Welshpool gala 5, 6 September- Statfold mallet visiting

Which does conveniently ignore and dismiss those people (albeit small in numbers) whose motivation for turning up at the gala are the Burrell(s), Sentinel(s) and Aveling that park in the yard at Llanfair... (although I understand this year it will be Avelings as well)

 

Anything but ignoring and dismissing "those people"
PH

 

I allways thought it as the Slugshore

 

You were the one who stated that "Burrell showman's road locomotives don't earn money directly".
Yet if their presence attracts people to a gala who wouldn't otherwise attend, it immediately puts lie to your statement seeing as their attendance has directly brought a few more coins into the coffers.
(Even if in practice the number of people attracted aren't sufficient to cover the expenses given to the owners of such vehicles towards the costs of their appearance.)

 

....whatever the pseudonym, it's perhaps best to skirt over the inconvenience of it not actually being a 2ft 6" gauge railway.

Gauge generally varies from 27-1/2" to 28", with the overwhealming vast majority sitting at 28" - especially at sleepers which are in good condition still holding rails securely.
The 'internal' system around the Upper Works measures between 21-1/2" up to 24", with quite a number of measurements around the 22" figure.
Underground the gauge measures 21-1/2" to 22" with gauge being held securely.

 

Exactly my point which you misunderstood completely I am afraid!

PH

 

I understood what PH was saying at the time - I think what has caught people out, Paul, is that you were advocating something that might not actually be producing it's own income, and could possibly be described as an attraction just for the fun of it. And quite rightly so in the context of a gala. But this is not your usual line so no wonder you confused people. Keep it up!

Thanks

Steve B

 

Not sure whether it is or was for sale, but Statfold apparently have 4 locos of this gauge: https://www.national-preservation.com/threads/statfold-barn-open-day-7th-june.284673/#post-898047
O & K works number 614: Paris Baku N° 1, 0-4-0T+T
La Meuse 3243, 0-4-0T
O & K 1473 (Mallet), Paris Baku N° 5, 0-4-4-0T
Jung 2279 (Mallet, unrestored), 0-4-4-0T I think

 

It is "reputed" that there are four interesting 2'6'' gauge locos in Surrey....
Kerr Stuart works number 4408, 0-6-4T, Indian Railways N° 695
North British works number 17111, 4-6-2, Indian Railways N° 666
W. G. Bagnall works number 2192, 0-6-2T, Bowaters "Conqueror "
W. G. Bagnall works number 2029, 2-6-2T, N° AK16

So there are quite a lot of nice 2'6'' locos underused, not used or unrestored in the UK. Anyone got a friendly billionaire?

 

P. Rampton??

Cheers

Alan

 

If you would like to invite something really exotic to the line, you could do worse than this superb machine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=563&v=y7QgDaXjb4U

Also, I understand that they have one or two spare, one could work quite well on the W & L.

Cheers

Alan

 

Clanks a bit!! Looks nice though.

 

To give him credit where it is due, they are doing a great job on the VoR lately. Coming on leaps and bounds!
Anyway, sorry for thread diversion, back to WLLR!

 

What about one of the big Chinese C2's?

 

I know it was my fault for diverting us off into whimsy.....
Anyway, I for one would love to see Paris Baku No 5 on freights at the WLLR!
(Almost certainly can't make it though, so those lucky souls who do manage to go, please post some pictures/videos!)

 

If there was the desire (or need) to run the W&L on quieter days with a Siam-sized loco I suspect we could find a way of doing it.

I believe it really depends on which carriages management chooses to run - in past 10 years the there has been a philosophy to always use the two massive 15 ton ex MAV bogie carriages (54 seats each) on low season trains that have less than 40 passengers. This is a decision that I have often questioned, especially when we have a fleet of 6 ton Zillertalbahn carriages that can seat 30 each. Therefore we could run 3 x Zillertalbahn coaches with capacity for 90 passenger for 18 tons against, 108 passengers in two MAVs for 30 tons.

Looking through the Journals after the 1994 Gala "Siam" did work a number of service trains on her own (but limited to 3 units, so 3 x Zillertalbahns or 1 x Ziller and an SLR) at the tail end of the season, before returning to Bredgar.

