A Garratt to the rescue!

Another part to the North Wales Narrow Gauge visit, during Wednesday 15th June something rare had happen on the evening. A Garratt to the rescue!
We started off with David Lloyd George arriving into Porthmadog during an thunderstorm then awaiting to form the 15:45 service to Blaenau Ffestiniog and return. Garratt no.143 arrives later on the day with its own train at 18:05 15mins late. So i walked down towards Boston Lodge Halt awaiting for DLG to pass though with the 18:30 arrival at Porthmadog. Having seen its making progress approaching Boston Lodge Halt and strangely stopped at the halt.
After 20mins stopped DLG moved and into the engine shed with brake problems which in the end had coal dust in the vacuum system! Then Garratt 143 passes light engine to collect the train and hauled back to Porthmadog. However it was rather lucky it stopped at Boston Lodge Halt as the garretts are too big and wide to carry on the Ffestiniog Railway and this is the first time an garrett hauled an Ffestiniog train in service and the second time it went to Boston Lodge Halt.
Rather lucky i was around to see this rare thing!
Enjoy!
Please ignore the spelling mistake in the title video it should be Garratt not Garrett

[@UnknownIdaho]

Beautiful videography! I really appreciate your 'dwelling' on the beauty of a scene AFTER the train is gone, I love trains but I guess I love trains traveling through beautiful scenery more! Just wish we could make the auto traffic quieter!

[@RailAdventUK]

Enjoyable video and well videoed. A very rare occurrence indeed. Thanks for sharing

[@rosannecoffman1933]

Such beautiful photography showcasing the magnificent steam trains!

[@autisticadventuressteam83]

I was the signalman at Port (you see my arm at the start as I take the token off DLG's fireman on arrival). An interesting evening - we ended up doing what I was about to suggest to my superior in the Control office, except he made the call before I suggested it (in these situations it's best to keep schtum as the controller can be rather busy dealing with several people). It required special permission to allow the move, not least because of the limitations on NGG16s above Pen Cob (Boston Lodge points - lifted previously for one special occasion to allow top & tailed shuttles to the Halt) but also because the loco was to enter an occupied section. I had to bring the train into the WHR platform as NGG16s aren't permitted down the FR platform line due to the canopy, and the fact they can't fit beneath that side of the water tower to run round. I think we ran the NGG16 round then shunted the set to the FR platform where it would normally end up, ready for the first service the next day (the loco would stop far short of the canopy so it was fine - the only NGG16 to be tested down the re-laid FR/platform 1 line is 87, which just fit but has subtle differences to the other two and in any case still can't venture beneath the water tower). Good video.

[@BritishLocoFilms]

Thank you for the info, very interesting :)

[@deeremeyer1749]

Yeah. I was going to invent the iPad but Apple beat me to it. So I decided to "keep schtum".

[@deeremeyer1749]

That must make putting water in the tender a real bitch not being able to get a steam locomotive under the water tower. Maybe its time to pull up some rail and dig out some old ballast and "sleepers" and put the track down where it used to be 100 years ago, huh? Or maybe pull those oversized drivers off that "restored" locomotive and put some smaller wheels under it. Oh wait, then it would just slip a lot more.

[@TheSkyWright]

DEEREMEYER1 the 16s use their own watering point on the 4 road extension (correct me if I have mixed up my roads peter!) so there is no need what so ever to make any changes.

[@larrygoddard4575]

Great luck and a great bit of film. I have posted this link to my friends in North Wales.

[@BritishLocoFilms]

Excellent! Thank you

[@STEVEHARLEY1956]

Great video....Steve.-:)

[@BritishLocoFilms]

Thank you! :)

[@kingorry7223]

For a moment I thought well they run on the ffestiniog railway but then I read the description and realise they they only run on Welsh Highland railway! Well one occasion they hadn't.

[@youtubeviewer7030]

hello from australia this is so awsome this reminds me of puffin billy here in victora great camera work cheers

[@smileysteam]

In that case, you will be pleased to know that PB has 2 of these ex South African Rly's NGG16's. One is under slow restoration and gauge conversion from the original 2' to PB's 2'6". Sandstone estates in South Africa is a living museum and has several in operational order. You can find clips here on KZbin

[@AndreiTupolev]

On the spot to catch a rare working there! Great light on the clouds at 2:25.

[@BritishLocoFilms]

Thank you once again! :)

[@davidwilliams88]

I understand the locos come from the Natal South Coast. They still have their SAR numbers. I recall seeing them on the line from Port Shepstone to Ixopo, half buried under loads of sugar cane in the early 1970s

[@andrewdock7288]

Yes lndeed good locomotives

[@generalgeldenhuys7175]

Is that the Garratt coming from the Appel Trein (Apple Train, they used to run between Port Elizabeth-Avontuur, RSA). The resemblance is of what I remember when I was driving on them.

[@doloresmyatt9737]

hi a nice shot would have been standing on the wall on the far side between the road and field thus getting a side view of the garratt and being able to hold and follow the engine for a while, dolores.

[@TheFarmer123FarmingPhotography]

Nice Video In Wales :) I Just Subbed.

[@basilschwegmann7395]

That Garett did not sound too healthy on the trip down

[@Welshman2008]

Green one like Thunderbird 2

[@BritishLocoFilms]

Urrrrm okay then

[@Welshman2008]

+British Loco Films well it says it's going to the rescue lol

[@sallyfischer1204]

No way, to remove the skunks on the tail of this beautyful train ?

[@jordanjunior7809]

There's MIGHTY MAC.

[@-lewis_nix-9439]

Only if they made a double Farley for the main Line railways not narrow gage railways

[@kiwitrainguy]

They had Double Fairlie locos in Mexico (4' 8+1/2" gauge) about 100 years ago.

[@SomeThrillingHeroics]

In all honesty, the Fairlie design only really paid off in very specific cases; the double-bogie design only really pays off when you've got very tight curves, and the limited fuel capacity is one of the more notable drawbacks of the design, so really it's not surprising that they saw their greatest success on a narrow gauge line. Ultimately, articulated locomotives were never hugely necessary for the British mainline - overall, the British landscape doesn't call for locomotives of that size to go around tight bends. It's why the few Garratts made for British standard gauge basically found themselves superseded by the 9Fs.

[@welshtrainspottingchannel]

At Trawsfynydd

[@welshtrainspottingchannel]

I live near there

[@velvet2230]

Thomas and friends in real life

[@the_retag]

Quite literally. You can find al sorts of British locos and railways ised as bases for sodor

[@pedanticmongrel]

*GARRATT. (Garrett is a town in the USA)

[@MulliGWR]

or a Traction Engine Manufacturer ;)

[@BritishLocoFilms]

Thanks! I have re-edited out to the correct name expect for the main video!

[@smitajky]

Of course you could always have run the train complete with a "garotte" instead. It may not have done a lot for the patronage though.