37 413 works what FNW hope will be the penultimate loco-hauled 17:19 from Manchester at Oxford Road, Thursday 21 September. Click the picture for an asf video(220 KB, 30 sec.) Apologies to Ian Bowland who was vainly trying to attract my attention from the rear coach - I was concentrating on the camera! Hopefully I will be in attendance for the last eastbound on the afternoon of 22 September. (Charlie Hulme)
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LAST UPDATE: 21 September 2000
To the North Wales Coast main page : To The previous Noticeboard : To the September 18- Noticeboard
A montage from BBC TV Look North West, 21 September, when the non-delivery of First North Western Class 175s was covered. Gordon Burn introduces the item (top left), our very own Tony Miles cast as the expert (Bottom left), a close-up of the brakes of a 175 (bottom right) and a star appearance by 'Daisy', the 'oldest train on the network.' We were told that FNW were blaming the train builder for the delay, but they forgot to mention the builder's name, so let's mention it now - Alstom. A view inside the brake van of unit prompted the comment 'look - lots of room for bikes' from the viewers in the compiler's household ... another friend of this site, Andy Flowers, gets his picture in the media this month as part of his very interesting article in the new Rail Express on the use of pocket GPS units by railfans - 21 September
... is the heading on a flyer handed out to passengers by First North Western staff on 21 September. The text reads:
'First North Western was able to maintain a full train service throughout the recent fuel shortage despite the difficulties encountered. We would like to thank all our customers for their patience and understanding, particularly where they may have experienced some overcrowding due to extra demand. First North Western is totally committed to improving the quality, safety and reliability of our service. Thank you once again for your continued support. 'Nice that Mr Franks believes in talking to his customers, even though some trains were cancelled, and the one-car train noted on the 17:18 Manchester - Blackpool on 20 September would have been overcrowded in the first week of the University term any year. - 21 September
37 429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol arrived at Crewe hauling 1K71 on 20 September and looking very dirty. It performed the runround and in doing so passed between 87 025 County of Cheshire (left) and 86 401 Hertfordshire Railtours. It left to schedule on 1D79. (Ian Bowland)
About to head into the sunset in what may be the last week of locomotive working of this train, 37 412 Driver John Elliott waits at Manchester Oxford Road with the 17:19 Manchester Piccadilly to Chester, 20 September. Click the picture for an asf video (with sound) of the departure. Picture Charlie Hulme
Film maker Nick Dodson was married on 16 September, and someone saw fit to remove the nameplates from cherished loco 37 408 Loch Rannoch and replace them with Nick Dodson on one side and Sue Dodson on the other. In this condition loco worked a special train from Edinburgh to Fort William and back, and was still in this state when it worked the London sleeper to Edinburgh on Monday 18 September. Not wishing to spoil anyone's marital bliss, but let's hope the proper plates are restored soon. - 20 September
The driver of 47 051 keeps a close watch as he reverses a rake of wagons for repair into the C.C. Crump & Co. siding near Connahs Quay on 11 May 1993. Crump's were the last wagon repair business in North Wales and left the railway industry shortly after this photo was taken. The wagons behind the loco are Cawoods 4 wheel container flats, at that time operating from Ellesmere Port, while the rear two are Associated Octel lead compound tank wagons. The wagon repair building, in the background, is still in existence as is the trailing connection from the up line, all other trackwork has now been removed. In the past there were also wagon repair works at Mold Junction and Sandycroft. -20 September
... are 20 303 leading 20 301 through Bangor station on Tuesday 19 September. The down centre road here is back in service, as can be seen. Picture Alan Crawshaw. -20 September
Even more on the Winter Class 37/4 workings
Following enquiries from readers regarding First North Western's provisional Class 37/4 diagrams for Winter 2000-01, as previously published here, Tim Brawn of First North Western has kindly provided us with some extra detail. (Note: this page is now online - sorry for the error.) In particular, the apparent unbalanced nature of the diagrams as listed is explained by the fact that the train which has formed the 15:58 Holyhead - Crewe will return empty to Holyhead late in the evening, except in Fridays when it will run empty to Manchester Piccadilly to form the 22:55 service train to Holyhead.
The provisional diagrams show the 17:19 from Manchester running to Holyhead, whereas its destination is shown as Llandudno in the public timetable. However, we are now told by First North Western that this locomotive turn (Diagram 2 on the chart) will not now come into force as there are sufficient 175s available. Only two 37/4s will be required from 24 September. It is therefore very likely that Friday 22 September will see the last loco-hauled 17:19 from Manchester; this is booked to run only as far as Chester, although it may run to Llandudno.
