Seen through a tear-stained viewfinder, the 17:19 Manchester - Llandudno leaves Platform 2 at Manchester Oxford Road on 25 September, worked by 175 007 and 175 011 in multiple (Charlie Hulme.)
Regular Contributors: Dave Sallery , Alan Crawshaw, Rowan Crawshaw, Dave Skipsey, John Lewis, Nick Gurney, John Murray, John Humphries, Tony Flusk, John Dawson , Derick Norman, Tony Miles, Ian Bowland, Tim Rogers, Ivor Bufton, Alastair Graham, Andrew Rhodes and Steve Vaughan.
LAST UPDATE: 26 September 2000
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Shortly after 22.00 on 25 September, 175 007, which was standing in Mayfield loop outside Manchester Piccadilly station, rolled slowly away and depailed one pair of wheels on the trap points protecting the main lines. Clearly the parking brake, which is meant to hold a train even after the air leaks away from the air brake system, lies behind this incident. We hear that taking the class out of service again was considered, but in the end a small modification was agreed which will be applied to all the trains.
Three-car set 175 105 was in service on the Coast line 26 September. Thanks to Tony Miles for the information. - 26 September
Peter Gilbert writes: I read in John Murray's item that a steam loco went past him on the morning of 25 September after he had departed Crewe. This was almost certainly 45157 (a.k.a. 45407) travelling back from the Severn Valley Railway at Kidderminster to the East Lancs Railway. It was due off about 07:30 25 Sept 2000 and was awaiting the road from the SVR when I caught the service train to Birmingham.' - 26 September.
Make a factual error on this page and you'll be very surprised who is reading! The Voyager and Super Voyager diesel-electric trains for Virgin Trains, and of course being built by Bombardier, not Alstom, an error entirely due to yoir compiler. The London - North Wales Coast line will in fact see four-car Class 221 tilting 'Super Voyager' sets, which, if planned seating layouts shown in the press are anything to go by, will make the 175s seem very luxurious indeed. - 25 September.
Due to engineering work next week between Crewe Steel Works and Chester East jct (Nightly from Monday 2nd October to Thursday 5th October), both 1D99 23:46 Birmingham NS - Holyhead and 1G76 01:50 (Tue - Fri) Holyhead - Birmingham are diverted to run via the Middlewich branch.The new winter loco diagrams afford a rare southbound trip with a service train over the branch (1G76). Both trains will be loco-hauled; Class 175s are not in fact permitted over this line at present, as they are believed to be too wide for the platform at the closed Middlewich station. Thanks for information to Tony Flusk and Tim Brawn. - 25 September
Two Class 37 turns in the Winter Timetable - by Alan Crawshaw
Anxious passengers bound for Ireland prepare to board the 05.25 Birmingham NS to Holyhead (1D57) at Bangor as 37 412 Driver John Elliott arrives 20 minutes late.
The 07.49 Holyhead to Crewe (1K57) leaves Bangor hehind 37 429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol as a 175 enters with the 07:06 Chester to Holyhead.
Familiar Locations, Unfamiliar Trains - by John Murray
Sad to see long established class 37 diagrams going over to class 175.
Firstly on Saturday, I returned from Dun Laoghaire on the 16:05 HSS sailing
to meet 175 005/009 with the 18:22 to Crewe. A photo is
attached in a pose I have taken many class 37 pictures. On 25
September, I travelled from Chester to London, stopping off in Milton Keynes
on the way. The 08:20 from Chester, which was loco hauled until today,
had 175 007/011 in operation. As I boarded, I met Colwyn Bay
correspondent Mark Williams who was alighting on his way to work.
His comments on the loss of the class 37's do not bear repeating in these
columns!
On approaching Crewe, noted in the works, a Midland Mainline class 170 (was this the one involved in the derailment 2 weeks ago?) and a green class 71 electric loco.
A photo of the sets as the 08:44 Crewe to Birmingham New Street is above, again in a pose where I have photographed many 37's. On the adjacent track was MPV 98008.
