Garden Railway Forum

philipy wrote: ↑Mon Aug 01, 2022 10:59 am Nice pictures as usual, Andrew.

Andrew wrote: ↑Mon Aug 01, 2022 10:41 am
this whole section of line could do with some work! Some is largely cosmetic(ballasting the relayed bit, mending the fencing etc),

Mmmm... I imagine that if Mr Spectre ever manages to stagger his way back norf' from the Land of Oz, he might have a few words to say about things!

I think you may be right. The state of the fencing was among the things he raised during his last visit, and I'm sure he wouldn't be impressed with raised trackbed the consistency of soggy cardboard...

I just thought you were trying to emulate the pecuniary precariousness of the line's namesake.....

Rik

ge_rik wrote: ↑Mon Aug 01, 2022 7:00 pm I just thought you were trying to emulate the pecuniary precariousness of the line's namesake.....

Rik

I'm not sure the real thing was open long enough to fall too far into disrepair - I reckon my track's more overgrown than any pictures I've seen of the old WHR!

But, talking of the real WHR...

Over the past weekend, the Welsh Highland Highland Railway(s) have been celebrating the centenary of the opening of the first bit of the WHR, the former NWNGR section between Dinas Junction and South Snowdon. "Russell" and a train including the original Gladstone and buffet cars and the replica Pickering brake has made a wonderful sight revisiting that stretch of line. I couldn't be there, so I did the next best thing and trundled my own version of a very similar train around the garden.

Here it is:

That was the first time I've run Russell in ages - I must do it again soon, maybe with a goods train...

Cheers,

Andrew

Andrew wrote: ↑Mon Aug 01, 2022 7:17 pm I must do it again soon,

Yes you should Andrew, nice pics.
Grant.

I love seeing updates of your line Andrew and the photos show me what a great line and rolling stock you have. More updates please Andrew, they are always nice to see

A link to a short video:

https://youtu.be/B4laVx5hGeA

Apparently, best enjoyed on an 8 foot screen, with the sound turned-up!
(Video courtesy of David Mellor).

Phil.P

Fantastic Andrew, and very apt.

I love the track repairs too, nice to see the platelayers favourite tool to the fore!

SVLR Andrew

Hi all,

I mentioned a week or so ago that, having just completed the Ffestiniog coal wagon, I fancied running a train entirely made up of metal-bodied wagons - and, this weekend, I took advantage of the autumn sun and did just that.

The rusty rake chose themselves, but needed a loco and a brake van, so I opted for the Regner and Padarn guards van, both of which seemed to fit the decrepit vibe.

I don't think there's much more to say, so here are the pictures:


Cheers all,

Andrew.

Lovely pictures, Andrew, and very fortunate with the local weather conditions too!

It looks like they all rattled along quite nicely!

Rik

ge_rik wrote: ↑Mon Nov 14, 2022 3:10 pm It looks like they all rattled along quite nicely!

As I suspected, the axleboxes on the new coal wagon are a bit gummed up with paint, which had the effect of it acting like the brakes were partially on - so even the mighty Regner had to work hard to drag it up the hill. Remedial work will be required!

As Peter said though, a lovely day for a steam up...

Andrew.

They look brilliant Andrew. Love the weathering, it's superb.

Hi Andrew,

The railway is looking really good. You did well to battel your way through the leaves!

SVLR Andrew

Hello!

Regular Forum-ites might recall that, in a nod to the original Welsh Highland, on my WHR-inspired garden line I generally stop running passenger trains after the summer season. I do like the occasion to be marked by a last train, however, so unless I actually get round to running one the summer season can be somewhat longer than one might expect - this year, it just about made it to December!

Yesterday, Palmerston and a Ffestiniog rake did the honours, with the plume of steam from the loco reaching 8' or more into the air in the cold and misty conditions. In truth, that was partly because I'm still not used to the loco's gas control and so was wasting an awful lot of steam through the safety valve, but it looked impressive! I need to get round to lining it too, but I'm not too bothered because it's such a lovely looking engine already - even my wife commented on that yesterday, although she did resist my suggestion that we probably ought to buy another one...

Anyway, here's the last passenger train until Easter or so, in the decidedly wintery looking garden:


Cheers all,

Andrew

Lovely pics! The passengers are lucky the season extended long enough to enjoy this.

Andrew wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 11:31 am even my wife commented on that yesterday, although she did resist my suggestion that we probably ought to buy another one...

"Ought to"

Well quite, it goes without saying. The logic is inescapable.

Beautiful images Andrew, a wonderful collection you have every right to be proud of.

You guys are lucky with your cooler temperatures showing nice steam atmospherics, down here they're far less obvious most of the time.
Nice shots Andrew.
Grant.

Love the photos Andrew, they do show off your Palmerston and the coaches look great too.

It's not just moisture your line is dripping with - it's atmosphere too!

Hi all,

Over on my Rolling Stock thread, I mentioned that - having just finished another van - I quite fancied running a Christmas mail train. I've not seen any evidence that anything remotely like it ever ran on the Welsh Highland or Ffestiniog, but I was thinking of pictures I'd seen of standard gauge trains, with a passenger brake and a motley collection of vans, or perhaps even the Night Mail - "the gradient's against her, but she's on time!"

With that in mind, I'd prepared "Palmerston" for the run, the closest I've got to a Scot or a Patriot or whatever, on the grounds that it's red and has a tender and, perhaps, a certain gravitas? And then it snowed, and so I really had to run a Christmas train, but there was no way I was going to pit all that new and expensive Roundhouse hardware against the elements - and so "Daisy", my trusty Regner, was rostered instead.

The first task was to clear the line. I don't have a snowplough, but the Regner's cowcatcher sort of works, in combination with its brute strength and robust construction. Accompanied by just a guard's van, "Daisy" charged off up the line, driving growing piles of snow before it until it could go no further, at which point I'd scoop the accumulated heap out of the way, and reverse the loco a little to charge at the next drift - it all felt a bit "Snowdrift at Bleath Gill". Or Ivor the Engine. Fun, either way.

Here's "Daisy" arriving at Penlan:




With the line more or less clear, it was back down to Trefechan to collect the rest of the train - three goods vans and passenger brake No 2. For the first time that I recall, the loco struggled to pull the train I'd coupled behind it. Those vans contain quite a lot of lead, and the line was covered not just in snow and ice, but in leaf slime as well. The train slipped and struggled its way up the hill, finally arriving at Penlan, where I decided to terminate the working - apart from anything else, the loco had been working hard for some time, and must have been running low on water. The good folk at Clarach will have to wait a little longer for their Christmas parcels.

I got cold, and wet, but I had fun. And "Palmerston"'s still fueled, oiled and watered, ready to go. Next weekend, maybe???





Cheers,

Andrew.