If you register, you can do a lot more. And become an active part of our growing community. You'll have access to hidden forums, and enjoy the ability of replying and starting conversations.

Narrow Gauge New Builds

Discussion in 'Narrow Gauge Railways' started by SpudUk, Jan 13, 2010.

  1. paullad1984

    paullad1984 Member

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2007
    Messages:
    918
    Likes Received:
    428
    With a bit of tweaking should fit L&B, and would probably fit the WHR. It sure is beautiful.
     
    240P15 likes this.
  2. BiggerBob

    BiggerBob New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2007
    Messages:
    73
    Likes Received:
    52
  3. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2017
    Messages:
    12,172
    Likes Received:
    11,493
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Brighton&Hove
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    The fixed wheelbase might need close scrutiny for either of those lines .... if the folks on the WHR were anxious about native local Russell negotiating that sharp curve at Bryn-y-Feiin, I'm guessing some judiciously turned driving wheel tyres may be in order.
     
    paullad1984 likes this.
  4. 60044

    60044 Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    Messages:
    406
    Likes Received:
    785
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Salisbury
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    It certainly looks as though it wouldn't look out of place alongside the L & B's Baldwin or Manning Wardles.

    Something that has puzzled me is why, when we have lots of ex-SAR locos and wagons in this country, there aren't any ex-SAR carriages?
     
  5. ross

    ross Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2017
    Messages:
    1,002
    Likes Received:
    2,477
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Titfield
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Coupled wheelbase on this SAR Bagnall is 6'3". The Manning Wardles were 6'6". The M-W's were 17'9" total wheelbase, against the Bagnall's 19'1", but overall, the L&B locos were 27' dead, and the Bagnall is 27'9", It would all depend on how "swingy" that front bogie is, and whether the outside bogie frames had enough clearance between the cylinders. The 10,000lb tractive effort could be quite handy-basically a M-W and a half
    I don't have a general arrangement of Russell to hand, but one would imagine the Bagnall ought to fit anywhere that a NGG 16 can
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2020
  6. weltrol

    weltrol Part of the furniture Friend

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2008
    Messages:
    2,784
    Likes Received:
    658
    The GA drawing seems to suggest flangeless centre driving wheels, like the 9Fs.
     
  7. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2017
    Messages:
    12,172
    Likes Received:
    11,493
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Brighton&Hove
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Missed that. The centre drivers of the 3ft gauge Tralee & Dingle locos were flangeless (and in the case of surviving 2-6-2T No.5, still are).

    Thanks to @ross for digging out the comparative dimensions ... which surprised me, as the coupled wheelbase of the MWs always appears so short.
     
  8. bantamd14

    bantamd14 New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2017
    Messages:
    131
    Likes Received:
    91
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Stafford
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Being a WHRS member, this has frequently been discussed amongst my colleagues and there is an opinion that there maybe alot of African bugs quietly munching away at the woodwork that would not be welcome in the UK!
     
  9. BiggerBob

    BiggerBob New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2007
    Messages:
    73
    Likes Received:
    52
    The Cape Government Railway operated the Bagnall on the Avontur line - Am I right in thinking it was later home to the Ffestiniog locomotives?
     
  10. Paulthehitch

    Paulthehitch Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2020
    Messages:
    1,090
    Likes Received:
    1,093
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Hayling Island
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    The L&B engines have always reminded me of Dugald Drummond's rudery "All legs and wings, like skinny chickens". Hunslet's use of drive onto the third coupled axle for a 2-6-2T made for a far more compact, better proportioned machine.
     
  11. MuzTrem

    MuzTrem Member

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2011
    Messages:
    937
    Likes Received:
    1,225
    Besides which, where would they actually be used? The WHR has found new-build stock better suited to its needs, since they can incorporate modern luxuries like corridors, toilets, refreshment service, etc...

    Sent from my SM-A320FL using Tapatalk
     
  12. 60044

    60044 Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    Messages:
    406
    Likes Received:
    785
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Salisbury
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Other railways are available! - South Tynedale might have provided a home for some, for example.
     
    MuzTrem, SpudUk and paullad1984 like this.
  13. mikehartuk

    mikehartuk New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2007
    Messages:
    91
    Likes Received:
    441
    Gender:
    Male
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    When we purchased our first two NGG16 locos No's 138 and 143 from Alfred Country Railway for the WHR we did have a look round to see if a carriage might be available. Really just as a nice to have. ACR hadn't got any carriages to spare at the time and the government owned 2ft gauge Port Elizabeth line wanted to keep all they had for their regular tourist trains. We did though eventually secure a very nice bogie brake van for WHR though the generosity of the Sandstone Railway - which was in practical terms much more useful anyway!
     
    MuzTrem and ragl like this.
  14. Mark Thompson

    Mark Thompson Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2017
    Messages:
    1,429
    Likes Received:
    3,559
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    E sussex
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I remember years ago visiting Matjiesfontein in the Eastern Cape. Close by the beautiful little station, there was a series of sidings, absolutely filled with out of service carriages, many of them very old, and filled with beautiful woodwork, but just left peeling in the hot sun. I know these were SA standard gauge, but I do wonder if there isn't a narrow gauge equivalent somewhere out there.
    Mind you, if there ever was, they've probably been long pillaged to extinction by now.
     
    Hunslet589 likes this.
  15. ross

    ross Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2017
    Messages:
    1,002
    Likes Received:
    2,477
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Titfield
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Further observation, before anyone packs a suitcase- The SAR Bagnall sits 10'6" above the rail, and presumably rolling stock would be a similar profile. The L&B locos were 8'11" tall, rolling stock similar. Catchpole lists the 3 24'6" brake vans as 10'6 max. height, but I'm not sure the photographic evidence corroborates this.
    As an idle curiosity, does the Rampton collection have any rolling stock from Africa? It does contain two ex-Beira Railway Falcon NG6's, and a NG15
     
    BiggerBob likes this.
  16. bantamd14

    bantamd14 New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2017
    Messages:
    131
    Likes Received:
    91
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Stafford
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    I think the only rolling stock in the collection is about 6 ex IoM / MNR coaches?
     
    ross likes this.
  17. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    Messages:
    26,103
    Likes Received:
    57,422
    Location:
    LBSC 215
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    There are a number of ex-South African (3'6" gauge) locos in New Zealand but not, as far as I know, any carriages: my guess is that strict NZ bio-security laws prevent import of wooden carriages.

    Tom
     
  18. BiggerBob

    BiggerBob New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2007
    Messages:
    73
    Likes Received:
    52
    Has anybody ever compiled a composite loading gauge of (a) all narrow gauge railways in the United Kingdom and Ireland (b) a list of the critical minimum gauge points on each railway?
     
  19. Chris B

    Chris B New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2010
    Messages:
    142
    Likes Received:
    54
    I spotted 2 SAR class 25s and a Garatt stood in the open at Mercer at the side of SH1 last time I went down past Auckland to see my sister. Not sure what is happening with them. I might try and get a picture tomorrow when I pass
     
  20. bantamd14

    bantamd14 New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2017
    Messages:
    131
    Likes Received:
    91
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Stafford
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    They are being cosmetically being restored. The SAR loading gauge is greater than that of NZR, and whilst the RR Garratts in NZ are being modified to suit the loading gauge, I don't think the class 25s and GMAM can practically be reduced, but I stand to be corrected!
     

Share This Page