139 days, 8,367 miles… workhorse ‘Prairie’ helps ease North Wales locomotive shortage
GWR ‘Large Prairie’ No. 5199 has been the Llangollen Railway’s saviour in its hour of need - faultlessly clocking up over 150 steaming days in its first year. Returned to steam in November 2014 after a two-year heavy overhaul, the Collett 2-6-2T was the cornerstone of the Welsh line’s steam operations throughout 2015 - with its only back-up for much of that time being ‘64XX’ 0-6-0PT No. 6430. Having lost the services of ‘Manor’ No. 7822 Foxcote Manor in November 2013 with a cracked firebox, the LR’s steam power fleet was further depleted the following January when ‘Black Five’ No. 44806 moved to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Since then, ‘2884’ 2-8-0 No. 3802 came out of traffic in the autumn at the end of its boiler certificate, while BR ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T No. 80072 only returned to service in December after two years during which it underwent repairs to firebox stays. No. 5199 was thus rostered for no fewer than 139 steaming days during 2015 (having about 20 already under its belt in late 2014), in the process racking up a total of 8,367 miles more than double the figures for a normal year, in which 60 to 70 running days would be the likely maximum. “The railway would have really struggled without it,” says 5199 Project Chairman Richard Pumphrey, describing how the only problems have been broken spring hanger bolts on the leading driving wheels, some play in the little-end of the left-hand connecting rod, and slight wear to the slidebars. “After 139 days, that’s nothing!” Following No. 5199’s appearance at the LR’s ‘Winter Warmer’ event on January 2/3, these jobs will be tackled during its winter maintenance period before returning to service for the 2016 season in March. Still wearing the single coat of BR plain black applied for‘Steel, Steam & Stars III’ in 2012, a change to green will be on the cards later in this boiler ‘ticket’. Richard Pumphrey seeks photographs of No. 5199 in BR service or on visits to other railways during its last period of operation (200312). Email r.pumphrey2012@ btinternet.com