The arrival at Felin Fawr Works of most of our rail, chairs and sleepers from storage marks the start of a busy period on the railway front. Original PQR bullhead rail and chairs will be laid along the 'mainline' within the works site.
Tracklaying is expected to start once work has been completed to strengthen the culvert near the oil shed.

The team have been busy completing the roof windows for the diesel shed which were fitted in place last weekend.
The other pitch of the shed roof requires extensive restoration and this work has now commenced under priority works.

Work is continuing at the diesel shed and more specifically the replacement of the rotten roof windows. This work task has been aided by two members of the East Surrey 16mm Group held open days at their garden railways this summer with a collecting box was put out for donations to help rebuild the Penrhyn Quarry Railway, the money raised will cover the cost of the timber necessary to replace the windows.
Our grateful thanks go to these two members and also to their visitors for donating so generously.

An exciting addition has been made to our loco fleet with the arrival of Ruston & Hornsby number 221625. The locomotive was built in 1943 for the Royal Naval Armament Depot at Broughton Moor where it worked for almost fifty years before being purchased for preservation and a move to the Great Whipsnade Railway in Bedfordshire. More recently the locomotive was located in Staffordshire before this move to Wales and back to work, the result of the owner wishing to make a contribution to the restoration of the PQR and for which we are extremely grateful.
The loco is around seven and a half tons, substantially heavier and more powerful than our own number 25 and will carry the number 26 along with a return to Ruston green livery before being used for track laying on phase one with 25 confined to duties around the sheds for a while.

The Penrhyn Railway Society held their AGM at Tregarth last weekend and report a strong attendance and a constructive meeting, members than visited Felin Fawr to view progress made during the last twelve months. Unfortunately, it rained quite heavily during the afternoon and as a consequence the rolling stock didn't venture out of the locoshed. The weather was slightly better today so hopefully the photos below will go some way to make up for last weekend.
New high-bay lights have been installed at the locoshed following a recent generous donation, the lamps are quite large and are fitted with 18 inch reflectors. The original 9 inch enamel lamp shades survive and have been left in place with the new lamps fitted to every other roof truss.

The team were given the challenge of extending the railway from the locosheds to the gate on 'mainline' within a three day period. This first section of phase one is undoubtedly the most difficult as it involves a long drawn out curve that needs to avoid several obstacles and also cross the cycle path before lining up perfectly on the 'mainline'.
The team were under strict instructions not to disturb the original bed and this was aided by the fact that the area is littered with original sleepers crossing in different directions which meant that levels could be attained at no less than 42 locations along the short section. The task was completed yesterday afternoon with the final rails reaching the wooden gate on the mainline.
A turnout will be positioned in place soon and then we will switch over to original Penrhyn bullhead rail and chairs that were purchased back from the Festiniog Railway some time ago. But before this work can commence, contractors will carry out repairs to the main culvert that passes below the trackbed near the oil shed, the work involves constructing a concrete soffit over the culvert to provide adequate strength for our anticipated axle loadings.

Preparation work has continued for the last few days at the locosheds. One of the most significant events being the removal of the concrete block wall that blanked off the road one doorway and ultimately, access to the 'mainline'. However, before the wall could be demolished, the new sliding door needed to be hung in place but this would prove to be a challenge in its own right as firstly the heavy 30ft long door rail needed to be refitted following restoration, once the team where happy with the door, the wall was removed. The rail will eventually suspend the two front doors as it originally did.
Opening up the doorway has provided a whole new perspective form the locoshed angle with Coed Y Parc bridge coming back into view for the first time in many years.

The team has spent the last week sorting out the main locoshed in preparation for tracklaying. The shed has served as a construction base for the last twelve months and therefore returning it to a respectable state has taken quite some effort. Chairs and rail are expected to arrive at the locoshed shortly.
Crushed slate has been arriving during the last week for trackbed and ground work for the first section of phase one on the railway.

All efforts have been diverted to revenue earning for the last two months with Felin Fawr Cyf concentrating on additional commercial accommodation at the works. This has meant that contractor time and investment has been diverted away from the restoration of the railway for a period. However, things are now back on track with signs of activity on the heritage front once again.
Work has resumed at perhaps an unlikely location that we refer to as the diesel shed. The building runs parallel to the main locoshed and from around 1949 it was utilised mainly for the maintenance of Rustons and lighter steam locomotives.
The condition of this building fifteen months ago was absolutely appalling having suffered years of rainwater penetration resulting in rotting roof timbers and collapsing internal walls, once ownership of the building was transferred, Felin Fawr Cyf made it a priority and instantly appointed contractors to carry out emergency works to stabilise the building and make it safe.The shed has now been cleared out and it doesn’t look quite so depressing, its restoration is a long term project that won’t hinder progress with the actual railway.
Contractors are also busy at the oil shed finishing off jobs that were put on hold when attention was diverted to the main locoshed roof.

