First Passenger Train on WHR Cross Town Link

[John L Dobson]

The first train to carry passengers over the Cross-Town Rail Link in Porthmadog operated this morning - a special consisting of FR England locomotive Palmerston and the 1870s heritage set. The passengers were the FR Trustees and guests - the last week of September is the traditional time for the Trustees inspection train, preceding the FR Company AGM, which takes place on Friday.

See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQK8Ly_9RZo

Stills here:
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/alb ... 0472834937

[Ira Schreiber]

I look forward to riding this next September(2011) on my vist to Wales.
Congratulations to all involved.
Ira Schreiber
Aurora, CO
U.S.A.

[John L Dobson]

I look forward to riding this next September(2011) on my vist to Wales.
Congratulations to all involved.
Ira Schreiber
Aurora, CO
U.S.A.

I was on yesterday's train, and have now achieved something I once thought impossible - to have travelled over every inch of the FR and WHR between Blaenau and Caernarfon by passenger train... By September next year you will be able to do the entire  journey yourself - but probably not as one continuous journey. Timetables for 2011 are still being worked out. However, until we can find the money to remodel and extend Harbour Station at Porthmadog, trains from Porthmadog to Caernarfon and vice-versa are only likely to operate early in the morning and late afternoon, so as not to interfere with FR services (there's only one platform at Harbour Station at present, and WHR trains would have to reverse into it).

The FR will be closed between January and Easter 2011 due to construction of the Minffordd-Porthmadog-Tremadog bypass. A large new double-track bridge is being built carry the FR over the bypass at Minffordd, and we are intending to take the opportunity to remodel and extend the loops there, and to relay the station tracks in 'heritage' bullhead materials. The 'sherry and mince pie' shuttles run for the Shearings coach company as part of their short break holiday programme in January and February will therefore run between Porthmadog and Hafod y Llyn loop on the WHR, rather than on the FR. This will be the first public use of the Cross-Town Link, the Cambrian NG/SG crossing, and the line as far as Pont Croesor.

[James Patten]

How far north of the Minfforrdd station is the new bypass?  And how long will your passing loop now be?  It's already fairly long.

Also if full trip WHR trains are only going to be early and late, what will they do in the middle of the day?

[John L Dobson]

The new bypass will pass under the current 'top' (Blaenau end) loop points at Minffordd - there's currently a haul road for the enormous Volvo articulated dump trucks the contractors are using for the excavations  which crosses the FR just above the loop - the location called Bron Turnor on the FR route map. The new loop will be around 155 metres long when it's finished. The WHR and FR are working towards a standard length of about 160 metres for loops at all crossings - long enough for 12 bogie carriages and a Garratt, plus wiggle room.

The present plan is that WHR trains from Caernarfon during the middle of the day in 2011 will continue to turn back at Pont Croesor, with a bus link to Harbour Station. Pont Croesor has various advantages - it has a large car park and is therefore a good 'park and ride' option for people not wanting to tangle with the bypass roadworks around Porthmadog, and it has relatively easy access for coach parties.

[James Patten]

If memory serves me there were some residences at the north end of the Minffordd loop.  I'm guessing those aren't there any more?

How far up the Ffestiniog will the Garratts make it?  I'd say Garnedd tunnel would be too small for them (except perhaps for K1).

[John L Dobson]

No. The residences just north of Minffordd will remain. They are actually nearer to the station than the present top points. No property is being demolished for the bypass, which is a great relief to the FR's Commercial Manager, who owns one of the Minffordd houses with her husband! She will, however, lose a corner of her driveway to the roundabout being constructed at the end of the bypass on the Boston Lodge - Penrhyndeudraeth road.

The Garratts won't fit any higher up the FR than Boston Lodge - they are 7 feet wide over the cylinders, but there are places on the FR where the formation is only 6'11" between stone walls... The Garratts are also far too tall to go through Rhiw Plas bridge, just above Boston Lodge. 12 car trains on the FR are hauled by the double Fairlies - sometimes double-headed with one of the smaller engines if they are coal-burners and the weather is dry (this is to mitigate spark throwing by avoiding the need for locomotives to work at full throttle)