Yours for £500

INSIGHT InYours the 1960s if you wanted for your own £500... steam locomotive it was easy to buy one. Andrew Charman traces the varied stories of the many locos that departed the Dinorwic Quarry. he short but no less fascinating Waste not... comparing average earnings nearer Tletter that heads this feature was Thankfully, the quarry policies of “Almost all £18,000), but apparently on the sent by the Dinorwic Quarry in May never scrapping withdrawn the Dinorwic reaction of his mother when she 1963 to Robert Fysh. Today Robert equipment, in case it could find a Hunslets looked out of her window one gets his live steam fix from 16mm later use, ensured that virtually all of morning to find the driver of a scale modelling in the garden, but in the locos survived to be available for that survive Pickford’s low-loader carefully the early 1960s he was one of a preservation. At Dinorwic, for today are measuring the gap between the growing number of young example, worn-out components hybrids...” gateposts in her driveway... enthusiasts, buoyed by the success of would see locos being withdrawn and Others were more successful the new preservation scene typified left on the level they had worked, however, and throughout the 1960s a by the Talyllyn and then-Festiniog only to be brought back into use steady stream of locos left Dinorwic Railways, who realised they could perhaps a couple of years later when for new lives elsewhere. Of the 22 actually own their own narrow gauge the component needed, for example a Hunslets that worked at the quarry steam locomotive. boiler (!), became available from just four did not survive into The first place to ask was at one of another loco. It’s fair to say that preservation. This statistic becomes the two great slate quarries of Wales, almost all of the Dinorwic Hunslets remarkable when you consider that Dinorwic, and its neighbour over the that survive today are in fact hybrids within two years of Robert’s enquiry mountain at Penrhyn. Both had fleets with parts shared between them... the asking price for some locos had of small Hunslet 0-4-0STs, in fact Robert’s bid to become a steam doubled to £1,000, despite several they were so prolific a user that the locomotive owner floundered, not on needing a lot of work from their new locos would become forever known as the £500 asking price (equivalent to Above: Final days owners before being able to work the Quarry Hunslets. around £8,000 today, or when at Dinorwic – in reliably. Over the mountain at this shot taken Penrhyn locos were in some cases on 15th June snapped up for just £100 – Nigel 1967 ‘Holy War’, Bowman, who created the Launceston by then the last Steam Railway in Cornwall, was working steam reputedly told in 1965 that because loco, sits by one of the inclines. ‘Lilian’ had a copper firebox, he Photo: Michael would have to pay £60 for it... Bishop Early casualties Left: ‘George B’ Three of the four Dinorwic engines working in the that never made it were the earliest quarry on 19th built for the quarry – delivered in August 1959, 1870 were Hunslet’s first narrow six years before gauge loco ‘Dinorwic’ (later renamed departing for a short preservation ‘Charlie’), and ‘George’ (later life before renamed ‘Minstrel Park’). The smaller beginning an ‘Louisa’ followed in 1877. All appear overhaul that has to have been scrapped before 1945, lasted to this day. though there is no hard evidence of Photo: Tony Travis the ultimate fate of Louisa. 16 No 80 – NARROW GAUGE WORLD INSIGHT The fourth ‘victim’ was the only “An overhaul Next to go from Dinorwic, in James Evans, better known today as secondhand Hunslet loco to work at December 1964 ,was ‘Covertcoat’ of the man who initiated the project to Dinorwic. ‘Lady Madcap’ was built as started in 1898, an example of the earlier of create Lynton & Barnstaple replica ‘Sextus’ in 1896 for a granite quarry 1978 and two ‘Port Dinorwic’ classes. These locomotive ‘Lyd’. And yes, Velinheli in Leicestershire and arrived at lasted 20 were so named because they were has made not one but several visits to Dinorwic, via a return to Hunslet, in built for duties at the quarry’s final the Ffestiniog… 1910. It was withdrawn in 1952 and years...” transhipment point, on the Menai soon stripped of parts, the frames Straits at the other end of the 4ft Transatlantic travels finally disappearing at the end of the gauge Padarn Railway. Covertcoat Within a month of Velinheli’s sale 1960s. But as our later panel shows, worked there until 1923 when the two more locos were on their way, the tale didn’t end there... loco was transferred to the quarry, travelling by far the furthest and