The Vale of Rheidol Railway - News

That may well be the VoR's rationale behind the Garratt.

 

The Garratt might also provide backup for when no9 (and other locos) gets serviced or have problems?.

 

The Garratt is a privately owned locomotive and not part of the VoR although it must feature in the long term plans of the railway given the extension to the head shunt at Devils Bridge quite early on.
Taleddig14 is indeed correct about the lack of coaching stock being an issue although BR did manage to run three rakes a day on very rare occasions with all 16 carriages plus the 4w brake. There are photographs of Devils Bridge station with all three trains stabled there (with one positioned on the old Goods siding). They were not however formally timetabled and run as specials. Not every carriage has been serviceable since the 80’s but to be honest there has not been the need.
As for 1212, I am sure that the new tank locomotives were constructed to improve what was already there. However as CC Green notes, 1212 was sent to Swindon in 1923 to be put into good order as a spare engine using GWR fittings. It was not until 1935 that she was officially withdrawn I would surmise that the GWR had thought that they may have needed 4 engines, especially if they expected to use the two cattle vans they built - why else have 3 new goods brakes built as well!
To nail my colours to the mast, I would personally always want to see a GWR tank in service every day to demonstrate what I believe is part of the railways unique selling point. That said I am all for seeing other locos work additional trains. It was nice seeing Palmerston and further back, I thoroughly enjoyed myself when Mountaineer visited the VoR for a time (during the days you could assist on the railway as part of VORRSA). She did demonstrate that she was not quite as good as her Rheidol cousins but that is another story.......

 

Aesthetically, the combination of a Garratt on VofR coaches is going to be very strange. But it won't affect the glorious views out of the windows. I don't think most paying customers will be too upset.

Personally I prefer to see the 2-6-2Ts, But I accept that the VofR is a commercial operation, and it doesn't exist to indulge my fantasies.

 

I'd imagine the first sight of a 'Saint' back in 1902 produced much the same reaction!

 

I understood that volunteers still work on the railway? They are mentioned in the latest newsletter, carrying out painting and other work at the stations.

Keith

 

Correct, but not in an operational capacity. The VOR is one of the few railways that has never been a volunteer led/run line, a quirk of history perhaps

 

There's also the need to support the 96 year old engines to manage their availability beyond the present. Would I be right in thinking the Garratt will cost more to run, being a larger engine, boiler etc? That would limit its outings if the case, but the sight of the loco coming back on the late 'chip special' on a summer's evening with its headlight blazing will be impressive

 

9's ticket expires before Easter 2020 and needs new tanks amongst other things , to put the air pump out of sight (like the others)

 

A Saint on the VOR?

 

2999 would probably fit the gauging there better than on Network Rail.

 

At least with the gradients they'd have a chance of achieving 135mph.

 

Surely, if the VoR really needed new coaches, the obvious starting point would be to recreate the original 1902 coaches? These ran alongside the Swindon tanks until the late '30s would be an equally authentic match for them (If painted in GWR livery).

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What about the Isle of Man coaches?

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Perhaps you'd best don a solid tin helmet before pursuing that particular avenue!

 

true, they are three feet, but to the best of my knowledge, not listed as running

 

Time for someone in the VOR to start rattling a tin under people's noses?

 

So long as it doesn't extend to any overly faithful reproduction of the D&M locos, which included some "interesting" ideas concerning the layout of Stephenson valve gear. Even if the 1923/4 replacements were broadly the same size, Swindon's recorded opinion of the original design wasn't particularly high.

 

I was told several years ago that one of the ex-Manx Northern bogie coaches (F37 or F38) has already been restored and had run on (I think) on Peter Rampton’s private railway. However, I have always taken that with a massive pinch of salt (the source of the info isn’t always 100% reliable) although it would fit with one of the articles in the excellent magazine produced by the VOR about Peter Rampton where his personal work on one of the Manx coaches is mentioned.

As I ‘dyed-in-the-wool’ IMR fan, I would love to see these coaches run again whether it’s at Aberystwyth on 2 foot bogies or elsewhere. The FR did build new coaches on ex-IMR underframes so (at least width wise), I’m guessing they would fit the VORs loading gauge.

 

Personally I would like to see a reproduction of the D&M locos, being distantly related to Mr. Davies. The valve gear layout (Gooch not Stephenson) makes a bit of sense if you consider the space available and access from a pit. With improved detail design, the wear issues could be overcome and it should work well. But never mind that - think of the livery options!