FR/WHR questions

The phase 5 site says that is the initial objective, "with more carriages to follow as demand rises".

 

To be honest, I suppose the earlier comment (forget from whom) that the passenger numbers are up again this year despite the lack of any new attraction and the dismal holiday season suggests the PTB's are pretty much getting it right with the resources they have. Given the time needed to ramp up said resources I doubt we'll see any big change in the service until 2014 at the earliest. I can imagine all sorts of things I'd like them to do, but if I was running it it'd probably go broke!

 

Can someone 'in the know' advise me how the new layout at Porthmadog will work in terms of operation. Currently WHR trains pass through the station and stop on the Cob. A diesel then attaches to the rear and pulls the stock into the station. The Garrett has uncoupled and goes off towards Boston Lodge presumably for water and coal. The Garret returns LE and the diesel propels the stock back onto the Cob [or does it run round and pull - I did not stay long enough to see this?] the Garret attaches and off we go. I am aware there will be an island platform and assume WHR trains will then be able to stop in the station without reversal but there is no mention of a runaround loop in the news reports on the official website.If there is not I assume a station pilot will still be required which seems a nuisance in terms of maintaining a driver/crew at the station unless the train loco crew do the shunting?

 

The new Port layout will allow WHR and FR trains to arrive and depart independently of each other. There will be a run round loop for the WHR without the need to stray onto FR metals.

The GarrAtt from arriving trains normally stays coupled until the set has been drawn back into the platform by the diesel. The GarrAtt then uncouples and gets out of the way in the yard, or pops over to Boston Lodge for the purposes of a crew change. GarrAtts are not normally watered during a turnround at Port, and I am not aware of one ever being coaled at that point - no facilities.

 

Not sure if this will be the actual layout but a plan shown here. http://www.whrsoc.org.uk/WHRProject/2011/HarbourDevelopmentPlan.gif


Edit:

Not really trying to confuse anyone, Post got held up due to needing moderator approval.

I'll go back to sleep again.

Malc

 

The WHR train comes in and the diesel couples on to the rear of the train and drags the whole train into the station. The Garratt only goes over to Pen Cob to change crews depending on the timetable, there are no coaling or (decent) watering facilities at Boston Lodge. The WHR will have their own run-round loop at the new layout.

 

Outline final track layout.

View attachment 5444

 

Yep. Here.

 

Thanks for the information, in particular the track plan - all clear now.

 

The new king point has been lying in Minffordd Yard since the beginning of the year, but there isn't sufficient clearance to install it until the existing wave wall on the Cob is removed. This cannot happen until the new wave wall is constructed on the seaward side of the widened Cob, which has had to wait for the fill material to settle. A contract has now been awarded for this work to commence after the end of daily services this Autumn.

 

Drawings for Phases 2, 3 & 4 attached. Should look like Phase 2 by beginning of 2013. Note tracklaying of Phase 3 can proceed without disruption to services. View attachment 5448 View attachment 5449 View attachment 5450

 

Most informative, thanks Andrew. What's the timescale for Phases 3 & 4 please? Iain

 

Thanks for that Andrew - very informative.

Incidentally, I paid a visit a couple of days ago and had a couple of short journeys - Pont Croesor to Porthmadog, and Porthmadog to Minffordd and return. Very impressd with the slickness of the operations at Port, and much interested (and amused) in eavesdropping on the converstions of other passengers, who were very impressed with what they saw. The older ones particularly liked being able to open windows, and the younger ones were "amazed" at how long the trains were! That probably says all that needs to be said about the "DMU culture" of much of the big railway.

Steve B

 

Phase 3 Summer 2013 - we can start the tracklaying without disrupting services, Phase 4 starts after daily services end October 2013, whole thing finished for start of 2014 season (fingers crossed). Total cost £1.1 million.

 

I expected an island platform, but I'm surprised about its location! I thought it would be closer to Harbour Station, passengers could get very wet!

Regards

 

That's just the far end of the platform. We can't construct the bit at the station end before we lift all the existing track.

 

The FR platform will eventually be 240m long IIRC. It will be the longest narrow guage platform in the world by quite a significant margin