Railway Herald
Snowdon Mountain Railcar No. 23 sits outside the Shed at Llanberis on Saturday 29th May 1999 awaiting the return of its two classmates units from the summit. Built in 1995 by Hugh Phillips Engineering of Tredegar, Wales the three railcars did not have a long life on the railway. The Cummins diesel engine was always at the downhill end of the railcar, nearest the camera. They could not operate as single units on the mountain as they only had one set of rack pinions so had to operate as a two or three coach unit at all times. Unusually for the Snowdon Railway the driver could sit at the front of the vehicle when climbing the mountain as a cab was provided at each end. After just six years on the railway No. 21 and No. 23 were taken out of service with major mechanical problems in 2001 with No. 22 following in 2003. Stored for several years at Llanberis in the hope of being sold, this was not to be and all three were scrapped in July 2010.
Bob Woolnough