The restoration of the caban is now complete and the nearby yard areas are being cleared in preparation for the arrival of rail and sleeper stocks.
The post and rail fencing at the lower yard has been completed by contractors which now means that the majority of railway trackbed at the Felin Fawr Works is fenced off. Work preparing the trackbed is expected to commence within the next few weeks.

Work has continued throughout the holiday weekend with contractors making good progress with ground work and post and rail fencing.
The top end of the mainline near Coed Y Parc bridge has been fenced off and a timber gate now spans the trackbed. It seems that the railway will pass through the gate before crossing the cycle path followed by another set of gates to access the locosheds. Obviously such fencing did not originally exist at the location but the new fencing only replaces the wire netting that was erected in the mid 90's.
Additional post and rail fencing and gates will shortly be erected at the lower part of the works to both fence the railway off and to create a small construction yard for the restoration of phase one of the railway.

The Caban is almost complete with just some minor internal tasks remaining to complete the restoration. The roof was slated last week and the electricity supply is now live which means lighting and hopefully a kettle.
Contractors have extended the track quite considerably into the large rear yard and a small turnout has been placed near the Caban, this will provide for a spur to the diesel shed which is the smaller building that runs parallel to the large locoshed. A great deal of tidying up has taken place during the last week and most of the ground at the rear yard has been graded with crushed slate.

The guttering is complete on the main locoshed and the scaffolding has now been removed following extensive repairs to the roof of the building. Contractors have since been busy laying armoured electricity and network cables and last week electricity finally arrived at the locoshed. Cabling has also been laid to the caban and waterwheel building although these areas are not yet live.
A deadline for the completion of the caban has now been set for the end of April, once the building is complete, a mass tidy up will take place with efforts then dedicated to the railway for a period.

The floor has been laid in the caban and the new slate tables are currently being polished.
A slate saw has been acquired for future use in the manufacture of slate products needed in the restoration of Felin Fawr buildings.

Work is continuing on the caban with the window now fitted and glazed, the sills and doorstep have also been positioned in place.
One of the 'mainline' works gates located below the private footbridge has been removed for repair at the workshop, rotten sections are being replaced with reclaimed pitch pine.

Progress is being made at the caban with a new door now fitted and most of the slate features manufactured.
The caban will feature a small heating stove and slate worktops, externally, great care is being taken to restore the building as sympathetically as possible.
Clearance work is complete along the entire length of the phase one trackbed, metal detectors will now comb every inch and compile findings.

Contractors have almost completed work on the main locoshed roof and are now focused on guttering and finishing touches. Work on the locoshed had become a priority with a watertight roof considered an essential element in protecting the building from further decay, however, there are still many tasks ahead including windows, the hanging of the main doors and the installation of services.
The boxvan has received a topcoat of Penrhyn grey and is more or less ready for service, it will form part of our tracklaying train in the summer.
Light clearance work has been carried out along the trackbed, contactors are expected to prepare the ground for tracklaying later this year.

Four very useful Hudson flat wagons have recently been acquired in preparation for tracklaying.
The wagons were kindly made available by the East Anglia Group of the Welsh Highland Railway Society and were recently collected from Dinas near Caernarfon where they had been utilised during the construction of phase 4 of the Welsh Highland Railway.
The wagons are ideally suited to our Ruston loco and they will no doubt prove invaluable. They are currently numbered EAG 1, 2, 3 and 4 and there are no plans at present to apply a Penrhyn livery and numbering as the wagons have been restored to a high standard and are basically ready to go. The axleboxes were greased on arrival and two missing link chains and pins have been made up at the workshop.

Work on the locoshed roof has been delayed slightly by the recent snowfall and unbelievably low temperatures. Contractors have faced a few challenges over the last few weeks replacing rotting timbers and fire singed rafters, damage that must have occurred in the late 1940's when the large carpenters shed adjacent to the locoshed was destroyed by fire. Many clues are emerging that clearly illustrate how serious the fire actually was and how fortunate it is that the locoshed actually survived.
Although slightly behind schedule, contractors are still optimistic that the work on the roof will be complete by mid December weather permitting.

Restoration work is continuing on the locoshed roof and the mess room building simultaneously with contractors expected to complete both tasks by early December.
Work has been carried out on our Ruston locomotive, modifications have been made to the engine mountings and the drive chains have been tensioned.
We currently have a serious shortage of flat wagons for general duties at Felin Fawr, so three RNAD flats have been selected from our stock at Plas and the wheel sets have already been removed and will be sent off to Riley & Son at Bury for regauging.

