A CORNER OF WALES THAT IS forever England
New frames, new boiler, new tender - is Welsh Pony a restoration or a replica? By THOMAS BRIGHT.
Welsh Pony is a bit like George Harrison. One in a quartet of surviving Ffestiniog Railway George England saddle tanks, the locomotive has always been overshadowed by its more famous bandmates. Prince and Princess are Lennon and McCartney, preservation celebrities that garner the majority of people’s interest, while Palmerston, much like Ringo, is the solid team player, happily doing its own thing and getting the job done. Welsh Pony, like ‘the quiet Beatle’, is perennially overlooked and, until 2013, was always at the back of the queue for attention. But now, as it nears the end of a four-year restoration, FR No. 5 will steam again in time for its 150th anniversary, nearly eight decades after it last turned a wheel in anger. Except will it? For is it even the same engine? The George England 0-4-0STTs are synonymous with the Ffestiniog. The larger and more impressive Double Fairlies may have superseded them, but the England’s place in history is unassailable: the first true narrow gauge engines. Welsh Pony is unique. It is the last of the large Englands, a pair of larger and more powerful locomotives delivered to the Ffestiniog Railway in 1867 to supplement the original four - Prince, Princess, Palmerston and Mountaineer, otherwise known as the small Englands. When this first batch of locomotives was delivered from George England & Co. in 1863, they were markedly different from their later, more familiar form. None sported a cab, just a spectacle plate that offered no protection from the often inclement weather of North Wales, nor did they carry steam domes, supposedly at the behest of designer Charles Menzies Holland, and against the advice of George England. The distinctive overall saddle tanks would not appear until 1888, when Palmerston became the first small England to be modified. Initially, they made do with side tanks, but these had limited water capacity, so in 1867, an order was placed with George England & Co. for a further two locomotives that, although ostensibly similar to their predecessors, would be larger, more powerful and have greater range. This pair - Welsh Pony and long-scrapped Little Giant
- were fitted with saddle tanks from new, but these were actually enlarged (from a planned 375 gallons to 418 gallons) before delivery, almost doubling the water capacity of the small Englands (at just 237 gallons). The large Englands also had a longer wheelbase to improve the ride, and an increase in the diameter of the cylinders and boiler went with the operating pressure being raised from 130lb/sq in to 150lb/sq in. The success of both Welsh Pony and Little Giant led to the eventual rebuilding of three of the small Englands along similar lines, resulting in the form most enthusiasts are familiar with today; Mountaineer was withdrawn in 1879 and thus never modified.
Full cab
Welsh Pony remained in its original iteration until September 1890 when it was withdrawn for a major overhaul, emerging from Boston Lodge Works in May 1891 as an almost entirely new locomotive. It received new frames, cylinders, saddle tank and smokebox, as well as a full cab. Reportedly, the large Englands were preferred by the FR footplate crews to their smaller counterparts, and for the next 47 years, Welsh Pony would carry on plying its trade, hauling snaking trains of slate wagons along the twisting, climbing route between Porthmadog and Blaenau Ffestiniog. After failing a hydraulic boiler test in 1938, Welsh Pony was withdrawn from service, but the outbreak of the Second World War a year later, and the subsequent closure of the line in 1946, put paid to any ideas of overhauling the 0-4-0STT. Welsh Pony seems to have forever been the bridesmaid and never the bride. When preservationists took over the FR in 1954, despite Welsh Pony being complete and in largely good condition, the availability of a new boiler built for Prince during the war meant that the latter would be the first 0-4-0STT to be restored. Welsh Pony had its spectacle plates and other fittings removed for use on Prince. The nascent FR then focused its efforts on restoring the more useful Double Fairlies, Taliesin (the former Livingston Thompson) and Merddin Emrys. Once these had returned to steam, the then general manager, Allan Garraway, considered overhauling Welsh Pony. However, it was not to be, as the FR’s locomotive crisis in 1962, which resulted in the purchase of ex-Penrhyn Quarry Railway 0-4-0STs Linda and Blanche, meant that the last large England slipped further back in the overhaul queue. Following the arrival of ALCO 2-6-2T ‘Mountaineer’ five years later, and the subsequent new-build locomotives, it seemed unlikely that Welsh Pony would ever steam again. Instead, it was placed in open-air storage in Glan-y-Mor Yard at Boston Lodge, where exposure to the weather and salty sea air corroded a number of components. It received some cosmetic restoration in March 1985, being painted red and sporting dual language Welsh Pony/Merlen Gymreig nameplates. It was placed on a plinth in Harbour Station car park, where it would remain for the next 17 years until it was moved into storage at Glan-y-Pwll in 2002.
