The Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway has announced that NG G16 No. 87 will be ready for the daily train service to Caernarfon, which starts in March 2020.

The locomotive has emerged from its ten-year overhaul after a service period which saw the locomotive cover 107,479 miles.

At the end of each ten-year period, 87s boiler, like all steam locomotive boilers, had to undergo an examination to see if any repairs needed to be completed.

87 will now undergo a period of testing and running in before entering passenger trains.

The locomotive’s sponsor has asked for the locomotive to be painted in South African Railways black with SAR/SAS logo on the coal bunker.

The time spent under overhaul has been really impressive. The locomotive was withdrawn from service in October 2018 and spent 2019 at Dinas Workshops, where the boiler was lifted and sent to Israel Newton, returning to Dinas in June 2019.

What did the officials say?

Paul Lewin, the F&WHR’s General Manager, said

“This could never be described as just another locomotive for us, No.87 has been a true railway adventure, seeing an engine taken from scrapyard condition to running such a prodigious mileage is immensely satisfying. No.87 has been funded in a way which allowed us to do the restoration job very thoroughly, develop our skills and have the patterns and jigs to build almost any part of an NG/G16. It is so pleasing to see the locomotive back for its second ten-year stint so quickly, thanks to the team at Dinas.”

Where Next?

RailAdvent Plus
   Free Pictures, prints and streaming video!
News Homepage
   For the Latest Railway News
RailAdvent Online Shop
   Framed Prints, DVD’s / Blu-Ray’s and more
LocoStop Community
   Come and share your railway pictures
Mainline Steam Info
   Upcoming mainline steam tours/loco movements