Aneirin is unique at Swanley, in that she is an articulated steam locomotive. She is a single Fairlie, 0-4-4 tank locomotive, built between 2012 and 2015. Aneirin, like most of the other steam locomotives at Swanley, is a full sized locomotive (not a model). She is a cousin of Taliesin at the Ffestiniog Railway, and, as such, shows a good family resemblance to her bigger relative.
She was built in both the builder’s home workshop and the one at the railway. The boiler was professionally built, and the base colour professionally sprayed, but, apart from those two, the locomotive was hand built entirely by her owner/builder.
She is built on principles learnt from the Moors Valley Railway, in order to make driving and maintenance as simple as is possible, whilst providing the public with a proper steam locomotive.
The name Aneirin comes from a 6th century Welsh poet, and was chosen because he was a compatriot of Taliesin, after whom the FR’s single Fairlie was named.
