NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY: CALENDAR OF EVENTS


Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Calendr

Groups and their meeting places


8E Association

Meetings are held in The Gladstone Club, Station Road, Northwich, CW9 5RB at 7:45pm prompt on the 2nd Tuesday of each month - excluding July and August. Admission is free for first-time visitors.

Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society lectures are held at Altrincham Methodist Church Hall, Barrington Road, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 1HF. Car park off Springfield Road or short walk from Altrincham Bus/Rail/Metrolink Interchange. Please use the main entrance on Woodlands Road side. Car park Springfield Road or short walk from Altrincham Bus/Rail/Metrolink Interchange. Talks commence at 7.30 p.m. Admission price, £4.00 - Free for AERPS members (Show membership card).

Clwyd Railway Circle

A programme of illustrated talks normally on the first Friday of the month, January to March and September to December. Check Calendar of Events for any changes.
We meet at the Jubilee Community Centre, 45 Seabank Drive, Prestatyn, LL19 7PP.

Visitors Welcome: Admission £3.
Refreshments are available at 10.00 am and the talks commence at 10.30 am.

Anybody requiring information about the programme should contact:
David Jones - Tel: 01244 537440 or email: lindley1944@gmail.com

Ffestiniog Railway Society 

The Dee & Mersey Group of the Society holds meetings in Chester on the last Wednesday of January, February, March, September, October and November each year starting at 7.40pm at The Cross Keys at 2 Duke Street, Chester CH1 1RP (on corner of Lower Bridge Street and Duke Street).

Contact Geoff Lake for further details at glake@ffwhr.com

Light Rail Transit Association
Manchester Area Meetings are at the Friends’ Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, Manchester. – Doors open at 18.30 for 19.00. – Visitors are
welcome. A voluntary contribution of £3.00 requested towards room hire. Contact Andrew Macfarlane Email: andrew.macfarlane6851[at]gmail.com

Llandudno and Conwy Valley Railway Society All indoor evening meetings will take place on the Second Thursday of the Month at The Sport and Social Club, off Victoria Drive, Llandudno Junction starting at 19:30.  Contact John Davies jdavies484[at]gmail.com

Locomotive Club of Great Britain (North West)

Meetings are held monthly from September to May on Tuesdays at 19.30 at  meetings are held in The Red Lion Hotel, 9 Ash Brow (the A5209), Newburgh, WN8 7NF.

(The pub is about 4 miles west of M6 Junction 27, on the road for Parbold and Burscough)The nearest railway station is Parbold, some ¾ mile away.

Meetings feature digital photographs from members and visitors with occasional talks by invited speakers.
commence at 7:30 pm and a donation towards expenses of £2 would be appreciated. Contact: lcgb.nw[at]blueyonder.co.uk

North Wales N Gauge Group

The model railway group for N Gauge modellers. Meets in St Michael's Church Hall, Rosemary Lane, Conwy at 7.00pm on the first and third Monday of each month (December excepted). A warm welcome awaits novices and experienced N Gauge modellers alike. Contact 01492 572633 for further information.

North Wales Railway Circle

The North Wales Railway Circle meets on Tuesday evenings, at 19.30 for a prompt 19:45 start. Meetings are held on on the first Tuesday of each month,   September to June. Details are on the Circle's website.

Meetings are held at the Victoria Hotel, Telford Road, Menai Bridge LL59 5DR, a fine establishment that has plenty of parking space excellent meals and real ale.


Railway and Canal Historical Society North West Group. Meetings are usually held on the second Saturday in the month at the Friends’ Meeting House, 6 Mount Street in central Manchester (close to St Peter's Square Metrolink) and normally commence at 14:00. A voluntary  £3.50 is requested from visitors to help to defray the meeting expenses. 

For information about the Society or a particular meeting the contact is Roger Brice, NW Group Secretary: email rogerbrice[at]microton.net

RCTS: Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales Branch

We have not been notified of any meetings.

Shrewsbury-Chester Rail Users' Association

Meetings are held as indicated. At Gobowen at the Railway station, Chirk in the Royal British Legion Club (The club is behind the Hand Hotel and car park is accessed off Colliery Road) and Wrexham in St Marys' Social Club, Regent St.
Email: shrewsbury.chester[at]@gmail.com
Twitter: @shrewschester

Shropshire Railway Society.

