WHR/FR news

Awesome! I wish I was able to get there....

Foxy

 

Shame its a week too early for me. I will be in North Wales the week after, bringing my son over for Kid's Training Week and having a break myself. Still I should be about on Sat 6th to see Chaloner use the cross town section.

 

What is happening with 143?

 

Whilst the green paint is out is there any news on Lyd getting some? Wasn't it planned for about now?

 

Looked OK in black at 1430 this afternoon...

 

I can't help but think that Linda doesn't look right in green (pics on the FR website). It's a stunning paint job but it'll take some getting used to.

 

For those of us who knew the railway in the 60's & 70's, she looks "just right". In fact she looks even better than she did in those days.....Fantastic job.

 

Green Ladies of Ffestiniog

It's been many years since the Ffestiniog Railway's two 'Penrhyn Ladies' ran in matching liveries. However, the Boston Lodge Paint Shop has been hard at work and 'Linda' and 'Blanche' now both wear a shiny new coat of traditional FR Green.

The following photos were taken this afternoon, following the final re-assembly of 'Linda' in readiness for the Ladies' public debut on tomorrow's 10:15 Porthmadog-Blaenau Ffestiniog...

 

That's stunning and great to see. Memories of FR 150 in 1986 with the 16 coach special double headed by them in the rain on the Saturday night. Nearly drowned at Tan y Bwlch waiting for them, and I think Dad's camera was never the same after that rain!

 

awwwhhhh, now the Ladies look like I think they should. Lovely paint job.

Hope the weather is good tomorrow......

 

I shall be staying in Tremadoc for the first week of August, looking forward to seeing these two!

Regards

 

This morning...

http://www.festrail.co.uk/content/publish/frnews/Colour-coordinated_ladies.shtml

 

For a while it has been planned to repaint Lyd at the same time as she is converted to coal firing. Repaint/conversion was initially delayed as, when the Lyd supporters were asked their views on the BR livery, the majority requested she stayed black for a little while longer so they had the opportunity to see her running in that livery. The longer spell on oil firing also gives more time to trial the Evans burner design and various modifications made to it. She should be going green sometime this year - but only if/when Boston Lodge can fit her in!

Penrhyn Ladies are looking rather nice in their matching liveries....


Charlie

 

On the subject of "Lyd" liveries, this crossed my desk a month or two ago.....

Mmmm.... had to find a different home for that piece!

Foxy

 

The new livery of 143 is absolutely lovely, as is that of 138. Pity about the No 87 'Purple People Eater' though

 

Disagree with this view, but never mind.

I thoroughly enjoyed my week on the FR/WHR and hope to be there again next year. I notice that the FR has introduced two new ground disc signals at Porthmadog and it led me to wondering if the FR is planning to re-introduce the bracket inner home signal that was taken down during the fifties to signal either through running onto the Glaslyn Bridge or into the station. Also, is the railway planning to introduce interlocking on its signalling at Portmadog and will there be an extension to full length of the present rather vestigal platform on the cob at Harbour Station as this will permit through running onto/off the WHR without the need to draw trains into/out of Harbour Station?

MTIA

Regards

 

Harbour Station is to be totally reworked with Cob widening starting this winter. The surveyors are out today putting in the survey control network for the work. There will be a full length WHR platform extending out onto the widened Cob roughly as far as the existing starter signal and passing loop allowing through trains from the WHR to run onto the FR even when there's a WHR train in the platform.

The FR platform will roughly approximate to its current layout, but shifted away from the station building to allow a much wider platform to be constructed between the two railways. There will be five roads (six currently), plus the WHR platform road and loop.

We have detailed plans and early signalling schematics for the revised layout, but too early to publish these.

 

Thank you for that. Just a slight point of terminology though, I take it that it's the footpath on the cob that is to be widened to accomodate the new platform rather than the cob itself, as this would be a major, really major, civil engineering job.

Thanks again,

Regards

 

No - the Cob itself is to be widened onto the seaward foreshore.

You can't widen the footpath, as this would then cover the railway or require a cantilevered structure overhanging the main road below...