125 years of narrow gauge Hunslet locos celebrated

by

Cliff Thomas reports on a special commemorative event which brought 19 Hunslet locomotives together in North Wales – creating a new record for one manufacturer.

THE Ffestiniog Railway held a Hunslet 100 gala in 1993 that is still revered as a landmark narrow gauge event. Twenty-five years on and the formula was not merely repeated, but dramatically expanded. Hunslet 125, staged over June 22-24 by what is now the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway (F&WHR), has reset the height of the bar.

The hook for this spectacular was a celebration of the 125th birthdays of F&WHR’s Hunslet 2-4-0STTs Linda and Blanche. The attraction was an astounding guest list of 13 visiting locomotives in steam, plus two out-of-ticket guests, and operations spread over both the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway elements of the expanded, now 40-mile system, compared with the railway a quarter of a century ago.

Steamy action in Minffordd yard on June 23 involving Jerry M (left), Cloister (centre), Holy War (distant background), Winifred and Gwynedd (right).

Of the visiting locos, 14 were built by Hunslet, the 15th being a half-size version of a Hunslet. The guests joined five F&WHR Hunslet-built resident steam locos and
a 1979-built Hunslet diesel.

Article continues below…
Advert

Enjoy more Railway reading in the monthly magazine.
Click here to subscribe & save.

In July 2015, the Amberley Railway claimed a record for the largest number of locomotives from one manufacturer to be present in one location, certainly in the preservation era, by producing 12 Lister locos for a gala. In May 2016, Leighton Buzzard Railway topped that by presenting 17 Motor Rail ‘Simplexes’ for an event.

Read more and view more images in the August issue of The RM – on sale now!


Advert
Subscribe to The Railway Magazine
Enjoy more of The Railway Magazine reading every month. Click here to subscribe.

Railway Reads

From the history of steam through to 21st century rail transport news, we have titles that cater for all rail enthusiasts. Covering diesels, modelling, steam and modern railways, check out our range of magazines and fantastic subscription offers.


Article Tags:

About the Author