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The Vale of Rheidol Railway - News

Discussion in 'Narrow Gauge Railways' started by ValeOfRheidol, Nov 12, 2014.

  1. talerddig14

    talerddig14 New Member

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    To fill in the gaps about the big red engine:

    It's an NGG13, number 60, named Drakensberg.

    The SchBB stands for Schinznacher Baumschulbahn, which relates to the Swiss railway that previously owned it
    Originally ran on the South African railways in Natal
    Built in 1927 by Hanomag under licence (the story I heard was that was due to some parts of SA being less sympathetic to the Brits after the Boer War)

    Due to steam on VOR in early summer 2020
     
  2. Wenlock

    Wenlock Well-Known Member Friend

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    I've never been paid "at the end of the month", I've had weekly pay, then a salary paid as 13 x 4 weekly payments. I'm currently on weekly again. Although I'm still working I am receiving a part-pension which is also paid in 13 x 4 weekly instalments.
     
  3. 60044

    60044 Member

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    As developments at Aberystwyth progress a question springs to mind - has there been any thought given to restoring some of the museum collection to steam, and if so, which ones? Admittedly there are so many in the collection that the numbes would be limited, but a Gwailor pacific could do useful work on the VoR I would imagine, and perhaps , at the other extreme, the 0-4-4T from Hong Kong - and who wouldn't want to see a Lawley? In the case of the pacific and 4-4-0 they also have two examples of each, so one could be for static display and one as a runner.

    I'm not trying to spend their money for them, though, just wondering!
     
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  4. Miff

    Miff Part of the furniture Friend

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    Maybe they were all secretly overhauled at Collection X HQ :) - I doubt it somehow but you never know.
     
  5. DragonHandler

    DragonHandler Well-Known Member

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    It's part of the strategic reserve.
     
  6. talerddig14

    talerddig14 New Member

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    Yes plenty of thought given. But you have to bear in mind the scope of the whole project. At present, the railway is embarking on a large infrastructure project. At present, the workshop is full. each loco costs at least six figures to restore to steam(or that is what I was quoted in railway circles, correct me if I am wrong.) Not that you are implying it, but this isn't a Hornby train set, you don't just buy them off the shelf and put them back in a box when you're not using it, but there's a lot that needs to be done.

    You can read it all on the railway's facebook page and website and previous reports. There's a large colelction of locos, the purpose of having them was not to lock them up in a shed. The long term plan is to have a museum for narrow gauge, utilising the canopy from London Bridge. To get there, you need exhibits, you need to restore them, you need to store or display those restored. The current project has been to create this, as well as resolving the perennial problem of having a platform as far away from the rest of the complex as possible. The new platform has been built, making the railway more accessible to all (together with a project to upgrade the 1/3 brake coaches and give them ramp access). In the bay where the old one was, a new rolling stock shed is being built, termed the Museum Collection and Heritage Rolling Stock Protection Shed. This will leave the former 89c sub shed free to be used as a display area and events centre. then you have the capability to display things. Then the museum project visibly begins.

    Currently, the workshop is restoring three engines - 'Garratt' no 60, Baldwin '590' and W&L 822. All are due for completion next year. No 9 is then out of ticket and needs work done, including new tanks as it hides its air pump, like the other two. What happens next is not been announced and it would be foolish to speculate. Watch this space, there's enough updates flying out these days. A lot of the collection is not 2ft gauge and would not run on the VOR, which is a shame as one Bagnall looks remarkably close to a Rheidol tank..
     
  7. MartinBall

    MartinBall Guest

    Thanks for the update! Is anything in the collection 3' gauge? We at the Cavan and Leitrim would be interested in helping/hosting rolling stock or locos of that gauge. Fell free to PM if there is anything!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 26, 2019
  8. DcB

    DcB Well-Known Member

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    The Surrey track thread suggests some of the locos were working 25 years ago on the Surrey track but it has been private.
    There must be a working workshop there as the Rheidol review 6 said it helped with the braking system on the NG13. Guess when the locos move to the new shed the Surrey site will revert to just a farm.
    Good to see several NG groups using the expertise built up and the collection will be open to the public, even just as static displays.
     
  9. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Interesting though that the first NGG16s were initially classified NGG13.
     
