On Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 September, Rhyl Miniature Railway in north Wales is holding a steam gala.
The event will mark the return to steam of its 4-4-2 steam locomotive ‘Billie', which last ran at Dreamland Miniature Railway in Margate in 1979.
As well as Billie, the Miniature Railway will have Joan, Michael and Railway Queen operating, making a total of four Barnes Atlantics in steam.
Six Barnes locos were built in the 1920s in Rhyl by Albert Barnes to the design of Henry Greenly. Four of the locos stayed in Rhyl to run the railway, and replaced the two smaller Bassett-Lowke class 10 locos, which were sold. Two of the Barnes were sold and one of the Bassett-Lowkes went with them to each railway.
Rhyl's miniature railway ran for many years as part of the larger funfair. It kept three engines running and one being overhauled. The funfair closed in 1968 after the local Council refused to grant it a long-term lease for the site. The locos and stock were overhauled and sold.
The Railway opened again ten years later, and September's gala will be the first time since then that it will have four locomotives in steam.
When the funfair closed, Joan went to Manchester's Belle Vue Zoo, before returning to Rhyl in 1980 and to service in 1984. Joan hauled all the steam services from 1987 till 1997, when the loco had a new boiler fitted. Joan went to Windmill Farm in Lancashire and was overhauled.
Joan returned to Rhyl when the railway reopened, with the big storm tank finished in time for the 1999 season. In winter 2008-9, the boiler was removed and retubed, and the following winter Joan had her wheels retyred and new springs fitted. Joan's ticket expired in 2019 and following an overhaul, the loco re-entered service in 2021.
Michael spent several years in storage before returning for the reopening of the Railway in 1978. Michael remained at Rhyl until 1994, while also having spells at Dudley Zoo railway. Between 1994 and 2007, Michael was on display at Pringle's woolen mill on Anglesey.
In 2008, Rhyl Miniature Railway began restoration work, in preparation for the Railway's centenary in 2011. The chassis was stripped and rebuilt and the wheels retyred. A new boiler was ordered and arrived on 11 September 2010, ready to be steamed for the first time on 16 December. The work was finished and Michael returned to service at Easter 2011. Ten years later, it was withdrawn from service, stripped and overhauled, returning to service this year.
Railway Queen was originally named Michael and ran on a short-lived Woodland Park Miniature railway, beside the shore of the Isle of Grain in Kent. It then moved to a line in a pub garden in Cheshire. In winter 1927/28, it was sold and moved to Manchester's Belle Vue Zoo, where it was renamed Railway Queen in honour of the Queen of the annual Railwayman's Carnivals.
While at Belle Vue, it was given an American profile with cow catcher, large front lamp and taller cab, with railway renamed the Santa Fa Railroad. When the railway closed, the loco returned to Rhyl and ran for a few seasons, during some of which it was painted black. In 1994, it went to Anglesey for display until it returned to Rhyl when the new station opened in 2007.
Rhyl Miniature Railway began restoring Railway Queen in 2011 we turned to Railway Queen, beginning with the tender. A new boiler was ordered in 2013 and arrived in June 2017, and the loco returned to steam in December 2017, entering active service in 2018. Last year, Railway Queen was sanded and repainted in BVR lined green.
Billie was built in 1922 and went to Dreamland Miniature Railway, where it ran until 1979 with a few modifications over the years to create a distinctive look. The most significant features are the unique smoke deflectors very bright paintwork.
In 1980, Les Hughes (Chair of Rhyl Steam Preservation Trust) bought Dreamland Miniature Railway and moved it to Rhyl. Billie was loaned to Dudley Zoo for 1982 and '83. The boiler was retubed in 1986, and in 1993 it was sold again, this time to a collector in Kent. In 2018, it was sold to Austin Moss, who ran the Windmill Farm railway and carried out work to return Billie to service.
Billie returned to Rhyl on 28 June 2022 and returned to steam this year. Billie gained a new steam ticket from the inspector in May and then traveled its first ever lap around Rhyl under its own steam. More work was done, and Billie started to run and haul coaches during July, with Les Hughes as the first passenger behind Billie since 1983 and the first passenger pulled at Rhyl.
Rhyl Miniature Railway also has several other locos, full details of which can be found on its website.
