We are looking forward to an exciting year, but it seems the excitement may unroll rather more gradually than we thought.  The original plan was to have the entire 25-mile line finished, inspected and passed by Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate and open for public service by Easter this year, but a few engineering and financial snags will delay the full opening.  It became clear that a lot of work was needed on the 12-mile section from Caernarfon to Rhyd Ddu that has been open since 2003.  The signalling equipment that will control the 2 foot / standard gauge flat crossing at Cae Pawb is not yet in place. Also, the railway - i.e. the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway Co. - is still waiting for payment for work done for the Welsh Trunk Roads Agency.  Until this money is received, the final jobs at Porthmadog will have to wait.

However, by April 7th there should be public service trains running all the 19 miles from Caernarfon to Beddgelert.  Beddgelert, which lies at the confluence of two rivers and is surrounded by mountains, is perhaps the most attractive village on the line.  Then by May 21st services should be extended through the Aberglaslyn Pass to a temporary terminus at Hen Hafod.  The extended (21-mile) journey will enable passengers to see the beautiful Pass and ride through all four of the WHR's tunnels.  With luck, and that money from the Trunk Roads Agency (£250,000!), the full line will be open in time for a gala event in September.

As reported before, the restoration of Garratt number 87 is now complete and it should be possible to send it north to the loco depot at Dinas very soon.  Special arrangements will have to be agreed with Network Rail so that it can use the Cae Pawb crossing before the full signalling equipment is installed.   Garratt 143 is ready for service and diesel "Caernarfon Castle", currently being overhauled, should be ready for Easter.  Garratt 138 is still in pieces but should have a new boiler certificate by the end of the year.  Extra passenger cars will soon be available, too.

The first WHR train to use the flat crossing over the standard gauge (Network Rail) at Cae Pawb went across very early on Thursday 12 March.  The first picture shows diesel loco "Vale of Ffestiniog" (ex-South African Railways road switcher with 350 hp Cummins power, rebuilt with British-style end cabs) on the crossing.  It hauled some passenger stock right up to Dinas, 22 miles from this point.  The second picture shows something which has taken me by surprise.  I had no idea that Pullman observation car number 2100 was anywhere near finished - but it rolled out this week.  It will run on the WHR with the round end facing north. 

It is amazing that a two foot line crosses a busy standard gauge line. And how about a two foot Pullman?

In August 2003, we had the pleasure of hosting The Two Footers for a steam excursion on the historic three-foot-gauge East Tennessee and Western North Carolina RR here at Doe River Gorge.  Rachel, the 2-4-4 Forney on loan from Nashville’s Opryland, put on a good show in the spectacular rugged scenery – a ride probably unmatched in the eastern US.  None of us knew it then, but that day turned out to be Rachel’s last day in steam.  She returned to storage in Nashville that fall and then was moved to Grapevine, Tex., about a year later and is still in storage there.

Fast forward to 2009.  Motive power is now an 8-ton Plymouth HSD which is entering it’s 6^th season of reliable service.  We miss Rachel and the wonderful sounds and smells of steam, but now understand why diesels so quickly overtook steam in the last century.  In the 2.5-mile round trip to Pardee Point, the Ply burns barely a gallon of diesel.  In a whole season that’s less than Rachel burned in one full day!  Crew training is much easier, as is just firing it up for one or two trips on a given day.  However, there is still the possibility of steam returning in the next few years.  Stay tuned.

The ET&WNC right-of-way was hacked through the rugged gorge in the early 1880s, needing 4 tunnels, three bridges and many narrow ledges to follow the Doe River through the deep, narrow chasm.  Rockfall was a constant hazard.  An early timetable from 1883 (reproduced in Mallory Hope Farrell’s Tweetsie Country ) includes this special note: “Through the “gorge,” and at all points where rock or land slides are possible, and in descending heavy grades, the train must be kept under perfect control and must not exceed six (6) miles per hour”.

In the 10+ years since we began to restore and operate the line here, we have learned that rockfall is still an issue.  In late 2001, a huge chunk cleaved off an outcrop adjacent to the ROW and rolled over onto the track.   It resisted efforts to break it up into moveable chunks and, not being on an active section of line, was left to sit until the spring of 2004.  Pictures and narrative can be seen on our website at http://www.doerivergorge.com/railroad/railroad_rock.php

Another significant fall occurred during Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.  Those of you who have visited DRG may remember that you enter a curved tunnel as soon as you depart from the platform.  The tunnel exit has an extended deep and narrow approach area.  A small tree had grown into cracks on the uphill side, and Ivan’s winds rocked it enough to pry some large chunks loose.  Fortunately these were moveable with our backhoe and a rental lift truck that happened to be on-site at the time, but not before we had to cancel a charter train for the local Chamber of Commerce.  Considering the local flooding and landslide damage from both Frances and Ivan, which included the closure of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Interstate 40, we got off easy.  However, we began keeping an eye on that area as there was more rock remaining that looked like it could break off.

A year or so later we were doing a quick track inspection just prior to a school group charter and found a big chunk laying against a rail in the first curve just beyond the tunnel.  While the group waited, several staff members and trackbars were quickly rounded up, and we managed to slide it clear.

In November 2007, more rock fell at the same tunnel exit, but from just above the tunnel, on the river side, opposite from the Ivan area of concern.  Normally rockfall is expected in cold weather, after some freezing and thawing cycles, but this occurred in mild weather, with no rain or wind.    The amount that fell was relatively modest (1^st two pictures), and in chunks that our backhoe could handle.  But it drew to our attention how much more potentially unstable rock was still up there.  The second photo shows the many vertical layers that lay against the harder rock of the tunnel itself.  Without this transition to the more fragmented, layered rock, the tunnel undoubtedly would have been longer with less approach area.

