Is Russell a boy or a girl?
 
Enthusiasts recounting tales of such locos as the Flying Scotsman or City of Truro thundering up and down the railways of Britain tend to refer to them lovingly as "she".
 
Like the world of steam itself, some traditions die hard, and a row has broken out at the Welsh Highland Railway after a fund-raising leaflet used the word "he" to describe an engine.
 
The Welsh Highland Heritage Railway is trying to raise money to restore the historic tank engine Russell to full working order, and what with its having a male name, referred to it in their literature with a masculine personal pronoun.
 
"We certainly never meant to cause offense with this leaflet," explained WHR operations manager, Martyn Owen.
 
"We were surprised when feelings started running so high among our members."
 
Built in 1906 for the as yet uncompleted Porthmadog Beddgelert & South Snowdon Railway, Russell was named after James Cholmeley Russell who in 1878 was appointed as receiver when financial problems beset the company.
 
When the WHR ceased operations in 1937, Russell was put to use at pits on the Fayles Tramway in Dorset before being snapped up by rail enthusiasts and restored to steam.
 
Having worked back on the WHR for a time, Russell was retired in 2003.
 
Now volunteers are keen to get it back on the tracks, but need to carry out major work on its boiler and motions.
 
But when a fund raising leaflet was produced to help raise money for the work and referred to Russell as a "he", some volunteers were a little put out.
 
For volunteer Mark Seale, the affair "is no laughing matter. All steam engines are "she", whether they are called Flying Scotsman, Princess Elizabeth, or King George V! Steam engines have been feminine ever since they were invented."
 
However, other volunteers are seeing things from the other side, "For goodness sake, this thing is called Russell," said James Hewett.
 
"The engine was named after a man, and it is just silly to call him "she!"
 
"Calling Russell "she" is as daft as the man who called his son Sue in the country music song," he added.
 
"When did you ever hear of a Jill Russell terrier?"
 
David Prudames.

  This is not the current Welsh Highland Railway running from Caernarfon to Porthmadog. It is the short section from Network Rail's standard gauge Porthmadog station that runs from that point to Pen-y-Mount and Traeth Mawr loop. It is now known as the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway and is separate from the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway.