, a special event for Hallowe’en, which started as an experiment in 2008, and proved to be so popular, it was repeated this year.

James Hewett, who’s also a Director of Tourism Partnership North Wales, added: ““this time of year isn’t usually that busy, but the extra numbers have given an unexpected boost to the end of the tourist season.

“Given that we, and many other tourist businesses were nervous about the state of the economy as we began the 2009 season, it’s nice to end it on a bit of a high.

“The nice weather has also been good news for the volunteers of the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, who’ve been able to get on with outdoor jobs like repairing the track without hardly even needing a coat!”