Carriage Works
The Carriage Works is one of the main facilities of Boston Lodge works. In it vintage carriages are restored and new ones built for the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways. Contract work is also carried out for other railways and organisations. The carriage works is also home to the railways' painters.
The new Carriage Works building in Glan y mor yard was started in the late 1970s by volunteer effort and by Sept 1977 it had the main roof on but no north wall or doors, but could be used to shelter vehicles[1]. In 1980 doors were fitted and some woodworking machinery installed[2] and in 1981 all equipment from the previous Carriage Works in the old Carriage Shed Paint Shop was moved in[3] and four carriages could now be worked on simultaneously under cover.[4]
It has subsequently been extended with a new three road workshop building at the rear. This new building is known as the Heritage Lottery Fund (or HLF) shed after the source of its funding.
The HLF shed at the rear is generally used for major construction and restoration projects and is where the woodwork is completed for new carriages (the metal frames are usually built in the erecting shop). The older shed is generally used as a paint shop and for more minor works.
In 2022 the Carriage Works roof was renewed. The new roof was extended over the site of the Wood Store and the adjacent triangular area between the Carriage Works and the Carriage Shed, and this area has become part of the main Carriage Works.
References[edit]
- ^ "Boston Lodge", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 79, page(s): 5
- ^ "Boston Lodge", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 88, page(s): 8
- ^ "Boston Lodge", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 94, page(s): 8
- ^ "Boston Lodge", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 95, page(s): 6