I agree that I can't see the W&L buying "Siam", but if someone else did and it wanted a home I think the idea would be treated seriously.

Kind regards,
Gareth

 

Well when No4 was shipped over the group arranged a meeting to discuss the possibility of it being based at Welshpool but the now Ex GM didn't turn up. So i guess he wasn't interested. In hindsight though this was probably for the better as Boston Lodge is a better home for the loco and everyone involved.

Tim

 

(Posted on Facebook)

The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway’s smallest steam locomotive will be a big star over the August Bank Holiday weekend, appearing at the Shrewsbury Steam Rally and travelling there in a very heritage manner.

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 tank locomotive ‘Dougal’ will be taken from Welshpool to the rally site at Onslow Park, Shrewsbury, on a trailer hauled by a steam traction engine. Then on 5th September it will return to make a grand entrance at the railway’s own Steam Gala event.

While highly unusual today, the occasion will replicate the manner in which such locomotives would have been delivered to work sites by road, in the days before the rise of the articulated lorry, a time when steam ruled the roads as well as the rails.

The plan is for Dougal to depart from the Llanfair Line’s Welshpool Raven Square station on August bank holiday Saturday, 29th August, for the 15-mile trip to the rally site – the exact time of departure is still to be finalised but will be published on the railway’s website, Facebook and Twitter feeds.

Hauling the trailer will be no ordinary traction engine, but ‘Wolverhampton Wanderer’, a crane engine built in 1929 by the well-known manufacturer of steam locomotives for both road and rail, John Fowler. The engine is finished in the livery of its owner, freight transport specialist Leonard Crane of Wolverhampton, and has even been the subject of a Corgi Toys model.

Wolverhampton Wanderer will be driven by John Glaze, renowned in the railway industry as a designer and inspector of boilers, while among the support crew will be W&LLR volunteers Gareth Jones, John Travis and Sam Billmore. Together with fellow volunteer James Newby, they have masterminded the expedition to Shrewsbury.

Dougal will be on show throughout Sunday and Monday (30th-31st August) at the rally. This is one of Shropshire’s biggest events of the year with more than 1,000 exhibits and attractions for the whole family. The loco will be the centrepiece of a W&LLR stand, which will be promoting the railway’s Steam Gala which is being held on 5th-6th September.

Following the end of the rally Dougal will spend a week in secure storage near Welshpool, and then on the eve of the Gala, on the evening of Friday 4th September the loco will arrive back at Welshpool Raven Square. This time haulage will be provided by another Fowler steam road loco, ‘Foremost’, built in 1911 and recently restored to award-winning standard by Joe Walker.

The combination will spend the night at Raven Square and then at about 9am on Saturday morning they will set off to travel to the other end of the railway at Llanfair Caereinion. On arrival, a journey that is expected to take around two hours, Foremost and Dougal will form a major part of the yard displays at Llanfair as part of the Gala, these displays also including a Sentinel steam lorry and a steam car.

Dougal’s road adventure adds yet another aspect to the W&LLR’s Gala which already boasts a number of new attractions this year, including the visit of an articulated steam locomotive that formerly worked in Indonesia, ‘Pakis Baru No 5’.

“Dougal has been out of service for a while as the loco needs some boiler repairs,” said W&LLR spokesman Andrew Charman. “This excellent initiative by our members will both keep the loco in the public eye while promoting both the Shrewsbury Steam Rally and our own Gala, in an innovative and exciting way which is sure to attract the attention of many enthusiasts.”

More details of Shrewsbury Steam Rally, including advanced ticket booking facilities, can be found at www.shrewsburysteamrally.co.uk. More details of the W&LLR and its Gala, also including ticket booking facilities, are on the www.wllr.org.uk website. Alternatively potential Gala visitors can call the railway on 01938 810441 for more information.

 

The timetable and loco roster for the gala is now available on the W&LLR website http://www.wllr.org.uk/steam-gala-2015

 

I'm hoping to make it to Welshpool on the Sunday. Can anybody suggest any good, accessible vantage points between Llanfair and Cyfronydd to watch the Mallet and the freight in action?