TWO-FOOT LINE IS BEING FITTED AT LITCHURCH LANE TO ACCOMMODATE OLDEST OPERATING FLEET IN WORLD

A TWO feet gauge railway line is to be installed on the Litchurch Lane site of train maker Alstom for the duration the Greatest Gathering event in August.

- By ZENA HAWLEY

The three-day exhibition of more than 50 historic items of rolling stock to celebrate 200 years of the modern railway, includes narrow-gauge exhibits showcasing their rich history and significance in the wider railway story.

The Alstom event forms part of the wider festivities for Railway 200, a year-long celebration marking the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) on September 27, 1825 - and a journey that gave birth to the modern railway.

Ahead of The Greatest Gathering, a team of volunteers from Alstom, Ffestiniog Railway and Statfold Barn Railway will install a 2 ft (610 mm) demonstration line on the site of Britain’s biggest railway factory.

Prince, the oldest operating narrow-gauge locomotive in the world - built in 1863 - will then be able to haul passengers in two of the Ffestiniog Railway’s original carriages.