FR & WHR & WHHR News

There's now a bit more of my footage from North Wales on my YouTube channel if anyone would like to have a look:



Hope you like it.

TTFN,

Ron.

 

The Ffestiniog Railway during their recent 'Bygones Weekend', an event which never fails to disappoint! Featuring 'Prince', 'Welsh Pony', 'Palmerston', 'Merddin Emrys', 'Upnor Castle' (replacing 'David Lloyd George') and the gravity train.

Video Available Here

 

Watching a clip of the WHR Superpower weekend earlier. Nice to see K1 back on it's former stamping ground and No.130 looked and sounded great, but noticed a regular noise coming from (I think the leading unit of) No.87. Is all well with the big black Garratt?

 

My video from the FR's gala, just shot on my phone. A great weekend - thanks to all involved!

 

No 87 was in use on Sunday and had a noticeable 'clank' as it came into Beddgelert - so clearly nothing serious. Suspect it is ready for some winter maintenance, which given the mileage these locos do will be well deserved!

Very enjoyable event on Sunday, helped by some beautiful weather.

 

It's an NGG16. If it doesn't clank it probably means something has fallen off.

Tim

 

I keep waiting to hear a Garratt characteristic mentioned by 'Dusty' Durrant ..... the two engine units wandering in and out of synch on long climbs. He reckoned a good time was when enjoying a Tusker at the top end of the Mau escarpment in the quiet of an African evening, though a Purple Moose at Pitt's Head on a sunny afternoon would do every bit as well!

I guess the F&WHR's examples are rather better loved than during their SAR working lives, let alone when compared with the 'Cape' and metre gauge leviathans of southern and eastern Africa and besides, their engine units are likely swapped about a lot less in Gwynedd, meaning both sets of coupled wheels probably turned around the same time.

 

One of the WHR Garratts is no. 140, which has never officially entered service but the boiler and one of the engine units found their way into an active WHR loco with another number. Don’t know about the other end.

 

Is there any prospect of 140 being restored to service?

 

On a double engine you have two separate but largely identical steam circuits. So if the units are synchronised the exhausts will be too. On a Garratt, one unit has a much longer exhaust route than the other and they both go into the same chimney. So even if the units are physically in sync, you don't always get a synchronised exhaust.

Tim

 

Sounds perfectly feasible. Perhaps an 'as well as', rather than exclusively an 'or'?

Chalk up factor number three. Fascinating beasties, these Garratts.

 

Exciting and much needed investment for Boston Lodge.

https://nlhfproject.festrail.co.uk/...rant-from-the-national-lottery-heritage-fund/

Tim

 

Splendid news. And if I win the Euromillions tonight, I'll add a bit more to it!

 

Fantastic news. Congratulations and thanks to those involved in the bid. Alongside the success of the UNESCO bid this is great news for the area and the line.

 

Some further footage from this week - some glorious weather (in patches!).

 

Good stuff. Nice to see the trains looking busy for this time of year. Good to see three of the bug boxes out as well. I can't think that they can have been out this late in the season or regular services since the 1960s.

 

Wasn't it just? The morning shots outside the old engine shed were made so much more special by dint of letting Princess out for a spot of fresh air.

Looking through various clips (and thanks to all who've shared), my favourite shots were of two trains crossing at T-y-G (yes ..... really, they did!) and rather less useful, from a revenue stanpoint, a Palmerston powered up goods crossing a gravity powered down slate at Minffordd.

Should Minffordd (which translates as 'roadside') be renamed Plas Lewin? No? OK.

 

I know I'm a little late to the party when it comes to photo/video from the Bygones Weekend a few weeks ago. However, it was the first time I've gotten the video camera out for a while and I've finally got the resulting video uploaded to my YouTube channel which has been pretty dormant of late.



I had a wonderful weekend and must say a big thank you to the Ffestiniog and all the Volunteers involved with putting on the event.

I do hope a return to a more normal Victorian Weekend can be made next year. I'm also looking forward to seeing the plans for next years services.

 

Anyone know if there a problem with the Facebook insider page? there are no posts on it for the last two days other than one pinned one, all the old ones have vanished?