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Summary[edit]

TAKEAWAY RESTORATIONS

PETER JARVIS, ON THE OCCASION OF THE FESTINIOG RAILWAY SOCIETY'S SILVER ANNIVERSARY, GIVES EXAMPLES OF ROLLING STOCK REBUILT BY ITS GROUPS "AT HOME

ONE of the oldest surviving railway companies in the world, the Festiniog, was incorporated in May 1832, and its origins lie another generation before that. The history of volunteer involvement goes back almost as far: in February and March 1812 a volunteer force of 892 men with 737 horses was engaged on the repair of the Cob, across which the railway runs at Porthmadog, and in 1946 the manager, Mr. Robert Evans, was appealing for voluntary support to keep the railway running.

The Festiniog Railway Society was founded in 1951, and in 1954 Mr. Alan Pegler bought a controlling interest in the Festiniog Railway Company. The FR Society was incorporated as a limited company and entered into “A Declaration of Common Purpose” with the FR Company, which stands to this day. Whether one should commemorate the anniversary of the take-over on June 24, the first working party in August, the first train on September 23 or the registration of the Society as a Company on Christmas Eve 1954 is a matter for rivet-counters to argue, but the Festiniog Railway began its new life 25 years ago.

Devoted labours of the “full-time part-paid” permanent Company staff have from time to time been recorded in these pages as well as elsewhere, but the specific efforts of the Society have not been assessed here lately. The Society helps the Company in many ways—by providing equipment at reduced prices or at no cost to the Company, by raising funds to assist the railway, by publicising the railway, by engaging on homework projects, and lastly, but by far the most important, by providing voluntary help to work on the line. Of particular value are the activities of the Area Groups of the Society, which not only organise working parties to the railway and scour the countryside for suitable rolling stock, but which build it themselves and deliver it to Porthmadog.

The first piece of rolling stock removed for a “homework rebuilding” was Busta, a former Welsh Highland Railway permanent-way trolley, which was taken to Manchester and rebuilt there in 1955-56. Unfortunately the engine proved too light and underpowered, and while capable of high speeds was unable to carry sufficient people or equipment to be of much use. Busta soon found its way into a dark corner and thereafter gathered dust.

The Midland Group was more successful. In 1958 members took the remains of coal wagon No. 19. a venerable two-ton capacity end-door vehicle, which proved to consist of “breadcrumbs” fastened together by iron straps far gone in decay. It was rebuilt in Birmingham with a completely new wooden body and with the ironwork replaced to the original pattern. No. 19 was returned in 1959, and No. 20, a similar wagon, was then taken and dealt with likewise. The Midland Group became very proficient at metalling bearings, and having returned No. 20 in 1960. restored No. 22. Its next scheme was more ambitious—the design and construction of an entirely new No. 1 brake van to replace the ancient and decrepit van of the same number which had been converted from a quarrymans’ carriage of the 1880s. A certain amount of ironwork was provided at Porthmadog, but the rest of the job was done from scratch. Since delivery in 1964 it has been in frequent use as a passenger brake van on short train sets in the summer, and as a works train van in the winter: so successful has it been that first class passengers have been known to ask if they might travel “in the little observation saloon at the back”!

Next the Midland Group tackled wagon No. 21, which was returned in 1966. The end doors are a design feature of these wagons not endearing them to present-day users: they were originally intended to be cut out of a train and turned on a wagon turntable to face a convenient unloading point or chute, but there are few wagon turntables left in service and the inconvenience of cutting-up the train and shovelling out the contents from the tracks between the wagons has been considerable. All the Midland wagons served to carry locomotive coal until the end of coal firing in 1972. but since the introduction of oil-firing they have seen only occasional use. No. 19 as No. 162, was further rebuilt by Leicester Group in 1976.

