MORE TRACK ARRIVES
A significant step forward on the rail and equipment front was made recently when a decision was made to purchase track equipment from RNAD Trecwn near Fishguard in South Wales.
At very short notice, an appeal for help to raise the necessary finance was sent to our members and in just over one week, the target figure was raised. Rather optimistically, our volunteers had already set off for South Wales and in just two days they managed to dismantle around half a mile of track returning North after a well deserved night in B&B accommodation.
Lorries were loaded up at Trecwn last night and the first one consisting of five turnouts, fittings and some sleepers arrived at Bethesda this morning. The intention is to use the 35lb flat-bottomed rail alongside the bullhead mainline at Felin Fawr which will create a true representation of the original layout.
Special thanks to our members who kindly assisted with raising the finance and to the small team who worked so hard in South Wales with no mechanical assistance!
A significant step forward on the rail and equipment front was made recently when a decision was made to purchase track equipment from RNAD Trecwn near Fishguard in South Wales.
At very short notice, an appeal for help to raise the necessary finance was sent to our members and in just over one week, the target figure was raised. Rather optimistically, our volunteers had already set off for South Wales and in just two days they managed to dismantle around half a mile of track returning North after a well deserved night in B&B accommodation.
Lorries were loaded up at Trecwn last night and the first one consisting of five turnouts, fittings and some sleepers arrived at Bethesda this morning. The intention is to use the 35lb flat-bottomed rail alongside the bullhead mainline at Felin Fawr which will create a true representation of the original layout.
Special thanks to our members who kindly assisted with raising the finance and to the small team who worked so hard in South Wales with no mechanical assistance!
 The scene at the top of the valley at Trecwn |
 A long dismantled section of track |
 With the fishplates removed, each panel was jacked up and the sleepers forced off |
 More dismantled track |
 One of our turnouts in situ at Trecwn |
 Another turnout awaits loading at Trecwn |
 One of five turnouts and sleepers seen on the first lorry to arrive at Bethesda |
 A turn-out in mid air |
 Some of the sleepers being unloaded |
 7/11/07 Complete track panels and sleepers arrive at Bethesda |
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 Several loads of sleepers were taken to Plas |
15-9-07
UPDATE
It has been a busy week for our volunteers with several small projects on the go. Last Tuesday saw the arrival of new buffer beams for our steam loco Joseph, these components were originally manufactured for Russell at the WHR(P) but were found to be unsuitable so a donation was made to the Russell-Fund which secured them for our use. They are slightly too wide so two inches will be lost from each end and the corners will be re-profiled.
Good progress was made mid week with the ex RNAD boxvan, the frame was cleaned up and painted and a set of re-gauged wheels fitted along with the modified brake gear. A new floor was then fitted and much work was carried out to make the roof watertight. All that remains to be done is the sanding and painting of the woodwork and fitting out as our permanent way wagon.
Our volunteers made a very welcome return to Felin Fawr on Friday for the first time since March, they spent a few hours strimming the area and generally tidying up before completing the North side roof of the oil shed.
It has been a busy week for our volunteers with several small projects on the go. Last Tuesday saw the arrival of new buffer beams for our steam loco Joseph, these components were originally manufactured for Russell at the WHR(P) but were found to be unsuitable so a donation was made to the Russell-Fund which secured them for our use. They are slightly too wide so two inches will be lost from each end and the corners will be re-profiled.
Good progress was made mid week with the ex RNAD boxvan, the frame was cleaned up and painted and a set of re-gauged wheels fitted along with the modified brake gear. A new floor was then fitted and much work was carried out to make the roof watertight. All that remains to be done is the sanding and painting of the woodwork and fitting out as our permanent way wagon.
Our volunteers made a very welcome return to Felin Fawr on Friday for the first time since March, they spent a few hours strimming the area and generally tidying up before completing the North side roof of the oil shed.
 Triming up old slates for the oil shed roof |
 The roof now complete and in need of some rain to clean up the slates! |
 The ex-WHR(P) buffer beams for Joseph |
 The restored frame of the boxvan |
 Volunteers fit the new floor |
 Ian and Peter work on the roof while Tony completes the brake gear |
 Ian paints the new roof with a felt adhesive |
 Bryce deep in thought perched on the felted roof! |
 With the floor and roof complete, a start is made on rubbing down the paintwork |
Work has continued during the last month with the laying of track at the workshops
with tons of earth removed from around one of the buildings to make way for a PW siding which will soon
be connected to a short tramway that will connect the workshops with the PQR trackbed at the Northern end
of the line.
