SRRL Steam- in Wales!

[nathanmallard]

I've just visited the website for the Brecon Mountain Railway, and it appears they have started a very ambitious project:
They are building two, yes two, replica SRRL steam locom
otives to run on the newly extended line. One is a replica of 2-6-2 No.23, and the other is of Forney No.10. The Forney is slightly more complete, with all of the loco 'below the boiler' just about finished, including the unique bogey which sits underneath the bunker. I have no doubt the BMR will complete this undertaking as they have also built a superb replica SRRL caboose and have plenty of experience with Baldwin products too. Also of note is the scenery - in the right conditions, it looks an awful lot like Maine or perhaps even Colorado! Here's a photo of BMR Baldwin No.2 at Torpantau to give you an idea:

What is everybody else's opinion on this? I find it somewhat intriguing that there seems to be more interest in recreating the Sandy River and Rangely Lakes Railroad in the UK than there is in the US.

 

[JCitron]

That looks really awesome! I rode behind the original locomotives when they pulled trains at a museum called Edaville. Today the trains have been shipped up to the Narrow Gauge Museuem I Portland Maine.

That's very interesting... There is a SR&RL museum and some of the track has been relaid up there in Maine. Their hope is to restore the line to operating condition again some day. The museum is located about 170 miles north of where I live in the western mountains of Maine

http://srrl-rr.org/hist.htm

John

 

[nathanmallard]

How many SRRL steamers have survived? I thought some of the Forneys were still in existence somewhere in the US, but I didn't think any of the big 2-6-2s were preserved?
BTW, if you are ever in South Wales, this line is a must do. There are longer NG lines in Wales, but the BMR is the longest and most scenic railway within an hour or so of Cardiff. I have been, and it is impressive, not so much as the FR/WHR though.

 

[MeowRailroad]

That's really cool, yet I wonder why it's happening in the UK rather than the US as even in the US 2ft gauge has a small following. I would think US 2ft gauge would be even less followed in the UK.

 

[nathanmallard]

You'd be surprised- since the 1980s the UK has been adopting the world's unwanted 2ft gauge locomotives. You could fill an aircraft hanger with all the South African stuff!

 

[JCitron]

How many SRRL steamers have survived? I thought some of the Forneys were still in existence somewhere in the US, but I didn't think any of the big 2-6-2s were preserved?
BTW, if you are ever in South Wales, this line is a must do. There are longer NG lines in Wales, but the BMR is the longest and most scenic railway within an hour or so of Cardiff. I have been, and it is impressive, not so much as the FR/WHR though.

I don't know actually. There were a few of the smaller ones active at Edaville when I was there 30-years ago along with some passenger cars and freight cars. Sadly, the bigger locos were scrapped.

Another narrow gauge line, also in Maine, is the Wiscasset, Waterville, and Farmington Railroad which lasted until the 1930s. These guys have been doing some great work in getting a portion of their line back in operation.

http://wwfry.org/

John

 

[nathanmallard]

Wow, the WW&F looks good. I wasn't aware of that. Am I right in thinking that in the US, when it came to narrow gauge, 3ft was the rule and 2ft the exception? In the UK it is very much the other way round.

 

[clam1952]

You'd be surprised- since the 1980s the UK has been adopting the world's unwanted 2ft gauge locomotives. You could fill an aircraft hanger with all the South African stuff!

Not forgetting Collection X........

 

[JCitron]

Wow, the WW&F looks good. I wasn't aware of that. Am I right in thinking that in the US, when it came to narrow gauge, 3ft was the rule and 2ft the exception? In the UK it is very much the other way round.

That's right. 3ft was usually the norm except for here in New England where we went for the old 2-footers instead. The old Wobbly looks great, and they've been making some nice strides with their work. I found that out from someone I met at our local supermarket. We crossed paths and I remarked about his T-shirt which showed the railroad on it. He said he and his son had just come back from visiting. One thing lead to another... and trains and Trainz came up of course.

There's an interesting story about the old Wobbly regarding their last run. They were a declining operation like many of the narrow gauge lines during the Great Depression which where hit pretty hard due to increased automobile traffic and declining freight customers. One day their main locomotive fell off the tracks, no one was hurt except the engine. The crew, engineer, and anyone else on the train left the train where it was and everyone quit. The line was shutdown and stuff sold off. The ROW remained in place for quite some time, except for in Wiscasset where a big part was obliterated by modern construction. The town high school, I think, sits on their ROW and yard area in that town.

Unlike Philips, ME where the SRRL runs, Wiscasset is in a more touristy area of Maine called Down East Maine. It's Oceanside with steep rocky coasts, sailboats, inlets, forests, and lots of farms. Today the Maine Eastern runs passenger service from Brunswick out to Rockland, and I've got that portion in the works of a future route.

http://binged.it/1MluKWA

John