BACHMANN 391-102 FFESTINIOG RAILWAY DOUBLE FAIRLIE OO9 SCALE

BACHMANN 391-102 FFESTINIOG RAILWAY DOUBLE FAIRLIE OO9 SCALE

EARL OF MERIONERTH/IARLL MEIRIONNYDD

FFESTINIOG RAILWAY LINED GREEN

The iconic Double Fairlie uses the design of Scottish engineer Robert F. Fairlie which was patented in 1864. The design employs a single boiler carried above a pair of independently controlled pivoting power bogies. The benefits of this design allowed a large locomotive to be built that operates equally effectively in forward and reverse, one which could navigate sharp curves or undulating track unlike rigid wheelbase locomotives and could utilise all its weight for traction # not wasting any on carrying wheels or tenders. The first Double Fairlie built for the Ffestiniog Railway was completed by George England & Co. of London in 1869. Named ‘Little Wonder’, the locomotive was essentially a pair of 0-4-0 Ffestiniog ‘England’ chassis pivoting under a combined boiler. The success of this locomotive in trials on the Ffestiniog Railway showcased the potential of steam powered narrow gauge railways to a worldwide audience and began a long running association of the Fairlie locomotive and the Ffestiniog Railway that can still be seen today. ‘Little Wonder’ generated so much publicity for Fairlie that in return, he granted the Ffestiniog Railway with unrestricted use of his patented design. A second Double Fairlie locomotive was commissioned for the Ffestiniog Railway, learning lessons from ‘Little Wonder’, and ‘James Spooner’ was completed by the Avonside Engine Company of Bristol in 1872.