England / Ireland Trip report

[rswinnerton]

 Hi Guys,
I wanted to share some of the pics I took on our recent trip to England and Ireland. I'm also making a movie with some of the video I shot. (My new Canon digital camera also shoots video). We flew to Ireland and spent 3 days there. They have a reputation for drinking and it's quite well deserved. You can't swing a dead hooker without hitting a pub. Anyway, on with the trains.

I'll start the pictures in Wales as apparently my Ireland pictures (including the Guinness 2' gauge street tracks and LUAS streetcar system) were erased by my wife who overwrote my images with pictures of flowers and old bits of rock.

We spent a couple days in Porthmadog, which is home to 3 2' gauge railways. The Welsh Highland Rwy, The Ffestiniog and the Welsh Highlands Centre. There is also a standard gauge main line and this is taken from the Highlands Centre station



It was kinda neat to see all the little cars (wagons) that the 2' railways used.



Over on the Welsh Highland / Ffestiniog, We caught a former African Garrett articulated loco leaving for the run over the WHR. Here we see it running in the main street over Brittania Bridge.



Here's a better shot as the loco leaves the roadway for it's run up the mountain. The bunker closest to the camera is actually the rear of the loco and is for the coal. Then the cab and boiler, then the water tender.



A few minutes later, the FfRY arrived with a train. The FfRW and WHR share a station in Porthmadog.



A while later, we caught Farlie's Patent, a Farlie type double ended (giggity) locomotive owned by the FfRY.



The second day, we got a ride on the WHR and the train was pulled by the Garrett. I also got some sweet video of the run. The nice thing was we were in a 3rd class carriage which had windows that dropped down into the door, so it was easy to shoot the train and scenery.

[rswinnerton]

The first order of business upon arrival in England was a trip to the Railway museum in York. On display there were 3 of the 6 Gresley A4 Pacifics, Dominion of Canada, Dwight D Eisenhower and Mallard. In July, all 6 will be there together. Unfortunately, the crowd and the light made it hard to get good shots.







Two interesting things about English engines are the ability to use either the "hook and screw" couplers or a swing up knuckle coupler....


And some locomotives were built with pass-through tenders so that crews could be changed "on the fly".


I was also lucky enough to catch the other A4s IN STEAM!! Sir Nigel Gresley was visiting the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (where my dad volunteers) and while at York station, I caught "Bittern" and "Union of South Africa" swapping vintage coach stock (18 coaches). That was all video, so no pics, but here is a picture of York Station while we were waiting. I also purchased an OO scale (1:76) model of the DMUs in the background while I was there.



One last thing for tonight... The museum at York has a room of "uncataloged" items that it's working to add to the collection. Among them was a signalman's training layout that my dad used in the 1960s when he went to work for the LNER. They used this to train signal men in the operation of interlocking frames and signals.

[Mr Z]

Would the knuckle couplers be a modification that was made when some of these engines toured the U.S.?

I believe both the Dwight D Eisenhower and Dominion of Canada were transported to York this year and will eventually return to North America.

Martin Z

[Bob Bufkin]

The Flying Scotsman visited the states years ago.  They had a whole train I believe with English coachs.  I do know they had to install a headlight but I'm not sure about what else they needed.

[CodyO]

Spent a week in Ireland visiting friends last year needless to say it wasn't a sober week but had a blast,
only train riding was the ride to downtown Dublin from the suburbs for some exploring
I hope to go back next year!

[nkalanaga]

I've read (never been there) that the British railways used knuckle couplers on some passenger equipment.  I don't know why, but maybe so they wouldn't have to crawl under the diaphragms to couple/uncouple.

[3rdboxcar]

Would the knuckle couplers be a modification that was made when some of these engines toured the U.S.?

I believe both the Dwight D Eisenhower and Dominion of Canada were transported to York this year and will eventually return to North America.

Martin Z

Knuckle couplers are fitted to a most British stock now, passenger stock is all knuckle coupler, most have the provision to swing the coupler down out of the way for our old 3 link couplers. Check the pictures of the rear of the tender to see how they swing down.

That is correct for Dwight D and DoC

Alexander

[Frisco Larry]

A few years ago, a gentleman gave a presentation on British Railways at the local NRHS meeting.  He metioned "new" safety couplers now being used.  In the photos, no one could see anything out of the ordinary and were puzzled by his comments.  The following month, he apologized, what were being billed as new, safer couplers in the UK were just the same old couplers we have had for over 100 years.

[rswinnerton]

Bob, The "Scotsman" was also fitted with a bell and horn to conform to US FRA standards.

Alexander is correct in that mainline coach stock uses the knuckles on a regular basis, but many of the DMU and EMU units use what we call here a "Automatic Transit Coupler" as seen in the first picture. These couplers make all air and electric connections automatically and can be uncoupled from the cab, negating the need for ground crew to uncouple units.

More to come!