into The stories of the 18 survivors are finally being withdrawn in 1959. a life of mystery. ‘King of the Scarlets’ highly varied – some have not turned The purchaser was a John Butler was built in 1889, a member of the a wheel since leaving the quarry, some of Ripley in Surrey, but by 1984 the Alice class and in its early years called have seen several new environments as engine had been sold again, to Nigel ‘Alice’. The much-younger ‘Michael’ new lines appeared and disappeared. Bowman’s Launceston Steam Railway. of 1932 was one of the later Port Some of the earliest departees It has worked there since in close-to- Dinorwic engines though just to travelled by far the furthest, some of quarry condition, apart from gaining confuse matters never worked at the the last hardly went anywhere at all... a replica cab and a tender. Covertcoat port, only in the quarry – the theory is also among the many Dinorwic is that Hunslet was confused by the First of many engines to have visited the Ffestiniog. Dinorwic order and sent the wrong Robert’s enquiry was actually quite Launceston also proved to be the type of loco! Coincidentally it also pioneering – while the first sale of a ultimate destination of the next loco was the last steam engine built for a Dinorwic loco was made in August to go, Alice class ‘Velinheli’ of 1886. North Wales slate quarry. 1962, the clearout did not really Sold to Armstrong Evans on 11th Both were purchased by a gather pace until 1965. That first to Above: In 1967 May 1965, it did not leave Dinorwic Canadian, Charles Matthews, and go was ‘Cloister’, built in 1891 and ‘Alice’ was until 1969 to run on his private line together with several Penrhyn locos, like most of her sisters a member of marooned in in Cornwall. When this line was shipped across the Atlantic. They the ‘Alice’ class. her shed and closed in 1986 the loco transferred to joined several others stored in a barn Withdrawn from duties in 1959, slowly being Launceston where it remains today. It in Langstaffe, Ontario, and while Cloister was bought by R.C.U. cannibalised to is now owned by Mr Evans’ son, much of the collection was later » Corbett, President of the Hampshire keep her sisters Narrow Gauge Society and donated running. to the society. After a rebuild and Above right: regauging (the Dinorwic engines were Another shot of 1ft 103/4in gauge whereas most lines Holy War, within they have since worked on have been months of steam 1ft 11½in) Cloister ran on the working in the Society’s line at Durley until an quarry ending. overhaul was required. This started in Both photos: 1978 but lasted 20 years, during Michael Bishop which the loco was moved to run on Right: ‘Maid a new line, then operated by the Marian’ returns Hampshire society, at Kew Bridge to Dinorwic in Steam Museum by the River Thames. 1971 to work Cloister ran there for many years, and on the then visited several other lines including new Llanberis the Ffestiniog and Bala Lake. Lake Railway. Recently, with another overhaul due, Photo courtesy the loco has moved to Amberley Llanberis Lake museum in Sussex. Railway NARROW GAUGE WORLD – No 80 17 INSIGHT respectively to work the bottom mills and the tramroad that ran to the Padarn Railway loading point at Gilfach Ddu, Llanberis. Unusually these two engines retained their own identities, with none of the component swapping that went on with the quarry locos. Cackler was the first to go, on 29th March 1966, seven years after hauling its last Dinorwic train. D C Potter bought the loco, reputedly for £1,000. He ran it on a short length of track in a builder’s yard in Dereham, Norfolk, and later at a five-eighths of a mile line called the Yaxham Park Ralway. Auctioned in 1971 Cackler passed through two more owners without being used, then joining the traction engine collection of George Cushing at Thursford, Norfolk. purchased by Ontario’s science centre, to requirements and she returned to A line of almost a mile was laid for the Dinorwic pair have remained in Dinorwic to run on the Llanberis the loco to run on and indeed the the ownership of the Matthews Lake Railway, more of which later. Above: Nigel author recalls traveling behind it in family, and away from public view in Another move took place in 1975, Bowman has done the late ’70s. Sadly, however, several the barn, in exactly the condition in to the then-new Bala Lake Railway, much to preserve factors, notably increasing health and the Quarry which they left the quarry. Several and Marian lives there today, still in Hunslet line on safety requirements, brought an end attempts to buy them have been met the ownership and care of the Fund.

Load more