FR & WHR & WHHR News

The WHHR's replica Pickering brake carriage, recreated at Blodge, was delivered by FR No.5 over the weekend and it looks absolutely stunning. Congratulations to all involved in this superb project.

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"A massive thank you to our friends at Boston Lodge". Porthmadog seems one place where a hatchet has been very well buried. If only the same could happen everywhere.

 

I think for most of the volunteers on either side we have always been friends, and always helped each other out wherever we can.

Moving on to another subject. Fans of ugly long funnelled things will be pleased to know Lyd was in steam and out on test yesterday. Still plenty of running in and paintwork to touch up before it is in service though.

Tim

 

Ooh, get you ..... the spirit of Jack Howey lives on!!

 

Were any of the mods that were mentioned a while back carried out?
Pat

 

There is a new ashpan which should make life considerably easier. Getting ash out the old one seemed to be something of an afterthought.

Not sure about anything else. I suspect the superheaters will have been altered. The old ones suffered from fractures and had to be cut in half to keep it going a few years ago.

Tim

 

Thanks.
Pat

 

Parking brake now added, injector water valve handles raised to make operation easier. Shelving with the cab cut back a bit to allow for a slight mode to the bunkers with coal being channelled out rather than just coming straight out on to the cab floor. Superheaters back to full length.

Was out yesterday on running in (as was Merddin) - needs a bit of fettling now and then some more running in. First run is pencilled in for the 7th June at the minute.

 

Well, I am in North Wales with the family this week.

Domestic Facilities Management booked us a place in South Snowdon Wharf - the new (70's I suspect) development atthe end of Porthmadog Harbour station.

Last night we were enjoying a view across the estuary to the mountains & the comings & goings on the Cob.

Today we booked the morning Glaslyn Venturer, the first WHR train to leave Porthmadog since lockdown started.

Organisation was fine, we checked in & were able to choose our own seating bay. One very positive thing was just before we left Porthmadog they were searching for a party who had booked but not checked in - turned out they were late but they did get aboard.

It was a glorious day as we travelled across the marshes, scaring the sheep before the climb to Bedgellert began. Unsurprisingly perhaps there was some slipping ion the tunnels of the Aberglaslyn pass.

My wife and her friend were impressed by it all.

The staff were very welcoming, it seems that reopening has been quite emotional for them. At Bedgellert two very small boys were being shown round the footplate, the driver said that if they were tall enough he would let them blow the whistle but sadly they were not. The Fireman however solved the problem by removing her belt which then acted as an impromptu pull cord.

I later saw one of the boys and his father being sheperded down the platform at Pont Croesor by the guard, I suspect something to do with something you should not do when the train is in the station, again a good example of customer care.

Well, after that lunch at the Ship Inn followed by a trip to the Maritime Museum.

 

I am not sure if this goes here or in the miniature railway section. Does anyone else remember the 7 1/4 inch that was at Tan Y Bwlch in the mid 1980s? I think it was there for the 150 and lasted for a while. I seem to recall that there was a Garrett and a Rio Grande - similar to the ones at Dobwalls but not one of the Dobwalls ones.

I think for the Hunslet gala in the 1990s the track had moved to Minffordd yard

I am imagining it because I can't find any images or accounts of it.

 

I think the locos belonged to Brian Hollingsworth who lived in the area and perhaps the track did as well. He had a private 7.25" railway (the Croesor Junction and Pacific?). I am sure I have seen a picture of the Tan Y Bwlch railway somewhere

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The Tanybwlch railway was Brian Hollingsworth's, as were the Garratt (based at the Echills Wood Railway when my profile pic was taken, and now at Rugby), K36, Darjeeling, and Crocodile locos that all took their turns. The miniature railway in Minffordd Yard was a totally separate construction, and was there from 1991ish to its last use in 2005. It was lifted and is now at the Foxfield Railway.

John (involved with the MYMR from the start to the end)

 

The line was 400 yards long and laid to 7 1/4'' gauge in the car park at Tan-y-Bwlch as part of the 150th Anniversary of the opening of the Ffestiniog in 1986. All the equipment came from Brian Hollingsworth.

Motive power was impressive to say the least: a model of an East African 2-8-4+4-8-2 Garratt and a Rio Grande 2-8-2!

The line also ran in 1987 with the addition of a Darjeeling tank and in 1989 which was to be the last year with a 4-6-2 designed by HSC Bullock. For good measure in 1988 a battery electric Swiss Krokodil was also added!

The line was described in Miniature Railway number 44 and this can be obtained as a digital edition for only £1.29. It looks like there are brief glimpses on DVD's by the same firm but I have not seen these ( yet... )

( The next article in the above magazine is about a miniature railway at Hampton Loade. )

https://miniature-railway.com/product/miniature-railway-44-latest-digital-edition/

 

Thanks. I am glad that I wasn't imagining it.

Hunting around I've found a few images of it.





The Garrett is certainly impressive.

 

You need a big back garden to fit one in!

 

Maybe @ilvaporista might have room.

Although even the Garrett is small compared to this



Does anyone know what became of the DRGW loco?

 

Lovely warm sunshine in Wales today, well loaded trains and lots of smiling passengers.

The Ffestiniog Railway on the 30th May 2021 featuring 'Welsh Pony', 'Merddin Emrys' and 'Prince'.

Video Available Here

 

Ha! I'd love to see that on our mountain railway here in Italy. We may have problems with the curves but lengthwise it would definately not fit on the turntable. The big Sandy River loco has to have the tender drawbar pin removed to shorten the length and the there is only 5mm at each end for positioning. The retaining wall has been gouged out to miss the couplings.
The Garratt would be nice but a Crocodile is on the list. But first the extension needs to be built. That will take us to a 4km run.

 

Well, today we went ion the first trip of the day to Tan-Y-Bwlch.

The Garett that had taken us on the WHR on Sunday was indisposed resulting in lucky WHR passengers having a Double Double Fairlie hauled train up the WHR while the Ffestiniog services were in the hands of Linda, Palmerston, Prince & Welsh Pony. Quite a line up!

We were hauled by Prince, I think my first run behind an 'England' and in Vintage stock.

Unlike the WHT vehicles the plywood partitions inserted between seating bays were not as attractive or substantial but my wife & family were impressed by the overall experience, in terms of organisation, rolling stock and scenery. Now who lines those rubber ducks up on the edge of an iron water tank next to the line?

Another first was at Tan-Y-Bwlch where we were lucky enough to see a lizard scurry away from our table - the only time I have seen a wild Lizard in the UK.

We fed the kids at Spooners, the food and staff were fine but we had quite a wait, not the only place we had to wait for food today, I suspect that understandably many establishments didnt really know what to expect in terms of demand and of course for many good reasons might have been cautious about laying out for stock and staff.

 

I understand that there are significant shortages of hospitality staff at the moment, which has affected Spooners.