An 85 year old locomotive arrived in Aberystwyth on Tuesday after being away for more than 60 years.
The Dukedog locomotive earned the name because its engine is made up of parts from both the ‘Duke’ and the ‘Bulldog’ steam engines.
This very one, Dukedog No.9017, has a long history with Aberystwyth and the west Wales rail lines.
Despite its Victorian era look, the Dukedog ran along Aberystwyth, Machynlleth and Pwllheli on the Cambrian line until the 1950s. It was kept in service because the Dukedog wasn’t as heavy as other locomotives, so it could travel over Barmouth bridge when others couldn’t.
After spending more than 60 years away from Aberystwyth, the locomotive has returned as part of a deal between the Vale of Rheidol railway and the Bluebell Railway in Sussex.
The locomotive began its journey from Sussex on Monday 26 February, travelling hundreds of miles before reaching the Vale of Rheidol railway on Tuesday evening, where crowds of railway staff gathered to watch its arrival.
The locomotive and its tender (the carriage where coal is stored) were so big, that they were transported on two heavy load lorries.
This will be the first time a Dukedog locomotive has been in Aberystwyth in 64 years. The last Dukedog left the town in May 1960.
Llŷr ap Iolo, Managing Director of the Vale of Rheidol Railway, said: “We are very excited to announce the loan of this locomotive to go on public display here in Aberystwyth. As part of the project to construct our new museum, a standard gauge track was laid to facilitate this kind of visit: the ‘Dukedog’ seemed the perfect choice to be the first standard gauge locomotive to be put on display. I am very grateful to the board of the Bluebell Railway for making this loan possible.”
94 year old Aberystwyth local John ‘Abergynolwyn’ Davies worked on Dukedog locomotives in Ceredigion during the 1950s. John remembers working on Dukedog No.9017 in the summer of 1955, which became one of the ‘best working weeks’ of his whole life.
He said: “I spent a glorious week in the summer of 1955, firing No.9017 with driver Tom Phillips. We worked the 9.55 am ‘all stations’ from Aberystwyth to Welshpool each day, where we serviced the engine: our return working was the Cambrian Coast Express, all the way to Aberystwyth. Working with Tom felt like a ‘holiday job’, because of his light handling of the loco. It was one of the best working weeks of my life””
The ‘Dukedog’ will be on display in the Vale of Rheidol museum in a transformed 1938 engine shed at Aberystwyth station. It will be on display from March 2024 onwards.
The restored engine shed is especially important for Dukedog No.9017, as it is the very building the locomotive was housed in back when it was used in the 1950s.
You can see the Dukedog and other historical locomotives at the Vale of Rheidol Railway when it opens to the public from 23 March until the end of the season in November 2024.