STEAM WILL REMAIN, SAYS SNOWDON, DESPITE NEW ‘GREEN’ COMMITMENT
Steam will remain an integral part of the Snowdon Mountain Railway’s offerings in future, despite the introduction of two new hybrid diesel locomotives and the withdrawal of steam services this year.
Although trains up Wales’ highest peak returned on July 10, albeit only as far as Clogwyn, the line has decided not to run its Heritage Steam Services this year as “it would be too difficult for us to maintain social distancing on board the carriages,” said SMR marketing manager Carrie Probin.
It comes after the arrival of a pair of new £1.1 million hybrid diesel locomotives built by Clayton Equipment, Nos. 14 Glaslyn and 15 Moel Eilio, which replace two of the line’s existing Hunslet diesel locomotives that were first introduced in 1986.
Heritage Great Britain plc, which operates the SMR, has said the new locomotives follow a commitment to reduce its carbon footprint and improve the sustainability of the experience at Snowdonia National Park. When asked whether this commitment and the introduction of new ‘greener’ locomotives meant that steam services would be further reduced, SMR Senior Engineering Manager Mike Robertshaw said: “Steam will continue to feature in the SMR timetable and there are currently no plans to reduce steam capacity. We have invested significantly in preserving and improving the steam fleet; locomotive No. 6 Padarn will celebrate its 100th birthday in 2023 and the SMR intends to mark the occasion. Steam services may in the future be altered through external influences; the two immediate threats are coal supply and environmental legislation, but the SMR is not alone in facing these concerns.
“The diesel service at the SMR has provided the backbone of the timetable for the past 25 or more years; the diesel and hybrid service will continue that status quo until the whole of the diesel fleet can be replaced by hybrid locomotives.”