Penrhyn Castle Railway Museum facts for kids
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Charles of the Penrhyn Quarry Railway
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| Established | 1951 |
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| Location | Llandygai, Gwynedd, Wales |
| Type | Railroad museum |
| Owner | National Trust |
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The Penrhyn Castle Railway Museum (which is Amgueddfa Rheilffordd Castell Penrhyn in Welsh) is a cool place to see old industrial railway equipment. It's located at Penrhyn Castle near Bangor in Wales.
In the 1800s, Penrhyn Castle was home to the Pennant family. They owned the huge Penrhyn Quarry, where they dug up slate. This quarry was very important for developing special small railways, called narrow-gauge railways. One of the first industrial railways in the world, the Penrhyn Quarry Railway (PQR), ran close to the castle.
When the castle was given to the National Trust in 1951, they decided to open a small museum. They put it in the old stable building. This museum was created to show off old railway items from the area.
The very first train engine given to the museum was named Charles. It was one of only three steam engines still working on the PQR at the time. Over the years, many other important narrow-gauge engines and railway items from Britain were added to the collection.
In early 2024, it was announced that most of the engines would move to new homes. The museum is changing to become a new "Industrial Penrhyn" experience.
Contents
Famous Locomotives at Penrhyn Castle
The Penrhyn Castle Railway Museum has been home to some really interesting old train engines. Here are a few of them:
Charles
Charles is a special engine that worked on the Penrhyn Quarry Railway. It was built by Hunslet in 1882. This engine is an 0-4-0ST type, meaning it has four driving wheels and a saddle tank for water. It will stay at Penrhyn Castle as part of the new "Industrial Penrhyn" museum.
Hugh Napier
Another engine from the Penrhyn Quarry is Hugh Napier. It was also built by Hunslet in 1904. This 0-4-0ST engine moved to the Ffestiniog Railway. It was fully fixed up and started working again in 2012.
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Fire Queen
The Fire Queen is a very old engine, built in 1848 by A. Horlock and Co. It's a 0-4-0 tender engine that worked on the Padarn Railway. In 2024, it moved to the Vale of Rheidol Railway.
Kettering Furnaces No. 3
This engine was built by Black, Hawthorn & Co in 1885. It's a 0-4-0ST type. It used to work on the Kettering Ironstone Railway. In 2024, it was given to the Waterford and Suir Valley Railway.
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Vesta
Vesta is a 0-6-0T engine built by Hudswell Clarke in 1916. It worked at the Hawarden Bridge steel works. In 2024, it was given to the East Lancashire Railway. You can now see it on display at the Bury Transport Museum.
Haydock
The Haydock engine was built by Robert Stephenson & Co in 1879. It's a 0-6-0T type and worked on the Haydock Collieries Railway. In 2024, it moved to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.
See also
- British narrow-gauge railways
