Fairbourne Railway locomotive Tony arrived at the railway in mid 2025
Text by Ruislip Lido Railway, photos show Tony arriving at the LMR
The Fairbourne Railway, Littlehampton Miniature Railway, and the Ruislip Lido Railway are excited to announce a joint project to restore the historic Fairbourne locomotive 'Tony' back to use.
Tony was originally built in 1961 as a 15" gauge 4w-4w petrol hydraulic locomotive by G&S Light Engineering as 'Sylvia', one of a number of Trevor Guest locomotives to operate at Fairbourne in the 15" gauge days. Sylvia was rebuilt at Fairbourne in 1984 as a diesel powered loco with significant alterations to the bodywork, and renamed Lilian Walter - before being re-gauged to 12 ¼" gauge in 1985 to suit the upcoming gauge change to 12 ¼” at Fairbourne. Sylvia was later rebuilt as Tony with new bodywork in a style more similar to the original, re-entering service in 2013.
After a period of time out of use, work took place on Tony in 2021, but components in the complicated transmission setup proved to be life expired and replacement was not possible at the time. With the availability of a proven, high quality twin disc powershift transmission ex RLR diesel locomotive Graham Alexander following battery conversion in 2024, a lot of detailed work has taken place to reach an agreement on installing this transmission in Tony, curing the issues once and for all.
Installation of the transmission and other associated refurbishment work will take place at Littlehampton, undertaken primarily by Chief Engineer and Fairbourne volunteer Tom Sanders. Tony made the long trip in early April, with the Littlehampton team wasting no time in stripping the loco down to bare frames. The ex RLR transmission has also made the journey, along with a RLR flat wagon to assist.
Tony will first see a period of testing and running at Littlehampton on completion of the works. Littlehampton will be the first place you can travel behind Tony for the first time in around 10 years. Tony will then remain on loan at Ruislip for 3 years, giving cover for long-term work on the Ruislip diesel fleet.
Tony was originally built in 1961 as a 15" gauge 4w-4w petrol hydraulic locomotive by G&S Light Engineering as 'Sylvia', one of a number of Trevor Guest locomotives to operate at Fairbourne in the 15" gauge days. Sylvia was rebuilt at Fairbourne in 1984 as a diesel powered loco with significant alterations to the bodywork, and renamed Lilian Walter - before being re-gauged to 12 ¼" gauge in 1985 to suit the upcoming gauge change to 12 ¼” at Fairbourne. Sylvia was later rebuilt as Tony with new bodywork in a style more similar to the original, re-entering service in 2013.
After a period of time out of use, work took place on Tony in 2021, but components in the complicated transmission setup proved to be life expired and replacement was not possible at the time. With the availability of a proven, high quality twin disc powershift transmission ex RLR diesel locomotive Graham Alexander following battery conversion in 2024, a lot of detailed work has taken place to reach an agreement on installing this transmission in Tony, curing the issues once and for all.
Installation of the transmission and other associated refurbishment work will take place at Littlehampton, undertaken primarily by Chief Engineer and Fairbourne volunteer Tom Sanders. Tony made the long trip in early April, with the Littlehampton team wasting no time in stripping the loco down to bare frames. The ex RLR transmission has also made the journey, along with a RLR flat wagon to assist.
Tony will first see a period of testing and running at Littlehampton on completion of the works. Littlehampton will be the first place you can travel behind Tony for the first time in around 10 years. Tony will then remain on loan at Ruislip for 3 years, giving cover for long-term work on the Ruislip diesel fleet.
Santa Specials 13 and 14 December 2025
Christopher steaming along the seafront on a sunny Sunday in August 2025
Photos by Julian Clark
Concrete Tuesday 4 March 2025 - Mewsbrook Park
Preparing to lay concrete on the shed floor and in a new crossing at the station. Photos by Julian Clark
Pumping in and laying the concrete...
Track Maintenance February/March 2025
Renewing the track in the woods at Mewsbrook Park.
Santa Specials 14 & 15 December 2024
Photos by Julian Clark
Track Maintenance November 2024
Removing the old track behind Mewsbrook Park shed and replacing it with new.
Steam on a Glorious Autumn Day - 27 October 2024
Photos by Julian Clark
Getting Ready for the Season - March 2024
Track renewal, safety briefings, and locomotive maintenance.
Winter Maintenance 2024
Removing the old track along Sea Road and replacing it with new, between January and March.
Santa Specials 16 & 17 December 2023
Photos by Julian Clark
Autumn maintenance 2023: Track replacement at Skater's Curve
75th Anniversary Gala 24th & 25th July 2023
A selection of images by Julian Clark
75th Anniversary Gala 24th & 25th July 2023
Closed season maintenance March 2023: New track layout with a sector plate and servicing the coaches at Mewsbrook Park Shed.
First day of the season 2 April 2022
Santa Specials December 18 & 19 2021
Track renewal and new layout at Norfolk Gardens Nov/Dec 2021
Fairbourne Railway Gala weekend 29 - 31 May 2021. Our steam loco Christopher and Diesel tram loco Daisy, were among the visiting engines at the gala. Here are a few pictures of Christopher at work on this line, the Welsh mountains and coast provide a spectacular background.
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