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their infant son James and also their daughter Mary who died aged five allegedly of bubonic plague but more probably of typhoid. A separate grave alongside the first is that of the nurse
Elizabeth Preece who cared for Mary and who herself died of the same disease two days later. The restoration work, which involved heavy weed clearance, the cleaning of the stones, and the rust proofing and painting the railings, caught the attention of
958:
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made in the FR works at Boston Lodge (where the surviving track is now stored). 'Topsy', the famous 3¼ inch gauge model of an
England engine was built at Boston Lodge by W. Williams, Works Engineer and it was thought to have been lost. However it was discovered and brought to Porthmadog Harbour Station in 1963 and it is now on display. This is the earliest known model of the first narrow gauge locomotive in the world.
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320:. In 1879, George Percival was exiled to India (owing to the pregnancy of Eleanor Davies, one of the servants) where his career blossomed and he eventually became Locomotive Superintendent of the Indian State Railways. Unfortunately, he was not a businessman and lost most of his money. He eventually returned to England, becoming a
176:
Spooner introduced 'dandy wagons' on the
Ffestiniog, which were originally developed in the Northumberland coalfields. These allowed the horses to ride back downhill after they had hauled trains of empty wagons from Porthmadog to the slate quarries. The dandy wagon was attached to the rear of a train
264:. These trials and the writings of Spooner and Fairlie influenced the promotion of narrow gauge railways throughout the world. Concerning C. E. Spooner, on 27 December 1872 "Engineering" wrote "He shows an earnestness and enthusiasm, we may almost say an absolute devotion for the Festiniog Railway".
221:
Steam locomotives, never before tried on a narrow gauge line and declared by all the leading designers to be unworkable on so narrow a gauge, were inevitable. But they would not have been possible when the line was built in 1836 and could only be introduced 27 years later when locomotive development
369:
Charles Easton
Spooner was a Victorian 'family man' and he established his family at Bron y Garth where in 1869 he built a garden railway for the entertainment of family and friends. Such a feature was an undoubted novelty at that time. The brass trackwork and the engine and rolling stock were all
195:
As a boy, with his eldest brother James he had assisted his father in laying out the
Ffestiniog Railway and subsequently during construction. He appears to have remained in Porthmadog and been involved with the railway under his father who was Clerk to the company. Charles became Treasurer of the
382:
Churchyard. This consists of a large double plot with two carved slate memorial tops surrounded by iron railings, which had been specially made in the
Ffestiniog Railway Boston Lodge works. One stone commemorates Charles Easton Spooner and his eldest son John Eryri, the other his wife Mary, with
259:
ideally suited to a relatively short, heavily curved and steeply graded narrow gauge line. Spooner and
Fairlie brought the world to Porthmadog in February 1870 for a remarkable series of locomotive trials at which Russian observers were very prominent as were observers from the
167:
in 1825 and it has generally been thought that he was the inspector of the
Ffestiniog route. However, it is now accepted that it was George's son Robert who advised the promoters of the Festiniog Railway, based on Stephenson's evidence to the Parliamentary Committee in 1832.
196:
company in 1848 and following his father's death in 1856 was appointed
Manager and Clerk. He held the position for thirty years and dominated Ffestiniog Railway management and engineering until his own health began to fail in 1887. Under Charles the blacksmiths' forge at
234:
for the
Ffestiniog. The first four engines delivered in 1863 required significant modification by the Spooners in the light of experience. Two of the original four locomotives are still in regular operation. Later engines were delivered on the newly opened
315:
passenger carriages of any gauge to run in the United Kingdom. These historic iron-framed carriages, the forerunners of all the carriages now running on British Railways, are still in use, and were fully restored in 2001 with the aid of a grant from the
303:) remained with the family firm (often catalogued as Spooner & Co., Portmadoc, England) and designed fine engines for the Ffestiniog Railway and other railways. The Ffestiniog Carriages Nos. 15 & 16 were built in 1872 to his design by
146:
commissioned him to survey a suitable route for the Ffestiniog Railway. James Swinton and Charles Easton both assisted their father in this work. Spooner also had an experienced assistant in Thomas Prichard who had worked for Stephenson.
