Steam Loco Dept Weekend Away, Part One

I was unable to get away for the department weekend away in north Wales over the last weekend of October. I am greatly indebted to Donna who went along and compiled a series of reports of the event, which I'll post here over the coming few weeks. All pictures, unless credited otherwise and all text from here on are courtesy of Donna Ludlow.  Thank you Donna.

On Thursday evening 13 of us met up at a very dark Toddington to take a minibus and see what three of North Wales’ steam railways had to offer. After a very long journey being held up by diversions and traffic, we were all very glad to arrive at the Travelodge at our base of Porthmadog.

 

Friday 30th October – Ffestiniog Railway – The World’s Oldest Narrow Gauge Railway

 

Porthmadog harbour to Blaenau Ffestiniog, 13 ½ Miles

We started the day with a hearty breakfast at the ‘Breaktimes Café’, just a short walk away from the hotel (where George was pictured with his big breakfast called the ‘Samson’). We met up with Alice and Andy who had made their own way there the day before. We then took a stroll up to the centre of Porthmadog where both the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways converge and share the same station. A nice feature of this is that the line crosses the main street in Porthmadog and the arrival of a steam loco always seemed to create a bit of excitement for the passers by.

The Ffestiniog Railway is located in North Wales near the iconic village of Portmeirion in Gwynedd. It was here that we were met by Paul Stratford, who joined us all for our first trip into the beautiful Welsh countryside.

It was a little bit grey and damp to begin with but the views from around the station more than made up for it:

Photo by Ashley Haines

Photo by Tom Evans

Photo by Tom Evans (from later in the day)

The loco that would be pulling our train was a Double Fairlie named ‘David Lloyd George’ and the ‘GWSR Staff’ as we had been named had our very own carriage reserved for the trip.

David Lloyd George. Photo by Malc Mackemsley

This was to be the first train of the day, the 10:10, which proved to be quite an eventful and dramatic trip. Due to a combination of steep inclines, damp weather, leaves, and the fact that there were no sanders fitted, the loco crew found themselves in a challenging situation and on a number of occasions we had either slowed to a crawl or grounded to a halt due to loss of traction. Happily there were some watering cans of sand on hand to help with this and we were soon charging ahead once again. Well done to the crew for getting us to our destination of the slate-quarrying town of Blaenau Ffestiniog and back. The extra journey time did give us more of an opportunity to appreciate the views:

Autumn Colours. Photo by Malc Mackemsley

Two Little Ducks: Someone at Ffestiniog has a sense of humour!

On The Deviation. Photo by Malc Mackemsley

The Deviation is a much newer section of track on the Ffestiniog. The older section it replaced used to run through a tunnel and then through the centre of what is now a reservoir for a hydroelectric dam.
 
At the risk of going off on a tangent I found this historical video from 1962, which was produced during the power station’s construction. It shows a transformer for the power station being moved by rail from Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog and the processes involved.

Back at Porthmadog, David Lloyd George poses next to SAR Class NG G16 Garratt No. 138 while coaling up. Photo by Malc Mackemsley

On the way back down from Blaenau Ffestiniog we disembarked at Boston Lodge, which is a request stop just before the train gets back into Porthmadog. Boston Lodge is the home of the loco sheds and workshops for both the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland railways, boasting an impressive collection of narrow gauge engines and various workshop facilities.

Boston Lodge. Photo by Malc Mackemsley

Here we had a guided tour and we were able to see some of the work that was going on.

Uplifting experience: A wheel being raised up ready to be hydraulically pressed onto an axle…

…that took everyone’s interest. Photo by Roger Molesworth

Another Double Fairlie was receiving some attention in the workshop. I’m afraid I didn’t find out any more information about it.

Bryan (l) and Ian talk about Double Fairlie boilers. Photo by Malc Mackemsley

Having a good look around the workshop.

(l-r), Ashley, Tina, Bryan, Ian, Kevin, Mark, Tom and Roger.

The loco shed held a number of engines including the following:

Lyd, first steamed in 2010, is a near replica of long lost Lew.

Photo by Tom Evans

Blanche

A loco that gained everyone’s interest, particularly George’s, was ’Prince’, the oldest working steam locomotive at the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland railways, which was built in 1863:

Photo by Roger Molesworth

The oldest office at the railway: Prince’s gauges and controls

Due to space being fairly tight in the workshop it was difficult to get a photo of Prince from the front so I have found a link to some video footage, which gives you a tour of the engine:
Towards the end of the tour we were shown their impressive carriage works and it was fascinating watching their skilled craftsmen at work making the carriage frames with iroko wood. 

A carriage in construction

Beautifully painted with an attractive spiral staircase

Luxurious Pullman Observation Carriage 150, made to celebrate 150 years of passenger services.

The Ffestiniog Railway boasts some fantastic scenery and impressive locomotives and if ever you are in the area it really is a must-see, especially with the added option of being able to travel on the longer Welsh Highland Railway at the same location.