The Vale of Rheidol Railway - News

Excellent newsletter - thanks for posting

Steve B

 

The first class carriage has come out really well, a true credit to the builders.

 

You can say that again! It looks much more like a purpose-designed observation car now; previously, it looked like an ordinary brake coach with end windows added as an afterthought...which is, of course, exactly what it was!

 

I noticed NGG13 Garratt No.82 was mentioned in the newsletter - I don't think it featured in the official museum list previously.
CG

 

If I read it right, they've got two. 1 in harness and assuming t'other is for display

 

No60 is privately owned so not strictly a VoR loco

 

But is the one working, no? The VoR management seem to be playing a canny game, with year on year of incremental improvements (actually, not so incremental in the last decade!). What I find myself wondering is what the plan is once all the stock inherited from the GW/BR has been through the shops for it's tlc and still more capacity is required?

 

Yes 60 is the working one.
I would imagine that the upgrading project is simply to "be the best" as it were, and give their passengers a journey/experience to remember.

 

Well unless the Aberaeron extension is back on the cards after 89 years in abeyance !

I've so often heard the VoR described as 'a sleeping giant' over the years. I can't imagine No.60 is there just to make up the numbers. Did you catch the wording in the newsletter about "current capacity" at stations? It's in the bit where they speak of the NGG13's 8 car capacity .... though you have to suspect on a line not as steep as the WHR/RhE (where the near identical NGG16s routinely take 10) there's scope for a bit more.

 

The capacity is limited by the loop at Devils Bridge. It would be difficult to make it longer without widening the cutting at one end or tunnelling under the road at the other.

The Garratt is really a bit oversized for day to day operations. No doubt it is useful as a back up and as an extra thing to market, especially with number 9 under overhaul.

Tim

 

You have to imagine residents of those properties adjacent to the rock cutting would have something to say about the use of the high explosives it would take to widen it sufficiently to extend platforms westwards!

Re: No.9/1213: Do I recall this one has already had it's "was that an overhaul, or was it a rebuild"? If so, the turnaround time ought to be measurable in months, rather than years. One stand out feature of Mr.Collett's 'Rheidol Tanks' has been their almost obscene levels of reliability. Hard to believe we've two years of centenary celebrations coming in 2023/4 .... they certainly don't look (or act) their age!

 

New buildings, decent observation cars, Garratts? All they need are some corridor carriages with panoramic windows and you have the Welsh Highland Railway!

 

Looking at the gradient profile, I'd say closer to half the Welsh Highland Railway. Given the height and general gradients encountered on Pumlumon Fawr relative to Yr Wyddfa, not completely out of the ball-park.

 

I hear this commonly said, but there is room for at least one and possibly two extra vehicle lengths at the road end, it just entails cutting across the access to the Two Hoots Cafe. I imagine the new car park makes that much less of a burdon.

 

Westwards…? Looks like Eastwards is the way forward, no…?

Simon

 

But you don't get to play with high explosives if you go east!

 

That image is out of date, the Headshunt has been extended as you described.

 

Watching some footage from the last few weeks, it appears No.60 is whisking it's eight carriage train along right on the speed limits .... and doesn't seem to be anything close to struggling to do so.

A second train seems to be made up of six carriages, plus brake van. I thought that latter (the last survivor of three on the line) was only used on trains where heating was needed. I know at least one carriage is in the works for rebuilding, but that ought to leave a couple available, presumably one with guard accommodation.

Are we seeing the fruits of success? Is the line getting dangerously close to needing more stock, for the first time in nearly nine decades? That'd be a nice problem for the lime's management!

 

From WHR experience, I don't think it was ever in doubt that NG60 would have any problem on the VoR with that loading.