Dryw Bach, a 'Wren' class 0-4-0ST built by Kerr Stuart of Stoke-on-Trent in 1918, given the works number 3114 and delivered to the WWI Ministry of Munitions. This loco was not named Dryw Bach until it arrived at Bala Lake Railway, part way through its varied, interesting and chequered life.

3114 as found at Brockamin, Worcestershire circa 1959 authors collection

The company began, as did so many of the Industrial locomotive companies, in Glasgow. Formed in 1881 as James Kerr & Company it was a dealer in railway plant, and actually subcontracted orders for locomotives.

The main supplier was Hartley, Arnoux & Fanning at Stoke-on-Trent, and in 1893 Kerr Stuart bought the company and became bona-fide locomotive builders. A feature of their locomotives was that they were designed to be used where skilled labour and extensive maintenance facilities were scarce.

Most contractors just bought a locomotive and expected it to run as long as water was in the boiler and fire in the grate. An occasional squirt from an oil can was what passed for maintenance. The Kerr Stuart locomotives were ideal for this type of environment as they were mechanically simple and robust, and "the works" were easily accessible.

Early designs had outside Stephensons valve gear, while later designs in the smaller gauges had a "modified Hackworth" gear.

These diminutive industrial locomotives are very deceptive, being far more powerful than at first viewing, the fact bourne out by the uses they were put to in their industrial working lives.

The follwing information relates to all standard KS Wren class locomotives:

Cylinders 6 in. by 9 in.	Wheel diameter 1 ft. 8 in.
Wheelbase 3 ft. 0 in.	Tubes 35 of 1¾ in. dia.
Working Pressure 140 lbs./sq. in.	Water Capacity 87 gallons
Fuel Space 5.5 cubic ft.	Heating Surface (tubes) 72.1 sq. ft.
Heating Surface (firebox) 13.9 sq. ft.	Heating Surface (total) 86.0 sq. ft.
Grate Area 2.19 sq. ft.	Weight (empty) 3 tons 7 cwts.
Weight (in working order) 4 tons 3 cwts.	Tractive Effort 2,016 lbs.

Kerr Stuart calculated most tractive efforts at 89% boiler pressure, and also rated the "Wren" as being of 28 h.p. The tractive effort at 75% boiler pressure - more usual for industrial locomotives - would be 1,701 lbs.

A total 167 Wren class engines were built and shipped with number 3114 being one of 11 such locos built in 1918 (3103-3105, 3114, 3128, 4001-4006).

Number 3114 was one of a batch of twenty-seven 2 ft. gauge "Wrens" purchased during 1922 and 1923 from the the War Stores Disposals Board by the firm of R.H. Neal & Co. Ltd who had secured a contract to build a major sewer construction scheme at Barkingside, Essex.

R.H. Neal & Co. Ltd were initially construction engineers but later became crane manufacturers, moved to Grantham Lincolnshire and were taken over by Coles Cranes Ltd.

It is not known precisely when the Barkingside contract ended but rumour has it that 3114 was purchased by the Clay Cross Company and moved to the 60cm narrow gauge Ashover Light Railway, which opened in 1925. It is a rumour because although the volunteers at Bala Lake Railway referred initially to the loco as 'Ashover', the supporting documentary proof is lacking.

The Ashover Light Railway was constructed to carry stone from the the Clay Cross Compant quarries, by Col. Stephens, using ex-WW1 stock obtained via the War Stores Disposals Board and ran from Clay Cross to Ashover in Derbyshire.

Regular passenger services ceased in 1936. The final passenger train was made up of cleaned goods wagons with temporary seating and was a special excursion of the Birmingham Locomotive Club on 24th August 1947. The last train ran on October 23, 1950 when the Clay Cross Company’s estate agent was conveyed in a wagon to survey the railway’s land which could be sold. The scrap dealers, Marple & Gillott, moved in that same day and commenced the lifting of the track.

By 1959, 3114 was to be found at P. Beard's Hill Farm at Brockamin, Worcestershire where it had been taken after being rescued from the scrap merchants (presumably Marple & Gillott).

3114 after restoration at Hindlip Hall circa 1962 authors collection

It was from here that the loco was acquired by Alan Maund and moved to Hindlip Hall, near Worcester where Alan had established a small 2ft nominal gauge line called the 'Hindlip and District Light Railway'. During its stay at Hindlip, 3114 was restored to full Kerr Stuart 'Wren' class specification and christened 'Brockamin' in recognition of the farm location it came from.

