Taliesin III
This 0-4-4T single-Fairlie is the fifth locomotive to be built by the Festiniog Railway Company in its own workshops at Boston Lodge and was completed in 1999 under the auspices of the Taliesin 2000 project. It is similar in design and appearance to the original FR Single Fairlie No. 9 "Taliesin" which was built in 1876 and dismantled in 1932, though it is slightly larger. Funds for the replica were raised by an appeal devised by Andy Savage and Gordon Rushton whereby 250 people gave £10 or more a month for twelve years; this was enough to pay for the work after tax allowances, but without any matching funding from the Welsh Govt. The drawings were made by Michael Guerra (as were those for the new boiler of K1, carriage 1111 and others).
The new "Taliesin" incorporates the reversing lever from the original locomotive and probably the hand wheel for the brake is from Moel Tryfan.The toolbox on the rear buffer beam is a replica built from the original found in the Stores. Dimensions are: Cylinders: 9" x 14",wheels 2ft 8" diameter and boiler pressure: 175 psi (limited by safety valve and valve face considerations). Power bogie wheelbase 4' 8". Grate area 5.44 sq.ft. The locomotive has been designed so that it can run as either a coal or an oil burner, the conversion between one or the other taking 1 day. The loco is rated at 6 carriages. It is currently running on coal.
Taliesin starred with Russell on the WHR(C) Welsh Highland Ffestival, September 16-17 2000, returning for the Vintage Weekend on 22-23 September 2001 and in November 2009 for a photographic charter.
The Ffestiniog converted to oil-firing in 1960's to limit the number of line-side fires in the Snowdonia National Park (and the insurance premiums resulting from them). Oil price rises forced the railway to reassess the situation, leading to trials during 2005 with Taliesin III as it was built to be changable between oil and coal firing.Trials with Taliesin on winter and Santa services were highly successful.[video 1] For more details on the conversion of loco's to coal firing and the fuel diversification programme, please see Ffestiniog Goes Back To Coal.
Taliesin is very popular with crews, being a free steaming engine. The problem is that is is often loaded with 6 carrs, sometimes even 7. This is the equivalent of 14 carrs behind a double engine. Consequently the power bogie is put under a lot of strain, and a weakness of the original design shows up in the form of problems keeping a steam tight seal between the cylinder casting and the valve casting. To overcome this problem a new 'monoblock' block, incorporating both cylinders and piston valves has been designed and developed.
Taliesin had a very busy winter in early 2011 being used on shuttles to Hafod-y-Llyn, taking no less than 11 carrs. on one journey across the flat formation on the Traeth.
Boston Lodge has been very busy trying to get NGG16 No 143 available for the peak service in 2011. As soon as this was accomplished the power bogie from Taliesin was removed in early July. The old cylinder block was removed to enable a start to be made on fitting the first 'monoblock' cast cylinder assembly.
By mid October the power bogie complete with monoblock cylinder was complete and being tested in time for the Vintage weekend, when Taliesin worked a number of trains.
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