Also from Monday the Coast trains from Manchester revert temporarily to 156 operation until 175s come on stream in sufficient numbers; 158s move to the Manchester - Barrow/Windermere trains where their 90mph capability is needed. We hear that there may be an item about all of this on BBC TV Look North West on Wednesday evening 20 September. - Revised 19 September
Despite the November weather we cycled to Waunfawr on 17 September for the Welsh Highland Railway Gala weekend.
The Garratt double header heads away from the station.
Next up is Russell, the sole surving original locomotive from the line, paired with Taliesin. The duo pass the remains of Tryfan Junction station returning from Waunfawr.
We abandoned the working man's transport in favour of the bourgeois middle class but dry alternative to take us to Bangor station. The 16:56 Holyhead - Crewe was 20 minutes late leaving for want of a driver. It flashed past us as we sped west on our third mode of transport. At the terminus, 37 401 Mary Queen of Scots and 37 429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol, having shunted their stock, are about to transfer it to platform 2 to form the double header boat train. As this is the last Sunday of the summer timetable, this could be the final ten coach double header. - 18 September
Several interesting developments in the railway Internet world in the last couple of weeks. A good friend of our site, Bruce Garbutt, has started up a mailing list called the North West Gen List, devoted to echange of information about interesting train workings in north west England and along the coast. For more details and how to join, visit the NWGL Web page.
A new official page is the National Rail website which is run on behalf of all the train companies, and features an especially interesting page of Train Running Information which is updated several times a day and includes details of train delays of all kinds all over the UK.
A new enthusiast site is the Unofficial FNW Website, which aims among others to collect a photograph of all First North Western rolling stock.
Web news from our contrubutors: 'Concrete Bob' has a new section of his website on the historic subject of the Crewe Works test train, with losts of pictures of Class 37/4s and other types. Ian Bowland's Rail37, on the other hand, is bang up to date with pictures of the recent open-doors day at Crewe diesel depot. Attendance at this event was very limited, and Ian was lucky to get a rare chance to look around the place and get pictures of some of the store Class 37s among other delights.
As usual, we've had lots of interesting comments on recent notice board items. Regarding the spectacular failure of a Class 87 at Crewe as chronicled by Ian Bowland, Mr Griffith writes: 'The only things on an 87 connected with oil,are the main transformer...the windings of which are immersed in oil to keep them cool, but in any case that's all contained in a sealed unit inside the loco. The tap changers, which control the current delivery to the traction motors are also immersed in oil, for the same reason. The most likely thing to have failed and covered the loco and train in its cooling and lubricating oil.is the compressor, especially seeing as it is slung under the bodywork of the loco in its own frame. It would seem the internal workings of the compressor have failed, disintegrated, and in so doing, fractured the outer casing leading to the oil being dispersed.'
The progress of the Sunday double-header on 10 September with just one loco working on 10 September is completed for us by Jeff Brough, who writes: '37 413 & 37 429 certainly reached Stafford with the 18:22 Holyhead - Birmingham New Street with only 37 413 working, it departed for Birmingham 50 minutes down. I went to Stafford again on 17 September to photograph the double header and 37 401/37 429 were again late, this time leaving 33 minutes late.'
The hare-brained proposal to move Holyhead station (last
notice board) has attracted considerable comment, none of it favourable.
The following by Pete Tabord sums it up:
'I've suspected something like this was on the cards since seeing the A55 development, which basically ends a quasi-motorway on a junction in the middle of an urban area. No doubt the resulting predictable congestion will be used to 'justify' the scheme ... It is in my view absolutely vital that this nonsese is fought, and furthermore that some serious thought is given to bring in freight for Ireland by rail. I cannot believe that the transfer of all the Irish freight to road makes the slightest sense.'Correspondents also raise some practical issues: the proposed new location for the terminus is too cramped, on a 1 in 75 gradient (Would the HSE allow this?), and would involve demolition of structures (The platform 2 canopy) that surely deserve listed building status; the town of Holyhead has little enough of architectural merit without removing that. Should you wish to contact Holyhead Town Council, the address is Town Hall, Newry Street, Holyhead, Anglesey. Fax: 01407 765156.
Alan Crawshaw asks: 'Who will be eligible to participate in this inquiry? If it's limited to local residents it'll be skewed in favour of a development which promises more jobs in a depressed area. The people using train and boat to cross the Irish Sea would be the losers and they'll be drawn from the general population of the UK, Ireland and further afield.'
Thanks to all who have written - keep those emails coming. - 18 September
[Earlier stories are on the previous Notice Board]
Created by Charlie Hulme, Comments welcome to charlie@dweb.u-net.com