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.

FR & WHR & WHHR News

Discussion in 'Narrow Gauge Railways' started by AndrewT, Jul 17, 2012.

  1. talyllyn1

    talyllyn1 Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2008
    Messages:
    261
    Likes Received:
    400
    Wish I'd been there to see that restart on the gradient at Nantmor, and the climb up through the tunnel. Perhaps as well it wasn't raining.
    Russell must have been a brute of a loco compared to the Vulcan Fairlies.
    I guess the next "challenge" is a run all the way up the hill to Rhyd Ddu, and perhaps a full line trip to Caernarfon.
    I'd love to see Russell in tandem with the L & B's Lyn - good for 10 carrs I reckon!

    I know that Russell has been restored to "original" condition, but are there any plans to fit vac. brakes as before?
    It would open up a lot more possibilities on the F & WHR.
     
  2. 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
    Many thanks re:Russell's curvature capabilities. :)

    Looking at the several remarks about crowding at special events (back in the late 60's/early 70's, such 'crowding' would've just been 'another successful day'!), I find myself wondering whether the combination of better relations between RhE/RhFf and WHHR, line capacity, as the regular timetable stands, mightn't permit a few such (perhaps smaller) events along the lines of 'historical montages', peppered throughout the year.

    Pondering the possibilities .... what with plans for 100 waggon gravity workings on RhFf, plus the imminent return of Welsh Pony, restoration of the first of the 'Kalaharis' (NG15 No.134) on the horizon, and let's not forget, there's KS 4415 in the pipeline too, plus the likelihood of repairs to the Alco (and while Gowrie, let alone a recreated Moel Tryfan may be a little way off yet), that's an awful lot of potential for marketable 'happenings'. If experience has taught us one thing, it's never to say never!
     
    Leafent likes this.
  3. Nexuas

    Nexuas Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2005
    Messages:
    1,233
    Likes Received:
    309
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Theatre Technician
    Location:
    Work, work or WHHR
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer



    Skip to 12.20 to see and hear it! Russell stopped on top dead centre hence the controlled roll back to get a restart.
     
    clam1952, SpudUk, Robkitchuk and 3 others like this.
  4. talyllyn1

    talyllyn1 Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2008
    Messages:
    261
    Likes Received:
    400
    Awesome acceleration, and mighty fine enginemanship (if that's a word)!
     
  5. Nexuas

    Nexuas Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2005
    Messages:
    1,233
    Likes Received:
    309
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Theatre Technician
    Location:
    Work, work or WHHR
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    I will pass your comments onto Mark the driver on that run. We were both grinning so hard when we exited T4 at the end of the climb. You can hear the first slip in the tunnel, but she went on to slip twice more before we hit daylight.
     
    SpudUk and steamingyorkshire like this.
  6. nanstallon

    nanstallon Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2005
    Messages:
    4,323
    Likes Received:
    2,397
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Westcountry
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Glad I went!
     
    Nexuas likes this.
  7. Nexuas

    Nexuas Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2005
    Messages:
    1,233
    Likes Received:
    309
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Theatre Technician
    Location:
    Work, work or WHHR
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Hopefully all those who were putting the event down last week will have realised it was an excellent event and are either counting their blessing that they went, or kicking themselves that they did not!
     
    J Rob't Harrison likes this.
  8. black5

    black5 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 1, 2006
    Messages:
    1,906
    Likes Received:
    2,445
    Occupation:
    Theatre
    Location:
    Merseyside>Bury
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
  9. biggles200

    biggles200 Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2007
    Messages:
    328
    Likes Received:
    237
    Occupation:
    retired and holding on
    Location:
    Purbeck
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer

    The expansion plans at the mining museum are now part of a much larger scheme involving both the Swanage Railway and Dorset Council to redevelop Norden Station. It will therefore be a few years until Russell will be invited to run across the narrow gauge bridge over the branch line with Corfe Castle in the background. That is not to say that a visit before then would not be on the cards, but with limited resources, the museum needs to ensure that the visit will be worthwhile for all.
     
  10. 45669

    45669 Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2006
    Messages:
    2,740
    Likes Received:
    1,041
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Farnborough
    Well I'm glad I went! I've got lots of pictures to edit as time permits, but I've put a few of RUSSELL at the top pf the Aberglaslyn Pass on Flickr. This is the first one in the Photostream if anyone would like to have a look:

    [​IMG]RD20359. RUSSELL. by Ron Fisher, on Flickr

    The rest will follow in the fullness of time.
     
