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The Ffestiniog poll
Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2003 7:46 pm
by Rfairlie
I thought i'd do a poll on the best FR engine as there's one for the best Tallylyn engine
Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2003 7:48 pm
by BruceB
Um tough one.
Melvin first.
Tal second.
DLG third.
Prince forth.
Least favorite: thats easy, got to be the Earl.
Bruce
Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2003 7:54 pm
by BruceB
Indeed I can wait to see ME back in traffic, and alongside Tal (or even double heading

) as they have never worked together before.
Bruce
Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2003 7:55 pm
by Rfairlie
The Earls not quite as ugly as it used to be it has shiny domes and things like that now. Melvin seems to coming along quite nicely at the moment quicker than the K1 anyway.
My favorites are:
Blanche
Linda
Britomart (not in the poll couldn't have that many options)
Tal
Tim
Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2003 8:01 pm
by BruceB
Yes the Earl is less ugly...but still shows the best of 70s design.
Flares, VWs and tacky colours... and then the Earl! Had she been built 5 years later she would have probalby been built to the original outline!
Yes the Earls square tanks is the FR second biggest mistake (the first begin the srapping of Moel Tryfan

)
Bruce
Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2003 8:07 pm
by Rfairlie
The third was making Gorden Rushden GM
I too will be forever mourning the loss of Moel Tryfan

Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2003 9:19 pm
by pitleyfalley
Well arguably the Ffes's biggest mistake was the takeover of the WHR.. There is a possibility that, without the takeover the Ffes could have made it through.
Favorite engine is Merddin... I just love the maroon colour scheme. With secdond favorite coming in as Linda, again the midnight blue paint job suits it very well....
Least Favorite engine has to be Mountineer...
Chris
Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2003 7:32 pm
by selsig
Rfairlie wrote:The third was making Gorden Rushden GM
I too will be forever mourning the loss of Moel Tryfan

I don't think Gordon was half as bad as Ken Allen. Gordon could at least Man Manage, and was enthusiastic - even if he couldn't control the finances. Ken Allen was hated from point dot, and whilst publically making the FR look like it was getting under control was frittering away the money faster than Gordon ever managed, and left the railway in a right mess, with staff morale at an all time low. You should have been in Spooners the night he got the boot - it was an all out celebration, and occasioned the return of some staff that hadn't worked on the railway for nearly a year due to the management.
Gordon at least didn't alianate staff to the point that they left, and he certainly brought in the punters...
John
preservation FR top 5 mistake list (IMHO)
Scrapping Moel Tryfan
Hiring Ken Allen
The 1969 rebuild of Merddin
The original styling of the Earl
Firing Colin Dukes (this is what made Gordon unpopular)
Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2003 9:17 pm
by BruceB
Merddin's Rebuild was awrfull, but unvoidable, although they could have put it a little more effort to return it to its original outline...
Rushdon fired Colin Dukes!?!
Bruce
Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2003 10:15 pm
by selsig
Well, I say fired but I do in fact mean "made his position redundant", along with that of Angus Butterworth of the P Way dept at the time. It was generally seen as the company getting rid of one too many people at a time when passenger figures were rising and noone could see why until Gordon's appaling financial management came into the open a year or two later.
Don't get me wrong, I like the guy personally, but he could not run a railway - he should have been made marketing manager, at which job he would have excelled. Ken Allen on the other hand.......
John