FR & WHR & WHHR News

WHR services to recommence Caernavon - Beddgelert from 18 Aug. :




Detailed Service Information

Limited Service

Our reopening service will operate on the Welsh Highland Railway - from Caernarfon to Beddgelert.

There will be no other train services between Beddgelert and Porthmadog at present.

This new service will run daily, with one trip per day.
Trains will depart from Caernarfon Station at 11:00, arriving at Beddgelert Station at approx. 12:45.

Visitors will have a 1hr 30mins visit at Beddgelert before returning on the 14:15 train which will arrive back at Caernarfon Station at approx. 16:00.

The total journey time will be approximately 5 hours, including the 1hr 30mins layover at Beddgelert.

All journeys start and finish at Caernarfon. Tickets must be booked in advance. Passengers cannot join (or alight from) trains at any other station, halt or request stop.

Please arrive at Caernarfon Station, 30 minutes before your departure time. This will allow enough time for you to purchase refreshments, pick up your Hampers and select your seats.

Online Booking Only

Another key feature of our Welsh Highland Railway reopening is that tickets will only be available via online booking and cannot be purchased at our Booking Office.

Online ticket sales will go live on our website from 13th August.

We will initially release tickets for trains running between 18th August and 19th September. During the initial days of the new service we will review demand and look to extend advance bookings through to a later date.

We will be using segregated seating arrangements on our carriages to help maintain social distancing. Each carriage will have a certain amount of seating bays, half of which will be available for passengers to sit in. Once passengers have selected their seating bay they must remain in these seats for the entire return journey.

Ticket prices start from £40 per adult, with a minimum booking of two adults. Tickets for each additional adult will cost £40, while the fare for each child will be £2. NOTE: there is a maximum of 6 people per seating bay.

If you are a solo traveller, you must still pay the £80 fare for the seating bay.
During the booking process you will also be able to purchase a selection of Food and Drink Hampers which will be added to your order and will be available for pick up at Caernarfon Station on the morning of your visit.

Further information on this service will be made soon.

Tickets will be sent via email and must be presented to the Station Host or Train Guard for inspection prior to boarding the train. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can print the tickets at home and bring them with you to the station.

The tickets will display your details and the number of travellers. They will not include any details of seat numbers or carriage compartments, which you will be free to choose upon arrival.

Safety Measures at the Stations

The safety of our visitors, staff and volunteers has been our principal concern during the planning process for reopening our services. We have introduced measures and procedures throughout the railway to maintain the safety of all.

Upon arrival at Caernarfon Station, routes into, through and out of the station will be clearly signed. It is important that all visitors adhere to these routes, while also maintaining social distancing.

Café De Winton at Caernarfon Station will be open to passengers and the general public, offering food and drinks which can be taken on board for the journey.

NOTE: there will be no catering service on these trains.

There will be one route to the trains - through the Main Station Entrance.
Caernarfon Station Shop will be open and accessible via the Main Station Entrance.

Visitors are asked to use ‘contactless’ card payments whenever possible, to limit the use of cash being circulated and handled by staff in our facilities.

We are also requiring visitors to wear face coverings during their visit. Complimentary masks will be available at Caernarfon Station if you do not have your own.

Hand sanitiser stations will be provided in the station. We advise passengers to use these prior to boarding the trains to reduce potential contamination.

Social Distancing signs will be in place to manage queues for the toilet facilities at both Caernarfon and Beddgelert stations.

Safety Measures on board the trains

Our carriages will be deep-cleaned using ‘Zoono’, a long-lasting disinfectant surface sanitiser which offers up to 30 days of protection.

All carriages will be thoroughly cleaned at the end of each day, ensuring they are safe and ready for you to enjoy upon arrival.

Visitors will be able to choose their seats when boarding the train. Passengers must use their chosen seats for the duration of the return journey.

We are requiring visitors to wear face coverings during their time on board the train. Complimentary masks will be available at Caernarfon Station if you do not have your own.

Loyalty Cards and Gift Vouchers

Due to the financial difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, we are regrettably unable to offer loyalty card discounts on our train services at this moment in time.

All holders of ‘Y Cerdyn’ will receive a 6-month extension to their scheme as a result of this decision.

Please note both ‘Y Cerdyn’ and the ‘Eat and Drink’ card can still be used for discounts in our catering outlets.

Gift card holders will be unable to apply their discount when booking online. However, they can activate their gift card by calling our Booking Office on 01766 516024

Society members (WHRS and FRS) can reserve tickets by calling our Booking Office.

ATOC card holders can purchase discounted tickets by calling our Booking Office.

 

Merddin and DLG would normally be in service practically every day from Easter until October unless something goes wrong. So typically Boston Lodge would be busy with other things during the summer anyway. Then maintain the Double Engines over the winter. This winter they won't need to do that as both locos had winter maintenance completed and then went into store. What you can do with that time depends on the resources available of course.

Palmerston was in steam in Thursday and has its annual steam test on Monday. I believe the plan is to do some three England days once it is run in. Then Prince will be in the works for some attention.

87 has also been up to Beddgelert today, and 130 is maybe a month or so away from away from needing a box of matches.

Tim

 

Presumably the fact that the trains are also running at a much more sedate pace than normal will help reduce the amount of bottom end work that might be required on those that are running.

One thing I have no idea about and which will affect how much work is can be done is whether all or the majority of workshop staff are working as normal or whether many are still furloughed to save money due to the decrease . I watched the GM of the TR on facebook do one of his walkabouts and he referred to some TR staff still being furloughed. With less trains running and less income it probably is the wise thing to concentrate on looking after the pennies.

