A slightly misleading title ;)

News from the Beeb this morning http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-10704636 

Two of the oldest electric railway engines in the UK are starting a journey from the Welsh slate mine they served for 70 years to be restored.

The Coalition and the Eclipse locomotives worked at Llechwedd Slate Mines in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, from the 1890s to the 1960s.

Originally steam engines, they were converted to run on electricity in the 1920s - which was very unusual.

They will be stored at Porthmadog while money for restoration is found.

Both locomotives were used to pull trucks of slate around the Llechwedd mine and were rebuilt as electric engines there.

When they were withdrawn from service they were preserved on static display at the site.

However, time and weather have taken their toll, and they are being transported to the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway (WHHR) in Porthmadog where they will be kept under cover while fundraising to restore them is carried out.

The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Tywyn, Gwynedd, is paying for the transportation.

Don Newing, the museum's secretary, said: "These locomotives are historic in their own right because they show how the Welsh slate quarries were at the cutting edge of technology in making the switch to electric power."

Restoration work is likely to take several years and will not begin until enough money is in place to complete the task.

David Hicken, director of Slate Heritage International which owns the locomotives, said: "We are pleased that these two important pieces of slate mining history can now take a step towards being restored.

"Once the locomotives have been restored, we intend that one of them will return to Llechwedd to be put on display, with the other being on show at the WHHR in Porthmadog."

James Hewett, chair of the WHHR, added: "The WHHR is developing a new museum in Porthmadog to show how the narrow gauge railways of the area influenced the world.

"The unusual history of these locomotives means the Eclipse and the Coalition have a special place in the hearts of many railway enthusiasts, and are just two examples of how Wales led the way in industrial technology."

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Pictures of the recovery here.

http://whr.fotopic.net/p66062038.html 

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A couple more pics:

http://whr.fotopic.net/p66062045.html 

http://whr.fotopic.net/p66062048.html 

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Slate Heritage International ?????

Grahami

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Slate Heritage International Ltd. is a non-trading company, with a registered office at Llechwedd Slate Mines. It's been in existence since 1996.

There may have been a change to the board of directors in May of this year, with the following individuals being current directors:
- Aled Ellis (also a director of Quarry Tours Ltd)
- David Hicken (also a director of Greaves Ellis Davies & Company Ltd; Greaves Welsh Slate Company Ltd; JW Greaves & Sons Ltd; Quarry Tours Ltd; and Slatedirect Ltd)
- Andrew Roberts (also a director of Greaves Welsh Slate Company Ltd; JW Greaves & Sons Ltd; Quarry Tours Ltd; and Slatedirect Ltd)

There is no indication of shareholders, ownership or any relation to other companies, although the links of the directors gives a pretty good indication that it's a very close relative of Greaves.

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Ah......

Thanks Vanoord!

Grahami

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I was at the loading operation at Llechwedd and the unloading at WHHR, Gelerts Farm, Porthmadog. I have uploaded several photos to Llechwedd User Album, here are a few of them:-

🔗Llechwedd-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-53568[linkphoto]Llechwedd-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-53568[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗Llechwedd-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-53575[linkphoto]Llechwedd-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-53575[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗Llechwedd-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-53579[linkphoto]Llechwedd-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-53579[/linkphoto][/link]

Left to right:- Patrick Keef (of Alan Keef Ltd), Dr. Dafydd Gwyn, Andrew Roberts MD of J. W. Greaves & Sons Ltd.

🔗Llechwedd-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-53581[linkphoto]Llechwedd-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-53581[/linkphoto][/link]

Arrival at WHHR, Gelerts Farm, Porthmadog.

This is only the first stage of the project, just to get them under cover. An appeal will be launched shortly to raise money for the restoration work to be done.

The intention is to conserve Coalition replacing the minimum amount of existing steel with new, as it is in the better state of the two. Eclipse will be rebuilt and converted to battery electric operation (batteries being kept in a seperate wagon). Eclispe will then act as an ambassador for Llechwedd Slate Caverns including a probable visit to NRM at York amongst other places.

It was on BBC Wales Today this evening.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00t5rcy/BBC_Wales_Today_21_07_2010/ 

It starts at 20:45

Excellent. Nice to see they'll be cared for. All thats needed now is a demonstration line at Llechwedd.

Now that's an idea!! In fact, taking that one step further, that could possibly be incorporated in any future "development" at Maen Offeren. After all, some of the track is still down and could be sensitively relaid.

Get surveying a line around the hill to Maenofferen. :lol:

I just edited my post as you posted your Merddin!

Get surveying a line around the hill to Maenofferen. :lol:

That (almost, with a bit of imagination) exists! Up the various inclines to the top of the waste tip incline (soory, can't think of levels off top of head) then a new line to the MO power house (pause to show the punters round that) then up the existing (derelict) incline to MO tip line, along that to MO mills.

Simples! 😉