Our volunteers have also started work on restoring one of our RNAD boxvans which has sat on some temporary rails near the workshops for some time and has recently been moved onto the new siding, it will be kitted out as our PW van and will be fitted with seats, storage bins and a generator mounted below the floor. The sliding roof doors have been lowered so that they are flush with the roof and sealed shut, the floor has been removed to gain access for the restoration of the chassis and the brake gear has been removed for modification.
Following a spacific donation, the Society is to build a replica Penrhyn quarryman’s coach based on coach “M” currently preserved at Penrhyn Castle, a detailed study of the coach has been carried out and plans have already been drawn up, the Society are currently sourcing the materials and work on the replica is expected to commence shortly.
Our volunteers have also started work on restoring one of our RNAD boxvans which has sat on some temporary rails near the workshops for some time and has recently been moved onto the new siding, it will be kitted out as our PW van and will be fitted with seats, storage bins and a generator mounted below the floor. The sliding roof doors have been lowered so that they are flush with the roof and sealed shut, the floor has been removed to gain access for the restoration of the chassis and the brake gear has been removed for modification.
Following a spacific donation, the Society is to build a replica Penrhyn quarryman’s coach based on coach “M” currently preserved at Penrhyn Castle, a detailed study of the coach has been carried out and plans have already been drawn up, the Society are currently sourcing the materials and work on the replica is expected to commence shortly.
 The area next to the workshop is prepared for the PW siding |
 Our first batch of sleepers arrive on site following a kind donation |
 The first pannels of track laid at the siding |
 Some rolling stock on the siding with RH 26 acting as a temporary buffer stop! |
 The PW boxvan with the brake gear removed for modification |
 Original Penrhyn quarryman’s coaches near Felin Fawr in 1958 (courtesy of Max Sinclair) |
In March of last year we acquired six additional RNAD wagons from
Trecwn in South Wales, these were paid for by a few of our members. Two of these wagons were purchased for
our use by David Elliott who studied at Bangor University in the early sixties and has fond memories of the
Penrhyn Railway and now resides in Canada. David has been planning a trip back to Wales for some time and
is eager to visit Bethesda to inspect progress. With this in mind, efforts have been directed to restore
one of his wagons for his impending visit. Wagon DE345 was chosen from stock and in a period of less than
four days the wagon has been fully restored. (Images - Mark Roberts)
23-6-07 - David Elliott visited the workshop today to meet up with other Penrhyn members and to inspect his wagon. Temporary rails were laid so that the wagon could be rolled out into the sunshine. Added three images below courtesy of Jonathan.
23-6-07 - David Elliott visited the workshop today to meet up with other Penrhyn members and to inspect his wagon. Temporary rails were laid so that the wagon could be rolled out into the sunshine. Added three images below courtesy of Jonathan.
 Work starts on the very rusty wagon! |
 Many hours are spent removing the rust |
 Slowly the steelwork is transformed |
 The brake hanger brackets are cut off and welded at the narrower gauge |
 The wagon before the removal of the wheelsets that had been regauged by the Talyllyn |
 The brake shaft cams are repositioned and welded in place |
 With the wheels removed, some final cleaning is carried out |
 Several hours are then spent cleaning up every component |
 By midnight on day two, the frame had been painted along with all the component parts |
 Early morning on day three and the axles are refitted and sometime during the night Jonathan had applied some detailing! |
 The brake gear is then fitted |
 Ian, Bryce and Tony then fit the treated decking |
 The wagon is rolled out of the workshop |
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 A happy David with his wagon |
Work continues at the workshop and RH25 is
taking shape at last. The work to re-align the brakes is complete and the loco now awaits it’s engine which
will be fitted shortly. Joseph’s boiler work is almost complete and it will be inspected shortly by an
insurance inspector.
Work will begin at the end of the month to lay track in and around the workshop as it is proving quite difficult to move stock around. A test track will also be laid from the workshop that will eventually extend to some 300 yards in length when complete, it will then link to the PQR trackbed at the Northern end of the line.
Work will begin at the end of the month to lay track in and around the workshop as it is proving quite difficult to move stock around. A test track will also be laid from the workshop that will eventually extend to some 300 yards in length when complete, it will then link to the PQR trackbed at the Northern end of the line.
