first visited the works in September 2004 and I was immediately captivated by the way that stepping into through the doors of the engine shed was a time-slipping experience. Here were some of the oldest narrow gauge engines still working in their original surroundings being cared for by a group of, mainly volunteer, workers using vintage equipment in a Victorian setting. This was of course the headquarters of the Ffestiniog Railway, the 2ft narrow gauge railway that had carried slate from the mountains around Blaenau Ffestiniog since the 1830s when the line was first constructed under the supervision of James Spooner. His son, Charles Easton Spooner, was responsible for the move to change traction from pony and gravity power to steam engines. With only a short interlude between 1946 and 1955 the railway and its little engines have continued to serve the line that now plays an important part in the history and tourist industry of Wales, indeed it is true to say that the town of Porthmadog would not have existed in its current form had it not been for the railway constructed across the famous Cob to enable trains of slate wagons to access the port that was built for this purpose. To maintain the original engines and wagons the works at Boston Lodge were an essential part of the set-up and have remained so until this day.
