UK: Wales: A Visit to Brecon Mountain Railway
| August 11, 2014 08:32AM |
On Tuesday, July 15, 2014, we visited Brecon Mountain Railway, which operates from Pant near Merthyr Tydfil along the full length of the Pontsticill Reservoir to Torpantau, Wales, United Kingdom. This 2-foot gauge railway is laid on the roadbed of a former standard gauge railway. An interesting railway museum exists a mile or so north of Pant at Pontsticill.
Power for our train was Brecon Mountain Railway 2, 4-6-2 (BLW 61269 / 1930), 2-foot gauge, ex-Eastern Province Cement Co., Port Elizabeth, South Africa. This Baldwin locomotive is one of only a handful of serviceable US-built steam locomotives operating in the United Kingdom.
Also serviceable at Brecon Mountain Railway are the following locomotives:
• "Graf Schwerin-Löwitz" 0-6-2 (Jung 1261 / 1908), 60 cm gauge, ex-Mecklenburg Pommersche Schmalspurbahn, Germany
• "Sybil" 0-4-0 (Hunslet 827 / 1903), 2-foot gauge, ex-Pen-Yr-Orsedd Slate Quarry, Nantlle near Caernarfon, North Wales, United Kingdom
• "Pendyffryn" 0-4-0 (De Winton & Co., Caernarfon, Wales ? / 1897), 2-foot gauge, ex-Pen-Yr-Orsedd Slate Quarry, Nantlle near Caernarfon, North Wales, United Kingdom
• "Redstone" 0-4-0 (Mr. Redstone / Penmaenmawr Granite Quarry [no works number] / 1903), 2-foot gauge
Under repair is: Brecon Mountain Railway 1, 2-6-0 (BLW 15511 / 1897), 1' 11-3/4" gauge, ex-Mogyana Railway, Brazil (Mogyana Railway was meter gauge.)
Incredibly, Brecon Mountain Railway is constructing two new steam locomotives, both being built using original Baldwin drawings of Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes locomotives:
• Brecon Mountain Railway 3, 2-6-2; based on Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes 23, 2-6-2 (BLW 40733 / 1913), 2-foot gauge, original locomotive scrapped in 1936.
• Brecon Mountain Railway 4, 2-4-4, Forney; based on Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes 10, 2-4-4 (BLW 42231 / 1916), 2-foot gauge, original locomotive scrapped in 1936.
Several images are attached. The image of Baldwin 2 at Eastern Province Cement is courtesy of Charlie Lewis (South Africa).
On Monday, August 11, 2014 2:19 AM, Brecon Mountain Railway wrote:
Hi
I am pleased you enjoyed your visit here.
We are making good progress with the Sandy River locomotives and have started building the new boilers for two of them.
The machining of the second cylinder for No.10 is nearly finished and then its a pair of cylinders to machine for No.23.
Best wishes
Michael Hills
Brecon Mountain Railway
T: 01685 722988
www.breconmountainrailway.co.uk
Power for our train was Brecon Mountain Railway 2, 4-6-2 (BLW 61269 / 1930), 2-foot gauge, ex-Eastern Province Cement Co., Port Elizabeth, South Africa. This Baldwin locomotive is one of only a handful of serviceable US-built steam locomotives operating in the United Kingdom.
Also serviceable at Brecon Mountain Railway are the following locomotives:
• "Graf Schwerin-Löwitz" 0-6-2 (Jung 1261 / 1908), 60 cm gauge, ex-Mecklenburg Pommersche Schmalspurbahn, Germany
• "Sybil" 0-4-0 (Hunslet 827 / 1903), 2-foot gauge, ex-Pen-Yr-Orsedd Slate Quarry, Nantlle near Caernarfon, North Wales, United Kingdom
• "Pendyffryn" 0-4-0 (De Winton & Co., Caernarfon, Wales ? / 1897), 2-foot gauge, ex-Pen-Yr-Orsedd Slate Quarry, Nantlle near Caernarfon, North Wales, United Kingdom
• "Redstone" 0-4-0 (Mr. Redstone / Penmaenmawr Granite Quarry [no works number] / 1903), 2-foot gauge
Under repair is: Brecon Mountain Railway 1, 2-6-0 (BLW 15511 / 1897), 1' 11-3/4" gauge, ex-Mogyana Railway, Brazil (Mogyana Railway was meter gauge.)
Incredibly, Brecon Mountain Railway is constructing two new steam locomotives, both being built using original Baldwin drawings of Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes locomotives:
• Brecon Mountain Railway 3, 2-6-2; based on Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes 23, 2-6-2 (BLW 40733 / 1913), 2-foot gauge, original locomotive scrapped in 1936.
• Brecon Mountain Railway 4, 2-4-4, Forney; based on Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes 10, 2-4-4 (BLW 42231 / 1916), 2-foot gauge, original locomotive scrapped in 1936.
Several images are attached. The image of Baldwin 2 at Eastern Province Cement is courtesy of Charlie Lewis (South Africa).
On Monday, August 11, 2014 2:19 AM, Brecon Mountain Railway wrote:
Hi
I am pleased you enjoyed your visit here.
We are making good progress with the Sandy River locomotives and have started building the new boilers for two of them.
The machining of the second cylinder for No.10 is nearly finished and then its a pair of cylinders to machine for No.23.
Best wishes
Michael Hills
Brecon Mountain Railway
T: 01685 722988
www.breconmountainrailway.co.uk
| Subject | Author | Posted |
|---|---|---|
|
schultzestate | August 11, 2014 08:32AM |
|
daveyb | August 11, 2014 04:29PM |
|
philip.marshall | August 11, 2014 11:29PM |
|
daveyb | August 12, 2014 03:25AM |
|
Stewart Rhine | August 12, 2014 04:30AM |
|
Gavin Hamilton | August 21, 2014 05:19AM |
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.
488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
The NGDF was started by Don Richter and is currently operated in his memory by Nathan Holmes and others. Others who have contributed to the upkeep of this board are (in no particular order): Charles McCandless, Everett Lueck, Ted Wilton, Cole Adams, James Bane, John Moellmer, Jon Bentz, Linn Moedinger, lloyd lehrer, Rod Jensen, John Craft, Steven Forney, Herb Kelsey, Bill Ramaley, Russ Sperry (El Russo Loco), Josh McNeal, John West, Jim Armstrong, Bob Bergstrom, Greg Scholl, Blake Forbes Doug van Veelen and Mark Fuller.