On Shed December 2014

On Shed December 2014

" Preserving the steam locomotive legacy.. and more..on film"







Front Page

44871 & 45407 at  Chester 22 November 2014(C) Gordon Crapper


Contents:
Welcome..and news...
Warley 2014
Huntleys Film Archives
Steam Tube Photographic Highlights
Steam Tube Video Highlights
Steam Tube Blogs
100 Trains....the journey so far....
Tornado...The Story so far...
New & ReBuild News.(Hengist, Unknown Warrior.. Miller Project)
B & O Railroad Museum TV:
A-Z Great Railway Engineers (L)
Mainline Steam Schedule
On This Day in History.
Melbournes Forgotten Railway
Radstock to Frome Railway Project
Christian Wolmar...
Around the World in 80 Railways. (No 53: Sri Lanka Railways)
WATTRAIN , APHTRO
Stafford Railwayana Auctions News
30742 Charters
More from Peters Railway





Welcome..and news...
..including......WARLEY NATIONAL 2014




Tucked in a small corner near catering - not a bad location perhaps given childrens propensity for eating- we found Peters Railway, and author Christopher Vine.
We were able to have a few words with him, in between the continuous crowds who came by and stopped....





His visit to the Department for Transport, London was in connection with a childrens railway safety book, and involvement to encourage and foster ideas for careers in the railway industry.



Speaking of which....
A centrepiece attraction at the show  was the engine "Talyllyn"......



The young man on the footplate invited me on....and this was part of the conversation we had



As well as these reports from the Warley Show, this edition contains the usual  features.
And we give a warm welcome to the new members who have already contributed some lovely films from Europe......
Dick Bodily reports on visits to Wales and the celebrated mountain railways there...
And there are the usual updates from the various new and rebuild projects ongoing in the UK and elsewhere at the moment.
As ever, thank you for your continued support of Steam Tube ...The Home of Steam on the Net!







Huntleys Film Archives
The Huntleys Film Archive can be found on Steam Tube....HERE 
Do take a look...you may be able to replicate the scenes depicted......and we could enjoy a Then & Now feature..........What do you think?



Steam Tube Photographic Highlights










Steam Tube Video Highlights








Steam Tube Blogs

Welsh Narrow Gauge

This year my wife and myself planned to spent our annual holiday touring all around Wales, visiting all manner of tourist attractions.  Part of the plan was to take a trip on the Vale of Rheidol and also to check out the newly reconstructed Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland station at Portmadoc along with the now fully open southern section of the Welsh Highland.  As it turned out we took in a bit more of the Welsh Narrow gauge than just those two visits.

We arrived at Aberystwyth to on a typical Welsh summer’s afternoon downpour, but fortunately this was not to be a foretaste of the rest of the holiday’s weather.  We decided to check out the V of R station to see if it was necessary to book our train for the following morning. We found the staff there extremely helpful and friendly.  After contributing a small donation we were shown around the old British Railways shed (a subshed of Machynlleth 89C) which is still being used by the V of R. Inside were a rack of ex GWR coaches in chocolate and cream livery and locomotive number 9 ‘Prince of Wales’. This Swindon built 2-6-2T tank engine has recently been reliveried in Cambrian Railways ‘Invisible Green’.  It never actually carried this livery but the original V of R 2-6-2Ts which were very similar to the current ones did.  Ostensibly No 9 was a rebuild of one of the original V of R 2-6-2Ts but describing it as this was purely an GWR accountancy exercise.  It is even less of a rebuilt loco than LMS 5500 ‘Patriot’ was a rebuild of a Claughton.  In fact we were told by our guide that when the GWR built the other two in 1923 they made sure that they had had enough spares, including frames, to construct a third the following year!  The photos I took didn’t do justice to this stunning black livery, which I was assured has a greenish sheen when seen in bright sunlight.  We learnt that during early summer, before the school holidays begin, the two serviceable engines are used a month at a time with only one engine in steam.  This seems a very sensible plan which should reduce boiler wear compared with if the engines were being rotated more frequently.  Locomotive number 7 ‘Owain Glyndwr’ is currently awaiting a major overhaul and hasn’t been used for some years.  Now that the purpose built workshops have been completed hopefully it won’t be too long before No 7 is back working trains.  Any shunting is done by a small 0-6-0 diesel hydraulic locomotive, No 10.

Shortly afterwards locomotive No 8 ‘Llewelyn’, which at present is running in GWR green sans nameplates, arrived with a train from Devil’s Bridge.  As the rain had stopped we watched No 8 run around its train and depart for Devil’s Bridge.  At this point we realised that we were not sure exactly how to get to the B & B where we planned to spend the night.  I asked one of the station staff if he knew where it was located and not being sure he went online to provide us with a print out of our route.  Now that’s what I call first class customer service!

Next morning we arrived at the station in time to see No 8 being coaled and watered prior to taking us to Devil’s Bridge. What impresses me about these locos is their long, low and rakish appearance when seen side on, which is accentuated by their low boiler pitch and their lengthy side tanks.  As No 8 reversed back onto its rake of ex GWR coaches the busy shuffling of its outside Walschaert piston valve gear gave an impression of controlled power ready to be unleashed on the steep gradients further up the line.   We were to see colossal 2’gauge locos on the Welsh Highland but these relatively tiny 25 ton V of R locos really look the business.

The journey up the Rheidol valley begins with gentle gradients as you pass through industrial estates and pleasant farming land but soon the route  starts its climb up the side of the valley. After a water stop at Nantyronen the real hard work begins with a steady climb of almost continuous 1 in 50 and steeper gradients for the remaining 7 miles or so.  As it was a nice day we chose to ride in a semi open carriage from which we could really appreciate the locomotive crews work and the spectacular scenery.  Approaching Devil’s Bridge you take to a narrow ledge which winds its way around the mountain side through a series of sharp curves and rock cuttings, culminating in a spectacular horseshoe curve.  Below the train can be seen kites and buzzards circling high above the river.  Here and elsewhere the felling of trees has opened up several beautiful vistas which were until recently hidden from view.  All the while the impressive bark of the engine’s exhaust drowns any protesting of wheels on tight radius curves. There’s not a lot to see at Devils Bridge itself apart from the waterfall and the triple bridge so the hour or so wait before the train returned downhill was sufficient for our needs.

The V of R is a fabulous trip which sees trains climb nearly 700’ in just over 12 miles, much of the climbing being done in the second half of the journey.  Despite having a long history as a tourist line it remains arguably the most authentic preserved line in Britain with all of its coaching stock and nearly all its wagons remaining genuine ex-Great Western origin. The only noticeable change to the locos and stock being the adaptation of air braking rather than vacuum braking to improve efficiency and safety standards.

Strolling along the seafront at Aberystwyth later that day we chanced upon the Aberystwyth Electric Cliff Railway which allows a panoramic scenic view of the great curve of Aberystwyth’s promenade, now recovered from the ravishes of last winters storms.  Next day it was off to Portmadog, with a brief lunch stop at Barmouth where we  watched an Arriva train cross the iconic bridge over the Mawddach estuary.

The rebuilding of Portmadog FR & WHR station and the extensions to the Cob have been carried out superbly, its almost impossible to decide what’s newly been constructed and what was there before. Spooners Bar is impressive, it’s got the atmosphere of a proper pub and serves excellent good value pub food up till 9pm as well.  We took advantage of it each night we stayed at Portmadog, arriving in time to see the last trains arrive from Blaenau Ffestiniog and Caernarfon.

On Shed December 2014