Which Welsh railway is often described as the world’s oldest surviving narrow-gauge railway?

The Ffestiniog Railway is often described as the world’s oldest surviving narrow-gauge railway.

The railway was authorised in 1832 and opened for slate traffic in 1836. It runs between Porthmadog and Blaenau Ffestiniog in North Wales, carrying slate from the quarries of the mountainous interior to the coast. Its track gauge is 597 millimetres, unusually narrow even among narrow-gauge railways.

The line originally used gravity for loaded slate trains travelling downhill, while horses or locomotives hauled empty wagons uphill. Passenger services began in 1865, making it an early example of a narrow-gauge railway serving both industry and travellers.

The Ffestiniog Railway closed in 1946 but was revived by volunteers from the 1950s onward. Today it operates heritage trains and forms part of a longer route connected with the Welsh Highland Railway. “Oldest” claims can vary depending on whether continuous operation or surviving infrastructure is meant.