 With the brake mofifications complete, the Ruston is lifted out of the workshop for spraying |
 The inside of the frame is sprayed with a grey primer followed by a red topcoat |
 The loco is then turned the right way up and sprayed black |
 The buffer blocks are painted red and fitted in place, the gearbox is then fitted |
 The loco now sits on rails and awaits it's engine which will be fitted shortly |
 Joseph's boiler being painted with a heatproof paint ready for it's inspection |
Work has continued with the oil shed at
Felin Fawr and recently volunteers spent a day slating the roof reusing the original slates. Work is also
continuing with the Ruston loco 25, the wheels have been fitted following refurbishment of the axle boxes
and progress is being made with modifying the brake gear. The brake hanger spacer bars have been shortened
by approximately twelve inches and once the brake gear is reassembled, the loco will be turned the right
way up and placed on rails for the first time since it arrived at the workshop.
 The axle boxes being fitted with new threads |
 RH25 with the wheels fitted |
 The oil shed with the roof partly slated |
RAIL ARRIVES HOME
Our stockpile of Penrhyn bullhead rails were finally collected from the Ffestiniog Railway today and arrived back at Bethesda this afternoon.
A detailed survey of all the remaining Penrhyn track has been carried out at the FR recently and agreement reached, in principal, to recover what is potentially available while at the same time upgrade the track with flat-bottomed rail for the FR’s future operating needs, there are no timescales for this work at the moment and it is likely to take place as and when.
With the likelihood of much more bullhead rail becoming available, the opportunity was taken recently to purchase another batch of Penrhyn rail chairs from the FR, this time we have purchased the larger type Penrhyn chairs with the four securing holes, these chairs were originally cast at Felin Fawr, Bethesda and when mixed with the PR two holed chairs will create something truly authentic. This type of chair has never been a popular choice with us in the past as they are somewhat heavier than the two holed variety and therefore are more expensive to purchase. A small quantity of these chairs were singled out today and have been transported back to Bethesda, the rest of the batch will be collected soon.
Our stockpile of Penrhyn bullhead rails were finally collected from the Ffestiniog Railway today and arrived back at Bethesda this afternoon.
A detailed survey of all the remaining Penrhyn track has been carried out at the FR recently and agreement reached, in principal, to recover what is potentially available while at the same time upgrade the track with flat-bottomed rail for the FR’s future operating needs, there are no timescales for this work at the moment and it is likely to take place as and when.
With the likelihood of much more bullhead rail becoming available, the opportunity was taken recently to purchase another batch of Penrhyn rail chairs from the FR, this time we have purchased the larger type Penrhyn chairs with the four securing holes, these chairs were originally cast at Felin Fawr, Bethesda and when mixed with the PR two holed chairs will create something truly authentic. This type of chair has never been a popular choice with us in the past as they are somewhat heavier than the two holed variety and therefore are more expensive to purchase. A small quantity of these chairs were singled out today and have been transported back to Bethesda, the rest of the batch will be collected soon.
 Some of the rails being loaded at the FR this morning |
 A small batch of the larger PR chairs being sorted today |
 A typical four holed PR chair |
WEBSITE UPDATE
Added nine wonderful colour images to the “Archive” at the “Galley” section of the website. The images date from 1958 and were taken by Max Sinclair who has kindly allowed us to use them. Added three images to “Preservation” at the “Galley” section, one image of Edward Sholto shortly after arrival in the UK recently with thanks to Andrew Neale and Ben Fisher, also an additional image of Lilla at the Ffestiniog, and one image of Joseph on arrival at Bethesda in May of 2005 courtesy of Bryce Latham.
We apologise for the lack of captions within the galleries, these will be added shortly.
Added nine wonderful colour images to the “Archive” at the “Galley” section of the website. The images date from 1958 and were taken by Max Sinclair who has kindly allowed us to use them. Added three images to “Preservation” at the “Galley” section, one image of Edward Sholto shortly after arrival in the UK recently with thanks to Andrew Neale and Ben Fisher, also an additional image of Lilla at the Ffestiniog, and one image of Joseph on arrival at Bethesda in May of 2005 courtesy of Bryce Latham.
We apologise for the lack of captions within the galleries, these will be added shortly.
AXLES ARRIVE
The new axles for RH25 arrived at Bethesda this morning with the original Ruston wheels pressed in to their new gauge. The loco’s frames are now sitting upside down in the workshop and once the new axles are fitted in place, work will commence with adapting the brake gear to suit the new gauge, following this work, the restoration of the loco is expected to progress quite rapidly.