 

Does anyone know if Welsh Pony will be out on Monday and or Tuesday (Aug 17/18)? Thanks

 

At present it should be in the 1210 / 1525 slot on Monday. However, anything can happen been now and then. One thing i can normally guarantee is that you won't find it on the 1105 / 1420 diagram!

 

Last couple from my trip last week, looking forward to coming back soon.


Hunslet Lida eases the 1215 departure out of a sunny Portmadog by Phoenix Images, on Flickr


It's in the trees, it's coming! by Phoenix Images, on Flickr


All green on the cob by Phoenix Images, on Flickr

 

'Palmerston' appears to be back in traffic, having headed to Rhiw Goch with a rake of skip wagons this morning and double heading the delayed 1420 with Prince this afternoon. Great to see.

 

I have to admit Palmerston is my favourite of the three Englands running. Possibly just because it seems not to get the level of publicity the other two get. I caught it running on the webcams but there seemed to be some substantial late running today which seemed surprising as I thought there was plenty of room in the timetable to catch up a bit of time.

 

Agreed re Palmerston, and again - not sure why. Looking forward to WP in green though.

The second train today seemed to struggle between Minffordd and Tan-y-Bwlch, unsure why. The third train almost an hour late leaving Port as a result, but recovered a bit through the day.

 

WIBN if 'Princess' was restored for when the replica No 3 is finished? To see 1,2,3,4,&5 lined up in steam at Porthmadog would be a sight to behold.
(Edit: IIRC, the only other railways which can provide original motive power are all narrow gauge; Talyllyn, Welshpool, RH&DR, and the Isle of Man- thought the IOM cannot roster all its original fleet due to withdrawals/sectioning/scrapping...)
I know people say 'Princess' is in it's 'last run' condition, and is a museum piece, but Welsh Pony was too. With a sympathetic restoration, like Nos 4 & 5, to working order, the 'surviving' remnants of WP could be reassembled to fulfil a non-operational museum 'display' purpose like 'Livingston Thompson'. If 'Princess was restored to the style of the 1887 rebuild, it would enable the FfR to show the development of the England engines from 'original design' (No3...) through to the 'modernised/superheated' version of the presevation years (Prince). The 'final' development if it was needed, could be a replica No 6, but with the improvements of superheating etc to give a comparison between two 'Large Englands'.

 

I like Princess as it is. Last loco to run before closure as it was.

It is always funny when Prince stands next to Princess as to how much bigger Prince is.

I think if I wanted an England backdated to a particular form, then I'd argue for a new build Little Giant.

Tbh, my dream new build would be Moel Tryfan. After all, we have some wheels so that is a good start.

I'd love to see the alco and earl back.

 

So... posts #2029/2030 have just answered a question I posed in post #1978 .... wondered how long it'd take y'all!

 

30854, I only commented on the FfR, but as you said, 'Moel Tryfan' would be a nice addition for a 'rebuild'.
'Gowrie' is in the planning/early parts stage, although the alleged steaming problems are being addressed I think.
'Beddgelert' IMHO with its long fixed wheelbase may be too 'solid' for the track curvature. Where there any recorded instances of it running the whole length of the line on regular services, or was it confined to the Brngwyn branch only?

 

It had been pouring with rain in the morning, and Prince slipped to a stand in the woods. Linda went back light engine from Tan-y-Bwlch to collect it. We were on Linda's train. The staff at Tan-y-Bwlch handled both the situation and us with great professionalism.

 

Yes it was very greasy on the first up trip and we were dropping sand all the way from Boston Lodge. Prince followed us up and it did ok until just before Plas Halt where it slipped to a stand. As it was unable to restart, Linda had to be dispatched to rescue.

Yesterday two trains were cancelled in the storm. Our second up trip encountered two fallen branches. Several trees had come down above T-y-b station taking the power out with them. Then there were further signal failures at Minffordd and Port on the way down. Very testing conditions for everyone.

Merddin will be working trains on Friday just to check all is well and to keep the bearings etc in good order. The same will happen with DLG in September.

Palmerston has been running in this week but not quite ready for trains yet.

Welsh Pony will be in the works in September to carry out a few modifications in light of experience. Then out again for naming at a limited vintage weekend.

Tim

 

Exceptionally heavy rain in Snowdonia overnight with flooding in Beddgelert, any damage to the FR & WHR?

 

The WHR terminated at Rhyd ddu today due to a ballast wash out above Beddgelert. FR has been running as normal.

Tim

 

What surprised me yesterday was that bad weather had been heavily advertised yet Linda went out without the removable cab fitted. I am not sure who makes the call but if there was not a problem with it I think I would have been having a major stop part way through the day if I had been rostered on it yesterday.

One thing I have noticed with Welsh Pony is that it seems to be missing a cover off the water filler on its tank or is it just a different fitting to the other two England locos.

 

It's up to the crew if they want the back cab or not. There are positives and negatives to it. It is quite heavy, makes lots of noise, and makes the cab feel very cramped. Some people will put it on at the first sign of cloud. Personally though I think it makes for a great show for the passengers with it off. We're in the entertainment business after all.

I was rostered on it yesterday and we decided to go without. The cab is very open at the side. With 60mph crosswinds you're getting wet whatever you do. I think that trying to manhandle it on in that wind would have been very dangerous too. A coat was enough to keep the worst off.

Welsh Pony doesn't have a tank lid yet. I think the one on Palmerston was actually made from a saucepan. So perhaps they are waiting for wilko to suppy something suitable.

Tim

 

Wasn’t the Garraway/Drummond (?) line something like a ‘stout mackintosh is cheaper and better for the driver’.