'Dirty smoke from steam railway is invading our homes and leaving us in fear'


Angry residents say thick acrid smoke from a heritage railway is invading their homes and fear their health is being put at risk. Homeowners in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, claim the Welsh Highland Railway’s steam trains are using “dirty coal” and the resulting smoke is blighting their lives as they pass by.

Properties in Segontium Terrace are directly above the town’s railway station, situated at tunnel height, and residents on the street have demanded a stop to all trains. Railway bosses accept there is an issue but say they are “working their socks off” to find a solution.

Porthmadog-based Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways (F&WHR) blamed a 2021 decision by the Welsh Government to close the Ffos-y-fran mine, near Merthyr Tydfil. As it was the last supplier of clean bituminous coal – the type needed by steam engines – it left all heritage railways scrambling for alternatives.

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Homeowners in Segontium Terrace say the smoke is "horrible" and “overpowering”. Many claim to be afraid of opening any windows for fear of inhaling smoke. Resident Nia Davies Williams said: “This issue has caused considerable concern in our street - people are getting sick. It’s awful, I am really worried about our health.

“The terrace is directly above the Welsh Highland Railway, and for two years now polluted black smoke from the trains has been seeping into our homes as a result of the dirty coal they’re now using.

“We are so concerned about this horrible, acrid smoke coming into our houses. You can literally see it floating in the air in the house. There is a guy two doors down who has COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and they are very worried.

“His wife opened the windows and put white towels across the windows and by the end of the day she said they were black. The railway is for leisure and maybe we should put health first, and maybe they shouldn’t run it if they can’t sort out this problem completely.” Sign up now for the latest news on the North Wales Live Whatsapp community

Nia Davies Williams at the Welsh Highland Railway's Caernarfon station, which lies just below Segontium Terrace
Nia Davies Williams at the Welsh Highland Railway's Caernarfon station, which lies just below Segontium Terrace

The Welsh Highland Railway links Caernarfon to Porthmadog, where it joins with the Ffestiniog Railway. Together, they allow passengers to enjoy a 40-mile journey through spectacular scenery.

In late 2018, a new £3m station opened close to Caernarfon’s quayside and castle. It was a key part of Cyngor Gwynedd’s £16m Waterfront Development Project to give a major boost to this historic area. Nearby residents enjoyed the sight and sounds of passing steam trains but two years ago they began noticing the smoke was becoming blacker and more acrid.

David Keeble, who has lived in Segontium Terrace for 20 years, said it was time for the railway to be “shamed into taking long-term action”. He said: “We are one of the few houses on the terrace which has a back garden and we have French doors which go out into the garden.

“If we have the French doors open and the trains are below, the smoke from the burning of coal just fills the house up with this acrid smell. They are pretty well sealed but if there’s a slightest chink anywhere, you will smell it.

“It goes right through the entire house, upstairs as well. This problem affects our daily lives to a great extent. I feel strongly this is a very serious issue for us, we are being polluted essentially by the railway.”

Smoke from a steam train billows into Segontium Terrace. When clean, Welsh steam coal was available, it wasn't a major issue for residents
Smoke from a steam train billows into Segontium Terrace. When clean, Welsh steam coal was available, it wasn't a major issue for residents -Credit:Arwyn Roberts/North Wales Live

Once the 2024 season finishes after Halloween, residents will have some respite, other than a burst of activity over Christmas. But they are bracing for a repeat next year.

Nia said: “It will all go quiet and I know how it will be – come June, we will be asking again, please can the railway do something about this. In June 2022 we became very concerned about the quality of smoke and we noticed that we could taste it. You daren’t leave the windows open in the summer any more, you just can’t do that anymore.

“If I have the windows open just a little bit, I rush to close them immediately when I hear the train coming. We are not going to let it go this time, they really need to do something to stop this.”

In 2023, Talyllyn railway published an online video explaining why it was converting its steam engine fleet to electric. It was an April Fool’s stunt to highlight the “existential threat” facing heritage railways as supplies of clean Welsh coal supplies began to swindle.

Paul Lewin, F&WHR director and general manager, said the railway has been racing to find a solution. He said. “There were some leftover supplies in South Wales and we pretty much bought the lot to buy us time. As these stocks ran out, we have been trying to find an alternative fuel that’s right for our engines.

“We’ve been buying coal by the lorryload and trying to learn about its properties and to work out how best to use it. Combustion engines are complicated – there’s an art to firing steam engines and if we get it wrong, we get too much smoke.

“First and foremost, we have every symphathy with the residents affected. We understand the situation and are working our socks off to resolve it.”

Residents in Segontium Terrace complain they have to close all their doors and windows when steam trains are passing
Residents in Segontium Terrace complain they have to close all their doors and windows when steam trains are passing

Some heritage railways buy imported steam coal but in recent years traditional sources have become unviable. Several of the world’s biggest mines are in the war-torn region of Donbas in Ukraine, and in Siberia, now subject to an import ban.

Other exporters are still available, such as China and Austrialia. But shipping is costly and carbon-intensive, an unpalatable option for a sector working hard to shed its reliance on fossil fuels.

F&WHR has sourced steam coal from Poland and Columbia, and is eyeing up stocks from Australia. It is, however, pinning its hopes on a new form of smokeless coal that’s been developed especially for steam engines. Ordinary smokeless coal lacks the required energy density and can damage steam engines.

An initial delivery is due next week but, as with all coal products, its properties will needed assessing. Even if found to be suitable, all 150 of F&WHR crew staff will need training in how best to use it.

“We’re trying to get something as close to clean Welsh steam coal as we can,” said Mr Lewin. “It was wonderful stuff that gave clean emissions 99% of the time.

“Even now, the problem is not constant - 90% of journeys are not causing unsatisfactory smoke. But we’re aiming to get it back up to 98%-99%. In the meantime, we can’t stop running our trains. We have a business to run and a large workforce to keep in employment.”

The new Welsh Highland railway station in Caernarfon
The new Welsh Highland railway station in Caernarfon -Credit:Arwyn Roberts/North Wales Live

Nia, who has lived on Segontium Terrace for nine years, said residents have been in touch with the rail company to voice their concerns. The explanations they’ve been given have failed to allay the worries many of them have, she said.

“The railway says it will do this and that, and it will be okay, but there are clearly health and environmental implications,” she said. “The health side really does worry us, and it’s a shame we have to raise this issue time and again.

“We are afraid of opening any windows for fear of inhaling smoke. You have COP26 rules where coal use should be finishing but the heritage railway is exempt from that. Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday

“I think people should look again at the exemption the heritage railway has because if they are getting coal from places like Brazil and Columbia it is a different kind of coal and it’s not good. Something really needs to be done to stop this happening again.”

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