An often overlooked fact is that the Ffestiniog Railway owns a lot of property, a lot of which is very old and in need of attention.
Whilst Coed-y-Bleiddiau cottage is being rebuilt by the Landmark Trust, other properties need the attention of the railway.
One such is Plas Smart, the former loco supervisor’s office, which is one of the oldest buildings on the railway, being constructed in 1863. It is in the top yard at Boston Lodge and was, for many years, the regular accomodation of volunteer Ian Smart, hence its name.
The building is seeing a significant amount of work to make it safe and restore it to its former glory, supported by £10,000 from the Ffestiniog Railway Society. The building has been re-roofed and the walls lime-rendered.
There is more detail on the building on the FR Heritage Group’s Festipedia site.