The new axles on arrival this morning
The new axles for RH25 arrived at Bethesda this morning with the original Ruston wheels pressed in to their new gauge. The loco’s frames are now sitting upside down in the workshop and once the new axles are fitted in place, work will commence with adapting the brake gear to suit the new gauge, following this work, the restoration of the loco is expected to progress quite rapidly.
The new axles on arrival this morning
FROM THE WORKSHOP
Problems with the axles of RH25 have meant that little progress could be made with the loco. As mentioned some time ago the axles have been sent away for regauging but unfortunately, they were considered too pitted for the seating of the wheels at the new narrower gauge, also when they were put on a lathe, it was noticed that they were slightly out of true. The decision was made to have new axles manufactured and these are now complete and should arrive at Bethesda from Hunslet’s any day soon. A productive day was spent at the workshop recently with attention being diverted to yet another RNAD wagon. DE345 is now well on the way to the stage were primer can be applied, the axles were included in the last batch that were regauged by the Talyllyn Railway last year. Work is also progressing with our steam loco Joseph, with the tubes removed, progress has been made inside the boiler. It seems to be in excellent condition with just a thin lime scale coating which is being removed with a needle gun.
Working inside the boiler is described as “horrible” mainly because of such cramped conditions. Access is achieved via the steam dome hole which is just 15” across and the boiler barrel itself being just 26” across!
Problems with the axles of RH25 have meant that little progress could be made with the loco. As mentioned some time ago the axles have been sent away for regauging but unfortunately, they were considered too pitted for the seating of the wheels at the new narrower gauge, also when they were put on a lathe, it was noticed that they were slightly out of true. The decision was made to have new axles manufactured and these are now complete and should arrive at Bethesda from Hunslet’s any day soon. A productive day was spent at the workshop recently with attention being diverted to yet another RNAD wagon. DE345 is now well on the way to the stage were primer can be applied, the axles were included in the last batch that were regauged by the Talyllyn Railway last year. Work is also progressing with our steam loco Joseph, with the tubes removed, progress has been made inside the boiler. It seems to be in excellent condition with just a thin lime scale coating which is being removed with a needle gun.
Working inside the boiler is described as “horrible” mainly because of such cramped conditions. Access is achieved via the steam dome hole which is just 15” across and the boiler barrel itself being just 26” across!
UPDATE
Day two saw some real progress with the roof of the oil shed. Slates were carefully removed and most will be reused. As many of the original timbers as possible were left in place and new treated timbers added to make a strong framework. We were determined not to use any cement as none had been used originally, a lime mortar putty will be made up to seal the new rafters were necessary.
The woodwork has been covered with a breathable waterproof membrane and secured down with new treated battens. With the building now watertight, our volunteers will now re-slate it with great attention being paid to keeping the buildings original appearance.
Day two saw some real progress with the roof of the oil shed. Slates were carefully removed and most will be reused. As many of the original timbers as possible were left in place and new treated timbers added to make a strong framework. We were determined not to use any cement as none had been used originally, a lime mortar putty will be made up to seal the new rafters were necessary.
The woodwork has been covered with a breathable waterproof membrane and secured down with new treated battens. With the building now watertight, our volunteers will now re-slate it with great attention being paid to keeping the buildings original appearance.
 The original roof being stripped on day one |
 Volunteers sort out the mess below while the original timbers are prepared above |
 Slowly the new timbers are fitted in place |
 With the membrane in place, the battens are then fitted |
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 The end of day two and the roof almost ready for slating |
15-2-07
UPDATE
It seems quite some time since the news page was updated, we apologise for this but as we hope you will appreciate, much work has progressed behind the scenes. The restoration of the old oil shed is now considered priority and the first job is to make it safe and watertight, so today the slates and rotten roof timbers have been removed in preparation for new timbers to be put in place. Video footage shot by our members on site has been compiled by one of our young members into a short film of recent activities. Photographs will be added to additional updates over the weekend.
20-2-07 Added second video of day two of the oil shed roof work at Felin Fawr
It seems quite some time since the news page was updated, we apologise for this but as we hope you will appreciate, much work has progressed behind the scenes. The restoration of the old oil shed is now considered priority and the first job is to make it safe and watertight, so today the slates and rotten roof timbers have been removed in preparation for new timbers to be put in place. Video footage shot by our members on site has been compiled by one of our young members into a short film of recent activities. Photographs will be added to additional updates over the weekend.
20-2-07 Added second video of day two of the oil shed roof work at Felin Fawr