Welsh highland Railway Opens! ... but only to Beddgelert

[welshdragon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0EOO7aqReY
is the first video of trains running across the new Welsh Highland Railway.

Considering we are in a 'recession' this is quite remarkable, ler's hope it lasts longer than the original railway!

[Kevo00]

Wow! Good to see that they have finally got it built after all the arguments etc. Am amazed they managed to get permission to share with a road for that distance!

I want to go on it now!

[welshdragon]

hmm, perhaps a tt-forums visit can be arranged!

[ostlandr]

No way- a double Fairlee and a Garratt? Maybe I can make it across the pond in 2011. Please keep the line running until I can get over there!!

[Born Acorn]

The first video is nothing, see how 87, a newly restored Garratt, does it in daylight!



This thing is pretty powerful:

[ostlandr]

Wow! In the second video, she must have been running at top speed. Amazing job of balancing those tiny drivers- a tip of the hat to the engineers who designed her. Strange that the Garratt design never caught on over here- it would have been perfect for our narrow gauge logging and mining roads.

[Kevo00]

Wow, thats good. Cool that they managed to catch the NR crossing at the right time for a 158 to cross, and the second video is quite amazing. Are they running overspeed there to test the line?

[Dave]

Strange that the Garratt design never caught on over here

It didn't catch on over here really - this Garratt's a rarity.

[Born Acorn]

Wow! In the second video, she must have been running at top speed. Amazing job of balancing those tiny drivers- a tip of the hat to the engineers who designed her. Strange that the Garratt design never caught on over here- it would have been perfect for our narrow gauge logging and mining roads.

I believe the specified top speed of a NGG16 type garratt is somewhere near 50mph. This video was at around 20mph, on a 1/40 grade.

It's interesting to note that the WHR owns the first ever Garratt, K1, and the last produced by the original company, Beyer Peacock, No 143. It also owns nos 87, 138 and 140.

I believe the LMS ordered some garratts, of which 33 were built.

Wow, thats good. Cool that they managed to catch the NR crossing at the right time for a 158 to cross, and the second video is quite amazing. Are they running overspeed there to test the line?

These are proper tests, for the HRMI needs so many done before opening, to check nothing will fall apart after a few trains.

The NR crossings right now are only protected by some catch points, the actual crossings were made during two engineering possessions. Before opening in late summer, they plan to have proper signalling for the junction. Even more so when the ETRMS trial is set up on that line.

[Dave]

Wow! In the second video, she must have been running at top speed. Amazing job of balancing those tiny drivers- a tip of the hat to the engineers who designed her. Strange that the Garratt design never caught on over here- it would have been perfect for our narrow gauge logging and mining roads.

I believe the specified top speed of a NGG16 type garratt is somewhere near 50mph. This video was at around 20mph, on a 1/40 grade.

It's interesting to note that the WHR owns the first ever Garratt, K1, and the last produced by the original company, Beyer Peacock, No 143. It also owns nos 87, 138 and 140.

I believe the LMS ordered some garratts, of which 33 were built.

Wow, thats good. Cool that they managed to catch the NR crossing at the right time for a 158 to cross, and the second video is quite amazing. Are they running overspeed there to test the line?

These are proper tests, for the HRMI needs so many done before opening, to check nothing will fall apart after a few trains.

The NR crossings right now are only protected by some catch points, the actual crossings were made during two engineering possessions. Before opening in late summer, they plan to have proper signalling for the junction. Even more so when the ETRMS trial is set up on that line.

I assume it's being treated as a level crossing, with the catchpoints acting as barriers. Pretty much.

[welshdragon]

Indeed. this quote from http://www.isengard.co.uk:

The GWR crossing (LC122) is at Ch. 34150. This will be protected by colour light signals for both narrow gauge and standard gauge routes. Immediately south of LC122 is the site of the original Porthmadoc New (1923) station. This station was sited at the north end of Porthmadog in order to be a short walk from the GWR station. A footpath ran along the south side of the GWR boundary to Porthmadog (GWR) station. The loop was to the left and there were platforms on both sides of the line.

Currently they are running a lot of HMRI services over the stretch of line between Beddgelert and Porthmadog (the stretch of line from Rhyd Ddu to Beddgelert having opened just a few days ago).

It's all very exciting!

[ostlandr]

50 mph from those drivers?!?

Okay, I need to take a business trip over there in the next year or two to study that critter up close.

Wow! In the second video, she must have been running at top speed. Amazing job of balancing those tiny drivers- a tip of the hat to the engineers who designed her. Strange that the Garratt design never caught on over here- it would have been perfect for our narrow gauge logging and mining roads.

I believe the specified top speed of a NGG16 type garratt is somewhere near 50mph. This video was at around 20mph, on a 1/40 grade.

It's interesting to note that the WHR owns the first ever Garratt, K1, and the last produced by the original company, Beyer Peacock, No 143. It also owns nos 87, 138 and 140.

I believe the LMS ordered some garratts, of which 33 were built.

Wow, thats good. Cool that they managed to catch the NR crossing at the right time for a 158 to cross, and the second video is quite amazing. Are they running overspeed there to test the line?

These are proper tests, for the HRMI needs so many done before opening, to check nothing will fall apart after a few trains.

The NR crossings right now are only protected by some catch points, the actual crossings were made during two engineering possessions. Before opening in late summer, they plan to have proper signalling for the junction. Even more so when the ETRMS trial is set up on that line.

[orudge]

Nice videos there, Born Acorn, I shall have to visit the WHR sometime. Maybe we should make a day trip out of it in the summer!

[Born Acorn]

50 mph from those drivers?!?

Okay, I need to take a business trip over there in the next year or two to study that critter up close.

Well, the speedometer goes up to over 100!

[welshdragon]

Nice videos there, Born Acorn, I shall have to visit the WHR sometime. Maybe we should make a day trip out of it in the summer!

can I come too?

[Born Acorn]

The WHR would be a good place for a meeting, although keep in mind it's not open fully until August/September, and timetables suggest it may be impossible to do a Caernarfon/Blaenau Ffestiniog return in a single day.

[welshdragon]

Hmm, that is true, looks to be bad planning on their part, we could just go one way, starting at Caernarfon and ending at Blaenau... it does mean that we will need to think about transportation, as well as an earls start!

[Dave]

Hmm, that is true, looks to be bad planning on their part, we could just go one way

It's not a short section of track at 20mph though is it?

[welshdragon]

bloody hell no. it's 2 very long track sections of varying speeds.

[Ameecher]

bloody hell no. it's 2 very long track sections of varying speeds.

I think that is exactly his point.