FR & WHR & WHHR News

It's another steam loco, built by Boston Lodge, for the Ffestiniog - nothing remarkable.... except it is 2023 and the railway continues to uphold 150 years of engineering tradition. Worth some celebration I think?!!

 

Either Fairlie I find preferable to Lyd. It may be a fine machine but it just seems out of place to me working on what was once a Welsh narrow gauge railway built to haul slate.

 

Do you have the same feelings towards Mountaineer? That must surely be “out of place” when it returns to steam some time in the future?

 

Theres no doubting the quality of the work. Its a shame a bit more care of the railways history hasn't been taken. If you're going to build an engine and name it after one that is long scrapped, I'd at least try and make it look like it used to. You wouldn't build a replica LMS coronation that looked like an A4 would you. Ironically DLG actually looks more like James Spooner.

Now I personally I wouldn't mind a 1879 Merddin Emrys style loco in it's original green livery. We don't actually have a loco from that period to match the coaches we have. But I wouldn't have the stupid bells on it which are a clash of victorian styles. By the time Merddin was built that kind of ornate ridiculousness would have been very unfashionable. I would also not try to pretend it was a replica of something because it isn't. I'd just give it a new name.

It just seems a bit crass to be honest. A lot of work has gone into authenticly trying to reproduce and restore things that were lost. There was much made of "not telling history wrong" in the HLF bid. Yet here they are doing exactly that with a Disney interpretation of a "Victorian Fairlie". On top of that you have a loco with very limited coal capacity and a load of extra maintenance and crew headaches that don't need to be on it. Plus yet another expensive asset to look after.

 

Thanks for some interesting observations. If it was up to me I think I'd perhaps've named it Pegler, after the saviour of the modern FfR.

*not Alan Pegler as I hate the use of full names on locomotives - it makes the nameplate look like a headstone.

 

I'm looking forward to it, but I'd rather have seen the square

 

We recently had a week in Wales - I can vouch for the fun of the Quarryman. Some photos below - more at https://www.flickr.com/photos/24236352@N02/

 

Logically I probably should but maybe because she's been running on the FR since I was a kid I don't have the same feeing. Also there were ex WD Baldwins working on the WHR, GVT and the Alco being similar in appearance seems to me to ft in more . Finally I tend not to be a massive fan of new builds unless they are built as there is little alternative and they represent what originally ran on that line e.g something like the Corris new builds or if Lyd ran on the L&B.

 

Baldwin 590 public launch 27th and 28th May at the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway. First chance to see it in action.

Also starring in the WHR100 event in June.

 

Why is it described as a "reincarnation". Is less of the original left than with Welsh Pony?

 

590 was cut up for the war effort, this is a different Baldwin 794 ex Imperial War Museum, masquerading as 590 hence the “ reincarnation”

 

Sorry, I was mixing it up with the Alco.

 

Looks fantastic, although the old photos suggest that open cab wasn’t ideal for reverse running in Snowdonian weather and more protection was installed pretty quickly.

https://www.welshhighlandheritage.co.uk/baldwin-590/

 

A cab back sheet has been made for it

 

Does that include the extended cab roof?

Chris

 

No mention of that on the post about the cab sheet

 

Yes the cab roof has an extension to enable the wooden back sheet to sit in the correct place.

 

As if by magic a photo appears...

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?st...3Zt7CMSMXl&id=100057337274584&mibextid=T5g5YY

 

It does look rather special!!!

27th and 28th May for public launch.

 

A few pics of yesterdays delivery trip to the WHHR via Beddgelert.