Great Welsh Railways Brand Reveal

Announced on all social channels today, The Great Little Trains of Wales (GLTW), a group of twelve cherished narrow-gauge heritage railways, a bold future-facing customer-focused rebrand has been revealed, fit for the 21st Century. GLTW is now GLWR: Great Little Welsh Railways.

From today forward, all GLWR member railways, which include world-famous Talyllyn, Ffestiniog and Snowdon Mountain railways, will adopt the classic British Rail ‘Rail Blue’ colour as the standard shared livery for locomotives across Wales. This deep, historic shade, synonymous with a defining era of British rail travel, will visually unite the diverse fleet of historic engines operating in stunning scenery. A complimentary new united, carriage livery is also in development.

In addition, the widely recognized (formerly British Rail) Double Arrow logo will be introduced as a unifying emblem for all GLWR railways. The symbol, long associated with Britain’s national rail identity, will now represent the shared values of heritage, reliability and continuity across the GLWR. 

Further standardisation of branding will be seen in the use of Rail Alphabet 2, as used on Great British Railways mainline network, and retro-style uniforms all bearing the Double Arrows identically across all lines. 

To aid wayfinding and reduce costs, the independent railways’ logos and names will be ordered more logically as “Lines” rather than “Railways”. For example, the Bala Lake Railway is now “Bala Lake Line”. 

Operational standards are also being made consistent across the GLWR grouping. Whilst all GLWR are narrow gauge, the precise gauges – due to haphazard investment priorities and misaligned decision-making processes stretching back two centuries – vary from the 12 ¼ inches found on the Fairbourne Line, to 2 ft 71⁄2 inches of the Snowdon Mountain Line. This has meant complex compatibility arrangements: a future streamlined, customer-focused GLWR needs to be able to pool existing rolling stock to deploy where most needed; older stock can be cascaded and innovative new vehicles can be built for all railways’ use. 

Following a consultation process which consisted of asking the General Manager of the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways what gauge would be best, he replied that as their line was the longest of any single gauge already, it’d be cheapest for them if the rest of the railways just did what they did. And by the way their workshops at Boston Lodge would be ideal to take on the contracts for doing all the vehicle regauging work at extremely favourable rates. The new GLWR standard narrow gauge is thus 1 ft 11 ½ inches, or more correctly, 597mm.

GLWR is thus pleased to announce that the contract for all stock regauging work has been awarded to the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Lines, based at the new Boston Lodge Central Traincare Facility, near Porthmadog. Details of the rolling rolling -upgrade plan will be announced in due course.

The rebrand marks the first time all 13 narrow gauge railways have aligned under a single visual identity. While each line retains its unique character and visitor experience, the shared branding signals a new era and recognition for the group as a whole. The rollout of the new livery and logo will begin immediately, with signage and promotional materials following, and the regauging work to follow across all member railways in Winter 2026/7.

Visitors can expect to see the first newly liveried locomotives in service this season, offering a striking blend of Welsh charm and 21st Century modernity and progress.

Stuart Williams, Vice Chair GLWR and General Manager at Brecon Mountain Line, sighed:

“I guess if it works for the national network over in England, then apparently it can work for our group of railways here. To be honest the guys at the Vale of Rheidol only painted their tank in BR blue last year as a bit of a joke. I’m not sure how it’s now got this far and I don’t remember voting for it, but our consultants seem pretty keen on it and we’ve bought so much blue paint we might as well get on with it.” 

Tim Dunn, railway historian and spokesperson for Design Agency   said, enthusiastically:
“Guys! It’s so more than just a new look. It’s about reconnecting with a powerful chapter of railway history. By embracing the Rail Blue livery and the Double Arrow logo, we are creating a strong, cohesive identity that resonates with enthusiasts, visitors, and communities alike, while honouring Gerry Barney and his iconic logo, whilst looking forward to a brave new era for the Great Little Welsh Railways.”

Members of the Great Little Trains of Wales are: