Kerr Stuart Wren @ Aberystwyth

Is it on test or something, it's been going up and down all day?

 

I would assume so James. When I called by on my way into town to take the pic, the guy I asked if it was ok to take it mumbled 'yes' and walked off or I would have asked him. Not the most friendly of folks down at the VoR in my experience.

 

Sorry Mike, I assumed you worked at the VoR. No, they're not the friendliest but then I suppose they're not paid to be friendly.
I've moved in to the new Welsh Assembly office in Aber and I sit overlooking the railway so I have a grandstand view, just a shame there's no normal steam trains at this time of year.

James

 

Look at all that weight on the buffer beams, plenty of traction there!!

I've only met a couple of people from the Rheidol but they both seemed quite friendly.

 

The only thing I see on the rear buffer beams are the wooden buffers. Not much weight there!

 

We do try and be as friendly as possible lol there are 3 members of the rheidol on here. i believe it was been steam tested its had one or 2 little maintenence jobs done on it that needed doing, i'm not working there at the moment so not compleatly up to date on whats going on. Talyllyn07 could probarbly tell you more when he's on

 

Yes the Wren has been on steam test which involved a series of runs between Aberystwyth and Llanbadarn.

We do try to be friendly, honest - we aren't all miserable buggers! You just have to remember that as much as we would love to stop and chat, afterall we are enthusiats ourselves, we do have a job to do.

We'll do our best to distract you from work when we start running again in the Spring! Don't forget to wave!

All the best,

Will

 

Nice ! Is it going to be running again this side of Christmas ?

Richard

 

Yes, I'm sure you're not all miserable, just a slightly different atmosphere than your average pres railway. Next time I'm on the platform at Aber though I'll say hello.

Is there any chance of the Kerr Stuart running any trains at all? I know it's small but maybe a couple of coaches to Capel Bangor and back, it could handle that? I'd definitely be interested if it were to happen although I didn't notice any air brakes so that may be an issue.

I went on the PLEG charter a couple of years ago with no.10 so the Kerr Stuart would complete the set of operational Rheidol locos for me!

 

I cant see the wren being used on the Rheidol line for service, probarbly only for museum use as static exhibit when the museums up and to go out on loan the same will probarbly apply to the quarry hunslet. If they were to run it would only be as far as Capel Bangor i should think doubt it'll happen but never say never. Cant see it being in steam again this side of xmas as i think the boys knock off for xmas on friday. Like Will says most of us are friendly and do try and spend some time talking to people even though we have quite a bit to do in a day..

 

Oh yeh, wooden with steel plates, they missed at oppurtunity there ;-)

 

Unless you count the tamper, the flail and the Permaquip . . . but that is just getting daft!

I've always described the Rheidol as the 'Ronseal Railway' - It does exactly what it says on the tin. We get by with the minimum ammount of staff, there are four of us on the footplate, compared to other preserved lines in the area which have several hundred volunteers.

The chance of the Wren running services on the Rheidol is very slim. I have a feeling that it would struggle to get through the turnouts at Capel Bangor. The loco is not fitted with continuous brakes, and I don't suppose it ever will be, so it would not be possible to operate on passenger trains. Your only opportunity to travel behind the Wren for the time being would be if the Trust chose to run it on another railway. From a business case it is far more cost effective for the railway to operate services the full length of the line with the powerful Rheidol tanks and decent length carriage sets tailered to meet demand in order to minmise wear and tear.

Will be back to more conventional Rheidol motive power when services begin again in the Spring. Most probably No 8 Llywelyn.

 

Has the boss finished his Marshall yet?

 

Nope. Not yet. It is progressing though. . . slowly!

 

Tell him to hurry up, mine is having 80thou out of the cylinders and will be back in April fighting fit.

 

I love the look of the VoR locos and if I could afford one, a Roundhouse version would be running on my garden railway! I appreciate the VoR is primarily a tourist operation, the locos and stock are well turned out and all the trains are generally full but it would be nice to see something a bit different now and again. That was why the PLEG trip appealed to me.

Is there likely to be any chance of an engine visiting in the future?K1 (braking issues aside) would look good and it dosen't get as much use on the WHR as it used to and would be similar in power to one of the tanks I'd imagine?

 

Hi James,

I think we'd all like to see something a bit different on the Rheidol at some point, however loco exchanges are very low on the list of priorities. They are a lot of costs involved for both the locomotive owner and the host railway. Things might be different once we have new workshop / shed facilities however even then the choice of engines would be limited.

The last visiting engine was Mountaineer during the 1980s in the last days of British Rail, however the Rheidol was vac braked then and so compatible with Ffestiniog stock.

The railway now uses a twin line air brake system and the only locomotive that could be compatible would be the Jung, Graf Schwerin-Löwitz from the Brecon Mountain Rly, however even then it would need some modifications as I believe the systems aren't quite the same.

The K1 would certainly look, and sound good heading up the valley, but I'm not sure if it's back to back measurements would allow it to fit. My personal dream would be to take an L&B tank up to Devil's Bridge. Maybe in 20 years or so things might be different, but for now we will just have to keep dreaming!

 

I'd like to see No.7 running on the VoR....

 

Me too that would be something different. I don't think i've ever seen it in one piece let alone pulling a train.

Tim

 

Little Wonder?