I took the 09:10 to London Euston, as far as Milton Keynes. Just
after leaving we passed a steam loco and support coach (under tow?) heading
north on the adjacent track. It caught me unawares and we
were travelling too fast to see what it was, can anyone identify it?
Interestingly, Chester booking office advised me that a saver single was valid for this journey and sold me one which was not quibbled on the train. This surprised me as The Train Line shows it is not valid. Well I did ask! - 25 September
Sunset on locomotive haulage on the North Wales Coast as 37 413 leaves Colwyn Bay Station with the 16.46 Holyhead-Birmingham, 23 September.
Another classic location with Conwy Station arch framing 37 429Eisteddfod Genedlaethol on the 12.19 Crewe-Holyhead, 23 September. Many more pictures like this on www.Rail37.co.uk- 25 September
Ian Bowland writes: 'On the first day of the new timetable I went to Crewe see 1D61 15.57 Crewe-Holyhead. On arrival at the station the TV screen was showing the train leaving from platform 9 and, predictably, as the train was approaching platform 12 there was a "platform alteration" announced. In consequence the train left late because some passengers could not get over the bridge very quickly. 37 429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol was heading the train of six coaches which were 4849, 4880, brake van 92936, 5386, 5389 and GWR-liveried 5025. Alongside 37 429 is 90 015 The International Brigades Spain 1936-1939 which was hooked onto the rear of the Virgin Holyhead-Euston which had just arrived behind (picture below) 47 749 Atlantic College.' - 24 September
'Lasts' figure a great deal on this page: this is 37 412 Driver John Elliott arriving at Bangor with the 10:07 Birmingham - Holyhead on Saturday 23 September: the last loco-hauled run of this train as Class 175s are expected to take over with the start of the Winter timetable on 24 September. (Rowan Crawshaw)
The last run-round at Bangor?
Reversal of loco-hauled trains at Bangor comes to a final end with the Winter timetable; the provisional loco diagrams from 24 September include no such movements. The last workings therefore took place on Saturday 23 September, and Rowan Crawshaw was there to witness the last rites. Such shunting moves are one of the reasons why loco-hauled trains have more railfan-appeal than railcar services, and will be sadly missed by many - including, perhaps, the signallers at Bangor? In the picture above 37 413 has arrived with 1D65 10:18 (SO) Crewe - Bangor and the locomotive is running forward into Belmont tunnel.
Having run round, the locomotive is coupled to the east end of the train. The driver changes ends as the shunter stands by. The next move is to shunt the whole train across into Platform 1 ready for departure as the 12:22 to Crewe ...
... clearing the line for the arrival of the London - Holyhead Virgin Trains service, with its Driving Van Trailer at the rear....
... and hired EWS locomotive 47 449 Atlantic College (which has taken over at Crewe from an electric locomotive) on the front end. Virgin's trains are not being replaced by anything new in Winter 2000: indeed we hear that construction of their replacement Class 220 'Voyager' sets (built by Bombardier) is likely to be seriously late ... does anyone have details of Virgin's winter diagrams and whether any Class 47s will remain? - 24 September
47 853 on the 'other' loco-hauled Virgin Trains diagram, Crewe 23 September. Picture Mike Sheridan
The Last 'Irish Mancunian' (again)
37 429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Stands at Manchester Piccadilly (click the picture for a 45-second asf video [350 KB] of its departure for Longsight loop) with the 13.27 from Holyhead on Friday 22 September, the last weekday of the Summer Timetable and probably the last run of this train as a loco-hauled service: Class 175 railcars are scheduled to take over this diagram from 25 September.