3114 formed part of the collection that N Jacob & Will Roberts (Narrow Gauge Enterprises) had assembled at the old Oakley Quarries site in Blaenau Ffestiniog where the Narrow Gauge Railway Centre display at Gloddfa Ganol Mountain Tourist Centre was created in the 1970's.

In 1980, 3114 was loaned by Gloddfa Ganol to the Bala Lake Railway on the basis that the BLR could carry out necessary repairs and use it on off-peak trains.

In 1979 the Bala Lake Railway held a successful Gala weekend which featured the Kerr Stuart 'Wren' class locomotive Peter Pan (another of the four survivors from R.H. Neal & Co. Ltd). Peter Pan impressed everyone - George Barnes, the railways founding engineer and the volunteer staff - with its haulage capability, so much so that the railway decided it would like its own 'Wren'.

Consequently, in 1980 3114 arrived on loan from Gloddfa Ganol and quickly became "the volunteers loco". It was heavily rebuilt, repainted and lined out (by volunteer Ian Mason) in the railways engine shed during 1980-1981. The loco entered service at the beginning of the 1982 season when it was christened Dryw Bach (welsh for "little wren").

Dryw Bach with small works train of ex-Festiniog slate wagons by Llangower Signal Box
copyright Alan Buckley

Dryw Bach was much used for three years, on off-peak trains and on the second train during two-train operating days and found to be a free-steaming and powerful locomotive when compared with the lines resident Hunslets. The loco was often used by the volunteers on works trains in the summer evenings and was very popular with volunteer crews, allowing them to hone their firing and driving skills.

At the annual boiler inspection in the winter of 1984/5 two serious cracks were found in the firebox. The new engineer David Black (George Barnes had retired) ordered the loco to be completely stripped down in the hope that local repairs could be made.

Dryw Bach arrives at Llanuwchllyn on 29 April 1984 with an off-peak train copyright Geoff Cryer

Investigations showed a new inner firebox (at least) was required. While stripped down, the steam brake was removed and added to Holy War. It was also discovered that one of the wheelsets was narrow to gauge and would need remedial work before the engine could return to service.

And in a final irony, volunteer and model railway engineer Ken Swan arrived at the railway in May 1985 with the fine set of brass nameplates he had made - plates that were never fitted!

Dryw Bach was reassemmbled in July 1985, after the boiler was condemmed and in early August was loaded onto a low-loader truck (along with Francis Stapleton's 'Crombie' Ruston 48DL) and taken back to Gloddfa Ganol where it was, once again, placed on static display.

When Alfred MacAlpine bought the Ffestiniog Slate Group in 1998, they closed Gloddfa Ganol the same day. The narrow gauge railway collection that was housed there (still mostly owned by Will Roberts at that time) was sold by sealed bid auction a few months later. This included KS 3114, which was purchased by The Phyllis Rampton Narrow Gauge Trust.

3114 was moved to the Vale Of Rheidol Railway (also owned by the Phyllis Rampton Narrow Gauge Trust) for display, along with several other items including Penrhyn Slate Quarry DeWinton "Kathleen.

Initially most of the ex-Gloddfa Ganol items were displayed outside, by the side of the VoR platform at Aberystwyth. However, over time 3114 was restored to 1918 condition by Allen Civil.

Unfortunately, the plans the Phyllis Rampton Narrow Gauge Trust had for creation of a NG Railway Museum incorporating the VoR station (at Aberystwyth) seem to have come to nothing and 3114 is normally not on display.

The Amerton Railway in Staffordshire staged a very successful Wren Gala over the weekend in June 2002 where three Kerr Stuart Wrens 3114/1918, Peter Pan 4256/1922 and Pixie 4260/1922 operated a variety of passenger and goods trains on the newly extended one mile line. This was probably the first time that three Wrens have been in steam together for at least 50 years.

3114 in a typical industrial scene at Amerton Railway June 2002 copyright Geoff Cryer

Peter Pan and Pixie departed on the Sunday evening, with Pixie continuing on back to Belgium, but 3114 stayed at Amerton until October. It was steamed on selected Sundays hauling demonstration goods trains.

I am indebited to Geoff Cryer for allowing me to use his images of 3114 in this article (and in the Photo Gallery). If you are interested in NG then you should visit Geoff's Rail Pages and Photo Pages.

I would also like to thank Glen Fairweather (ex-Fairbourne Railway) for permission to use the 2 images of 3114 at Gloddfa Ganol shown in the Photo Gallery. Glen has an excellent collection of NG photos on Fotopic, which are well worth a visit: Miniature & Narrow Gauge Railway Photos.

More information about the Ashover Light Railway can be found at the Society website- they are trying to reopen part of the line.