Welsh Highland: First Caernarfon - Porthmadog passenger train

An historic day for the WHR and the preservation movement (plonkers not withstanding). Congratulations to all those who made it possible :clap2::clap2::clap2:

 

Yes - that guy looks to be simply an over excited and selfish individual who would have got more than a mouthful off me the way he ran and spun round to block the video shot solely to get a close up of the Garratt water tank for himself. I would not in any way term him as "someone who knows what he is doing" He clearly doesn't. Those who really do know what they are doing apply real railwayman thinking to their positioning etc so that they get good shots - in safety.

Hopefully this is an "opening" incident where he was lucky not to become a Huskisson, but judging by the full anorak and rucksack uniform I think he was more miffed about being told to behave himself than prepared to learn from his boorish stupidity.

 

The best train of the weekend was the Platelayers' Special on Sunday. Lyd and Taliesin with nine on up through Beddgelert Forest was simply magic. And lots of beer helped too...

 

It is a great acheivement to complete the line but it's also better that it was completed in October and not August! I wonder how long it is going to be before the Porthmadog bypass will be completed? Running trains across the Britannia Bridge before then could make this event look like a tea-party!

Regards

 

As someone on said train it was superb. The restart on the 1 in 40 was something else. Lyd was doing the majority of the work. Many thanks must go to all those involved in organising and running it on the sunday. Was also glad to see Upnor Castle was very fittingly station pilot for Platelayers' Special as well. Reversing back into Habour at the end with a shrill whistle of Lyd, Tals and finally Upnors shunting horn was icing on the cake.

I didn't see the gold sponsor train but saw the second arrive in Porthmadog. Regarding the near darwin award sadly there will always a few who will take stupid risks and it isn't limited to rail preservation. Thankfully it didn't detract from the day's events.

Very much looking forward to being back up there as and when time allows.

Regards
Duncan

PS Andrew please can Upnor have its flag reinstated? Doesn't look quite the same without it.

 

Absolutely. A marvellous achievement. Well done to all involved.

Steve

 

Its not a huge issue, besides the bypass should be finished before Harbour station can accomadate both FR & WHR trains during the day.

Chris

 

I still wonder whether it would be better to invest in a 'Portmadoc New' which could be accessed off the bypass so easily. Harbour Station is historic but can already become so crowded as to reduce maximum retail possibilities.

 

I have to admit looking at the site and facilities of Harbour station I do not envy the task of whoever is having to redesign and sort the logistics out for both the WHR and FR trains terminating at Harbour during peak operations. It appears already a squeeze now at times and presumably apart from the operational side they will be presumably have to think about mundane matters like toilets, through put of visitors expanding the shop area and cafe to extract more cash from the passengers, booking office windows and queues, parking for coaches.

It sometimes appears that this side of the restoration movement is more difficult than rebuilding the line in the first place as it is not as “sexy” or appealing as rebuilding a line or seeing a loco returned to traffic. You also have the problem that some who on seeing the track in place rebuilt think that basically that is the railway completed when it is far from the case.
Hopefully the generous FR trustee will dig deep again and give the final phase a good kick start so that we can all see and travel on WHR trains regularly terminating in Port in the not too distant future

 

The incident of the seemingly suicidal gricer at Porthmadog reminds me that when, many years ago, "Sarah Siddons" first ventured onto the third rail system, railway managers were concerned that photographers were likely to get mown down or electrocuted in their attempt to get the first picture for publication. Their solution was to keep the journey date and times a closely guarded secret but to put one trusted photographer in the know. Of course this was not possible for the WHR train but at least the period of greatest potential danger is now over.

What is not likely to end is sheer human stupidity from the non-enthusiast public. One video on You Tube seems to show a car which has ignored the flashing lights. Cyclists are also notorious for their unwillingness to halt at lights or deviate in the slightest from their preferred route. One can forsee claims for damaged cycle wheels from riders who refuse to follow the pathways indicated.

Perhaps the railway has installed CCTV cameras as self protection against road users who flout the rules. If not they should give this serious consideration.

Paul H

 

In future, so long as they are maintained correctly, the presence of the prescribed 'no cycling' signs and the signed & marked cycle diversion should be sufficient to reject claims of that kind; together with the Level Crossing Orders, TWA Orders and the HMRI's approval of the detailed design.

 

I take your point entirely but CCTV evidence would refute absolutely any such claims. It would also be useful in the event of any opportunistic journalist or politician seeking to make trouble.

 

But unnecessary if the damage can only occur in a place where cycling is banned by legally enforceable Orders and signs. The cost of a good cctv system (a bad one is not worth having) would be better spent on other badly needed improvements to Harbour Station. I expect the people of Porthmadog will soon get used to the crossing and, as in other places where tramways operate, idiots (whether cyclists, pedestrians or drivers) who ignore the signs and lights will receive little sympathy and only occasional press hysteria.

 

Sorry to labour the point but there are plenty of things not required legally, where money could be "better spent elsewhere" and, indeed, got away with but which are extremely sensible to have. House insurance comes to mind.

In this case guarding ones back against the ill disposed would seem desirable.

 

Paul, a much more wise approach would be to actually wait and see if its needed before installing it. Apart from the occasional idiot who traincrew might well be able to identify anyway, it probably wont - after all, its never going to be the most intensively used LC in the world...

Chris

 

I agree with Chris, and will labour this point no further.

 

For those thinking that Harbour can't accomodate both FR and WHR trains without modification, it is perhaps worth pointing out that on Saturday there were three FR departures, three FR arrivals, two WHR arrivals and two WHR departures...

 

Apart from that was on the lowest frequency FR timetable, which as you know is only run in late autumn, winter, early spring. And it still managed to delay an FR train!

 

Due to an imbecile with a skip truck.

 

I hope that that idiot gets prosecuted and receives a decent sentence.