Fletcher Jennings Gala on the Talyllyn Railway

I visited the Talyllyn Railway for their 'Fletcher Jennings Gala' on the 23rd February. Numbers 1 and 2 were in steam and hauling a variety of interesting trains. There were plenty of passenger and demonstration freight trains running up and down the line. The trains all looked packed and apparently over 2000 people attended the gala.

I took some photographs:



No.1 at Wharf on the coal road.



No.2 on the 'heavy freight set' that included diesel No.8.



No.1 arrives at Pendre with another packed train. It crossed No.2 in the loop here.



No.2 in the loop with the heavy freight set.

 

Of course this wasn't really a gala. It was just a normal Monday in the life of the Talyllyn Railway. No.1 having been examined by our boiler inspector was being gently steamed to check for leaks from mudhole doors, washout plugs etc and did some shunting around Pendre yard. No.2 was used to haul a ballast train to the PW gang who were working up the line as part of our annual 'Spring Outdoor Week'. The line has some diesel availability issues at present, hence the utilisation of an already warm steam engine which had just finished a stint on the half term passenger service.

No.2 Dolgoch is going to see out the last year of it’s boiler ticket in 2009 and some ideas of how the locomotive can ‘bow out in style’ are already under consideration. This will be your last time to see / photograph / charter for driver experience or ride behind Dolgoch for a few years whilst a thorough overhaul takes place. I would be interested to know if anyone would like to see more special scenes like these i.e. vintage trains, goods workings, combinations of the two Fletcher Jennings locomotives. Please make your wishes known and we will see what can be arranged!

 

Black ribbon on the headlamp for J.I.C. Boyd, presumably.

Richard

 

Yes it was.