Rachel Parry
This legendary locomotive first came into the written record in Boyd,[1] where the author quotes Y Cymro[2] for 13 November 1948:
“Throughout the summer season the little Festiniog was looted by souvenir hunters. They entered Boston Lodge works without permission and helped themselves to the brass nameplates of the engines Rachel Parry, Princess and Palmerston. The knaves from over the border are to blame for this...”
Since that time, various sightings have been recorded, especially after hours at Spooner's, the station bar and eating house in Porthmadog. One of the more convincing discoveries was a small waggon at Llechwedd, found in 1959, plainly composed of a couple of pairs of old loco wheels not otherwise accounted for; there is a photo in the FR Archive which was published in the FR Magazine[3].
It is rather a pity to spoil a lovely legend. However, the cold likelihood is that the crabbed writing of Robert Evans, the FR Manager at Portmadoc, or less possibly that of the newspaper man who wrote down what Evans said, was misread.
The original most probably said “Welsh Pony”.
- ^ Boyd, James I.C. (1975) [1959]. The Festiniog Railway 1800 - 1974; Vol. 1 - History and Route. Blandford: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-8536-1167-X. OCLC 2074549.2nd (1975) Edition Vol 1. p254
- ^ Y Cymro, a Welsh language weekly publication
- ^ "Photograph", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 022, page(s): 017