In his book "Talyllyn Adventure", L.T.C. Rolt wrote extensively of the early days of preservation on the railway and learned first hand that the Talyllyn Railway has it's own "Guardian Angel."
When the Talyllyn's preservation era began (1951), money was really tight and the Railway sorely needed all the passenger revenues it could get. This meant that at least one of the Railway's locos had to run. But that was the rub.
Of the railway's two locomotives only "Dolgoch" (built 1866) could be considered "operable". "Talyllyn" (built 1864) wasn't going anywhere.
To run, "Dolgoch" needed an operating certificate. This meant the "Old Lady" would have to be inspected. Part of that inspection would be to ensure that boiler sheet thickness was adequate. At the time, the only way to do that was to drill a hole into the boiler barrel and check the surrounding sheet with a micrometer.
The sweat poured down like rain.
On the appointed day, locomotive inspector arrived and went to work. He drilled the hole, took his measurements and everybody held their breath. The verdict was rendered. The sheet thickness was exactly at it's lowest allowable limit. The locomotive was passed for service and the rest is history.
Later, when it became "Dolgoch's" turn for a thorough shopping, it was found that the inspector had serendipitously drilled his hole at the thickest point in the boiler. If the hole had been drilled ANYWHERE ELSE, Dolgoch would have failed inspection.