208:
Spooner was faced with the seemingly intractable problem of a railway working to maximum capacity yet unable to cope with the volume of traffic on offer. He was also aware that others were seeking alternative routes for the transport of
114:, Thomas and Amelia were born. When the North Wales survey was completed in 1823, Spooner, with his growing family, stayed and worked as a freelance surveyor. In 1825, Spooner took a lease of
177:
of loaded slate wagons. The train then proceeded downhill powered by gravity. The railway had been engineered with a continuous grade of about 1 in 80 to allow for gravity operation.
243:
where Spooner had laid out a pattern of exchange sidings that inspired many visitors from abroad to adopt narrow gauge as the inexpensive feeder line to the standard gauge.
159:
walked the route with Archer, Spooner and his sons and Prichard. Stephenson gave his approval to their plans. There has been discussion of which Robert Stephenson this was.
56:
both locally and throughout the world. James Spooner, together with his sons James Swinton and Charles Easton and other members of their family, constructed and managed the
213:'s growing slate traffic. Spooner investigated the option of conversion to double track but the added capacity could not have paid for the construction costs involved.
138:
Spooner was already well established as a local surveyor and he had surveyed inclines and a tramway (never to be built) from the Moelwyns to Porthmadog via the
1028:
915:
76:. Through publications and overseas family commissions they influenced narrow gauge railway construction in Russia, America and throughout the
612:
579:
M.J.T. Lewis, The 1870 Locomotive Trials in the Local Press, in the Heritage Group Journal (FR Society) No. 57. Spring 1999 (pages 21–27).
378:
In 1998, the Ffestiniog and the Welsh Highland Railway Heritage Groups together undertook the restoration of the Spooner Family Grave in
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for over fifty years. In North Wales they were involved in the promotion of numerous railway schemes including many quarry lines, the
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team. He married in 1813 and his first three children were Matthew, James Swinton, and Caroline. From 1818 to 1824, they lived at
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Railways or No Railways – The Battle of the Gauges Renewed. by R.F. Fairlie, London, Effingham Wilson, Royal Exchange, 1872.
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where Elizabeth and Harriet were born and Caroline was accidentally shot dead by Matthew. Finally, the family moved to
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in 1790. He trained as a land surveyor and is believed to have worked as a civilian member of an
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from 1874 to 1876 during its construction. Afterwards he had a distinguished railway career in
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Charles Easton Spooner engaged Charles Holland to design the first six small engines built by
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was developed into comprehensive railway manufacturing and repair workshops.
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The North Wales Chronicle and the Carnarvon & Denbigh Herald, Feb 1870.
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James Swinton, an elder brother of Charles Easton, was the engineer to the
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had advanced and after the line had been relaid with heavier steel rails.
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Heritage Group Journal (FR Society) No. 57. Spring 1999 (pages 21–27)
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557:. The British Narrow Gauge Railway. Blandford: The Oakwood Press.
387:, resulting in the graves now being listed as grade 2 monuments.
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348:, youngest son of Charles Easton, was resident engineer of the
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The Festiniog Railway 1800 - 1974; Vol. 1 - History and Route
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C.E.Spooner; Narrow Gauge Railways, 1871, revised edn 1879
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George Percival (son of Charles Easton and a graduate of
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It was through George England that Spooner commissioned
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who made important contributions to the development of
163:'s younger brother Robert surveyed the route of the
546:M.J.T.Lewis; How Ffestiniog got its Railway, 1965.
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916:Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway
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130:in Porthmadog where William was born in 1834.
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1258:Locomotive builders and designers
906:North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways
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350:North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways
70:North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways
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845:Ffestiniog Railway rolling stock
586:The Ffestiniog Railway's website
155:After the survey was completed,
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44:refers to the Spooner family of
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518:. Festipedia. 23 December 2008
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443:. Festipedia. 27 December 2011
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262:Denver and Rio Grande Railroad
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896:Festiniog and Blaenau Railway
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305:Brown, Marshalls and Co. Ltd.
