Projects carried out and supported by the Society have been pivotal to the rebirth of the Welsh Highland Railway. Although the railway is now completed from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, there is plenty left to do to realise the full potential of our railway.
Annual Appeal
Carriage 2090
One of the first carriages built for the re-born Welsh Highland Railway, Carriage 2090 has been an invaluable part of the fleet for nearly 30 years but extensive use and the full effect of the Welsh weather has taken its toll and the vehicle is now in desperate need of overhaul: the interior is below current standards; the body is full of holes in the woodwork; and there are all the issues found in the other Winsons to be dealt with.
Carriage 2090 is in daily use on WHR trains providing essential additional toilet and brake van facilities for journeys lasting up to two-and-a-half hours. Therefore we need to ensure we have the funds in place to support the estimated £100,000 cost of the overhaul and have the carriage back in traffic as soon as possible, with a slot currently set aside for it to enter the works towards the end of 2026. This will see the carriage fit and ready to carry out another 30 years service.
NG15 No. 134 – ‘Kalahari’
CRhE has been financially backing, managing, and volunteer resourcing the restoration of NG15 No.134 ‘Kalahari’ to working order for use on the Welsh Highland Railway. This large and powerful locomotive previously saw service in South Africa where the class spent their working lives, before being withdrawn when dieselisation took over. No. 134 came to North Wales in 1998 alongside sister No. 133 with the ambition to return the pair to steam to operate trains on the railway.
However with the scale of challenge of restoration combined with the need to keep the main fleet of NG/G16 Garratts operational to keep the railway going, overhaul was not a priority and the loco rested in the yard at Dinas for a number of years. The current effort to restore the engine began in 2008 since when it has steadily progressed through a huge amount of volunteer effort. CRhE has funded the project to the tune of nearly £800,000.
Now very close to completion, No. 134 will soon be a unique addition to the Welsh Highland Railway fleet thanks to the support of CRhE donors and volunteers. Find out more about our NG15 and the journey to bring it back to steam on the NG15 project site here.
Super Saloon No. 2050
As the UK’s longest heritage railway with journeys taking up to two and a half hours and as well as being one of the biggest tourist attractions in North Wales, our visitors rightly expect a quality experience. The standard of our carriages plays a big part in this as this is where our passengers spend the majority of their time. The Society has previously funded the construction of three ‘Super Saloon’ carriages and a stunning First Class Observation carriage ‘Gwyrfai’ for the Welsh Highland Railway, but to bring all of the standard carriage sets up to a consistent high standard that meets demand needs more stock to be constructed. To this end the Society has committed to build a further ‘Super Saloon’ No. 2050 to expand the fleet and help meet the needs of the railway.
Boston Lodge No.8 Road Shed
Our hard-working Garratt locomotives, soon to be joined by NG15 ‘Kalahari’, are crucial assets for the operation of the Welsh Highland Railway worth over a million pounds each So you wouldn’t expect our cherished possessions to be left exposed to the elements and corrosive saltwater spray overnight, which is currently the case for the engine stabled at Boston Lodge. This is not sustainable and with the upcoming launch of ‘Kalahari’, we are keen to avoid the same fate falling upon our newest addition. Therefore we have launched a project to build a covered facility to store and service the Welsh Highland locomotives stabled at Boston Lodge, called the ‘8 Road Shed’ project. This will ensure that adequate provisions are in place to protect our prize assets and reduce the maintenance demand.
Help us realise the dream
You can play a part in helping us to finish the remaining parts of the jigsaw of the rebuild Welsh Highland Railway so that future generations can fall in love with it. There are many ways to join the journey and support Britain’s longest heritage railway, so why not take the step and get involved today?
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