Keeping in mind that the 1880s blasting was very hard work, done with hand-driven holes and black powder, it’s no surprise they only removed as much as they thought necessary and left a lot of rock more or less vertical above the approach area.  At any rate, we realized we had a bad situation on our hands and completely closed off the tunnel to any access until we could figure out what to do.  This was very inconvenient as the tunnel forms the entrance to the gorge and it is difficult to get around it, even on foot, and many people like to come out and hike.  But at least it was during our low season with no charter or event commitments.

We called in a friend who is a civil engineer.  He took one look at it and told us what we already knew:  “That’s not good!”  He worked some of his contacts in the local construction industry including a tunnel specialist.  Many weeks of consultation and head scratching went on.  Finally it was decided to simply blast away a lot more rock to reduce the face to a safer angle.  In the 2^nd and 4^th pictures, notice the difference in the rock profile above the tunnel opening.

Our camping programs include a lot of rock climb, rappel and high ropes challenge course-type activities, so our activity staff is at home working in harnesses on the end of a rope.  However, they were really challenged by operating a big air drill while hanging. They drilled dozens of holes, many as much as 6 feet deep and a blasting contractor brought in the dynamite. Over the course of a month or two, several blasts were done. Many of them brought down enough material to fill the tunnel opening over halfway!  (4^th picture).

In between each blast, several days were spent going over the newly exposed face with pry bars and jackhammer and knocking down anything else that looked like it might be loose, and a large tracked Bobcat (skid loader) was kept busy removing the spoil.

The one positive result of this effort was that all of the spoil could be dumped toward the river in three spots just above the tunnel and shore up the base of the slope that had been eroded by flooding in 1998.

While they were at it, the Ivan area was worked over as well and much vegetation cleared off the entire uphill side to prevent further root intrusion.

Once the area was stabilized, nearly 200 feet of railroad track had to be rebuilt.  It had been necessary to simply remove the track to enable the Bobcat to maneuver in the area and clean it out entirely.  I had some volunteers to help and we also were blessed with the availability of inmate trustees from the Carter County jail.  We had to regrade the trackbed with fresh gravel, lay out about 80 ties and reassemble eleven 30-foot pieces of rail. We had 3 sets of rail tongs and 3 pairs of guys to lift and carry them into position.  But each rail weighs nearly 600 pounds, so the six of us wore out pretty quick!

80+ ties means 320+ spikes to drive. Until now, most of our maintenance has been just a few ties at a time and we've always driven them by hand.  We drill pilot holes to make it easier, but it still takes a lot of wollops to get them in.  I knew we'd never be able to that many without killing ourselves, so I rented an electric jackhammer and was able to purchase a ground-rod driver tip and cut it down to a very shallow cup that just fit over the head of the spike.  This made all the difference! (5^th picture).   The ties were the last of a batch purchased in 2000, so were no longer green and we found we STILL had to drill pilot holes.  Otherwise the 60 pound jackhammer would only get them in partway and then just sit there and bounce on the spike.

Once the track was together, loads of gravel were brought in on a small flatcar and dumped in between the ties. One pass to get enough between the ties for final leveling and tamping.  Second pass to fill the crib.  We worked hard to fill the crib evenly with the tops of the ties and dress out the sides at a shallow angle as this area gets a lot of pedestrian traffic. 

So it was quite a project!  Whew. I'm tired all over again just thinking about it all.

Here are some links to more photos and video clips of this project.
My own pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/milbournes/DRGTunnelBlast
From another staff member: http://picasaweb.google.com/ClifJensen (all three albums).

 Now we have another project.  This past winter was wetter and colder than in a while, and in January we found more large rocks down including this big slide (last picture) near the upper end of the gorge, about 2 miles from the main camp area.  Fortunately it is not blocking any of our normal operations so it can sit for a while.   The largest rock is nearly as tall as me and the length is wider than my armspan!  It will be a challenge to remove as it is in a cut and can’t simply be jacked and slid to the side like the 2001 rock.

On behalf of the crew here at DRG, I extend our thanks to Tom for keeping the two footers newsletter going.   Even though we are three-footers here at DRG, we enjoy all small-gauge news.  If any of you get to upper east Tennessee (near Johnson City, Kingsport and Bristol), drop me a line at mark@doerivergorge.com and plan to stop in and see us.  Maybe you can help us move the newest big rock!

 Custom Cast R.R. Spikes

These impressive R.R. spikes are hand cast to order, made out of recycled aluminum products. They may be sold or given out for advertising, promotions, gratuitories, special awards, festivals, or as a business card. They can be used by railroads, businesses, model railroads, clubs, railroad related vendors, and anyone wanting a unique item. These beautiful, personalized spikes are set up by hand, letter by letter. There is no extra customer set up charge for personalization. The spikes are 6 or 8 inches long. Names are cast on one side only. They are hand cast in molding sand. The metal is hand poured into each mold. After the spikes are removed from the molds, they are ground off and polished. Each operation is done by hand to ensure the fmest quality and workmanship each step of the way. John is a member and sent a page with pictures of the spikes but I could not copy them and get them laid out in the newsletter for pictures and prices write or call him at

SHAWNEE CASTING COMPANY, INC.
P.O. Box 605 G Bourneville, Ohio 45617
(740) 626-2676

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 The B&W was looking for a way to dump fill on the end of the WYE, this meant the dump would have to be off the rear of a car. The B&W crew came up with a dump unit similar to those in a pick up truck. The unit was tested on Saturday April 4 2009 and with some minor adjustment will work out just fine (photo credit Fred Bauer)

The Two Footers
534 Armory Road
St. Marys, PA  15857

tpbauer@windstream.net
 

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