David Lloyd George
| David Lloyd George | |
|---|---|
 David Lloyd George at Harbour Station | |
| Built By | Boston Lodge |
| Status | In Service |
| Loco Number | 12 |
| History | |
| Built | 1992 |
| Designed By | Boston Lodge |
| Type | Double Fairlie |
| 2002 | Major Overhaul |
| Technical | |
| Length | 32 ft 6ins |
| Fuel | Oil |
David Lloyd George is the name of a Fairlie loco on the Ffestiniog Railway. For information on the person whose name it takes, please refer to the David Lloyd George page.
This 0-4-4-0 Double Fairlie is the fourth steam locomotive to be built by the Festiniog Railway Company in its own workshops at Boston Lodge and was completed in 1992. It carries its name David Lloyd George (after the former Liberal Prime Minister who was brought up locally and travelled on the FR) in English on one side and in Welsh Dafydd Lloyd George on the other side. The locomotive number is 12. The smokebox brass handrails are reminiscent of Merddin Emrys or James Spooner as they appeared in the 1880s. It is fitted with a superheated taper boiler made by Bloomfield Steel Construction Co., Tipton.
The principal stated dimensions are: Cylinders (4): 9" x 14", Nominal wheel diameter: 2' 8", Operating boiler pressure: 180 psi, Bogie wheelbase 4' 8". Because the boiler is designed to operate at a higher pressure and has a greater degree of superheat than any other double engine boiler David Lloyd George is the most powerful steam locomotive ever to run in normal service on the Festiniog Railway.
[edit] Origins
In 1989 the FR successfully gained grant funding for a development program known as the INcreased CApacity or the INCA project. Although this financed various projects on the the FR, the largest was the construction of a brand new Double Fairlie locomotive to a new design following the traditional outline. The locomotive was designed to match the appearance of the 1880s fairlies (using design cues from both Merddin Emrys & Livingston Thompson) but with many improvements to performance and range. The locomotive therefore featured a completely new tapered boiler design with higher degree of superheat than previously used and was designed from outset to be oil fired. The locomotive was completely new with the expection of the power bogies which came from under Earl Of Merioneth, which had been withdrawn for overhaul.
[edit] Recent years
For the first 10 years of operation David Lloyd George has proved to be a very efficient and reliable machine, providing the backbone on services for most of this period. In 2002 it received its first major overhaul which was mainly confined to a simple retube the locomotive didn't miss a single season.
However, since 2002 two factors have seen it's use significantly decrease the first being the power bogies which are in fact the oldest set still in use on the railway having being previously used under both Earl of Merioneth locomotives. These are now approaching the end of their useful lives and it is intended to replace them with a brand new set the funding for which is a subject of an FR Society appeal.
The second factor has been the ever-increasing price of oil. David Lloyd George currently remains the only oil fired Double Fairlie locomotive and so is usually reserved for use as a standby locomotive as a result. Whether or not it will be converted to coal in future remains to be seen.
As the most powerful loco on the line, it is rare to see DLG double heading, but it does happen occasionally on special occasions or under extraordinary circumstances. It has happened at galas and occasionally as a result of a failure. On this occasion (below), DLG was the rostered train engine when the Earl joined it on its second trip of the day on a coal firing test run before running on its own on service trains.
In 2010 an appeal was launched to build two new bogies to fit under DLG. The bogies that have served since 1992 were made up from various older parts, and are fast approaching the end of their lives. If successful, these bogies will use the monoblock cylinder design being developed on Taliesin. The frames were erected, and motion parts being machined in spring 2011.
