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Trawsfynydd and Blaenau Ffestiniog Railway

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by WickhamofWare, Aug 21, 2009.

  1. Tim Light

    Tim Light Well-Known Member

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    Yes, absolutely.

    And the KESR/RVR has a very exciting pioneering project of its own, we can't say there's nothing suitable.
     
  2. Just_Sayin

    Just_Sayin New Member

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    I've always wondered why nothing been tested out of Crewe.

    Diesel hauled Crewe to Llandudno in the morning.
    Steam does 2/3 trips up the branch during the day (depending upon what can fitted in around the service).
    Diesel then return Llandudno to Crewe.
    Means steam does the "fun" bits but also ensures a rescue loco should anything happen during the day.
     
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  3. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    Don't think that would work like that, don't forget that you really need to limit the load to 5 max to ensure the runs up the valley can keep to a tight time to fit amongst service trains. 2 trips a day would be enough as you have to find the passengers that are on holiday in the area to fill the trains. Much better to stable the stock and loco locally and just do the two runs per day for say 3 days in the week.
     
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  4. Reading General

    Reading General Part of the furniture

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    locally based operation in lieu of the service train on selected dates?
     
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  5. lil Bear

    lil Bear Part of the furniture

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    Aren't the sidings at Llandudno Junction disconnected? If so, where would the servicing facilities be? Do Arriva leave anything in the area overnight? Crewe isn't a million miles away as suggested, the other option being Valley Jcn is it?
     
  6. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    Looking on google earth, there are several sidings at the Junction albeit a bit overgrown, and two at Llandudno itself that has only just been reinstated.
     
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  7. Just_Sayin

    Just_Sayin New Member

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    Have to disagree. Crewe much better for servicing both locos and stock, is better connected for the staff operating the service to get to etc etc. It's what 45 mins Crewe to Llandudno?

    You could even have people board at Crewe + Chester on your way out, ride 1x trip and spend time in either Ffestiniog or round Llandudno for the second trip before returning home with the train. So increases your customer potential from the word go, instead of having to purely rely on Llandudno holidaymakers (though having said that the Cambrian never seemed to struggle). Just a thought mind, WCRC seem happy to rely on the coach parties that support the Mountaineer.
     
  8. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    I don't know where you get 45 minutes Crewe to Llandudno from, a Voyager takes 70 minutes and they are a bit quicker than steam.
    Yes you could operate you first service from Crewe, but then your loco is the wrong way round for the run up to Blaenau, so it has to run tender first from Chester at much reduced speed, taking about and hour and 20/30 minutes, the time taken to run the loco round the triangle at Chester would not go down well with passengers either who have only been on about 40 minutes.
    Having the loco and stock based at Llandudno therefore makes much more sense.
     
  9. John Stewart

    John Stewart Part of the furniture

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    Run it with pairs of 80XXXs!
     
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  10. Martin Perry

    Martin Perry Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator Friend

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    Great idea ... Which ones? ...
     
  11. meeee

    meeee Member

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    The Conway Valley is very much the place to be at the moment. A multitude of new attractions have sprung up in a few short years. The Festiniog has seen a real benefit from this, particularly the number of people catching the train from Bleanau.

    Tourists spend a small fortune for 5 minutes on a zip line then have nothing to do for the rest of the day. Suddenly £20 for a train you spend all day on if you want looks like great value. You'll notice the FR is running earlier departures in the summer this year to try and grab a bit more of this traffic.

    So a Llandudno to Bleanau steam or even 1st gen dmu service could be a real money spinner. The problem is that Traws is outside of this tourist hot spot. It's scenic enough but there is nothing there. It is just a place in the middle of nowhere on the way to somewhere else.

    Tim
     
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  12. There is always a huge, attractive glow-in-the-dark box to admire.
     
  13. Martin Perry

    Martin Perry Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator Friend

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    ... and a lovely lake that is perfectly safe ... as long as it isn't drained for the next 20,000 years :)
     
  14. Just_Sayin

    Just_Sayin New Member

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    Was meant to be 75 mins, slip on keyboard. And 75 mins isn't a massive amount of time. As said in my very first suggestive post, have it Diesel hauled Crewe - Llandudno outward and then on the return to save the need for tender first running on the NWML - leaving the steam to strut its stuff purely on the Conway Valley line.
     
  15. mickpop

    mickpop Resident of Nat Pres

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    I fell in that lake once when we were fishing and I don't glow in the dark, except maybe after a few pints. It was famous for its many perch who thrived in the warm coolant water discharged into the lake.
     
  16. Martin Perry

    Martin Perry Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator Friend

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    Popular myth has it that the sediment at the bottom of the lake might be a little warm :)

    Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
     
  17. :D
     
  18. Railboy

    Railboy New Member

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  19. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    @Railboy reading the facebook page I would beg to differ

    give it twelve months and no progress and then watch the enthusiasm dry up . Luton & Dunstable springs to mind
     
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  20. Forestpines

    Forestpines Well-Known Member

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    For the last few years, they've been saying "we'll be running trains next year". I wonder how many "next years" will roll by before a train runs.
     

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