It will be back to the 19th century at the Leighton Buzzard Railway on this weekend, when the annual Steam-Up event sees one of its most popular steam engines restored to its original condition.
Chaloner was built in 1877 in Caernarfon, North Wales, to work in the local slate quarries, and is the only one of this “coffee-pot” vertical-boiler type in working order. Despite the adverse climate high in Snowdonia, it was always believed to have no weather protection for the crews – until now! While Chaloner was on display in Caernarfon last year, somebody brought in a photo of it when new, showing very clearly that it originally had a cab, and that this changed its appearance completely. It had been sold to another quarry in 1888, and it is believed the cab was removed there, because of tight clearances in tunnels.
Never ones to refuse challenges, its owners set about recreating the original appearance, calculating measurements for a new cab from the photo. It was manufactured in Leighton Buzzard by B & Z Metalcraft, and will appear in public for the first time at the Steam-Up event.
The theme of the event will be the slate quarrying industry, where British narrow-gauge railways first started, with no fewer than three steam engines with slate-industry backgrounds visiting for the first time. An intensive passenger service will run on both Saturday and Sunday, with departures every 35 minutes. Miniature trains, also with a North Wales theme, will operate at Stonehenge Works station.