Narrow Gauge
THE June 23-25 Welsh Highland Centenary event celebrating the opening of the Welsh Highland Railway (WHR) from Rhyd Ddu through to Porthmadog had all the ingredients for a memorable weekend.
Organised jointly by the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway (Ff&WHR) and Welsh Highland Heritage Railway (WHHR), it is unfortunate that a primary locomotive attraction failed and the weather ranged from heavy cloud to rain during most of time.
Following the launch of WHHR’s ex-WDLR Baldwin 10-12-D No. 794 (BLW44699/1917), restored ‘as’WHR No. 590 by Vale of Rheidol Railway, on the WHHR on May 27 (RM, July) testing of the loco on the WHR to Beddgelert in the run-up to the WHR100 event revealed various issues, the most serious being a centre driving wheel bearing running very hot.
Engineers from both railways declared ‘590’ a failure the day before the event commenced, hence it could not appear on