Six steam at Fairbourne gala
FAIRBOURNE Miniature Railway’s May 28-30 gala featured three visiting locomotives built by Exmoor Steam Railway. On the 12.25in gauge Fairbourne-Barmouth Ferry main line, rebuilt
Exmoor 2-6-2T Christopher from Littlehampton Miniature Railway joined Fairbourne’s Curwen 2-6-2T Yeo, Milner 0-40STT Sherpa and Milner 2-6-4T
Russell working passenger trains with loco swaps at each end of the line.
Between passenger services, Perrygrove Railway’s 0-6-2T
Anne and Evesham Vale Light Railway’s 0-4-2T Monty top and tailed shuttles on the 15in dual gauge section alongside Beach Road.
At Fairbourne, 15in gauge Lister Auto Truck 20886/1943
Gwril periodically ran up and down the platform road while the shuttle train was up the line. This loco was located at Fairbourne post-Second World War until being sold in the
1980s when the railway was regauged to 12.25in. Having visited from Windmill Farm Railway during galas after the addition of a third rail on the Beach Road section, it has now been purchased by the Fairbourne line’s Trust and will remain at Fairbourne.
Fairbourne now has two locos with the same name, the other being the comparatively modern Hunslet 9354/1994 which received the historic name Gwril when it entered service! There has also been a third Gwril, a 4wBE built at Fairbourne in 1987 and sold in 2011.
Fairbourne has also purchased Motor Rail 4wDM 9837/1944. This loco was part of the Oswestry & District Narrow Gauge Railway Group’s collection located at Weston Wharf, Oswestry. Some of the collection was relocated to Brymbo Heritage Centre as part of a plan to develop a 2ft gauge line (RM, September 2017) but that project was subsequently dropped. With accommodation required for visiting gala locos, it was decided not to bring the newly acquired Motor Rail to the line until after the event.