A day in the cab with Blanche on the Ffestiniog Railway
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2011
- Probably the most exhilarating cab ride I have ever had - high running speeds, tight schedule, all on 2 foot gauge! Later on past Minnford they really get going, lots of wheel slip action with a very heavy load, and almost running out of water due to the extra coaches added on a busy holiday in June. this is older video shot SD in MiniDV with a handheld camcorder. Was just learning about steam at the time so you'll hear some novice questions from me.
Great video. As a teenager I worked as a trainee for a couple of weeks on Blanche back in the 1970's. This brought back happy memories! I also recall a trip when we slipped to a stand between Penrhyn an Tan-y-bwlch on a wet day with a heavy train. Having run out of sand, the driver took a reserve sand bucket and sat on the front buffer beam to sand manually. The fireman drove and I fired. We made it! Happy days!
That's a great ride! A little suspense thrown in with the water shortage as well. Very skilled driver and crew, aces!
Brill. Enjoyed the effort, the tension and good to see the technique of driving one of my favourites. Thanks
This is one of the best cab rides I have ever seen!
I love the way Europeans take great pride in the equipment they operate...they are spotless inside and out..you hardly ever see an American steam engine that is clean inside and out and it's not that they can't be cleaner than most are found...they just don't show the pride in what they have..
This is also an oil-fired locomotive. It's impossible to keep the cab of a coal-fired locomotive quite this spotless.
Perhaps you might best have more small engine experience in the states.
Having lived a year since my original comment which was likely written in a bout of insomnia, I'm thinking maybe U.S. locomotives don't seem as clean because their cabs are typically painted black in most cases. Sure, it doesn't show dirt, but it also doesn't really do any justice to efforts to keep the cab clean. In hindsight, the locomotives I know and love don't really have dirty cabs anyway... However, polished brass will always look good!
7:36 (Uninteligible) is actually "Stay right on top of it, James!"
One of the most exciting videos on UA-cam!
A great cab ride! Looks like an exciting thing to drive.
Brilliant, enjoyed every moment !! Thank you.
That was fascinating. Those boys were certainly kept busy!
Very interesting and enjoyable insight into what it takes to run a steam locomotive.
...glad i stumbled upon this. this was an amazing video. i really enjoyed it. thqnk you.
It actually looked like there were already SEVEN cars attached to Blanche's train before the additional cars were added. At 2:03 before the scene changes to a side view of the locomotive backing down, you can briefly see a total of 7 cars. So then with the mentioning of two cars being added, a total of NINE cars were brought up! Looks like Blanche can pull a lot of weight!
Soot builds up in the boiler flues. When the engine is under load, you introduce sand into the back of the firebox and it gets sucked through the flues, scouring out the soot.
Best I have seen! More, please!
Thoroughly delightful!
This is a truly chill video.
Neat ride! Lovely little Ry.
Really a joy to watch. These engines are interesting, small powerful and yet spotless. I find the communication between the fireman and driver interesting also. Tthe way the surfaces shine in the cab are amazing. In the US it seems our engines never seemed as clean. We do tend to keep our museum pieces cleaner, but these old Welsh engines are just so beautiful.
I've often wondered watching these small engines pull so much if your grades are generallly less than in the US.
At that grade and load, running this smaller locomotive is frantic keeping up with everything.
I spent a good 2 hours looking for this video. I think it was well spent.
Very nice video. Excellent to see the control operations in a cab video, seems like most are just pointing the camera outside.
Interesting to see just how much activity there was on the footplate, I imagine this is, in part, because the engine is probably working harder now than it ever did.
Engineers fix things, drivers drive
Engineers fix the things that steering wheel attendants wreck
This is AWESOME!!!!
In case anyone wonders, this loco was built in 1893, so she was 118 years old at the time of this video.
Great Clip certainly lots going on in the footplate....
fantastic. close call with water.
The FR was built to carry slates from Blaenau Ffestiniog to the sea. Originally up trains were hauled by horses, down trains ran under gravity. The gauge reduced construction costs and suited that mode of working.
Good video and A Good Driver
Splendid, many thanks for the explanation! I'm not particularly well versed in the mystical world of Oil firing.
And all the time I thought Blanch was Butch. This guy knows his stuff.
Because this is an oil fired loco. Going into or out of main valve is a big change which needs the fireman to react. If he doesn't he'll either lose pressure when the driver goes into main valve or make lots of black smoke when the driver goes down to pilot. Most FR drivers therefore tell the fireman when they are going into or out of main valve, at least on oil fired engines.
You swine, watching that has made me late for work! Excellent stuff.
Excellent video, is there any more footage ?
Nice video.
