Welsh Highland Railway Limited
Analysis
Welsh Highland Railway Limited is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Porthmadog. It was registered in July 1994, 32 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, arts/culture/heritage/science and environment/conservation/heritage, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 00790125). It says it provides human resources, provides buildings/facilities/open space and sponsors or undertakes research.
In the financial year ending December 2025, Welsh Highland Railway Limited reported income of £206k and spending of £147k, leaving 28% of income unspent that year. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £115k to £206k (+79%), an average of +16% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2022, when income rose by 63%. Over the whole period it spent 74% of the income it received.
Among 17,634 England and Wales charities whose main cause is arts, culture, heritage and science and that reported income, Welsh Highland Railway Limited sits at the 86th percentile: it is larger than about 86% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 81st percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include South Central Community Transport Limited (£205k), Creu Cymru (£206k) and Cylch Meithrin Penmaenmawr (£205k).
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Other 100%
In the charity's own words
The Welsh Highland Railway Ltd operates a narrow gauge steam railway in Porthmadog in order to revive and preserve the spirit of the original railway that closed in 1937. The charity owns, maintains and operates Russell, the sole surviving steam engine from the original railway, now over 100 years old, together with other heritage rolling stock and artefacts. A new museum building opened in 2009.
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| South Central Community Transport Limited | Liverpool | £205k |
| Creu Cymru | Newport | £206k |
| Cylch Meithrin Penmaenmawr | Gwynedd | £205k |
| New Writing South | Brighton | £206k |