‘Palmerston’ is named after Viscount Palmerston - a Liberal Prime Minister - and was one of the original four 0-4-0 engines built by George England in 1863/4. She was constructed with a domed boiler, benefiting from the trials of the first batch of these locomotives delivered. In 1880, she was then fitted with a saddle tank to improve adhesion.

She was sent to Dinas in 1876/7 to help with the construction of the NWNGR, a forerunner of the Welsh Highland Railway (WHR). Then in 1923, she was used during the construction of the WHR as well, on loan to the contractor, after which she was often also seen working trains on both the WHR and FR.

By 1940, she was withdrawn and acted as a stationary boiler in Boston Lodge Works. Gradually, parts were taken from her for other locomotives, notably for ‘Prince’ early in the preservation years (1950s) when funds were very tight. By the late 1960's what was left of her was thought to be not worth restoring.

However, she was sold in 1974 for restoration, which started first in Derbyshire and later she came back to the FR (in 1987) for the fitting of a new boiler, re-entering service in 1993. She is coal-fired, but is relatively low-powered, rated at 5 FR coaches, and thus sees use mainly on special trains and charters. Since then she has travelled to other railways in the UK and abroad, including a number of high-profile trips back to the WHR. The latest of these was in Autumn 2006, when she became the first steam locomotive to run on phase 4 of the new WHR (the recently re-laid track south of Rhyd Ddu). This means she has been used in constructing the NWNGR, the original WHR and now the new WHR!
 

Gallery:

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Palmerston leaves Porthmadog Piloting Prince with a vintage train.