Mountaineer...................

[festkid2004]

What Blanche or Palmerston?

If Blanche :
NOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

And you can call me Joseph or Joe for short!

joseph

[sparky123456]

not needed, below

[sparky123456]

originally posted by BruceB

Talks are rummouring of a "farewell Alco" weekend - anyone prepared to attend?

I'll go down if there is one. It wil be a pity if it isnt back until 2008/9, but i would like to know what has taken priority in the works? (The earl possibly? , speaking of which, did that break last week, as it was double heding with the blue brick)

Cheers

Chris

[festkid2004]

So if Blanche and Palmerston on loan and lilla, linda and Alco are in the work that means

The farlies (and Prince) are running the Ffestiniog Railway next summer 2006!

I will be down (i think) for the week so i will pop down!

Joseph

[Rfairlie]

I'll go down if there is one. It wil be a pity if it isnt back until 2008/9, but i would like to know what has taken priority in the works? (The earl possibly? , speaking of which, did that break last week, as it was double heding with the blue brick)

Cheers

Chris

The alco isnt needed 2 doubles engines and 2 singles is more than enough for the summer service. Also the alcos overhaul is likely to cost a substanial amount of money that isnt available at the moment. theres no point having more engines than you need it's too much to maintain. Nothing in particular is taking priority just a need to get the working engines back into top notch condition which they certinly arnt at the moment, apart from taliesin which is finally becoming reliable 6 years after it was built.
The earl is being converted to coal to save money and should be fitted with a new design of spark arrestor simalar to the one on parmeston which is now passsed to run in any weather conditions.
Linda and blanche defintly wont be going to coal in the near future it just wont work.
cheers
Tim

[BruceB]

originally posted by BruceB

Talks are rummouring of a "farewell Alco" weekend - anyone prepared to attend?

I'll go down if there is one. It wil be a pity if it isnt back until 2008/9, but i would like to know what has taken priority in the works? (The earl possibly? , speaking of which, did that break last week, as it was double heding with the blue brick)

Cheers

Chris

Priority at the moment is Linda, which as Tim says should be complete by the Summer. Work is also progressing on Lyd and Lilla's overhaul should start soon as well. Earl of Merioneth *should* get a major intermediate repair before next season, including conversion to coal firing. The intension is to get another year out of the current tanks before its major rebuilt begins in 2007.

On top of that DLG has not behaved himself this year, and is as we speak back in the works with *both* bogies out... to be honest it needs new or largely new bogies (parts of the current ones date from at least the 1930s, possibly even older..)

Regarding failures, I haven't been keeping tabs, but I know Taliesin failed, although has since been repaired.

Bare in mind that its not just what has taken priority in the works, but also what is required. Generally speaking the FR requires a minimum of two double fairles and one single locomotive.

For next season we should have:

2 if not 3 Double fairles, depending on the condition of David Lloyd George or Earl of Merioneth
2 if not 3 Single locomotives; Blanche, Taliesin, and hopefully Linda.

In addition there’s Prince and Palmerston (which can now operate during the summer for the first time as well).

Therefore, so long as the spout of failures which have dogged the past two years don't re-occur, which *should* have trouble free season.

Heres hoping,
Bruce

[MuzTrem]

The earl is being converted to coal to save money and should be fitted with a new design of spark arrestor simalar to the one on parmeston which is now passsed to run in any weather conditions.

Will Mountaineer be converted to coal firing druing her overhaul?

[Rfairlie]

i doubt it. would open up the views a bit though.......once the fires die down.

Tim

[Earl1]

Linda and blanche defintly wont be going to coal in the near future it just wont work.

I don't know, with a correctly dimensioned 4 nozzle lempor exhauster, properly designed spark arrester, good maintaince, and dare I say a brick-arch and they'd steam like a beut. Hunslet boilers are generally good steamers.
The main problem with coal firing for the Festineog maybe a lack of firemen with experience with a shovel and of "real" firing. (I say this because Oil firing deskills firing considerably).

[BruceB]

Linda and blanche defintly wont be going to coal in the near future it just wont work.

I don't know, with a correctly dimensioned 4 nozzle lempor exhauster, properly designed spark arrester, good maintaince, and dare I say a brick-arch and they'd steam like a beut. Hunslet boilers are generally good steamers.
The main problem with coal firing for the Festineog maybe a lack of firemen with experience with a shovel and of "real" firing. (I say this because Oil firing deskills firing considerably).

Neither of the points you mention is the issue. The problem is Linda and Blanche work hard, and so the risk of lineside fires is unexceptable.

Bruce

[Earl1]

One answer is to fit a very effective spark arrestor, (might clog up though).
Alternatively don't work them so hard, otherwise we'll be seeing less of them in the next few years.
The amount of sparks and how hard an engine works compared to weight of the train it is pulling also depends on the skills of the driver and fireman. If you're gonna drive freight engines like they're race horses you'll have to accept the odd spark. As long as lineside fires are spotted and extinguished quickly, before they can get a serious grip, there are no real problems (in fact they often do alot of good). For the firemans part if he has a good wedge, he needn't have to thick a fire at the front of the grate (easier to achieve on the Festineog than many other lines), and fuel consumption, as well as the likelyhood of half burn't bits of coal flying up the chimney are reduced.
Personally I'd see firing Linda or Blanche up the Festineog on coal as a great challenge, and probably a lot of fun. (tiring after a while maybe).

The earl is being converted to coal to save money and should be fitted with a new design of spark arrestor simalar to the one on parmeston which is now passsed to run in any weather conditions.

Now I'd like to see that!!, Those footplates are quite cramped so swinging a shovel would be fun!!

[Rfairlie]

the main issue with linda and blanche is the size of the firebox which is not very big. they are amazing engines and possibly the hardest worked in the uk and have defintly done more miles since preservation than any other loco.
linda already has a lempor exhaust and a brick arch. i think in the 80's the late L D Porter visited the FR and said the only way of getting those engines to do what we want them too is to oil fire them.

Tim

[Frsimplex1993]

L & B would be reduced to around 3-4 cars which would NOT be good.
The Earl is the next for coal i think. Merddin was out today!! And Blanches motion has been scraping on the crossing at Penrhyn.

[Earl1]

the main issue with linda and blanche is the size of the firebox which is not very big.

Linda & Blanche Grate Area = 5.2s qft
SLR 85 (W&L #14) Grate Area = 6.25 sqft (Quoted as I know this engine's capabilities)

What is the average weight of a Festineog coach and what is the average loading for Linda & Blanche?

[Frsimplex1993]

At the moment L & B can take 8. But with coal you would get a LOAD of sparks with 8 with coal!