FR & WHR & WHHR News

Another bit of the Deviation works completed:-

http://insidemotion.co.uk/2019/03/20/the-portal-is-finished/

Steve B

 

And, from the same place, what I was up to last week. I managed to avoid the camera, mostly by being behind the lens!

http://insidemotion.co.uk/2019/03/20/rhyd-ddu-signalling-work/

John

 

Just watched the latest 'Moving Pictures No.29'. Very enjoyable and informative, as always.

(**Note to all: Beware limited data allowances!**)
https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=Awr...gZ4_rqS0/RK=2/RS=Pmxwl6qqnSr7xnXff.c87u6vMAY-

The track at Gorsaf Carnarfon looks all but ready for the new season and there's a bit on MIC training. From Blodge, nice to see new No.8 coming together. Some interesting insights into the quirks of 'staying' double boilers .... nowt, I suspect, Percy Spooner himself wouldn't have instantly recognised. Work on No.5 continues steadily, though the amount of extra work being identified makes me wonder whether the vaguely bandied about early summer launch date is going to prove possible (I'll be delighted to be proved wrong on this!). Progress too on replica Ashbury bogie No.21 and do those seat backs ever bring back memories of trips in the 1970's - perhaps take a thin cushion along when you ride this one!

As for 'Ratty2' .... Trydydd dosbarth? Mae yna bosh i chi !

Enquiry: Does the annual MIC training ever involve the F&WHR inviting appropriate emergency services to participate in joint exercises?

 

It's certainly something that's been discussed at MIC weekends. Can't remember off the top of my head if it has happened though. The MIC training tends to be over 2 or 3 weekends so they don't become overcrowded. I guess the issue is you might be able to get the emergency services to commit to one weekend but not 3.

Tim

 

That's in the pipeline for a separate event and will be a bigger overall exercise rather than a traincrew related one (although they'll be involved). Takes a while to organise mind you

 

Many thanks @meeee & @pgbffest . One of my personal hobby-horses is ensuring our heritage lines are fully rooted in and useful to those communities fortunate enough to have one on their doorstep and thus, just that bit more secure. This particular question was something which jumped out of MP#29 ..... and seemed like an opportunity in need of taking and potentially make for yummy free advertising ..... sorry, that should of course read ..... make a great item for regional TV news and / or the local rag.

 

From memory the plan will actually involve Mountain Rescue as we can put a train in a non-accessible location and go from there. It'll take a while to organise mind you.

On a different note - Two days of shunting and the coaching sets are formed up for the summer, Merddin was out on test yesterday afternoon after bogie overhaul and the boiler man has been to visit for the "hot" exams on a few of them. Daily Running starts on Saturday

 

Yesterday I inadvertently triggered some discussion about Double Fairlies on which gave me more questions than answers, as such discussions always do.... All I wanted to know was how many coaches one could take up the WHR, and my thread promptly got hijacked!

Anyway, could someone here remind me which parts of The Earl are going into the new James Spooner? I've seen some conflicting, if entertaining, opinions on the subject which leave me none the wiser as to what's actually happening with JS!

 

Not official, but my understanding is...

The original intention was to cannibalise the earl for everything usable and use that on JS. However many people felt the earl represented a significant period of history on the FR and so should be preserved in a way that did not rule out a return to service at some point in the future. To this end JS is likely to be a complete new build in aspects.

 

Just the power bogies will go under the new engine. The FR society is funding new fittings so there is no need to use anything else.

The Earl will be kept intact on its old bogies.

Tim

 

The FR Co. posted yesterday on their website and social media that the Earl is now in the restoration queue (though presumably some way down). By the nature of their construction Fairlie bits can be swapped around quite a bit anyway.

 

That is quite monumental news! Please would you provide a link to where you saw this

 

https://www.festrail.co.uk/social.htm

 

I saw that post - I didn't really think it reflected any big change or news, did it? The status quo was already that she was going to be stored pending restoration; I thought the wording of that post just reflected that

 

Is there any update on the Waunfawr station rebuild?

 

There are some pics on the isengard site: http://www.isengard.co.uk/#new

Keith

 

The replica of Lyn is visiting the Welsh Highland Railway this weekend.

On Saturday it will be hauling the WHR leg of the Snowdonian train with Lyd. More info on https://www.festrail.co.uk/content/publish/specialevents/365.shtml

On Sunday it will be making two return trips from Porthmadog to Rhyd Ddu, departing at 09:40 and 15:00. Tickets are £25 for travel in carriages no. 14 and 120 or £40 for observation carriage no. 152. To book tickets contact the F&WHR ticket office on 01766 516024. Info from https://www.facebook.com/festrail/photos/a.10153236760155716/10161641933185716/?type=3&theater

 

.... and jolly fine it looks too .... although, (and I'm certainly not 'having a pop') I confess to being a wee bit curious as to why Waunfawr gets a (lovely) new station building before what's surely the main WHR honeypot, namely Beddgelert ..... or have I missed something?

 

Wasn’t waunfawr the station that was very carefully demolished to be rebuilt (everything numbered etc) and then a contractor mistook it for a pile of rubble and used it to build an embankment?

 

Hi Howard,

The reason as I understand it Beddgelert does not have full station facilities dates back to planning restrictions imposed by the Nation Park or the Council, so that Beddgelert does not become a point of joining the trains by car etc. If you have visited Beddgelert by car before the WHR was re-built, and in the summer, and tried to find somewhere to park, you can see the reasoning behind this.

Cheers,

Julian