The Moseley Railway Trust’s replica Penrhyn Coach has been one of the stalwarts of the passenger fleet since the very opening of the Apedale Valley Light Railway.
The Penrhyn Slate Quarries in North Wales operated a large number of these simple 4 wheel open carriages, which had been constructed between 1879 and 1927. In 1998, MRT acquired the axleboxes and hornguides from both carriages H and P from the Talyllyn Railway. The parts formed the starting point for the MRT carriage project; this was completed by 1999, before the the MRT moved to the site at Apedale. The vehicle then ran at the works open days of Alan Keef Ltd (where it is seen in 2006) before entering traffic on the Apedale Valley Light Railway. It was one of the coaches in the first-ever passenger train at Apedale (in August 2010). It quickly gained a roof, after some comments from passengers that perhaps the experience with loco soot and cinders was maybe just a little up-close and personal.
13 years of heavy use have begun to take their toll, and our Wednesday Group of wonderful volunteers has taken on the project of giving the coach a facelift. It’s being rubbed down, the bodywork repaired as needed, and then painted in the “official” Penrhyn Quarry Railway shade of brown as recommended by the Penrhyn Railway Society(so it must be right)!
