Press Release - No 3 'Sir Haydn' Goes To Aberystwyth For Overhaul

Talyllyn and Vale of Rheidol joint Press Release 23 October 2015


Yesterday (22/10/2015) the Talyllyn Railway’s locomotive No.3 Sir Haydn left Tywyn on a low-loader for Aberystwyth. As announced at the recent Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society Annual General Meeting No.3 is going to the Vale of Rheidol Railway’s workshops for overhaul.

The locomotive has been out of service since the summer of 2012, although it has made various publicity trips on behalf of the railway. During these it even travelled along both the Severn Valley and West Somerset Railways on a standard gauge wagon. Most recently it made a surprise ‘guest’ appearance at the railway’s ‘150th Party’ in July, as part of a cavalcade of all the railway’s steam locomotives. Now the aim is to have the locomotive back in service for its 140th Anniversary in 2018.

To this end an agreement has been reached with the Vale of Rheidol for a ‘staged’ overhaul, with an initial assessment period to determine precisely what work will need to be done before it can re-enter service by Spring 2018. A repair fund has already raised £30,000 towards the work, but how much more will be required will only be known when a full examination, particularly of the locomotive’s boiler, has been carried out.

This decision is in line with the previous ‘out-sourcing’ of the repairs to locomotive No.1 Talyllyn at the Ffestiniog Railway’s Boston Lodge Works in 2013. It marks a new policy for the railway of sending locomotives and rolling stock to specialist workshops for major overhauls and rebuilds.

The Talyllyn Railway’s Interim Managing Director, David Ventry, comments:

‘Sending locomotive No.3 to the works at Aberystwyth for this major overhaul means that the staff at Tywyn will be able to concentrate on routine maintenance and other new developments. We have a number of major new projects coming in the future, and we need to ensure we have the personnel available here to enable these to happen on schedule. In the meantime we can rest assured that work on Sir Haydn can proceed unhindered, and the locomotive can be in service in time for its 140th Anniversary.

The Vale of Rheidol’s workshops at Aberystwyth are now developing an excellent track record of locomotive repairs and restoration. It therefore makes eminent sense to utilise their specialist facilities to carry out this work. Once again it demonstrates the trend for working in partnership rather than being in competition, and also still helps the local economy.’

Llŷr ap Iolo, Director of Vale of Rheidol Trading Ltd commented:

‘This is a fantastic opportunity for the Vale of Rheidol to work in conjunction with the Talyllyn to overhaul this historic Welsh Narrow Gauge locomotive and bring it back to working order. No 3 Sir Haydn has spent its entire working life in Mid Wales and like our own locomotives, formed part of the Great Western Railway’s fleet. It is fitting that its latest overhaul will take place a short distance from where the locomotive originally worked. The Vale of Rheidol has greatly expanded its workshop facilities over recent years allowing us take on outside contract work and we are delighted that the Talyllyn has awarded us this contract.’

Also under restoration in the Vale of Rheidol’s workshops is No 7 Owain Glyndŵr which last steamed at the Vale of Rheidol Railway in 1998. The workshops have just recently completed the restoration of Kerr Stuart ‘Sirdar’ Class Locomotive No1158 ‘Diana’ and Hunslet Locomotive No605 ‘Margaret’.

The locomotive departed Tywyn early yesterday morning (22nd October) having been loaded at Tywyn Wharf station, and arrived in Aberystwyth later in the morning when it was unloaded and hoisted into position in the workshop. Further updates on the overhaul will be released in due course.


For further information about this press release please e-mail: pressoffice [at] talyllyn [dot] co [dot] uk

If you'd like to donate towards Sir Haydn's overhaul, please visit the 'Sir Haydn Appeal' web page.

Photos by Jane Garvey and Phil Mason