Rarely seen Rustons
AS reported last month, Cambrian Heritage Railways (CHR) expects to open its standard gauge extension to Weston Wharf in the spring. Attractions at the new station include three 2ft gauge Ruston & Hornsby LBT diesels which have been out of the public eye for many years.
The trio, effectively plinthed, now serve as a reminder of the narrow gauge lines that once fed into the Cambrian Railways network – including the tramway which connected Weston Wharf to Sweeney brick works in the 1890s.
All three narrow gauge locos are owned by a CHR volunteer. They comprise Works No. 7002-0967-6 of 1967, Works No. 496039 of 1963 Llanforda and
Works No. 496038 of 1963 Barny. The latter pair were both previously employed at Llanforda waterworks, Oswestry, a filtration plant on the pipeline from Lake Vyrnwy reservoir in Montgomeryshire to Liverpool. The locos and skip wagons were employed to move sand from the filter beds, which had to be cleared out periodically. That rail system closed in 1986.