This morning I had to go up to London for a meeting. Just occasionally, despite my better judgment, it's unavoidable. The train back to Oxford was delayed, and while I was hanging aroungd on the Lawn at Paddington station I was slightly surprised to see the distinctive form of a Festiniog Railway locomotive on platform 9. Princess, identical twin to Prince - Britain's oldest working steam engine in regular traffic - and built at George England's Hatcham Ironworks in 1863. The Festiniog had 5, all to the same basic design:
Prince and Palmerston are still in service, Little Giant was cut up in the early 20th century, and Welsh Pony used to stand in the middle of a flowerbed in Porthmadog - I fell off it multiple times between the ages of 8 and 13.... I believe Welsh Pony has now been rescued and is being cosmetically restored for a slightly more dignified fate.
The last time I saw Princess was on display in the Station restaurant in Porthmadog in about 1990 - she's been rescued from there and tarted up a bit for the 150th anniversary of the Festiniog Railway (and her own 150th birthday this year). If you happen to find yourself at a loose end in Paddington, she's there until 6 weeks after St David's Day.
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