Princess has been on display at London's Paddington Station. |
Prince has just
been completely restored in gleaming red livery identical to that of its sister
locomotive, Princess which has just
returned to North Wales after five weeks on display at London's Paddington
Station.
Visitors will be able to ride on Prince on Saturday and Sunday, while on Friday there's a chance to
meet the restoration team from the Ffestiniog Railway and learn how they
transformed the ruined shell of
Metropolitan Jubilee Carriage 353 was originally built in
1898 and is one of the oldest working underground carriages. The gleaming
carriage, finished with gold leaf and carrying no fewer than ten coats of
varnish, bears little resemblance to the sorry-looking hulk that was used as a
garden shed, and subsequently restored by experts at the Ffestiniog Railway in
Wales.
Two courses will be run, one in the morning and one in the
afternoon, aimed at helping people to discover the history of the vehicle, how
and why the restoration took place, and then have a go themselves, with expert
guidance from Glenn Williams and the Ffestiniog team. The courses includes a Carriage
353 restoration project talk and tour with Tim Shields, Project 353 Curator and
traditional joinery and hand painting numbers workshops with Ffestiniog Railway
craftsmen.