12:01 it's actually called a single line token
Love it! @Jennifer Houghton
Very interesting to say the least. The atmosphere in the cab is just short of total chaos it seems to me. I wonder if the riders on the train would feel all that confident, if they could see the constant fiddling about with the valve in the middle! There was no close up of the coupler type but it's clearly not the knuckle type used in the US. From what I could see it was reminiscent of the 'link and pin' coupler used in the early days of US railways, very dangerous to couple and uncouple. I enjoyed it nonetheless, poor old "Blanche" was losing her footing at many points on the ride. Thanks for posting!
The Ff&WHR use Norwegian Chopper couplings on all passenger stock.
Looks like almost 35 mph! That's fast for a narrow gauge!
That's pretty cool! :)
I dont think so mate. Seen as line speed is 20mph.
@@NathanielKempson I dont think they were going line speed …
Nice video :)
What is the purpose of throwing the throttle wide open and then closing it rapidly seen a few times while running? The chuff is noticeably different before and after.
The driver goes to main valve and then quickly shuts the regulator to make sure both regulator valves - pilot and main - seat properly
I had the pleasure of a footplate ride on Blanche to Ddualt and return in 1969.
That to me looks more like the Steam (live) valve for the firemans side injector
Most of the whistle blowing is when approaching a crossing to warn anyone who may be about to cross the railway. Many of the crossings on the FR have poor visibility.
The man on the right is the fireman. He is adjusting the fire to get the loco to steam well and using the feeds to put water into the boiler.
No, this loco could not be operated by one person when working hard like this.
Sand cleans the tubes pretty well when the loco is working hard.
Nice video
Who's the guy in the waistcoat? Cleaner? Fireman (and the cleaner's firing)? Driver (with the fireman driving; and the cleaner firing as is often the case)? Loco inspector?
Tagojen-the purpose is to ensure that the regulator valve closes properly
So, the loco is oil fired then? So, the operator on the left is the engineer, and the man on the right is regulating the fire to maintain steam pressure? I can see which levers are throttle and brake. I don't understand the constant fiddling with the valve at the base of the stack. Very interesting.
+Khadijah Brown Correct. British practice is driver on the left, just like their automobiles. Blanche has since been converted back to coal firing, which is more authentic to that line. The 'stack' you refer to is actually the steam turret coming out of the boiler where all the auxiliary steam appliances get their steam. He is opening the valve to apply steam to the water injector to put water in the boiler. The fireman's most important duty is to maintain water level in the boiler, and then proper fire. The fireman can also act as brakeman when switching, as seen towards the beginning of the video, at which point the engineer takes on the duties of two temporarily.
+CaptainHarlock999 Excellent video. Drivers here are not exclusively on the left though. With the diverse numbers of railway companies and locomotive builders created differences within the same company sometimes.
The original locomotives of the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway have an odd setup with driver on the right, but the steam chest cut off (reverser) is on the left with the fireman.
In one video, I saw that the length of the stroke of the reversing valve was being regulated according to speed and load. It seemed that on starting out, it was at full stroke and as speed increased the stroke was lessened. It seems as if this would take a "feel" for its use.
yes a full forward/reverse would be applied when starting out. it was demonstrated to me on the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway (15" gauge) that a locomotive can actually be driven on the reverser. By increasing the ratio (opening fully) delays the eccentric movement restricting the locomotive's speed, and visa versa. One driver told me on one Driver experience course, the elderly customer taking part fell asleep in the cab. The instructor, just took control by adjusting the stroke as the reverser was on his side of the cab.
Khadijah Brown and ou
How did you get the ride in the first place?
Well done video!
Why blowing the whistle?
What are all the little tasks being performed by the man on the right?
Could one person operate this locomotive?
Why only 2-foot gauge?
Sand does not do a very good job of cleaning the flues.
I am surprised that they do not have a rotating scraper in each flue.
Usually if it hasn’t been done it’s because it wouldn’t work well.
2ft narrow gauge was developed for the smaller quarry lines as it’s at the size of being super powerful but still small enough to be somewhat portable and helps wind round tight corners.
Whistle is blown as a warning, at whistle signs, crossing, leaving stations the station leaving signal is for the guard to know the locomotive has understood instructions.
The man in the right is I believe controlling the water valve, I believe that valve controls steam to the injector which adds water. The valve he is controlling in the floor is the water valve.
On the FR it is impossible to operate a service single manned due to the speed restrictions, boiler needs, speed of the locomotive, safety.
In the case of the locomotives the sand is doing well with cleaning as it blasts the oil off the tube plates to prevent corrosion.
All in all a very well thought out railway
Bello!* * * * *
I subcribe your channel.
Ciao!
