No 1 ‘Talyllyn’ arrives in Porthmadog

Latest Press Release


On Tuesday 22nd April 2014 Talyllyn Railway locomotive No.1 ‘Talyllyn’ was winched on to a low loader at Tywyn Wharf station ready to be transported to the Porthmadog. Here it was handed over to the team at the Ffestiniog Railway’s Boston Lodge works for repair following a mechanical failure which had led to serious damage to the motion on the driver’s side.

Upon arrival at Porthmadog a complicated manoeuvre had to take place to get the locomotive into the works, as the Ffestiniog Railway’s track gauge of 1ft 11½ins is 3½ins narrower than the Talyllyn’s. Therefore the locomotive was taken to a stretch of the Welsh Highland Railway in the town where it was unloaded onto a flat wagon. This was then hauled by the Ffestiniog Railway’s locomotive ‘Linda’ to Porthmadog Harbour station, which involved crossing the road across Britannia Bridge into the station.

At Porthmadog Harbour the locomotive was formally handed over by the Talyllyn Railway’s Engineering Manager, Martin Turner, to the Ffestiniog’s Chief Mechanical Engineer, Jon Whalley. Diesel ‘Criccieth Castle’ was then attached to the train to haul No.1 across ‘The Cob’ and into Boston Lodge works.

Now the locomotive will be dismantled for a full assessment of the damage, with the aim of having repairs completed in time for No.1’s 150th birthday in September this year.

For further information about this press release please e-mail: enquiries [at] talyllyn [dot] co [dot] uk or phone 01654 710472.

Photo by Ian Drummond