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Welsh highland Railway Opens! ... but only to Beddgelert
Posted: 13 Mar 2009 21:50
by 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!
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 13 Mar 2009 23:43
by 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!
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 14 Mar 2009 00:32
by welshdragon
hmm, perhaps a tt-forums visit can be arranged!
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 29 Mar 2009 04:14
by 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!!
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 03 Apr 2009 18:57
by Born Acorn
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 04 Apr 2009 06:16
by 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.
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 04 Apr 2009 10:22
by 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?
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 04 Apr 2009 11:45
by Dave
ostlandr wrote:Strange that the Garratt design never caught on over here
It didn't catch on over here really - this Garratt's a rarity.
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 04 Apr 2009 12:25
by Born Acorn
ostlandr wrote: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.
Kevo00 wrote: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.
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 04 Apr 2009 12:44
by Dave
Born Acorn wrote:ostlandr wrote: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.
Kevo00 wrote: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.
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 04 Apr 2009 14:00
by welshdragon
Indeed. this quote from
http://www.isengard.co.uk:
Barrrie Hughes wrote: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!
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 04 Apr 2009 17:18
by 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.
Born Acorn wrote:ostlandr wrote: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.
Kevo00 wrote: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.
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 04 Apr 2009 17:50
by 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!
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 04 Apr 2009 18:37
by Born Acorn
ostlandr wrote: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!

Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 04 Apr 2009 20:14
by welshdragon
orudge wrote: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?
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 04 Apr 2009 23:46
by 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.
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 05 Apr 2009 16:51
by 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!
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 05 Apr 2009 19:29
by Dave
welshdragon wrote: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?
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 05 Apr 2009 20:22
by welshdragon
bloody hell no. it's 2 very long track sections of varying speeds.
Re: Welsh highland Railway runs first trains over complete line
Posted: 05 Apr 2009 22:23
by Ameecher
welshdragon wrote:bloody hell no. it's 2 very long track sections of varying speeds.
I think that is exactly his point.