The last major job completed by the Midland Group has been the restoration of carriage No. 7. This entertaining item was one of the original third class “bug-box” coaches of 1864-67, and in its first form consisted of a longitudinal bench with the wheels beneath. The travellers sat on the bench devoid of covering, save that in inclement weather they could draw up a leather apron over their knees. The Welsh weather, especially that at the Blaenau Ffestiniog end of the line, ensured that in good time a roof, ends and sides were added, together with a vacuum pipe although no brakes! It was restored to its original state as a museum exhibit, and has graced a passenger train only once—a special for the Cambrian Archaeological Association in August 1971—and even then nobody was allowed to ride on it! Midland Group also tackled van No. 154, but because of the loss of its shops, this was returned to Porthmadog incomplete. After being finished it entered service as the FR Thermit welding van.

East Anglia Group, formed in 1964 and wishing to follow respectfully in the footsteps of the Midland Group, asked if it might have a coal wagon to mend. However, the only vehicle on offer was the Welshpool van, former Great Western cattle van No. 38089. which had been built for the Vale of Rheidol section in 1923, then regauged and sent to Welshpool in 1937: after the Welshpool line closed in 1956 this was bought by the FR because of its suitability for reconversion to 1 ft. 11½in. gauge. The vehicle was taken to Bletchley, where it was rebuilt as a closed goods van and returned in 1968. The roof, lowered to fit the old FR loading gauge, gives it a convincing reproduction antique appearance. It was regularly used for carrying provisions to the outposts of the Festiniog empire at the teashops at Tan-y-Bwlch and Dduallt; on one occasion it was used to carry a horse whose owner rightly decided that the main road between Porthmadog and Minffordd was no place for the unfortunate quadruped.

Next built by East Anglia Group, at Cambridge in 1968-69, was a pair of bolsters and a close-coupled match truck. Nos. 136-8. This set was intended for the S&T Department to carry its telegraph poles, but the PW Department uses it for carrying rails, though the running gear of one of the wagons gave trouble recently and it is at present out of use. Lastly the EAG acquired, in 1969, four “D” class War Department Hudson-type bogie wagons from the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway, which were rebuilt: the bodies at Bletchley; some of the bogies at Cambridge; and the remaining bogies at the Golcar Wagon Company subsidiary of the White Rose Group of Yorkshire.

The WRG had previously distinguished itself by becoming the first Group to provide an entire locomotive. This small machine was in 1964 lovingly restored and proudly named Tyke. The name proved appropriate as it had a two-stroke diesel engine possessed by a capricious female demon, together with a very peculiar transmission including a three-stage torque converter. It proved all but impossible to start, and has now gone back to the Group for further thought. Members of White Rose Group have had far more success with their splendid efforts in restoring and running the Company’s Road Transport Division. Most of the homework jobs have been carried to and from Porthmadog by the Group—it has even been known for FR artics to pass each other on the M1.

Other groups have provided rolling stock, and taken away parts for repair at home and return to Porthmadog—ranging from “Hansag” (Hants. & Sussex Group) which provided small Hudson wagons; to Bristol which sent a Buster Keaton type of gandy-dancer pump-handle trolley (which was a great joy to all those who rode on it); and to Leicester which provided and installed a set of mile plates which is to be seen by the lineside. All this homework is far too extensive to be detailed here, but there is one individual effort which stands out for special mention, and that is Ron Jarvis’s (no relation) work on carriage No. 15. This, thought to be the world’s first iron-framed and Britain’s first bogie carriage, was in a derelict state after 15 years in the open. The greater part of the restoration was carried out by making sections, doors and other items at home, then taking them to Boston Lodge for assembly. This took almost ten years until the carriage was returned to service in 1969. Since then Mr. Jarvis has been working on a “bug-box” carriage of 1864, which is the only major carriage restoration project at present in progress.

The rise of the homework restoration wave was due to the urgent need for more rolling stock on the railway, and the quantity of material available which was suitable for Group projects. Now that the restorations of most of the suitable vehicles are accomplished, a realisation has been borne in on the restorers—it is nowadays much easier to build anew, and the labour of a complex restoration is only worth while with an item of outstanding historic interest.