Festiniog Railway 0-4-0TT

Festiniog Railway 0-4-0TT
The Princess at Harbour Station in near original condition, around 1871
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder George England and Co. Build date 1863-1867 Total produced 6
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-4-0TT Gauge 1 ft 11 1⁄2 in (597 mm) Driver dia. 2 ft 0 in (0.61 m) Wheelbase 1-4, 4 ft 6 in (1.37 m) 5-6, 5 ft 0 in (1.52 m) Loco weight 1-4, 8 long tons (8.1 t) 5-6, 10 long tons (10 t) Water cap 1-4, 237 imperial gallons 5-6, 418 imperial gallons Boiler pressure 1-4, 140 psi (970 kPa) 5-6, 150 psi (1,000 kPa) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 1-4, 8 in × 12 in (203 mm × 305 mm) 5-6, 8.125 in × 12 in (206 mm × 305 mm) Valve gear Allan straight link valve gear
Career Operators Festiniog Railway, Welsh Highland Railway, Vale of Rheidol Railway

The Festiniog Railway 0-4-0TT were six 0-4-0 steam locomotives built by George England and Co. for the Festiniog Railway between 1863 and 1867. The locomotives were built to two designs: the first four were originally side tank locomotives and are collectively known as the Small England class; the final two locomotives were delivered with saddle tanks and are known as the Large England class.

The designation "TT" indicates a tank locomotive with a tender. Water is carried in tanks on the locomotive while fuel (coal) is carried in the tender.

The Festiniog Railway was originally built to be worked by gravity, with horses used to haul the empty slate wagons uphill from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog. By the late 1850s it was clear that the line was reaching its carrying capacity, while the production from the slate quarries was continuing to expand. To increase the amount of slate that could be carried by the railway. In order to increase capacity, in 1860 the board began investigating the use of steam locomotives for the railway. Although steam had been used on narrow gauge railways before this, it had only rarely been used on a gauge as narrow as the Festiniog's.

In 1862, the railway advertised in The Locomotive magazine asking for manufacturers to bid to supply an 0-6-0T locomotive to the railway. Although they received 29 expressions of interest, none were accepted. Charles Menzies Holland was acting as locomotive designer for the Festiniog Railway and he approached George England who lived near him in London. England agreed to bid for the contract and in February 1863 he proposed building three 0-4-0T locomotives primarily to his own design. This bid was accepted and construction began. England's design was for a small 0-4-0 locomotive with side tanks and tender. The locomotives had a low center of gravity and were extremely small to fit within the restricted loading gauge of the railway.

The first two locomotives Mountaineer and The Princess arrived in July 1863. They were delivered without domes, over the objection of England. As a result, they suffered badly from priming and domes were hastily fitted in Wales before the locomotives could be run on service trains. The first formal steam-hauled train on the Festiniog Railway ran on 23rd. October 1863.