Meetings are held in Shrewsbury at the Gateway Education & Arts Centre, Chester St in the 'Mary Margaret Room'.  usually on the second and fourth Thursday of each month, start at 19:00  and finish at 21:30 hrs. 'Non-members are welcome to a maximum of two meetings, and are asked to make a small voluntary contribution to society funds.'

Stephenson Locomotive Society. Manchester Centre

Unless otherwise listed, meetings are held on Saturdays at 14:00 in The Friends’ Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS. Visitors welcome to Saturday meetings. For programme updates, please contact the Manchester Centre Organiser, Alasdair Renfrew,  slsnwsecy@gmail.com, or visit the SLS website

Welsh Highland Railway North Wales Group

Meetings  held at The Mountain Rangers Football Club,Rhosgadfan near Caernarfon LL54 7ET, starting at around 19:30.

Last update 20 May 2024

Contact us

To the North Wales Coast main page  To The Noticeboard


This page is a handy reference for the dates of coming events, many of which will have been first mentioned on the Notice Board page. Details of special or unusual trains, meetings of societies, and anything else of railway interest in the North Wales area, will appear here. Organisers, please send in your details. We will include a website/email address or telephone number for confirmation wherever possible: this website takes no responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained here, or for the cancellation of trains or events.

For a regularly updated calendar of railtours and excursions  around the UK, online journal Railway Herald maintains a comprehensive list of railtours including both steam and diesel tours.

Note about excursion trains: the times below are supplied in good faith from the operators' websites.  However, trains can vanish from the schedules due to engineering works or lack of bookings, even a few days before the advertised date, and we may well not get to know about it. Always check the operator website, and don't plan ahead to fly across the world confident that a particular train will run!

Main line excursions are hauled by diesel locos unless noted as 'steam'. We have refrained from giving details of the actual locomotive to be used, as last-minute changes are common.



May 2024

Saturday 25 May Railway Touring Company     Manchester Piccadilly  -  Llandudno and Holyhead Steam: 5596 Bahamas 
Postponed to September

June 2024

1-2 June Llangollen Railway Diesel / Industrial Heritage Gala

Saturday 8 June Vintage Trains     Dorridge - Blaenau Ffestiniog  Steam and 47 773  via Crewe. Diesel on Blaenau branch

Wednesday 19 June Statesman  Cardiff - Blaenau Ffestiniog

Friday 21 June Northern Belle -  Crewe    Two tours - lunch and afternoon tea.  Round trip from Crewe via  pickups at Chester and Wrexham.

Saturday 22 June Midland Pullman Holyhead - Carlisle

Saturday 22 June  North West Rail and Transport Collector's Fair, Crewe Alexandra Football Club 10:00 - 3:30

Thurday 27 June Midland Pullman  Crewe - Chester - Wrexham - Paignton

July 2014

Saturday 6 July Railway Touring Company North Wales Express London Euston  - Llandudno (Steam Crewe - Llandudno)

6-7 July Llangollen Railway Classic Transport Weekend

6-7 July Talyllyn Railway 'Anything Goes Gala'

Sunday 14 July - The North Wales Coast Express. Liverpool Lime Street to Holyhead (via Warrington Bank Quay). Railway Touring Group, WCRC Steam TBC.

Tuesday 16 July Midland Pullman  Holyhead - Paignton

Wednesday 17 July Statesman Chester-le-Street - Blaenau Ffestiniog

Saturday 20 July Northern Belle Hull to Llandudno Junction with off train options to Llandudno, Bodnant Gardens and the Penderryn Distillery.

20-21 July Talyllyn Railway Awdry Extravaganza

Saturday 27 July    Midland Pullman    Crewe -  Paignton      

August 2024

3-4 August Llangollen Railway 1960s Weekend

Saturday 3 August - Rail Excursion to the City of Chester. Newcastle to Chester (via York). Bishop Trains. HST to be confirmed.

