Dukedog & ‘Palmerston’ arrive in Aberystwyth

Two more locomotives have arrived in Aberystwyth, to be exhibited in the Vale of Rheidol Railway’s new museum building.

Dukedog locomotive No.9017 arrived at the railway on the afternoon of Tuesday 27th February, after a two day road journey from Sussex. The locomotive is on loan from the Bluebell Railway, to whom we are very grateful for facilitating the loan.

The loco and tender were loaded onto road transport at their Sheffield Park terminus on the morning of Monday 26th February, before setting off at lunchtime. The road convoy made it to the M4 motorway by nightfall, before overnighting at Membury services. The journey continued early the next morning, finally reaching Aberystwyth at tea-time on 27th February.

The locomotive received quite a reception on it’s arrival, as something of a ‘homecoming’ to Aberystwyth. The Dukedogs have a long association with the Cambrian line: the last Dukedog left in May 1960, and one has not been back to the town until now.

No.9017 was unloaded early on the following morning into it’s new home, where it will be on public display for the next two years. In doing so, it became the first standard gauge engine to enter the shed since the 1960s. The museum building at the Vale of Rheidol Railway is especially significant, as this is the building where the Dukedogs (including No.9017) would have been based in their working lives.

ITV Wales were quick to pick up on the story, sending reporter Rob Shelley to record the occasion on the day of the Dukedog’s arrival. It was especially pleasing to reunite the engine with John ‘Abergynolwyn’ Davies, who fired Dukedogs in Aberystwyth in the 1950s and still lives in the town.

“What a wonderful old gentleman” said Rob Shelley, whilst stood looking at No.9017 in the new museum. “I could have talked to him for hours!“.

Later that week, ‘Palmerston’ was delivered to the Vale of Rheidol Railway by road. The locomotive is on loan from our friends at the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways in Porthmadog, as the centre of an unusual collaboration between fellow Welsh narrow gauge railways.

The loco will be exhibited in the Vale of Rheidol Railway’s new museum building from March until July, when it will be shunted into the railway’s workshops. The locomotive will be returned to steam, allowing it to take a starring role in the railway’s ‘Rheidol Steam Festival’ event over the August Bank Holiday (24th-26th August 2024).

Llŷr ap Iolo, Managing Director of the Vale of Rheidol Railway, said: “We are very grateful to Paul Lewin and the team at the Ff&WHR to agreeing to the loan of ‘Palmerston’ for the 2024 season. We are excited to have it running on the Vale of Rheidol Railway at our event in August: it has been ten years since it’s last visit to Aberystwyth, so it will be great to have it here again for all to experience once more”.

Both ‘Palmerston’ and the Dukedog will be on public display when the museum opens to the public on 23rd March 2024. The Dukedog will remain on display for two years, whilst ‘Palmerston’ will be on display until July (when it will then be overhauled to allow it to return to steam, to appear at the ‘Rheidol Steam Festival’ over the August Bank Holiday weekend).

The new museum at the Vale of Rheidol Railway will be open daily from 23rd March 2024 until 3rd November 2024 inclusive.