‘Pony up’
Writing in Steam Railway in 2010 (SR373), FR General Manager Paul Lewin proposed restoring Welsh Pony, citing the return to steam of Palmerston, which was in a comparably poor state before restoration, as the reason why Welsh Pony should receive similar treatment. He said: “The case for restoration versus other non-operational options hinges around providing a more secure future for the locomotive, as it is perceived that working engines attract a supportive following - as amply demonstrated by Palmerston. “Some of the original material was lost during the restoration [of Palmerston], but the resultant engine is quintessentially FR, and driving it at the head of a rake of slate wagons allows one to experience what the old FR was really like.” This proposal generated enough interest for a Conservation Management Plan to be drawn up, evaluating Welsh Pony’s current condition and the pros and cons of restoring it. Several options were considered:
❚Restoration to 1867 as-delivered condition.
❚Restoration to post-1891 condition.
❚Cosmetic restoration to halt further deterioration.
❚Take no action.
❚Produce an as-built replica. According to the CMP, returning Welsh Pony to as-built condition had “much appeal, as none of the
surviving locomotives are in this form” but was dismissed because it “would inevitably be very costly as it entails the re‑creation of so many components, not all of which could be manufactured using original techniques and would thus require re‑designing to use modern materials.” The second option, for restoration to post‑1891 condition, was the one eventually taken, and in May 2013, following the locomotive’s appearance at the FR’s ‘Steam 150’ event, the restoration was given the green light. At the time, Paul Lewin said: “Our aspiration is that all our locomotives should eventually be returned to operating condition. “With the notable exception of Princess and Livingston Thompson, which contain much original material and will be preserved as historic artefacts, the idea is that everything else should be restored to working order, rather than being tucked away in the back of a shed covered in dust.”
1930s condition
The restoration of Welsh Pony is extensive. Project engineer Bob Yates explains: “Welsh Pony will be as close as possible to the condition it last worked in the 1930s without actually being worn out.” Once completed, the 0‑4‑0STT will have new frames, new cylinders and a new boiler, as well as an all‑new tender. The original tender was coupled behind Linda during the 1960s. However, as it was raised in height, widened and fitted with roller bearing axleboxes, it was deemed more sensible to build a new tender for Welsh Pony than de‑modify its original and build a replacement tender for Linda. As much of the original Welsh Pony as possible will be retained and reused: “The cab roof will be replaced, as will the bottom few inches of the sides, but otherwise that will be as built in 1891. “Same with the saddle tank: it’s had the bottom 18 inches or so replaced on the sides, but is still more than 50% original. Items like the wheels, rods and inside motion will all be retained.” What is most remarkable about all this work is that Bob is carrying out much of Welsh Pony’s restoration almost single‑handed. It sounds like a tall order, but he’s been involved in a number of the FR’s restorations and overhauls, including rebuilding Welsh Highland Railway Garratt No. 87, completing the Lynton & Barnstaple replica Lyd and building the boiler for Lilla ‑ the first to be built at Boston Lodge ‑ so it’s fair to say he knows a thing or two about building engines. “It might look like I’m working on it alone, but we have a great team of people who all have their own areas of expertise. I’ve done most of the design work on the boiler and tender because my job has evolved into the design side of things. I’ve done all the welding work myself because I’m the FR’s only coded welder.” Some might say that the creation of new frames, notwithstanding the incorporation of other major new‑build‑components, means the Welsh Pony that will emerge from Boston Lodge later this year will be a replica and not a restoration, and that the scale of work required to return the 0‑4‑0STT to steam has obliterated the locomotive’s originality. Ironically, will this project make
No. 5 both the least original, yet the most authentic of the working Englands? However, there is historical precedent. Parallels can be drawn between the current restoration of Welsh Pony and the extensive overhaul the locomotive received in 1891; the result of both being, effectively, a new engine. Very little of Welsh Pony as built survives - according to the CMP, only the wheel centres, inside motion rods and tank handrails are 1867-vintage. The FR did consider constructing an as-built replica, but decreed the resultant locomotive would be “of negligible historical value and limited practical use.”
