Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog) - Autumn Newsletter

** WIN A RUSSELL NAMEPLATE

The Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog) is offering chance to win a replica of the original nameplate carried by the historic WHR locomotive Russell.

The nameplate is a numbered limited edition copy produced from the same pattern used for the plates carried on the locomotive. It’s a full size copy and has been hand finished by Dave Ruston, one of the expert engineers rebuilding Russell.

To win it, you need to enter the Russell Nameplate Prize Draw, which runs between now and 1st December. Tickets cost just £2, and you can enter as many times as you like.

Russell is currently undergoing a major overhaul, and money raised by the prize draw goes towards the restoration costs, estimated at £75,000. Recent work has concentrated on the frames, including a rapid fire riveting session of 43 rivets in less than 48 hours.

- To enter the Nameplate Prize Draw, visit the Russell Restoration website

- The latest news on the restoration is here

** SIMPLEX NAMEPLATE UP FOR AUCTION

An unusual piece of Industrial Railwayana is up for sale on the auction site eBay.

The nameplate from WHR Simplex No.6 (11102 of 1959) “Jonathan” is being sold in aid of the Russell Restoration Fund. No.6 is a 5 ton, 60hp, Motor Rail “Simplex” loco, built for Pilkingtons in St Helens. It arrived at the WHR(P) in 1981, and was named in 1987. The nameplates were removed in 2004. More recently, the loco played an active part in the building of the WHR Traeth Mawr extension.

- Listing on eBay is here

** WHR BUFFET CAR – BODYWORK TAKES SHAPE

Restoration of the original Welsh Highland Buffet Car has taken a major step forward with the assembly of the wooden body framework.

The historic carriage dates from 1893, and is now in the care of the Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog). Regarded by many as one of the most important carriages in narrow gauge history, it was the first ever refreshment carriage on a narrow gauge railway in Britain. But when the railway closed, it was sold off, cut in half and ended its days as a summer house.

The Buffet Car was converted from an Ashbury 1st/3rd composite carriage in 1927, and its celebrity status began during its working life. Tom Rolt, who went on to become one of the pioneers of railway restoration, rode in it and commented on how hard it was to keep his coffee in the cup!

He later wrote: "to control a full cup successfully would have taxed the skills of an equilibrist. Most of the coffee soon found its way into the saucer, if not further afield, but I am glad to say I patronised this courageous attempt to provide main-line luxuries on the two foot gauge."

The carriage was donated to the WHR(P) in the late 1980s, and restoration work began in 2005, with the help of a grant from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council PRISM Fund. Work on the underframe was completed in 2006, and restoration has now moved to the bodywork.

Over the weekend of 13th – 14th October, the main framework of the carriage was assembled. It follows several months of careful restoration, using specialist joints to integrate new sections of timber into the original sections of bodywork.

Andy Jones, WHR(P) Carriage & Wagon Manager said: “for the first time in years, the Buffet Car has now started to look and feel like a coach again. You can certainly get an impression of how low the roof is, but you can also start to appreciate what it would have been like in the late 1920s.

Specialist restoration work has been carried out by Magnay & Yates, a joinery firm from Haltwhistle in Northumberland. Peter Magnay, one of the team working on the carriage, said: “restoring the original bodywork has been a time consuming, and highly frustrating task. Not only have we had to cope with rot and damage but things have been made even more complicated because sections which were supposedly the same had been finished with hand tools, and so were in fact different thicknesses. Joining it all together has been a complicated job, but the results are impressive, even at this early stage.

The Buffet Car restoration will continue over the coming months. The carriage is scheduled to be complete by February 2009.

- Pictures of the framework being assembled are here

** WALES IN BLOOM WIN

The flower displays at the WHR(P) Porthmadog terminus have won a prize in the prestigious Wales In Bloom competition, for the second year running.

Wales in Bloom is the main national award for parks and gardens around Wales. Once again, the WHR(P) beat off stiff competition to take the runner up spot in the “Best Kept Station” category.

The judges praised the WHR(P)’s Parks and Gardens Department for the variety of plants on show at the station. They said the quality of the display was stunning, and the station was a credit to everyone involved, not only giving visitors an added treat, but also brightening up the town of Portmadog itself.

Ian Whitley, WHR(P) Parks and Gardens Manager was at the ceremony to collect the award on behalf of the railway. He said: “winning this award two years in a row is a tremendous honour. 2007 hasn’t been an easy year for gardeners, with a hot spring and wet summer, so I’m glad our persistence against the elements has paid off!”

James Hewett, Chairman of the WHR(P), added: “the award is a tribute to the hard work by Ian and his team, who’ve spent hours making sure that the displays were of a high standard throughout the year.”