FR & WHR & WHHR News

Cheers Julian. Previous visits, pre-reopening, were by bus, or as part of coach trips from Barmouth. S'pose there's some sense in it, though a decent station building would hardly damage the image of the WHR (wouldn't have damaged the image of the old company either, come to that!) for those rail passengers who want to explore the village and it's environs. I'm guessing also that existing businesses in Beddgelert would oppose anything resembling catering facilities at the station.

Howard

 

AFAIK there are complete foundations already built at Beddgelert for a substantial station building...

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

Does anyone know roughly what time The Snowdonian will arrive in Caernarvon? I'd like to see Lyd and Lyn whilst I'm in the area, especially as despite quite a few visits I've managed to avoid Lyd!

 

Why break that lucky streak?

It's in Caernarfon at 15:25 and out again 15:55.

Tim

 

Level crossing accident on FR 6/1/19
https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...-at-penrhyn-ffestiniog-railway-6-january-2019

 

An important principle highlighted for all railways there I feel - "The reason why a rule exists is not always obvious and may have been forgotten [...] but the importance of complying with it does not diminish"

 

Interesting. A couple of thoughts occur:

Given the comment about previous incidents, reportedly due to icing on the rails, is there any likelihood of interlocked trap points (of the type installed at Cei Pawb) being required above the crossing?

Could this incident have any potential impact on demonstration gravity slate trains?

 

I would have thought they are only likely to run on days the crossing is manned, surely?

 

Gravity trains do not usually run when the crossing is unmanned. If they did they would have to follow the local instructions like every other un-fitted train.

Tim

 

Trap points above Penrhyn crossing would invariably be on a tall narrow embankment, at least on one side - the consequences of derailing a train there don't bear thinking about! As for gravity trains, they only run when Penrhyn crossing is manned, so the chances of one meeting a closed gate are slim.

John

 

That's precisely why I specifically mentioned the type used at Cei Pawb, rather than the single sided type (as found at TyB)

 

If you read the article carefully you'll see that incident was caused by the driver not obeying the rules. Had he obeyed the rules then it is unlikely that the train would have encountered greasy rails, or if it had, would have stopped short.

Gravity trains have been run with the crossing unmanned and the head brakes man has obeyed the rules - the train stopped successfully at the first board and then rolled round to the second.

 

I would refer the honourable member back to my comment about the comment about previous incidents (as mentioned in the report). I'm merely playing Devil's Advocate, though it's perhaps worth noting that the LC at Penrhyn has seen it's share of issues, both before and since the preservation era.

Best record that I see no evidence to suggest gravity operation is ever carried out with anything other than the utmost diligence and, I for one, hope that successful operations continue far into the future. Roll on the first 100 waggon run since the 1930's!

Ever watched any recording of the earliest preservation era gravity trains, then compared them to those run today to see just how polished the whole operation has become over the years, as the know-how has been rebuilt (albeit without the brakesmen's waggon-to-waggon acrobatics of pre-war days)? .... It's a bit like comparing the All-Blacks' first stuttering Haka, a few decades ago, with the full-blooded war dance any present day rugby squad faces ... and (thankfully) a million miles from a certain notorious early days 'deviationist' run.

 

From the WHHR Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/WHHRly/posts/2693421234033705

 

Just out of interest has anything ever worked the full route - Caernarfon to Blaenau or vice versa? Or does there have to be a loco change at Port/BL?

 

I'm guessing you mean in one day. Britomart and Moelwyn have done this and I think Vale of Festiniog did it all in one go. Linda and Blanche also covered the whole railway in a day at Hunslet 125.

Tim

 

Yeah, I was thinking of in a single continuous trip. Start at one end and run to the other without coming off at Port/BL.

LOL at doing it in Britomart.

 

I don't think it's ever been done, as even on the Snowdonian there's at least 1 loco change, but it's theoretically possible with a combination of motive power (eg. two Fairlies) that both fits the smaller FR loading gauge and can haul the train up the steeper WHR gradients.

 

How would a double Fairlie do for coal capacity over that length?

Tom