James Spooner II

The new FR double-Fairlie 'James Spooner' has been mentioned already on the FR/WHR thread as a future plan; have just found these photographs on Isengard that indicate the locomotive now exists in cold, hard steel:




(Firebox; boiler barrels).

Will be worth keep checking on Isengard for progress reports - anticipated steaming is 2020, in time for the 150th anniversary of the 'Little Wonder' trials.
Seems a way off yet, but by the time 'Lyn' is bedded in, and 'Unknown Warrior' has more than delivery miles on the clock, 'James Spooner' will be hovering between this thread and 'Next New-build Locomotive'...

 

What is isengard?

 

Sorry - should have provided more detail - isengard.co.uk is an unofficial news website that covers the WHR (also FR, WHHR and other heritage news around Gwynedd); there are links to detailed coverage of the rebuilding of the WHR, maps, photographs, etc, snippets of information from Dinas works, progress on 'Welsh Pony', and so on.

 

Just wondering why this new loco, which is a new build and emphatically not a replica of the original James Spooner, is bring given that name? I can see why Taliesin (II) was so called, as it was bringing back a missing part of the fleet (and favourite name). But the new Fairlie will be all new, so why not a new name, as with DLG? There are lots of options - Charles Easton Spooner, for example, would hint at the original loco while acknowledging it is new. Or perhaps honouring one of the heroes of the revived FR.
It just seems a bit strange to me.
Wonderful project though - although I hope the Square comes back one day (albeit almost entirely renewed).

 

A lot less strange than calling the Alco Mountaineer though. ;o)
Which is another one I'd like to see back some day.

 

Pondering #andrewshimmin 's post (4, above), the choice of name is a little odd; especially given that the planned first steaming, in 2020, is timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of 'Little Wonder's trials.
As for EofM, seems it's now tucked up for the winter in the new Heritage Carriage Shed at BL:

 

Pegler might have been a good alternative choice. FfR already have a building called Spooner's.

 

Isengard is a fortress in Middle Earth that included the tower of Orthanc which Saruman used as his base during the War of the Ring.

 

... with a narrow gauge railway running from the uppermost peak to the lowest dungeons. Orcs (double ended) provided the motive power for the ascent with gravity trains for most descending services. Surprisingly this line is little mentioned in any of Boyd's books (just a few cryptic mentions of 'another railway') even though, as everyone knows, Middle Earth, is a small part of Wales.

More details at Isengard.co.uk

 

Any idea how the finished loco will look, will it be a style similar to Merddin Emrys and DLG or something different ?.

 

I suppose that although not a replica of the original James Spooner perhaps the new loco will effectively represent what it would have become by now had it not been scrapped?

 

Have a look here for details :- https://www.festipedia.org.uk/wiki/James_Spooner_II

 

One assumes the finished loco will have water tanks at both ends, or...?

 

The drawing just seems to show an as built Merddin Emrys with bells on. Personally i'd drop the whole James Spooner thing as it clearly looks nothing like it, and just call it Charles Easton Spooner instead. Then again i wouldn't have bothered with any of this nonsense and just re-built "The Square".

Tim

 

It occurs to me "The Square" would also be an excellent name

 

Can't see that open cab depicted happening for a bread n butter traffic loco

 

Merddin Emrys (with half cabs) and James Spooner with just spectacle plates were both very much bread and butter traffic locos in their day; working all through the winter too. It all depends on the attitude of the crews. Anyway Merddin ran since preservation without a cab for many years.

Why not alter Merddin to a half cab at some point rather than JS, the original of which, as far as I'm aware, went straight to a full cab in 1887?

 

From the info available you will see it will have a removable cab roof.

From here: http://www.festrail.co.uk/content/publish/news/485.shtml

"The new James Spooner will have a traditional appearance, yet will be clearly identifiable alongside Merddin Emrys and David Lloyd George. Features will include stovepipe chimneys and a removable cab roof centre section reminiscent of how Merddin Emrys looked in its original form. It is hoped that some original components and design details will be incorporated into the new loco."

 

Would still be interested to hear the rationale for the name decision. James Spooner, the original, had parallel boiler while the new loco will have a taper boiler, etc. It seems to me that a new name would be more appropriate. Or is choosing the name of a "missing" loco a clever slight of hand to get buy in from FRS membership to the withdrawal and replacement of EoM...? (Which might well be justified in engineering terms but controversial in sentimental terms)

 

*sleight of hand, not slight