The ironwork on Coed Y Parc bridge has finally received some much needed attention, contractors have spent quite some time cleaning it up and a coat of rust inhibiting primer has been applied, the railings will be finished in Penrhyn grey.
The Bridge was erected in 1900 with the iron railings supplied by de Winton of Caernarfon, the railings were the last items supplied by the firm prior to going into bankruptcy, the bridge replaced a level crossing just to the quarry side.
Enough roofing slates have now been sourced for the mess room roof, the roof is expected to be complete within the next week.

Work on the mess room is progressing well with the roof now felted and batoned, around 180 of the 360 roofing slates required have been produced to complete the roof.
A & D Scaffolding have erected scaffold the length of the main locoshed building so that contractors can carry out repairs to the roof.

Work is continuing on the mess room near the locoshed, slate blocks, lintels and sills are slowly being replaced.
Contractors are expected to start work on the main locoshed roof within the next fortnight; the work involves re-glazing the long row of rooflights and a certain amount of slating, this will ensure that the roof is watertight before the winter weather sets in. All works are funded by Felin Fawr Cyf.

Contractors begun work last week on the restoration of a shed to the rear of the carpenter's waterwheel building; it was once a yard office that also housed locomotive maintenance records.
The shed is located just a few yards from the main locomotive sheds with the railway extending to its doorway. The building has suffered greatly over the last forty years almost to the point of no return but hopefully it can now be restored to its former glory.
The shed will be used by the railway as a 'caban' or mess room following the loss of the industrial unit which is no longer available due to more pressing commercial needs.

Firstly apologies for the recent website issues, hopefully we can now move forward and put it behind us.
The Society held its AGM at Felin Fawr Works last Saturday; it was well attended and many subjects were open for discussion. One major decision made is that the Society will pursue charitable status.
Following the meeting, some of the members were guided around the site to see the progress made and special access was granted to peer in through the locoshed doors. The volunteers present were congratulated on their incredible achievements during the last six months.

Great progress has been made this weekend with clearance work at the locosheds and part of the mainline trackbed.
Mark and Sion have transformed the tricky area in front of the locosheds moving around 30 very large slate boulders and soil that had been dumped very near to the sheds by previous owners.
The work was funded by the site owners Felin Fawr Cyf and was combined with other works at different locations around the Felin Fawr site.

Our volunteers split into two groups today with one team painting doors at the works and the other team heading off a mile down the trackbed to rebuild a railway retaining wall that had collapsed into a rear garden near Hendurnpike. The walling was completed by 2pm so following refreshments kindly provided by Mrs Jones, the team returned to Felin Fawr Works and finished off pointing the pillar at the locoshed.
There are many different tasks moving forward at the works and while not necessarily railway related, they may be of interest to some website visitors.
The foundry roof is now watertight following repairs to the roof lights, work has begun on the restoration of one of the waterwheel buildings and the underground team are still busy mapping and identifying hotspots below ground.

Our usual team of dedicated volunteers were hard at work again today on the locoshed restoration. Part two of the concrete step has been cast in place; the step incorporates a steel guide for the new sliding door.
The new door for the road one entrance has been given its first coat of grey gloss and several other small associated jobs have been completed so that everything is ready to hang the door in place.

Work continues with the restoration of the west end gable of the locoshed. Bryce and Jon have assembled a new and very heavy door for the road one entrance and the original door rail that suspends the two front doors has been restored.
Richard has fabricated replica roller-hanger brackets that will suspend the sliding doors as unfortunately the originals are long gone. Work has also started on the restoration of the concrete step which will incorporate a steel guide for the new sliding doors.

Our volunteer team today successfully replaced the big timber lintel at the locoshed.
The team numbering seven in total worked extremely hard and left the works tonight very happy but very exhausted.

The Felin Fawr Works is to produce slate products once again for the first time since 1965.
Special products made from the worlds finest slate will be manufactured at the works to fulfill a niche market for high quality bespoke products. Three rich and distinct shades of the finest Penrhyn slate will be available, Penrhyn Heather Blue, Penrhyn Heather Red and Penrhyn Heather Green.

Volunteers have been busy completing the central pillar at the locoshed so that several other tasks can move forward. The pillar has been quite an undertaking and is perhaps the most important structure that we will restore on the railway front at Felin Fawr, to quote Richard - 'the pillar is no longer holding us up; it is now holding the building up.'
Ian has completed the numbering on the Ruston and he has also constructed a very useful workbench for the locoshed. The new timber lintel has been painted with a primer and it now seems likely that it will be positioned in place during the next few days.