Still authentic
As Bob posits: “You replace items as they wear out. If you have to replace components on your car does that make it less authentic? We are rebuilding a locomotive that has been rebuilt several times already. Welsh Pony is still unique.” Inside Boston Lodge, Welsh Pony is coming together. Bob says: “The tender riveting has been finished and all the stays are now in the boiler; I’m working my way through riveting and caulking them over. “I’d like to have the boiler watertight by the end of February, and maybe an out-of-frames steam test by the spring. Once the boiler is complete and fixed to the frames the tank can go on, as can the footplate. Then we’ll rebuild the cab and install all the plumbing. “It would be nice to see Welsh Pony working this year, but we will have to wait and see.” For a railway that describes itself as “the Paignton & Dartmouth of narrow gauge”, it seems odd that it should embark on such a costly and time-consuming project when, at the end of it, the locomotive it will be left with is too small and underpowered for the majority of the line’s services. After all, the Double Fairlies quickly superseded the England locomotives, and the reason Welsh Pony was overlooked for restoration back in the late 1950s was because the FR needed more powerful locomotives to handle the burgeoning tourist traffic. That situation hasn’t changed; if anything, trains today are heavier and longer than they’ve ever been in the line’s history. So how does Welsh Pony fit into this - one of the busiest preserved railways in Britain? The FR may see itself as a commercially-led railway, but it’s acutely aware of its history, and recognises that part of its appeal is its unique locomotive fleet; the Double Fairlies and the England locomotives are part of the line’s identity. The CMP describes Welsh Pony as “an historic asset of international significance as part of the Ffestiniog Railway’s early locomotive fleet, and as one of the oldest surviving narrow gauge locomotives in the world.” Bob puts it succinctly: “It won’t be as useful as a Double Fairlie, and we don’t actually need it, but a lot of people have put their hands in their pockets to see it working. I’m sure it will be out frequently.” It is bound to be an emotional moment for Bob, once the £160,000 restoration is complete, to see Welsh Pony steaming again for the first time in nearly 80 years, but he does not plan to rest on his laurels. “It will be great to see Welsh Pony working, having seen it stuffed and mounted on a plinth outside Harbour Station for so many years, but then it will be on to the next project and more blood, sweat and tears to shed.” Once Welsh Pony joins Prince and Palmerston in the FR’s operational fleet, Bob will turn his attention to the FR’s first new Double Fairlie for 25 years, James Spooner. Work has already begun on the new 0-4-4-0T, and you can read more about the project in a future edition of Steam Railway. But now that he has got the bit between his teeth, is there a chance that Bob and the FR might resurrect the lost 0-4-0STTs? “Perhaps Little Giant as built, with the open cab, or maybe an original-built England; Mountaineer is missing from the collection after all. My dream would be [ex-North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway 0-6-4ST] Beddgelert. It’s quite an elegant locomotive, I think.” Welsh Pony certainly isn’t the first, nor will it be the last major project, and working alongside Bob in Boston Lodge you get a true appreciation of the craftsmanship that goes into his work. But as Bob puts it: “It’s just another day at the office.”
❚With thanks to Phil Brown, Tricia Doyle, Peter Johnson, Paul Lewin and Bob Yates.
You can help Welsh Pony to steam again. Donations should be sent to: Welsh Pony, c/o John Powell, 21 Madog Street, Porthmadog, Gwynedd LL49 9BU. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Ffestiniog Railway Society’. For more information about the Welsh Pony Appeal, visit: www.festrail.co.uk/welshpony