Wednesday 14 August    Statesman    Telford Central - Carlisle
pickups Shrewsbury, Gobowen, Chirk, Wrexham General, Chester, Frodsham, Warrington BQ

24-26 August Bala Lake Railway August Steam Gala

24-25 August   Model Railway Exhibition  in Machynlleth in support of the Corris Railway

30 August - 1 September - Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway -  Steam Gala with model railway exhibition

September 2024

Wednesday 4 September  Statesman High Wycombe -     Blaenau Ffestiniog

Thursday 5 September Pathfinder Tours The Cambrian Coast Express Bristol - Pwllheli

Friday 6 September Clwyd Railway Circle The Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway in the Vale of Clwyd -  Fiona Gale

12 September   Pathfinder  Cambrian Coast Express Swindon  - Pwllheli

14-15 September Welsh Highland Railway Super Power Weekend celebrating the successful restoration of the NG15 locomotive.

Sunday 15 September Steam Dreams 'Welsh Dragon' steam-hauled London Paddington - Shrewsbury, then diesel through to Pwllheli.  For more on this and this and the next two entries see the Steam Dreams website.
    
Wednesday 18 September  Steam Dreams 'Welsh Dragon' steam hauled Bangor - Crewe, then diesel to Cardiff via the Heart of Wales line
   
Thursday 19 September - Steam Dreams 'Welsh Dragon'  steam hauled Cardiff to London Paddington via Gloucester and the Golden Valley line

Saturday 21 September - Northern Belle    Telford - Carlisle pickups Shrewsbury,  Wrexham General, Chester.

21-22 September Bala Model Railway Show Ysgol Godre’r Berwyn Secondary School, Ffrydan Road, Bala, Gwynedd LL23 7RU. 10:00 - 16:00 (Bus link to Bala Lake Railway station)

Opening times: 10.00-16.00 on both Saturday and Sunday.10.00-16.00 on both Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday 28 September UK Railtours London - Chester 'Our tour takes an interesting route from London to Chester and Llandudno Junction where we plan to access the Glan Conwy freight sidings.'

October 2024

Friday 4 October Clwyd Railway Circle Wrexham’s Second Railway Mania -  David Parry

4-6 October  Ffestiniog Railway Bygoneds weekend

5-6 October Llangollen Railway Heritage Railcar Weekend

November 2024

Friday 1 November Clwyd Railway Circle  Chinese Steam in 2001 and 2003  - Phil Thomas

December 2024

Tuesday 10 December  Midland Pullman from Holyhead to Edinburgh Waverley - Edinburgh Christmas Pullman

14-15 December Manchester Model Railway Society -  The Christmas Model Railway Show. The Sugden Centre, Sidney Street, Manchester




Charter Train Operators

Midland Pullman PO Box 83, St Erth, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 9AD Tel. 0800 038 5320

Northern Belle Bookings: 0845 077 2222

PMR Tours PO Box 6233, The West Shed, Ripley DE5 4AD Tel: 01773-743986

Pathfinder Tours, Stag House, Gydynap Lane, Inchbrook, Woodchester, Gloucestershire, GL5 5EZ. Bookings: 01453 835414

The Railway Touring Company. PO Box 1012, Kings Lynn PE30 3YN Tel: 01553-661500 Fax: 01553 661800
Email: enquiries[at]railwaytouring.co.uk

Vintage Trains, 670 Warwick Road, Tyseley, Birmingham B11 2HL Tel:  0121 707 4696

Saphos Trains, PO Box 83, St Erth, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 9AD Tel. 0800 038 5320

Spitfire Railtours PO box 824, Taunton TA1 9ET email: info[at]spitfirerailtours.co.uk Tel:  0870 879 3675 (Mon-Fri 11:00 to 18:00).

Statesman Rail PO Box 83, St Erth, Hayle Cornwall TR27 9AD Tel  0845 310 2458 and 0845 310 2489

Steam Dreams  'Bookings Office is open daily Monday to Friday from 0900hrs to 1730hrs and on Saturday between 0930hrs and 1200hrs,' Telephone 01483 209888, or email info[at]steamdreams.co.uk

UK Railtours PO Box 350, Welwyn AL6 0WG Telephone: 01438 715050

West Coast Railway Company Jesson Way, Crag Bank, Carnforth, Lancashire. LA5 9UR Tel: 01524 732100  Fax: 01524 735518  enquiries[at]westcoastrailways.co.uk


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Compiled by Charlie Hulme and Gary Thomas.