The world’s oldest working steam locomotive was carefully removed from the Engine House in a process that took around four hours to complete. Originally planned to take a couple of hours with the assistance of the Bridgnorth 08, but the 08 is in for maintenance. Therefore there was a 36 metre gap between the end of the trailer and Prince’s plinth within the engine house. At 09:30 the job started by laying the temporary track in front of the locomotive, but a lorry can only carry so much track – so it was down to Stonehenge techniques. Move the engine, then take up the rail from behind and put it in front. Adjustments had to be made at the exit from the Engine House where a Pannier and the Mickey Mouse made a bit of a pinch point, but with less than one foot either side Prince was squeezed out. The locomotive will now return to the Ffestiniog Railway workshops at Boston Lodge for an overhaul where it is expected to return to traffic in 2013.
Phil Brown
Operations Manager