Argyll hauls W&L stock at the Cathedral Mountain Railway

Chris Bird

Steam,gardening, photography
14 Dec 2009
1,785
12
Dorset
Hi all
Here is the second of the films made last Friday at Ralph Pitcher's Cathedral Mountain Railway. It is Argyll this time hauling W&L stock (I forgot to put the re-gauged IOM Pairs in the car!).
Watch out for the banking sequence at the end where Steve Jackson's Countess was on duty to help with the lead weighted goods train on the fearsome gradient.

It is on my news page here:
http://www.summerlands-chuffer.co.uk/#/chuffer-news/4535137012 < Link To http://www.summerlands-ch...huffer-news/4535137012

and on my Youtube channel here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bZrOncI3BE Cheers Chris
 
Very nice, I like the way Steve's Countess drops off the train at the summit and runs back down the bank ready to help the next express freight.

Happy steamings,

John
 
Thanks John - that is my favourite bit too - in spite of my vulnerable position squatting over the track!
And the "express" speed was essential to get up that fearsome bank. Steve reckons that train weighed about 12 kg and the rails were getting a bit greasy by then.
Cheers
Chris
 
Excellent! I would love to see a track plan for that railway incase I ever win the lottery.
 
Thanks Garry - I'll see what I can do as it's always best to be ready for the big win!
It may take a couple of weeks though.......
Cheers
Chris
 
love it
superb layout
gradients look similar to mine which are 1:33 ?
 
Chris, more than perfect.
Thanks for sharing.
regards
Klaus
 
Garry Martin wrote " I would love to see a track plan for that railway incase I ever win the lottery."

Well here it is Garry. I have been away for a week and needed to get permission. I hope you can make sense of it as I was too busy running round with a camera to work it out!
Cheers
Chris
77fabea76b6442faa3c861d277e714e9.jpg

 
Excellent. Simple yet elegent , I will file the plan away for future inspration.
Cheers Garry.
 
Can you provide approximate dimensions. Even if one can't do the whole "Mountain", the traffic pattern looks to be quite smooth, even when transfering from the clockwise to the counter-clockwise tracks.

Thanks,

Will
 
Hi Will
I have just had a word with Ralph who tells me that it is about 70ft x 50ft. The curves are all 10ft radius from Aristocraft. The mountain is about 11ft high.
I hope this helps!
Cheers
Chris
 
That is quite simply the best live steam video i've seen- and heard more to the point... in fact i am off to steam up right now....
 
CoggesRailway said:
That is quite simply the best live steam video i've seen- and heard more to the point... in fact i am off to steam up right now....

Thank you - it is kind of you to say so - and of course the credit is due to Ralph Pitcher who provided the amazing film set!
I hope you had a good steam up!
Cheers
Chris
 
I did- and my summerland chuffer made it all the better!
 
CoggesRailway said:
I did- and my summerland chuffer made it all the better!

Well that is nice to know - thank you again:D What loco?
Cheers
Chris
 
Ah yes - I just caught up with your other thread and realised. Thanks for the video and I can see the gradients! But how on earth did you film that? Was the camera on a gantry mounted on a wagon?
I do all mine hand held and it sometimes shows!
Cheers
Chris
 
indeed it was- the magic of a steel ruler, gaffer tape and plenty of ballast in the third wagon.