TALYLLYN Railway’s ex-RNAD Trecwn 99hp Baguley Drewry diesel No. 12 St. Cadfan (3779/1983) was officially named by The Bishop of Bangor, the Rt Revd Andrew John, on October 30.
Saint Cadfan established a Christian community in Tywyn 1,500 years ago and the ceremony formed part of this year’s celebrations marking that event.
Bishop Andy, as he likes to be known, blessed the locomotive, unveiled the nameplate then anointed St. Cadfan with a bottle of ‘bubbly’.
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No. 12 St. Cadfan and No. 11 Trecwn (3764/1983) are TR’s most recent locomotives. The identification details now accord with their last identification in The RM (December 2015), with the respective numbers and names having previously been correctly linked, despite there being some past uncertainty.
The confusion arose since TR always intended the first loco to arrive at Tywyn to be No. 11 named Trecwn, but in practice the second loco to arrive was actually the first to be sent to Alan Keef Ltd for re-gauging and consequently became the first to enter TR service – resulting in it initially being designated No. 11.
This was subsequently corrected to reflect the original intention – so, the first of the pair to enter service was No. 12, followed later by No. 11!
They are identical in appearance, but No. 11 was the prototype of a seven-strong class built for service at Trecwn depot, hence the wish for it to carry the name Trecwn.
Read more News and features in the December issue of The RM
