Lyd (locomotive)

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Lyd is a narrow‑gauge steam locomotive built by the Ffestiniog Railway at Boston Lodge over about 15 years, completed and first steamed in 2010. It was designed to echo the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway (L&B) locomotive Lew and includes modern construction techniques, such as removable side panels to change the roof profile for Garnedd tunnel.

Specifications (highlights)
- Type: Steam, 2-6-2T configuration
- Gauge: 1 ft 11 1/2 in (597 mm)
- Length: 28 feet
- Weight: about 25 long tons
- Builder: Ffestiniog Railway
- Serial number: 14
- Build date: first steamed 2 May 2010
- Fuel: Oil up to 2011; coal since December 2011

Construction and origins
- Lyd is based on the design of Lew, a L&B locomotive built in 1925 by Manning Wardle for the Southern Railway. Lew was the last surviving L&B locomotive and, after the line closed in 1935, Lew was not scrapped but used to dismantle the line; its subsequent fate was uncertain.

Operational history
- Lyd’s first steam was on 2 May 2010 during the Ffestiniog Railway’s Quirks and Curiosities event.
- It was painted in primer black in July 2010, hauled a test train on 8 August 2010, and soon after hauled a passenger train during the Welsh Highland Railway’s 2010 Superpower Weekend.
- In September 2010, Lyd visited Launceston Steam Railway and Woody Bay as part of the L&B world’s Autumn Gala events.
- In 2011 Lyd was repainted in British Railways-style lined black with the number 30190. In September 2011 it received Southern Railway Maunsell Green livery and was re-numbered E190.
- The locomotive was converted from oil to coal burning in autumn 2011, with its first coal firing on 12 December 2011.
- In November 2012 Lyd appeared on static display at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham as a key exhibit of Lynton and Barnstaple World.

Lew and design notes
- Lew was the newest L&B locomotive and the only one not scrapped after the line’s closure in 1935. It was dismantled and shipped overseas to South America, but its ultimate fate is not clearly known.
- Lyd includes design improvements and features that help with efficiency and navigation of tight tunnels, such as removable cab panels to adapt its roof profile when passing through Garnedd tunnel.

In summary, Lyd is a modern, 2-6-2T narrow-gauge steam locomotive built to resemble Lew’s classic design, staged to operate on heritage lines and to showcase the heritage of the L&B and Ffestiniog Railways.