Alan Francis Pegler OBE passed away on Sunday 18 March 2012 after a short illness. He was 91. Sincere condolences have been extended to his companion, Petrina Derrington, and to his family, by the Chairman of the Festiniog Railway Society on behalf of the membership.
It was Alan's ability to provide the necessary funds to gain control of the Festiniog Railway Company in 1954 that made the restoration of the Railway possible and narrow-gauge railway enthusiasts owe him an immense debt of gratitude for this action. He remained President of the Festiniog Railway Company and the FR Society until his death.
Much of the summer 2012 issue of the FR Magazine will be given over to an appreciation of Alan’s lifetime achievements, and his importance to the FR, and the railway preservation movement in general. As many enthusiasts know, apart from his pivotal role in the saving of the FR, he was also responsible for saving Flying Scotsman from the scrap heap in 1963, and earlier had helped to persuade British Railways to organise special trains for enthusiasts which utilised preserved locomotives, such as the Great Northern Railway 'Atlantics', as motive power.
