Dinorwic’s Sybil back in steam after 40 years
Ex‑Dinorwic slate quarry Bagnall 0‑4‑0ST Works No. 1760 Sybil returned to steam for the first time in around 40 years on October 8, at the West Lancashire Light Railway.
Built in 1906, Sybil was the sole locomotive built by the Stafford manufacturer working at Dinorwic, which was overwhelmingly wedded to ‘Quarry Hunslet’ 0‑4‑0STs. Purchased by the Armstrong‑Evans family, along with Hunslet 0‑4‑0ST Works No. 409 Velinheli, in 1965, Sybil operated at the family’s private Inny Valley Railway in Cornwall until the early 1980s.
Subsequently dismantled, Sybil was relocated to Launceston Steam Railway and later housed in the nearby private workshop of its owner, James Evans – son of the locomotive’s original saviour.
Put up for sale in 2012, Sybil was purchased by the West Lancashire Light Railway‑based Sybil Locomotive Trust in early 2013 and moved to Hesketh Bank for restoration. The biggest task in returning Sybil to steam was the construction of a new Bagnall‑pattern launch‑type boiler, as the original had been condemned years before. The new, riveted boiler has been built almost entirely in‑house, with assistance from Johnson’s at nearby Banks. It was steam tested in late July this year, and the locomotive underwent its first test runs on the WLLR on October 8, both light engine and with the passenger set after the day’s public service had finished.
Trust spokesman Keith Nicholls said: “Although Sybil’s boiler has passed its final steam test, remaining commissioning work and certification are required before she can enter service as part of the WLLR’s permanent operational fleet. With long‑time Hunslet resident Irish Mail, this will give the WLLR two working ex‑Dinorwic locomotives.”