Society funds Covid-delayed overhaul
The Ffestiniog Railway’s former Penrhyn Quarries Hunslet 2-4-0 ‘Linda’ has returned to service following the completion of a delayed overhaul.
The loco, sister to ‘Blanche’ also on the FR and ‘Charles’ in the Penrhyn Castle Museum, was withdrawn from service in 2019 for a ten-year overhaul. The boiler work was completed quickly but the Covid pandemic stalled work on the chassis, at a time when the staff at the FR’s Boston Lodge works were also overhauling double-Fairlie ‘David Lloyd George’ and constructing the new Fairlie ‘James Spooner’. As a result Linda’s return to traffic was delayed beyond an intended celebration of the loco’s 60 years of service on the FR in 2022.
The comprehensive overhaul has included a heavy rebuild of the tender and inevitable work on the smokebox caused by ten years of high-mileage use. Linda made running-in turns on winter shuttle trains between Porthmadog and Minffordd before heading into the paint shop ahead of an anticipated full return to traffic in March.
The cost of the overhaul was more than £80,000, funded by members of the
Ffestiniog Railway Society. “We are eternally grateful to them for their support,” said FR general manager Paul Lewin. “Despite the recent years being financially challenging for everyone, the members have continued to dig deep – I can’t emphasise enough how grateful we all are.”
Society members have also funded patterns for a new pair of replacement cylinders that will be required for Linda before long. While Blanche was converted to piston vales many years ago, Linda will retain its slide valves.