Variegated Vale Vehicles
The Vale of Rheidol Railway opened in 1902 as an independent company running between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge. In 1913 it was taken over by the Cambrian Railway which became part of the GWR.
Ultimately it was nationalised and became British Railways' only narrow gauge line. But from its earliest days it developed a tourist business to compensate for the decline of slate traffic.
So it's stock acquired BR livery, and, horror or of horrors then appeared in corporate BR blue.
... and a stainless steel logo!
The coaches were also blue.
A celebratory version did materialise but fbb knows not when. It had white lining (!) ...
The folks at Aberystwyth, now once again independent, have now recreated the original blue one one loco ...
... and BR green on another.
Great British Railways livery to appear on the third?
Bachmann Has Got The Hump!
fbb well remembers an Institute of Transport visit to Tinsley Marshalling Yard, the anticipated saviour of British Rail's traditional wagon load traffic.
It was hump shunting with a small hump. Wagons Were propelled from bump to sidings by click-clackety hydraulic wheel pushers and slowers made by Dowty.
When "the management" found that their shutters needed more oomph, there was no suitable loco that was short enough to go over the bump without doing the rail equivalent of grounding its wheelset.
So they made one!
They made three, in fact, by joining two shutters together as a master and a slave.
Effectively the cab of the slave was removed and control wired to the master.
Now comes the news that this Class 13 us to be the subject of a Bachmann OO gauge model.
Now who will be the first to build a model of the yard, possible reduced in overall size, but with working, or at least, simulated, Dowty pushers and slowers?
The technically advanced yard did not save the traditional traffic, but Beeching's 'Liner' trains became the prophesied standard.
Red Funnel Takeover "Concern"
There is nothing that the MPs can do about it. Likewise the Island's councils.
The most serious question is concerning what happens when the new investors realise they have bought a 'basket case' on the brink of self destruction.
Their investors are in it for a quick smash-and-grab profit; so if the investment doesn't score quickly ...
... here we go again ...
... looking for yet another investor.
Yus M'Lady!
Thunderbird is celebrating its 60th Birthday with fbb kindly remembering Parker ...
... chauffeur to Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward. Their car, a specially up-fettled Roller, was often a star of the show.
Currently the car is available as a Corgi model ...
... a large scale plastic kit ...
... and a Sclaextric racing car. Parker would have enjoyed the race track drive and, naturally, he would always win.
Home, M'Lady?
Many other versions are available.
Where The X Are You?
Not the most successful of the Beeb's reality challenge shows.
Location, please of this station roof ..
... and of this very empty station.
Effectively it was closed due to a signalling fault further back along the line.
And Those Dimples?
They were in the bays of Penzance bus station. Here, nasty heavy buses have parked to collect those irritating passengers who was to take a ride.
Unfortunately, the council have used a layer of tarmac and its foundations that is too weak for buses! So, slowly and surely, the wheels are sinking.
How foolish of the council to forget that buses are heavy. To cope with what is something of a surprise to Cornwall council, most bus station "aprons" are made of good strong concrete, so the buses won't sink.
Engineering advice is free from fbb.
Branch Line Beautiful
On their way back from Penzance via their chums' pad, the fbbs caught a train from Perranwell Station - a station which fbb had never used before.
There it is, one stop from Truro on the Falmouth branch. And what a delight it was. Signs were in Western Region brown and cream ...
The waiting shelter was not a bus shelter but something more substantial ...
... which actually looks like a station shelter. The halt is unstaffed but has a ticket machine which appeared to be easier to use than most, but, shock horror, it did NOT dispense proper orange stripe tickets. 
All you get is a paper till receipt type ...
... which, presumably won't operate any barriers!
The station also has a splendid tub of flowers.
Way back, it used to have a very splendid signal box ...
... and even more way even more back it had two platforms, sidings and a goods shed!
The goods shed plus modern extension are in commercial use and there is a car park and bus stop.
To add to the fun, the station called Perranwell is at Perranwell Station.
Paper ticket type only is shown; as Mrs fbb threw the originals in the bin.
An Appeal For Help
Some time ago, Bachmann sold a set of three tank wagons, replicating the liveries of the first ever Hornby Dublo tank wagons.
In a rush of blood to the head and a drain of cash from the pocket, fbb bought the pack, but cheaply.
He has an original Dublo green tank in his collection, he has an original red Dublo tank in his collection BUT not the original fawn coloured Esso version.
The Esso livery is, of course, the least easy to obtain with most models on auction sites and usually already sold.
Does anyone have one in the loft, junk box, toy cupboard etc?
As a sideshow to his main collection, fbb would like to display the Bachmann set alongside the Hornby Dublo set. The old miser is prepared to pay postage and a reasonable price. Does anyone have one to offer? A note via ...
fbb@xephos.com
... will make contact!
Tomorrow, fbb will look at some new trams for an old tram system.
Next Poland blog : Tues 7 Oct
British Railways had at least two other narrow-gauge lines apart from the VoR: the Corris Railway, although only for a few months before it closed, and the Welshpool & Llanfair, which went on until (I think) 1956. Both exist in preserved form and are well worth visiting.
ReplyDeleteSo Perrenwell Station station? I assume the paper ticket had a qr code to scan at ticket barriers?
ReplyDelete