    Shed9C and steamingyorkshire like this.
  11. Leafent

    Leafent New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2017
    Messages:
    100
    Likes Received:
    58
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    The UK
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    And maybe the K1 could be restored to steam...
     
    andrewshimmin and pete2hogs like this.
  12. black5

    black5 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 1, 2006
    Messages:
    1,906
    Likes Received:
    2,445
    Occupation:
    Theatre
    Location:
    Merseyside>Bury
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
  13. 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
    Strewth! .... 'ow'd I forget to include K1 in my post???? :Wideyed: The boiler's not all that old, is it?
     
  14. estwdjhn

    estwdjhn Member

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2013
    Messages:
    324
    Likes Received:
    637
    Occupation:
    Boilermaker
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Boiler on K1 was new from Israel Newton and has only done one ten year ticket.

    I think it's time is likely to come again, however I would think NG16 overhauls will be taking priority as the railway needs a running fleet of them for the core services, while K1 is essentially a toy (if a rather large one!).
     
    30854 likes this.
  15. 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
    Having just read the latest updates from Blodge (in http://insidemotion.co.uk/2019/07/04/past-present-and-future-weekend/ ) a question occurs: Fairlie Bogies: .... I've tried to keep abreast of design developments (Musical Bogies, indeed!), but the photo of James Spooner's cradle, sitting on what I assume to be the service bogies ex-EoM, makes me wonder if the latest edition of the 'standard 4w Fairlie bogie' - assuming there is such a thing! - is doing all expected of it, or are further refinements in the pipeline?

    Although the 0-6-4t single Fairlie Gowrie recreation is in it's early stages (https://m.facebook.com/groups/906858619368479/?ref=group_header&view=group), quite how lessons learned on the 'Spooner bogies' will translate into what's needed for the 'Hunslet' 6w bogie (obviously from a very different school of design) will be fascinating to watch, as the project unfolds.
     
  16. black5

    black5 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 1, 2006
    Messages:
    1,906
    Likes Received:
    2,445
    Occupation:
    Theatre
    Location:
    Merseyside>Bury
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    ragl, 30854, Fish Plate and 1 other person like this.
  17. 76079

    76079 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2006
    Messages:
    462
    Likes Received:
    11
    Prior to the last overhaul Russell was dual fitted braking wise, then at the overhaul the vacuum side of it was removed. Then for this gala she had to have a control valve reinstated and use Prince effectively as an ejector. My questions are these:

    1 why was the vacuum removed? (As it turns out would have been rather useful)
    2 I thought the intention was to run Russell with the whhr air brakes stock and had been tested as such?

    Whilst I appreciate the amount of money it would cost, surely wouldn't it be beneficial to share a common braking system across both railways to aid interoperability and maybe even share spares?
     
  18. marshall5

    marshall5 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2010
    Messages:
    2,371
    Likes Received:
    3,973
    Location:
    i.o.m
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    It was tested some time ago, as you say, and ran from Portmadoc WHHR via Pen-y-Mount Jc. to Beddgelert with WHHR air braked stock on the evenings of Fri 21st and Sat 22nd June. Several videos of the trips on Youtube.
    Ray.
     
  19. andrewshimmin

    andrewshimmin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2011
    Messages:
    1,761
    Likes Received:
    2,160
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I find the disconnect between the locomotive policy on the FfR and on the WHR slightly odd.
    On the FfR, they are spending a lot of effort to restore Welsh Pony, a loco for which there is no traffic demand at all. Heritage is taken very seriously and locos and stock restored meticulously. Not only pre-preservation FR heritage either: the Penrhyn ladies, the replicas, these all have their place and are (rightly) much valued.
    On the WHR, there seems to be no interest in running anything except the NGG16s on long, infrequent trains. Even the NG15 is still years away from running, and K1, one of the most important locos in the FfR/WHR fleet, is largely ignored.
    Essentially it seems to come down to viewing the FfR as the heritage outfit and the WHR as a modern scenic steam-hauled journey, run along fairly commercial lines.
    Don't get me wrong, I like an NGG16, and quite understand the advantages of a compatible fleet.
    I know K1 isn't ideal for peak season service trains, but frankly neither is Welsh Pony (or Linda, or Palmerston....). I also know it's been problematic at times (as have other locos, of course). But it would be wonderful to have it in (occasional) traffic, and in the meantime on static display somewhere accessible (Caernarfon station?) as it is such an important historical locomotive.
     
  20. meeee

    meeee Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2006
    Messages:
    862
    Likes Received:
    1,317
    Welsh Pony, Linda, Palmerston, KS4415, 134, C2, Lilla, Hugh Napier, Prince all have volunteer groups providing a lot of input at overhaul. The K1 group have all but disappeared. The staff at Dinas and Boston Lodge are swamped with work at the moment, so K1 isn't going to magically re-tube itself.

    Tim
     
    michaelh and andrewshimmin like this.

Share This Page