Penrhyn Railway rebuilding to start· Page 2

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Graigfawr
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15 years ago

#21

Used to live adjacent to the Vale of Rheidol Railway. Tootling steam whistles at the road crossing were jolly irritating when trying to have a lie-in on the weekend. Further back used to live near a steeply grade colliery line in south Wales. Squealing bakes audible for a couple of miles before the train hove into view, and for a couple more miles after it disappeared from view knocked the VoR noise into a cocked hat - and it ran well into the night to boot. Can have a degree of sympathy with householders adjoining the proposed line...

Penrhynman
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15 years ago

#22

"Graigfawr" wrote:
Used to live adjacent to the Vale of Rheidol Railway. Tootling steam whistles at the road crossing were jolly irritating when trying to have a lie-in on the weekend.

The VoR is a major tourist line with big locos haulling heavy trains and running many days in the year. The rebuilt Penrhyn Railway will operate on a few days a year with small, lightly loaded trains. Quite a difference.

As to the objections to the folk who objected to steam trains next to their house, they knew that there was a possibility of big Mc Alpine lorries using the old trackbed as road access from the quarry. A few little steam locos is a delight compared to that possibility (well, I think so anyway).

Penrhynman

derrickman
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15 years ago

#23

horses for courses.

that may not be quite the right question. If I was local, I might prefer to see quarry lorries paying drivers' wages, than a fairly small-scale enthusiast's club blocking the track-bed.

see 'The Little Wonder' for an account of local resistance to the Ffestiniog on the grounds that the pumped storage scheme would provide more local employment. Actually this was proved to be wrong, at least in the long term, but the Penrhyn group is hardly another FR from what I read

''the stopes soared beyond the range of our caplamps' - David Bick...... How times change .... oh, I don't know, I've still got a lamp like that.

Penrhynman
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15 years ago

#24

"derrickman" wrote:
...but the Penrhyn group is hardly another FR from what I read

Nobody wants it to be one, either. We don't plan to become a major tourist attraction competing with the WHR or the Llanberis Slate Museum.

Local people are very encouraging, though, and want us to extend our line past the present stage two. It's early days but we are getting there slowly.

Penrhynman

Ty Gwyn
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15 years ago

#25

I would be interested to know where the local Steamtrain Railways purchase thier Coal,as around West Wales its all Russian Coal thats used.

We are in the process of aquiring the ownership of a Smallmine in South Wales,the Coal is Dry Steam,and are looking into this market as well as the domestic sales.

Any info would be gratefully recieved.

JohnnearCfon
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15 years ago

#26

A couple of months back Brecon Mountain Railway were trying to obtain some from that new open caste working that was only about 3 miles from them but they weren't able to as a condition of the planning permission for the working was that all orders had to go out by rail. They too had to get their coal from Russia.

Ty Gwyn
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15 years ago

#27

Yes ,it was on the Welsh news about the Brecon Mountain Railway purchasing Russian coal,as they could not purchase from the Ffos y fran site,as you mention due to thier planning stipulation,as all coal goes by rail ,the bulk to Aberthaw powerstation.

We are opening fairly near that area.

Graigfawr
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15 years ago

#28

When you commence production, place an article in 'Railway Magazine' - many preserved railways would probably be interested to learn of real steam coal becoming available from a UK source; transport costs to the various south Wales lines would surely make it more attractive for them than more distant lines, so letters of flyers to them might be useful too. I was talking to the staff at the Waterfront Museum in Swansea when they were steaming their replica of Trevithick's 1804 Penydarren Locomotive last year; they said that when they finished the decidely elderly remmnant of coal they had in stock, they didn't know where they would get more from, and worried what grade they would obtain. So there's one potential purchaser, albeit for very small and infrequent quantities.

Ty Gwyn
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15 years ago

#29

Thanks Graigfawr,we will certainly follow your advice about the Railway Magazine,
The Old Penydarren Pit is just on the edge of the Ffos y fran opencast,the old engine should run well on local coal.

skimble
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11 years ago

#30

Phase 2 has been announced to

Quote:

develop the Penrhyn Quarry Railway brand and extend the railway to link Felin Fawr Works with Penrhyn Quarry and Zip World with the intention of carrying passengers in both directions... The link approximately one mile in length will run alongside the Lon Las Ogwen cycle path entering the quarry near the old quarry hospital

http://penrhynquarries.webs.com/apps/blog/

derrickhand
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11 years ago

#31

A propos objections to the WHR from local landowners, it's only fair to remember that quite a few DID object, quite strongly, and were over-ruled for reasons which don't benefit them at all.

plus ca change, plus c'est le meme chose