Cynheidre on course for its first steam locomotive
STEAM has started on the long road back to the successor to Britain’s oldest public railway.
The restoration of Avonside 0-4-0ST No. 1498 of 1906 Desmond for the Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway has begun at the Flour Mill workshop, at Bream in the Forest of Dean.
When completed, the restoration will provide the heritage railway with a working steam locomotive for the very first time. So far:
■ The boiler has been split from the locomotive.
■ The tube plate has been removed and found to be cracked, and therefore needs replacing.
■ The angle ring has hairline cracks and will also need replacing.
■ The boiler, which requires the attention of a coded welder for the barrel sections, needs rectification of a ring of corrosion around the bottom of the steam dome and welding of the outer firebox.
■ Steel for a new tube plate and an angle ring and a set of boiler tubes have been bought.
■ The boiler has been shot-blasted and painted.
More than £70,000 has so far been spent, including a £50,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, £3000 from the Prism Fund, and more than £20,000 from the railway’s own charity funds. This project has also been supported by the Association for Industrial Archaeology. Railway officials are currently exploring additional fundraising ideas to speed up Desmond’s restoration and support the future operation and maintenance.
Family name
The Bristol-built locomotive worked at the Lysaght’s Orb Steelworks in Newport South Wales from new until 1973. It was named after a member of the Lysaght family.
When retired, it was handed over to the National Museums and Galleries of Wales at a ceremony at the steelworks, which turned out to be the last time it was steamed.
Desmond was later placed on public display at the 2ft gauge Teifi Valley Railway where it was spotted by former LMMR chairman Des Thomas. Initially a loan was arranged, and ownership of the locomotive was later transferred to the LMMR.
The heritage line has its origins in the Carmarthenshire Tramroad, a horse-drawn 4ft gauge plateway that was authorised by an Act of Parliament on June 3, 1802, and began running the following year.
It is claimed to be the oldest public railway in Britain; although the Surrey Iron Railway was the first to be incorporated, it is believed that the Carmarthenshire Tramroad was the first to open to traffic.
The tramroad closed in 1844 but sections of the route were reopened in 1881 as part of the newly-formed Llanelly & Mynydd Mawr Railway, which was absorbed by the GWR in 1922. It continued as a main artery for coal distribution from the Gwendraeth valley until the 1989 closure of Cynheidre Colliery, now the site of the heritage line.
Meanwhile, the Vale of Berkley Railway’s Class 143 ‘Pacer’ DMU No. 143612 has moved to the LMMR Railway on a year-long loan under a new partnership between the lines.
The ‘Pacer’ will be placed under the care of the South Wales Railcar Group, which already has Nos. 142006, 143606 and 143607 in its fleet.
Sharing knowledge
No. 143612 will now operate in service at Cynheidre, ensuring that it is in ready-to-run condition for when the VoB starts public services. The loan will allow the LMMR to carry out essential work on serviceable units Nos. 142006 and 143607 while retaining existing operational capacity.
The two heritage lines will also share knowledge, expertise and spares where possible.
For No. 143612, it marks a return to South Wales after several years away, when it was reallocated from Cardiff Canton depot to Bristol St. Phillips Marsh during its time with Wessex Trains, although would still make the occasional visit to Cardiff Central in service.
It was the first Class 143 to be preserved, along with No. 143603, when purchased by the VoB.
No. 143612, which still carries Great Western Railway green livery, will make its preservation debut at the LMMR’s operating day on May 14.
➜ The LMMR aims to grow into a major tourist attraction for the Llanelli district and hopes to attract more volunteers within all of its departments, including operations, maintenance and restoration, and administration. To volunteer or find out more, visit www.llanellirailway. co.uk or www.facebook.com/ llanellirailway