Cleminson Flexible Six-Wheeled Waggon
From Festipedia, hosted by the FR Heritage Group
No 8 Built Festiniog Railway Co. Boston Lodge works 1880. Six-wheel metal open wagon mounted on flexible two-wheel trucks to James Clemisnon's patent. Source: Festiniog Railway Traveller's Guide [Blue Cover Early 2000s].
Although No.8 is known as 'the Cleminson' (iron bogie in old company terms) its underframe arrangement does not conform to Cleminson's patent in all respects. The outer axles are premitted to turn and the centre to swing as the patent suggests but the connections between the components lack a vital extra link. This may be ascribed to any one of several reasons. The wagon was built at Boston Lodge during the Spooner period. Spooner may have been trying to circumvent Cleminson's patent, to avoid fees, even though he and Cleminson were acquainted and Cleminson was intimately involved, with Spooner, in the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways. Spooner, or the Boston Lodge staff, may have misunderstood the finer points of the arrangements or Spooner may have been trying to improve upon the design.
Whatever the truth, the wheelbase of No.8 is is short as to make the articulation unneccessary. While FR Heritage Group were restoring the wagon it was shunted around the yard at Boston Lodge, where there are some sharp curves, and the greatest deflection of the centre axle recorded was less than one inch (25mm)!!
During the 1960s and early 70s No.8 was used as an ash wagon at Boston Lodge and suffered serious damage to its original wrought iron floor and lower body sides as unquenched ashes burned. At some stage it must have become red hot as the whole body distorted.
The ruined plates were cut out and weldmesh put in place to keep the wagon 'useful'. For a while it was host to bits of Prince. During the late 1980s to early 1990s it was park on a section of track outside the Goods Shed at Harbour Station.
*Date 4th September 1991 *Photo: Stewart Macfarlane
During the mid 1990s No.8 was taken in hand by the FR Heritage Group. Working parties led by David High removed the weldmesh and replaced it with mild steel plate. (FR Heritage Group could neither source, nor afford, wrought iron plate.) Where joints were visible, such as with the remaining orginal body panels, they were made by the traditional 'hot rivetting' method. Within the floor of the wagon the plates were welded. This had the benefit of elminating raised seams and rivets which can have very painful effects if they are struck while shovelling loose materials such as sand, ballast or coal.
During 2006, after consultation with the members of the Heritage Group who had done the restoration, No.8 was returned to traffic to serve as a coal waggon as the FR returned to coal firing locos. Initially used to bring coal to Boston Lodge from Minffordd, until the conversion of the two ex-SAR bogie 'B' wagons, after which No.8 as used to hold a back-up supply of coal at Harbour Station.