  10. Maldwyn

    Maldwyn New Member

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    If you look at all the projects undertaken by the VoR (both recent and present) they have been part funded by grants. I would expect these grants are given because they demonstrably help the local economy, provide apprenticeships and such like. To obtain a grant to restore a steam locomotive is becoming increasingly difficult - I believe the VoR did try unsuccessfully many many years ago and which is why it has taken circa 3 decades to see all three engines in steam. They effectively have to rely on takings to maintain the roster as the railway is run more as a business than a volunteer organisation. Whilst I would love to see many of the collection locos move using their own steam I can’t see that happening except for the odd one or too (once the museum is completed.)The railway is also run as a great western railway so demand for ‘non standard’ locomotives is unlikely to be needed in any great capacity, thus precluding the restoration of too many locomotives. (Currently you can’t really run more than two train rakes per day due to passing loops which is why possibly the GWR scrapped the fourth tank engine nr 1212 and settled on the three Swindon built examples). Assuming the privately owned NGG16 remains on the line for the long term would there be a business case to increase the roster beyond what they have? I hope so.....
    On another note I did drive through Aberystwyth on Christmas Eve and the aforementioned rolling stock protection shed’s frame is up - hopefully with the space being freed up in the old loco shed, it won’t be long before we will be able to see the at least some of the collection in whatever state the VoR want to exhibit it in!
     
  11. Dunfanaghy Road

    Dunfanaghy Road Well-Known Member

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    Don't the 13s have a less advanced cylinder design? Something to do with the steam passages?
    Pat
     
  12. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Not an expert in these things I'm afraid but there must have been some differences to warrant a reclassification to NGG16.
     
  13. CymruGarratt

    CymruGarratt New Member

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    There are fewer differences between the NGG13s and NGG16s than you might think. True, there are differences in boiler mountings, steam manifold and the like, and other detail differences, but the principle difference is that the inner trailing wheels on a '13 are held semi-rigidly within the bogie frames, on the Golsdorf principle, and the 16s have proper pony trucks. The 13s were, apparently, prone to bogie frame cracking which would account in part for the change to pony trucks, and later builds of the 16s had beefier frames as another improvement.
    The 13s (and the first 16s, built by Cockerill) also had slightly smaller cabs with no side windows. Cockerill NGG16 No.87, currently under overhaul on the Welsh Highland Railway has a 1928 boiler originally fitted to the first NGG13, No. 58.
    C
     
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  14. talerddig14

    talerddig14 New Member

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    Part of the hiatus, I believe, was from not having anywhere to restore number 7 until the workshop was built. If you look at the history, the railway has never been a volunteer led organisation. The two train rakes represent virtually the total stock and a third rake would be needed to have more trains, not a lack of passing loops. The line is in three sections. Sure, you could run more trains with the same number of coaches, but you're not increasing capacity whilst increasing labour costs and wear and tear of engines and let's face it, all of the GLTW are run as a business - they've got to be..
    I disagree about 1212, having read CC Green, it would appear that the GWR tanks were replacements for 1212 and 1198. They weren't authorised to build a third engine, so a smoke and mirrors was created by pretending that number 9 was a rebuild of 1213. 1212 was knackered and underpowered in relation to the new engines and the railway didn't need a shunting engine, more of a spare.
    As for steaming - we'll have to wait and see. Reading Peter Rampton's obituary, his desire was to see everything restored to working order. The NGG13 immediately puts the mockers on a purely Great western Railway operation?
     
  15. talerddig14

    talerddig14 New Member

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    There's nothing between 2' 6'' and 3' 3''
     
  16. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    I may court unpopularity but I'm not looking forward to seeing this run on the VoR. I understand why SAR stock was used on the WHR as they were starting completely from scratch but the current VoR IMO is a continuation of what has always been there. To me the VoR has always been and will always be about the 2-6-2Ts and not about thumping great Garratts from the southern hemisphere.
     
  17. DragonHandler

    DragonHandler Well-Known Member

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    Quite so. When I visited the VoR earlier this year I went to see, and ride behind, the GWR 2-6-2T's and I would have been disappointed if there was a Garratt, or anything else, in use. (not that I've anything against Garretts etc).
     
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  18. talerddig14

    talerddig14 New Member

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    The website does now show what engine would be rostered on what day/train, so you can avoid the foreigners (which I assume would also include the Ffestiniog engines and Quarry Hunslets from the past) :)
     
  19. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Nothing against Garratts, in fact seeing some in action was the main reason for my first trip to SA, and no, I have nothing against the "foreigners" that have visited in the past.
     
  20. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Wonder what happens if passenger numbers climb to the point where additional carriages are needed ...... wouldn't that be a nice problem for the VoR? 2ft gauge edition of the 'Collett Super Saloon' anybody? ;)
     

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