Passenger boost for Fairbourne

Over 20,000 passengers were carried on the Fairbourne Railway in 2016, up from 12,500 in 2012, a year in which the railway faced the threat of closure. In the workshop, the focus has been on the overhaul of replica Hunslet 2‑6‑2T Russell. Inspection has revealed that the outer driving wheels had been out of alignment. The axleboxes have now been corrected and new wheelsets installed. The original roller bearings have now been replaced by ‘Vesconite’, a thermoplastic bearing material which is a third of the price of a bronze component. An appeal has been launched to raise £12,000 to pay for the new firebox the replica Russell needs when its boiler certificate expires in 2018.