In the archives from 1998 is a picture report The Last Irish Mancunian which covers the last loco-hauled run of this train in the days when it was worked by a locomotive on Saturdays only. Will we ever see its like again, I wonder? Times certainly change: the Class 322 units shown in the 1998 report have passed into North Weest railway history already. - 23 September
A very special 'thank you' to John Hynd, a driver on the West
Highland line, for the excellent information that 37 408 has been
reunited with its Loch Rannoch nameplates in time to
work 6Y42 Taynuilt - Mossend timber trip on 22 September. Good news
indeed. - 23 September
Ian Bowland travelled the North Wales lines on 21 September to record the changing scene: his report with 37/4s and 175s in abundance is now available. - 23 September.
More about the 87 028 affair
Our thanks to John Tattersall who writes: 'Having seen your news coverage of the failure of 87 028 "Lord President" on 14 September, I can add that the loco suffered a main transformer burn out. I was on the train when it failed at Betley Road (5 miles south of Crewe) whilst working 1F16 11:58 Euston-Liverpool. It was rescued by 60078 and was terminated at Crewe 90mins late. 90 006 was sent from Longsight to take over the diagram, starting with 1A74 15:45 Liverpool-Euston, which started from Crewe. The 87 was left dead in train as it was probably the easiest way to return it to Willesden depot for repairs.' - 23 September.
First North Western are planning to introduce a three-car Class 175/1 train into public traffic for the first time starting with the 06:24 from Chester to Birmingham on 23 September, and continuing with the 'Irish Mancunian' diagram on 25 September. The centre car of these units is fitted with an 'entertainment' system with headphone sockets and a choice of music channels. We are told the sound unit has a capacity of 40 CDs at a time, supplied by HMV, plus various radio channels. Reports, pictures and music reviews welcome! - 23 September.
First up, we have the 08:23 and 08:25 departures meeting at the entrance to Belmont tunnel.
Next, 37 429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol on the 'Irish Mancunian' ...
... and finally another tunnel shot as 37 413 makes another appearance, this time with the 12:19 from Crewe. - 23 September
When I first read of these proposals, my intial reaction as a resident of Holyhead was to give this a huge thumbs up - it's about time the needs of the locals were considered In Holyhead in relation to railway matters, as well as the future development of a town which has been crying out for years for some proper forward thinking. Holyhead station is an old design dating from 1880, and was built purely with the needs of the ships of the day in mind and in recent years has become more awkward for many local people to get to. Since moving the entrance to the port from Salt Island to the new East Dock in 1995, this has meant a much longer walk for anyone living in the main part of town or towards the Western end like myself. Previously the ferries used to dock in the inner harbour next to platform one, the interchange was excellent for passengers and locals could use the footbridge over the tracks and would emerge right in the concourse. Since the ticket office has moved, we never know which entrance is best to use to get to the trains - will they be on platform one or two, hence the station bridge is the best way to get there, or will it be platform three which means a hike round the other side to the East Dock? What if you have someone meeting you at Holyhead station, which entrance do they go to for the arrival?
Whilst I am the first to admit that Holyhead's lifeblood is the ferries to Ireland, and I am a regular traveller on them myself (and a big fan of the HSS), I have always felt that the town needs to move with the times and fight for its own developments which can provide the locals with jobs and facilites, whilst also tapping into the huge amount of people passing through each year. If the entrance to the station could be repositioned on the platform one side or under the station bridge, this would be much closer to the town centre and would also encourage people arriving from Ireland or off the trains to pay a visit to the town itself, rather than avoid it totally as now. The platforms themselves could surely still be linked to the port? And what could be better than a "Cheshire Oaks" style retail park with excellent rail access? There can't be many of them around. Let's not just jump on any proposed developments until we know exactly what they entail, and how they could benefit everybody involved, and this includes the 10,000 of us who do live here.
Whether I've opened up a can of worms here or not, I don't know - but debate is healthy! I personally don't think this scheme will ever get off the ground, but I am just happy to see that someone in Holyhead does seem to be moving in the right direction in proposing a radical shake up of the town - it certainly needs it. - 23 September.
[Earlier stories are on the previous Notice Board]
Created by Charlie Hulme, Comments welcome to charlie@dweb.u-net.com