66:Festiniog and Blaenau Railway
1226:Railway with a Heart of Gold
1215:Great Little Trains of Wales
412:. Festipedia. 27 August 2011
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1210:Narrow Gauge Railway Museum
474:. Festipedia. 23 April 2012
191:Work for Ffestiniog Railway
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911:Porthmadog cross town link
819:The Spooners of Porthmadog
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226:George England locomotives
42:The Spooners of Porthmadog
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494:"George Percival Spooner"
134:Ffestiniog Railway survey
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472:"James Spooner (Person)"
441:"Charles Easton Spooner"
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1253:British civil engineers
516:"Charles Edwin Spooner"
311:. These were the first
290:George Percival Spooner
142:valley, when, in 1830,
926:Welsh Highland Railway
809:Robert Francis Fairlie
257:articulated locomotive
253:Robert Francis Fairlie
232:George England and Co.
181:Charles Easton Spooner
110:where Charles Easton,
74:Carnarvonshire Railway
38:
18:Charles Easton Spooner
1184:James Swinton Spooner
346:Charles Edwin Spooner
336:Charles Edwin Spooner
318:Heritage Lottery Fund
301:Karlsruhe Polytechnic
273:James Swinton Spooner
54:narrow gauge railways
32:
374:Spooner Family Grave
671:Campbell's Platform
332:. He died in 1917.
326:Kings Cross, London
268:Spooner and Company
247:Fairlie locomotives
33:Fairlie locomotive
1263:Ffestiniog Railway
1189:Patrick Whitehouse
1138:Bryn Eglwys quarry
1029:Stations and halts
865:Fairlie locomotive
783:Votty & Bowydd
702:Boston Lodge Works
686:Blaenau Ffestiniog
636:Porthmadog Harbour
622:Ffestiniog Railway
211:Blaenau Ffestiniog
58:Ffestiniog Railway
39:
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1164:Henry Haydn Jones
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951:Trains portal
891:Cwmorthin Tramway
641:Boston Lodge Halt
564:978-0-85361-167-7
322:Special Constable
237:Cambrian Railways
161:George Stephenson
157:Robert Stephenson
151:Robert Stephenson
16:(Redirected from
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1268:Talyllyn Railway
1169:William McConnel
1019:Talyllyn Railway
1005:Talyllyn Railway
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879:Related railways
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35:James Spooner
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1128:Abergynolwyn
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870:Dandy waggon
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804:Henry Archer
738:Cwt y Bugail
554:
520:. Retrieved
510:
498:. Retrieved
496:. Festipedia
488:
476:. Retrieved
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445:. Retrieved
435:
430:Lewis (1965)
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414:. Retrieved
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198:Boston Lodge
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144:Henry Archer
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1098:Tywyn Wharf
1038:Locomotives
829:Alan Pegler
758:Maenofferen
718:Blaen y Cwm
681:Tanygrisiau
666:Tan-y-Bwlch
360:Postscripts
330:World War I
217:Steam power
128:Morfa Lodge
50:North Wales
1247:Categories
1179:Sonia Rolt
1108:Rhydyronen
391:References
380:Beddgelert
309:Birmingham
46:Porthmadog
1091:Locations
1060:Sir Haydn
753:Llechwedd
748:Graig Ddu
733:Cwmorthin
661:Plas Halt
656:Rhiw Goch
646:Minffordd
553:(1975) .
241:Minffordd
108:Maentwrog
100:Worcester
1174:Tom Rolt
1113:Brynglas
1081:Tom Rolt
1046:Talyllyn
850:Princess
778:Rhiwbach
711:Quarries
629:Stations
124:Tremadog
118:' house
72:and the
1123:Dolgoch
1074:Douglas
1053:Dolgoch
788:Wrysgan
773:Oakeley
728:Conglog
676:Dduallt
651:Penrhyn
573:2074549
535:Sources
522:15 June
500:15 June
478:15 June
447:15 June
416:15 June
328:during
140:Croesor
1147:People
1103:Pendre
797:People
575:. B1A.
571:
561:
354:Malaya
94:Family
68:, the
64:, the
396:Notes
313:bogie
569:OCLC
559:ISBN
524:2012
502:2012
480:2012
449:2012
418:2012
385:Cadw
37:1887
860:Lyd
324:at
239:to
122:at
1249::
567:.
356:.
307:,
80:.
48:,
997:e
990:t
983:v
614:e
607:t
600:v
526:.
504:.
482:.
451:.
420:.
20:)
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