Built 1899

Works number 707, 0-4-0ST quarry engine built by the Hunslet Engine Company, Leeds in 1899 for the Pen-yr-Orsedd Quarry, in the Nantlle Vale, North Wales and named Britomart on arrival.

Britomart at Harbour Station FR 2007 following its latest overhaul copyright Owen Chapman

Pen-yr-Orsedd Quarry

The Pen-yr-orsedd quarry was one of the major slate producers of the Nantlle Valley, supplying over 10,000 tons of product in 1864. It was also the last quarry in the vale that commercially produced slate, closing in 1979.

Blondin towers at Pen-yr-Orsedd Quarry authors collection

In 1862 the quarry was connected to the Nantlle Railway, with 3 ft 6 in gauge lines extended to all but the highest levels of the quarry. Most levels of the quarry had both 3 ft 6 in and 2 ft gauge trackwork, many with mixed gauge tracks. The Nantlle Railway connection was used up until 1963, while the internal 2 ft gauge lines continued in limited use until the end of quarrying.

The quarry locomotive fleet consisted of:

• 10 de Wintons inc Chaloner (now in preservation)
• 3 Hunslet 0-4-0ST (all now preserved) - Britomart Una & Sybil
• 1 Vulcan Foundry 0-4-0VB
• 1 Kerr Stuart 0-4-0T
• 4 R&H 4wdm

In 1963, Eric Tonks visited the Pen-yr-Orsedd Quarry and found Britomart in a shed on one of the quarry levels and stated that "she was not in bad condition considering that she had been out of use some three or four years".

Nantlle Railway

The Nantlle Railway (or the Nantlle Tramway) was a narrow gauge railway built to carry slate from several slate quarries in the Nantlle Valley to the harbour at Caernarfon for export by sea. The line received its Act of Parliament in 1825 and was constructed by Robert Stephenson, son of George Stephenson. It opened in 1828 and was operated using horse power. Although built solely for the transport of slate, the line is known to have carried passengers at various times between Caernarfon and Penygroes.

Converted to Standard Gauge

The railway was absorbed into the Carnarvonshire Railway in 1865 and later the London and North Western Railway. The main part of its route, from Caernarfon to Penygroes, was rebuilt in 1867, in places on an adjacent alignment, to single track standard gauge main line standards to allow the operation of the Carnarvonshire Railway's steam hauled trains through to Afon Wen.The lower valley section from Penygroes to Talysarn (where transshipment yards were laid out) was converted to standard gauge in 1872.

The remainder of the line continued in use as a horse drawn tramway linking Talysarn with several local quarries, and was operated as such by the LNWR, from 1923 the London Midland and Scottish Railway and from 1948 until 1963 by British Railways as far as the Pen-yr-Orsedd quarry. It is the last recorded use of horses by BR, and closed only with the closure of the branch line to which it connected.

Narrow Gauge Line

The narrow gauge line was a form of wagonway constructed to a gauge of 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) and equipped with four wheeled wagons fitted with double-flanged wheels, which were loose on fixed axles. The wagons were owned by the tramway, rather than the quarries and the many that survived into BR ownership had narrow steel plate bodies, which were mounted between the wheels and bolted to the axles.

Into Preservation

Britomart was bought in 1965 for preservation by a private consortium of Ffestiniog Railway workers and volunteers, and was first steamed on the FR in July 1966. Its blue livery is based on that of the former Great Northern Railway of Ireland.

Major overhauls were completed In 1966, 1982 and 2007. In the latest, a new inner firebox was fitted.

Britomart is regularly steamed by its owners and can be found at various times around around Minffordd and Boston Lodge, with the occassional visit to Harbour Station.

Loco Travels

Britomart has left FR metals on a number of occassions, to visit other lines.

Britomart visited the Leighton Buzzard Railway during September and October in 1986; the Bala Lake Railway in 1989; the WHR (P) in 1990 and the WHR(C) on 8-9 September 2007.

Visit to Bala Lake Railway

In 1989, Britomart visitted the Bala Lake Railway for a gala weekend but stayed for a month.

During the Gala Weekend, on both the Saturday and Sunday she was used to haul passenger and goods trains, alone and double headed with BLR residents Holy War and Maid Marian.

Britomart in the evening sun at Bala authors collection

On the Saturday evening the Society organised a BBQ for all the volunteers, exhibitors and public staying at the railway through the weekend. As usual, the event was to be held at Flag Station and a train was to be laid on - from Llanuwchllyn, to Bala and stopping at Flag on its return. The main reason for the trip was to give the cooking crew time enough to do the cooking and serving perparation.

David Black, Bala Lake resident engineer at that time decided that it would be a jolly wheeze to create the "longest-ever" train on the BLR for the BBQ Special. And so all coaches that were fit to be moved, along with every serviceable wagon plus all 3 steam locos were marshalled into a train.

Photo Gallery: Britomart Collection