This is fascinating! There's so much I want to know about this layout. The big leaver right in the middle looks like the throttle. Since the driver is on the left, I assume that pulling it to the left is what makes the speed increase. The leaver on the far left looks like the break. At 18:50, the driver mentions "Go with the tender". So does the leaver on the bottom right hand side control the oilt that's stored in the tender (if it's oil fired. Otherwise I assume it's coal)?
The turn leaver on the top right seems to be used more when the locomotive is reversing. So is that what determines the direction of the locomotive? The small wheels must control some form of Valves. One of which I would guess adjusts the water level stored from the tanks into the boiler. The one directly above the boiler seems to be used the most. So what does that one do in particular? Finally I may be able to fully understand the ins and outs of Steam Locomotive controls!
The lever in the middle is indeed the throttle, which opens and shuts the steam going into the cylinders which is what makes the locomotive move. The lever on the far left is the Reverser which makes the locomotive go in forward and reverse. The reverser is also used to control the amount of steam going into the cylinders (called cutoff). Imagine it as like the gears on a car, as you gain speed you notch the reverser back so only some steam is going into the cylinders and as you do you open the throttle more, which makes the locomotive go faster. The turn lever on the top right is the handbrake for the engine. When the driver said "Go with the tender" he was talking about the water supply. This engine has two water supplies- one in the saddle tank on top of the boiler and another in the tender. There was no more water left in the saddle tank as the fireman was turning the valves to operate the injector which is used to put water into the boiler, so he switched to the auxiliary supply in the tender. The valve that you see being used the most is the injector. This locomotive was at the time of the video oil fired, but I believe it has since been converted to coal.
*****
Ah, I see! Thank you for the info. Definately makes allot of sense in the balance of all these opperations.
What's the purpose of adding sand to the firebox at 21:10?
"Usually get a fairly noticeable increase in performance after sanding the tubes, better then nothing. What exactly do you mean by rotating band scraper?"
I have cleaned flues. If a metal band is extended through the flue, it could be rotated (twisted) and thoroughly scrape the tube clean. The draft would pull loosened soot forward and out.
Even better would be a means of continuously scraping the tubes.
Has such ever been tried?
Thank you.
shit mike! they really open up those little girls!
it is the oil feed valve as some of the locos on this railway are oil fired they are now converting to coal.
also , if there's great weight behind the engine , opening it fully can give slight traction , ten opening it half will get you going :)
Thank you.
I have been in big locomotives Sand misses too much tube area and does a poor job of scouring. Yes, it is better than nothing, but not much. A rotating band scraper would be far better, and even increase heat transference to the tube.
Had any engine builders tried this?
There’s likely a compromise between the effectiveness of such a device with the cost and complication it brings to install and maintain, particularly as the boiler and the tubes get smaller. The tubes will normally get cleaned out as part of a boiler washout
are these engines oil fired?
Poor little engine getting all pushed to the limits.
Correct.
and how would an individual go about working for this railway as a brake/fire man
Get in touch with the Ffestiniog Railway about volunteering. Their website is the best place to look www.festrail.co.uk
But can it “pull a shot” of espresso?
And to go from main valve to pilot valve
dude on the right works his tail off
What's the fuel for this gorgeous thing?
At the time of this video the engine was oil fired. I believe Ffestiniog has now converted all their engines back to coal. This is now a good document on what it was like during the oil firing era.
@@MasseeMedia
coal ! Wales has lots of it
cute comical adorable...
bet you couldn't pry or bribe these guys away from Blanche....!
I love trains so much:-)190+5037→
Spurweit 600mm !!!
probably because the drivers miss shovelling coal into the firebox! (and because of oil prices rising too!) haha
Mighty strange when showing the engineer from the outside of the engine his has a cap on and then the inside video shows him with no cap on...are we being duped or what....lol
When they connected an extra coach, in reality they actually connected two extra coaches at different times. One was recorded from the outside, the other recorded from inside the cab and the two were cut together to appear as one. Inbetween those two movements the cap went away.
In my opinion if it's not coal fired it's not a steam train
Your opinion is wrong.
what was he doing at 21:00
He was putting a couple of cups of sand on the fire.
An Oil Burner requires sanding regularly; oily soot accumulates on all the heating surfaces; the sand literally blasts those surfaces clean for better heat conduction.
dwin buw yn mlaenau ffestiniog a dwi ddim gwbod y gairiau eraill a dwi hefyd ddim yn gwdod beth tim mund arni
Total of 6 is a lot for this engine???? The ladies are rated at 8 lol...I would have guessed that she had 6 but then went up to 8.
Oliver Kirkby none of the ladies would take 10, no chance. I've done a turn with 8 on linda and that was at her max
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This is not coal 🔥 fire. ?