A special guest was at Dirty Chappies this year. Palmerston was kindly loaned by the Ffestiniog Railway, together with two heritage coaches.

Rick Beton

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Palmerston, wreathed in smoke and steam, departs from Pen-y-Mount with the passenger train. The headboard declares

Palmerston returns to the W.H.R.

Over six decades have elapsed since the locomotive was last in use on the Welsh Highland Railway.

Rick Beton

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Departing from Porthmadog station and rounding the curve beyond, Palmerston heads the vintage train set.

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Palmerston passes through Gelert's Farm Halt, a single-line halt with no passing loop. During Dirty Chappies a brief stop is made by trains in both directions to set down or pick up visitors touring the sheds and workshops.

Rick Beton

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Three of the 'Chappies' at the eastern end of Porthmadog station. The signal cabin (left) is normally unmanned, but during Dirty Chappies it is manned continuously, with a temporary tent being necessary on this occasion. It rained hard!

Rick Beton

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Two freight trains and one passenger train were in service during DC V. On the right, Eryri waits to depart at the head of the Hudson wagon train, which included the ex- Vale of Rheidol brake van. On the left, the tail of the box van train can be seen.

Rick Beton

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Palmerston waiting to depart from Pen-y-Mount station towards Porthmadog. This station is being built as a faithful model of Welsh Highland 1920's low-cost buildings, as constructed at Beddgelert and Nantmor for example.

The arriving freight train is hauled by Polish LYd2 Diesel Eryri, seen on the left.

Rick Beton

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Together with Palmerston, two coaches were kindly loaned by the Ffestiniog Railway. NWNGR Coach 11 (a.k.a. FR coach 23) and FR coach 10. In the middle of the rake of three was NWNGR Coach 8 (a.k.a. Gladstone Coach).

The balcony end of FR Coach 10 was especially popular with the Guards, despite the weather. Travelling on the balcony is not permitted on the FR due to the small loading gauge being a potential danger, but the WHR (Porthmadog) currently has no overbridges or tunnels so this was permitted.

The passenger stock was operated using Palmerston and Russell with vacuum brakes (Russell has dual braking.) Normal operation on the WHR is with air brakes, hence the Gladstone Coach is through-piped in the middle of the train.

Rick Beton

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Russell and Eryri wait out for a few minutes on the headshunt at Pen-y-Mount. The working time table for DC V involved a rotation of locomotives between trains according to a simple pattern which took over two hours to repeat. This ensured there was continual interest for visitors and staff alike.

In the distance, the Hudson freight train and V.O.R. Brake van can be seen in the run-round loop of Pen-y-Mount station. The Mines Rescue Van was parked on the Engineer's sisding on the right. It has a small kitchenette which was invaluable for brewing tea!

Rick Beton

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Palmerston waits out a turn in the Pen-y-Mount headshunt. This is the point from which northward construction is hoped to start soon, to the left in the photo.

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The smiling face of Colin Blackwell at the controls of Palmerston. Colin and his agile dog are regulars at Gelert's Farm.

Rick Beton

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The author poses in Palmerston, although truth be told I didn't really get a chance to drive until the following day!

Rick Beton

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One of Palmerston's memorable traits was its plume of sooty rain issuing from the chminey. Anyone downwind got the black-speckle treatment!

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Here, Palmerston and Russell double-head a train out of Pen-y-Mount station. Driving Palmerston is Andy Blackwell, another of the regular faces on the footplate and in the workshops of Gelert's Farm.

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As usual, the Motor Rail Simplex Diesels performed as work-horses. For DC V, two of our fleet of three (Jonathan and Anne-Marie) were close-coupled together. If the truth be told, just one would have power to spare to do the work in hand, but two are more fun!

Dave Ruston (left) is a highly experienced locomotive fitter and has done sterling work with all our locomotives, for example restoring Sezela No. 4 and the NG 15.

Along with his brother, Steve Goodwin (right) has played an important part in the development of the railway. For him, it's a busman's holiday from his day-job working for a well-known railway engineering company in the midlands.

Rick Beton

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More Diesel motive power stands at the north end of Pen-y-Mount station. Simplex No. 4 Anne-Marie is actually coupled to No. 6 Jonathan, out of the picture to the left. At 60 h.p. each, these locos cope with ease at almost every task they face on our mostly-flat railway.

To the right, the two Andrew Barclay Diesels have only half the power of the Simplexes, yet are favourites with the 'Chappies' because they are pleasant to drive, indeed earning them the nickname "Spak-Taxis" after the nickname of one of their co-owners!

In the centre, the Mines Rescue Van, built at RAF Fauld and never actually used in a mine rescue operation, provided crew rest and tea-making facilities. The engineer's siding on which it stands was built in readiness for northward extension of the railway.

Rick Beton

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The working timetable for the event involved a continual exchange of stock at each end of the railway. This can be seen clearly here: Palmerston arrives in the platform road at Pen-y-Mount station, whilst the two Andrew Barclay locos wait to depart for Porthmadog with the box van set.

Rick Beton

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Diesel traction forms an important part of the heritage locomotive fleet on the Welsh Highland Railway. As usual, Kinnerley played its part, shown here at the head of the Hudson bogie rake on the left.

Signalling on the Welsh Higland Railway is largely electro-mechanical; the signal cabinet on the right contains push-buttons to operate the signals and point motors. On normal operating days, this allows simple and safe operation by the train guard. During Dirty Chappies and other special events, the cabinet is manned continuously - not a pleasant job when it rains so hard! The plan is to move the controls into the station office, when it is completed soon.

Rick Beton

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Another interesting attraction for visitors was provided by the free rides in a petrol-driven 2' gauge Wickham Type 27A Gangers' Trolley, seen here on the right. The Wickham was able to take visitors from the works at Gelert's Farm, along the back road past the coal dock and ashpit, as far as the engineer's stock sidings. This is most of the way to Pen-y-Mount, and is in the heart of what was once slate exchange sidings, the standard gauge being on the left and the narrow gauge at a slightly higher level on the right (to the right of the wagons in this photo). The exchange wharf is shown in the next photo.

Meanwhile, Kinnerley makes its sedate journey to Porthmadog with the open wagon set. Kinnerley was built for industrial shunting and is not a fast loco!

Rick Beton

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The view from inside the Wickham trolley, described in the previous photo, can be seen here as it approaches the wagon storage sidings. The slate exchange wharf can be seen clearly here. On the right, the narrow gauge Croesor Tramway, and later the Welsh Highland Railway, braided through sidings to allow the transfer of slate to standard gauge wagons on the lower ground on the left.

Rick Beton

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It's late afternoon and the locos return to Gelert's Farm to be 'put to bed'. There's quite a sharp contrast in size between Eryri, Russell and Palmerston.

Rick Beton

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Happy visitors alight from the train.

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