There are several jobs on the go at the moment and further progress now hinges on the completion of the central pillar at the locoshed.
The pillar is expected to be complete by the end of the week so that a new timber lintel can be fitted in place, once this is achieved the door rail can be restored and a new sliding door hung.

The railway has been extended slightly today through the block wall that blanks off the right hand doorway, the concrete block walls will be left in place until the central pillar is complete as they add stability to the wall above.
Traditional quick lime mortar is used to bed and point the slate blocks, this has been specially prepared with ingredients such as slate and cinder particles.

Work was progressing on three fronts today at Felin Fawr, Ian was busy kitting out the tool van with shelving and seats, Sion and Darren were busy filling in the large pit at the locoshed with rubble and Jon and Richard were laying a deep concrete foundation for the new central pillar at the west end of the shed.
The tool van is coming together nicely and our volunteers are now eager to put it to use out on the railway. Most of the external paintwork has been sanded down and once all of the metalwork has been cleaned up it will be primed and turned out in Penrhyn grey.
The important foundations for the central pillar have been laid and decent faced slate blocks are being sourced so that the restoration can commence.

Preparatory work has been carried out for the extensive restoration of the west gable wall of the locoshed.
Sadly alterations were made to the main twin doorways during the 1970's when one of doorways was widened and the ground excavated out so that large road vehicles could enter the building. It is now a case of reversing these works and restoring the original appearance which will involve reconstructing a wide slate block central pillar and replacing the large timber lintel above the doorways.

The Penrhyn Railway is to build a second quarrymans coach, it will carry the letter "S" following on in succession from the recently completed coach R.

Volunteers have been busy today laying more rails in the locoshed and the track now extends the entire length of the building.
Attention will now be diverted to the restoration of the west gable and front doors. The railway will be used to transport materials such as slate blocks for the restoration of the central pillar and infill to raise the floor to its original level near the doorways.

Today seemed like a good day to move one of our two box vans up to Felin Fawr, the van will be used to carry tools and equipment along the railway as the restoration progress down the line.
The van was regauged some time ago and a new floor and roof have also been fitted. It will now be tidied up and fitted out at the locoshed.

More track was laid today and our railway now extends around halfway through the locosheds.
The rails sit on base plates and special retaining plates are secured to the concrete with an anchoring resin. Our old hammer drill was struggling after drilling around a hundred large holes in the concrete floor so we have been treated to a new powerful drill, this sped up progress and we are now just six rails away from reaching the front doors.
The west end gable will require quite a lot of work due to modifications carried out in the late 1970's, the work includes constructing a new slate block central pillar, replacing a long timber lintel beam and constructing two replica sliding doors. Interestingly, the front doors provide around fourteen inches more headroom than the rear door of the building.

Volunteers moved back into the locoshed this week and made a good start forming the initial curve which will send road one over to the south side of the building; it will continue through the shed and out through the south front door followed by another curve onto the mainline. Road two will enter through the north front door, over the original inspection pit and extend two thirds of the length of the building, this will, as near as possible, restore the original layout.
While most of the building remains very original, certain alterations occurred in the 1970's and mainly to the floor levels when the timber floor boards and rails were removed and replaced with concrete. Fortunately the newer floor was set around four inches lower than the original timber floor which now allows us to bolt the rails directly to the concrete. Time and finances permitting, the floor will be paneled out once again with timber which will restore the original levels.

Volunteers have been busy finishing off the east end track before switching attention to laying rails through the sheds. Contractors are still busy carrying out structural repair work to the dividing wall between the main shed and the smaller diesel shed which has been cordoned off for the time being. It is hoped that extensive work to the roof and windows of the main shed will be carried out over the next few months.

The curve near the waterwheel building is almost complete, the track just needs extending a further straight panel to a buffer stop. Robin and Jon formed the curve over a two day period with the aid of a Jim Crow rail bender, the curve has proved to be quite a learning experience and it follows the exact alignment of the original track.

Work was being carried out today to extend the track east for a short distance to the rear of the carpenters waterwheel, once this work is complete the railway will be extended through the locosheds and out through the main doors at the other end of the building near Coed Y Parc bridge and on to the mainline with a switch to bullhead rail.

A very special milestone was reached today that marked the end of the beginning of the restoration of the Penrhyn Railway.

At midday our own diesel locomotive number.25 operated along the first section of the railway and into the locomotive sheds at Felin Fawr marking the historic return of locomotion to the site for the first time since 1967.

Volunteers worked through the night to load the loco at Plas, unload at Felin Fawr and lay track within the locosheds so that this unofficial but highly significant event could take place. The very same volunteers who made it happen spent a relaxing afternoon celebrating their achievements.