Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway

Running with firebox open today, incidentally Bob Mortimer been riding the line.

 

How's the U doing on Golfa, now drivers have had some time to familiarise themselves with it's habits?

 

Still a struggle, loco not in the shape expected on late arrival, boiler inspector demanded full lift due to concerns, now drafting problems. Ziller have no use for it underpowered for them, hence available for hire.

 

Golfa is an invariably an "interesting" challenge for any visiting loco ..... proving just how good BP's classic design for the W&L actually is! Would any attempt at rectification be a realistic possibility within the hire period? It has to be said, the loco looks particularly at home, paired with not just the ex-ZB stock.

Roll on No.10's return, Eh?

 

The U is very much in a strange land. The WLLR is very unlike the Zillertalbahn and will present a very different trial. Yesterday the sanders gave trouble but today did not present weather issues and the crew members appeared to be coming to terms with the machine. It is noisy and the Welshpool engines have been fitted with much improved exhaust systems for good reason. The feeling appears to be that the engine will need some work (tweaking) if it is to become a regular member of the fleet. So fans of noisy locos would probably be best advised to visit sooner rather than later. Travelling behind Zillertal and Countess today the former sounds so very wrong but it is well worthwhile going to see it. It was pointed out that the existing chimney is a bolt on fitment. We will have to see what comes about but there is no point in a long term hire if the engine is found to be unsuitable. But the railway is well used to exhaust system modifications.
It will be interesting next spring when, all being well, 699 should return and comparisons can be made.

The Beyer Peacock originals are simply ideally suited to the needs of the line and they continue to be the best machines for the line in spite of newer, larger challengers.

 

Really enjoyable visit yesterday.

 

Hopefully, it will not be another Resitsa saga

 

It has been rather rushed into service and the various pictures and videos show her handling a respectable load. All the fleet has had substantial "tweaking", over many years, particularly in relation to improving steaming ability whilst avoiding, at the same tme, excessive fire throwing. As received, Sierra Leone "85" steamed splendidly but threw fire notably. Fitting a spark arrestor inhibited sparks but also steam generation. Hence the addition of Lempor draughting to all the front line fleet.

I can only admire those who have mastered the arts of firing and driving over this exceedingly difficult line. Rather too many people don't realise quite how difficult.

 

I do not believe this to be likely. As paulhitch points out the engine handled a respectable load and though it became ready just in time (quite an achievement on the part of those involved) you might also agree that it could be viewed as rather rushed. The WLLR crews work on a challenging line and are well used to the advantages that superior exhaust systems offer. Some also remember the days before these were fitted and the struggles of the times. Collectively they will try to get the best out of the engine as it currently is but it hasn't taken them long to identify that it needs work in certain areas.

If Mr. Day pays a return visit for another chapter in improving the fleet the end result could see the U lose the under powered status it labours under back at home. It may desperately deserve some steam circuit tweaks but mechanically the design is no Resita. Go and experience it whilst it is here.

 

+1. A wee bit more challenging than yer average 'Driver Experience' ,,,, even on the undulating (if rather gentler) Bure Valley route.

AFAIK there was only one other (passenger) line in these islands with gradients as severe as Golfa, albeit having rather more of 'em! and that was the Tralee &Dingle, where long stretches at 1:29 (officially!) existed either side of it's two summits. With several accidents, including a fatal one at Camp in 1893 (due to the loco running away derailing on excessively sharp curves, subsequently eased), the T&D couldn't match the W&L's safety record.

Re: the Resita, although understanding why the W&L had enough of the loco's bad habits, one history of the line mentions loose cranks on the BPs .... sort of suggesting that recouping the costs of repairing same might go some way to explaining how the line survived long enough to be preserved.

 

Some pics of Zillertal in action yesterday:

Sylfaen


Arriving at Llanfair


Last train of the day pulls into Castle Caereinion.

 

It's a Kobel chimney, very common on Austrian built narrow gauge locos.

 

I think everyone needs to remember the loco was in pieces this time last week and was thrown into service on the busiest weekend of the year, hauling a longer than average (normal day) length train and managed to keep time by and large. Not many locos work straight out of the box on the W&L so a lot of credit needs to go to the crews and the standard of the overhaul.

 

My Photo gallery from Sunday... http://preservedrailway.weebly.com/welshpool-…

It really was an enjoyable event, a credit to the workshop team for turning out Zillertal at the last minute and the whole event a credit to the whole railway. The amount of attractions (traction engines, workshop tours, trade stands, model railways, live music, pump trolley, etc; all advertised in a very nicely produced booklet) held at either end of the line really are some of the best offerings at any gala and other railways should see as a benchmark for events.

 

Can someone please find a gradient profile for the W&L and add it to the gradient profiles thread https://www.national-preservation.c...es-of-heritage-railways-list-in-post-1.95457/

 

Done.

 

Those who really know will doubtless correct me but I think these are the official, rather optimistic. figures and the actual gradients, notably the climb up to Castle Caereinion, are considerably steeper.

 

I've taken the distances for Raven Square to Golfa and Cyfronnyd to Castle Caereinion from the Engineers Line References and the station heights from my OS mapping software. From those I've calculated the average gradient for the two sections. At face value both look reasonable at the same scale.

Put another way, if any of the gradients are significantly steeper than shown, some others must be significantly flatter than shown to achieve the same overall result. Any I haven't noticed many flat section between those stations!