20 304 and 23 305 tonking through Bangor station with just a pair of barrier wagons as the Carlisle - Valley nuclear flask train, 21 November. Picture by Alan Crawshaw showing off his new telephoto lens....

Regular Contributors: Dave Sallery , Alan Crawshaw, Rowan Crawshaw, Dave Skipsey, John Lewis,  John Murray,  Tony Flusk,  John Dawson , Derick Norman, Tony Miles, Ian Bowland, Tim Rogers, Ivor Bufton, Alastair Graham, Mike Stone, Chris Pelling, Tim Proudman, 'Concrete Bob'  and Steve Vaughan.

LAST UPDATE: 21 November 2000

To the North Wales Coast main page : To The previous Noticeboard

An additional 37/4 turn in place of a 175 unit was operated again on 21 November, with 37 413 in charge. The diagram comprised 09:17 Crewe - Holyhead, 11:52 Holyhead - Crewe, 14:15 Crewe - Holyhead, 16:49 Holyhead - Birmingham, 20:39 Birmingham - Chester. Cinformation that all these trains were worked, and sightings on subsequent days, welcome. Report by Chris Pelling. - 21 November

37 421 at Bangor on 21 November on 1K73 the 15:58 Holyhead-Crewe, it arrived 3 minutes early.  Photo includes a shot of the stone carving of the Chester & Holyhead Railway emblem on the station building. (Ian Bowland) Lots more news pictures on Ian's Rail 37 website. -21 November

Feedback column

Thanks to Tim Brawn of First North Western for clarifying some points in recent reports. The second loco-hauled set was pressed into service on Saturday 18 November to provide capacity for Virgin Trains' passengers since all Virgin workings along the Coast have apparently been cancelled until further notice. Virgin had a plan to insititute a shuttle service along the Coast using their Class 158 railcars, but no conductors with the appropriate training could be found.

Tim adds: 'I note Bruce's comments about overcrowding of the 20.12 ex-Crewe on 19 November. We would not normally expect 200+ pleople at that time of night for a non-boat train. Might it be that the Virgin service currently on offer had desposited the passengers at Crewe several hours late? When we were running OK in the summer this was a 158 diagram, 2 cars with no reported problems. It is worth noting that apart from luggage space that a [four coach] loco-hauled set only offers 5% more seats than a 3-car 175 which will be the booked unit for this service.'

A quick answer arrived to Dave Sallery's question about the train in his archive picture: Steve Jones writes: 'It was a 1T05 Stafford to Blaenau Ffestiniog Charter for the B.R.S.A. (British Rail Staff Association), however there were a few gatecrashers on board (I was one) to enjoy the thrash, 40 155 worked it throughout and was assisted on the branch by 40 015.' - 21 November

Spotted by Ian Bowland in the Sunday Times business section:

ALSTOM AIMS TO TRIUMPH IN POWER AND TRANSPORT

The group is building the world's largest cruise liner and bidding to run London's Tube.
No wonder its boss is smiling.....

But it stayed dry while Alan Crawshaw recorded 20 November's diagrams at Bangor station.. 37 421
 performed the job of taking the 05:25 from Birmingham to Holyhead, then Alan waited with trepidation for the 07:49 Holyhead to Crewe. All is still well with this diagram, which featured 37 413 fresh from its South Wales holiday (below).

It looks like the plastic tide has been kept at bay for another week. - 20 November

Let's cheer ourselves up with one of Dave Sallery's archive pictures: 40 155 heads a return excursion from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Stoke on Trent out of Prestatyn on the sunny evening of August 5, 1984. Dave writes: 'If anyone has any details of this excursion, who ran it etc. I would be most interested.' Fans of these archive spots will find them all collected together on Dave's website.

Editorial

Recently we have been receiving bills from our Web space supplier for 'excess traffic' thanks to the amazing popularity of this site and the number of pictures, so for a while we'll break the Notice Board page down into shorter sections than normal. Everything's still there, though - if you get to the bottom of the page and want to see earlier events just click on the 'Previous Notice Board' link to continue. Thanks to you all for reading, contribution and sending such flattering comments. Keep it up!

The page below contains much new material added on the evening of 19 November.- 19 November

Bruce Garbutt writes on the North West Gen List, evening of Sunday 19 November: 37 413 is working the 20:12 Crewe - Holyhead. All coaches were completely wedged. God help them when the 175's finally take over! - 19 November

Saturday 18 November - madness reigns

Ian Bowland's report from Crewe:

37 428 was on 1K57, the 7.49 Holyhead-Crewe, did it really suffer a flashover?

The 10.28 rugby special to Cardiff was hauled by 47 736 Cambridge Traction and Rolling Stock Depot

101 663 appeared from Manchester Airport and did the reversal trick to gain the Chester line.  This is one of the so-called 'go-faster' three car units formed by adding a (locked out of use) motor coach to a power-trailer set. We believe there are no unenhanced. 2-car power-trailer sets left in service.

37 401 Mary Queen of Scots was on 1G96, the 8.53 Holyhead-Birmingham which arrived on time but was held while the 101 performed.

37 426 appeared on 1D67 which I do not believe is scheduled for loco haulage.  Maybe another  Saturday turn has been introduced after all...

(Bevan Price writes: I am told 37 426 was used only because (another) 175 failed some time on Friday, and there was no spare unit available. It continued at least until the 17 34 Birmingham - Holyhead, giving me bonus 37 mileage on my West Midlands Day Ranger.' )

37 429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol was on the Diesel Depot yard. A very good morning for 37/4's.

The 10.51 Virgin Trains service for Holyhead - a bus!  Can anyone explain why one would want to go from Crewe to Holyhead by bus when a loco-hauled train left for Holyhead shortly afterwards ( the bus was late departing).  The bus symbol appeared on the TV screen against the train times.

Dave Sallery sends us the Railway Development Society's response to Saturday's events in the form of a press release, which needless to say this site endorses wholeheartedly. We'd be very pleased to hear from anyone in the rail industry prepared to defend this behaviour.
 

VIRGIN TRAINS USING BUSES FOR NORTH WALES PASSENGERS

Virgin Trains must stop putting passengers on buses when trains are running almost as normal between Crewe and Holyhead, say rail campaigners.

They are angry that passengers arriving at Crewe from London have been told to leave the station and join a bus which will take them to Chester, Rhyl, Bangor etc. This is common practice on the railways when a line is closed, but First North Western has been running its usual services along the North Wales Coast main line. People who take Virgin's advice could also miss ferry connections at Holyhead, because the bus is so much slower than the train.

The Railway Development Society says it is wrong that passengers should be put to such inconvenience, especially as the buses, unlike the train, do not have space for bicycles, wheelchairs, refreshment trolleys etc.

"Apparently the rail industry has taken leave of its senses," said David Sallery, spokesman for RDS' North Wales Branch. "It's bad enough that Virgin isn't running its own trains through to Holyhead, but the least they could do to minimise disruption for passengers is to inform them that they can continue their journey by train.

"The problem is not a shortage of space on FNW trains. On 18 November the 10.47 Virgin service from Crewe was announced as a bus and the 11.15 FNW train left virtually empty. More importantly, any passengers who took the bus would have missed the ferry connection at Holyhead, whereas they would have caught it if they used the FNW train.

"We appreciate that Virgin didn't cause the problem of emergency speed restrictions, but the shadow Strategic Rail Authority should intervene to ensure this sort of nonsense is stamped out and the different train operating companies work together sensibly."

The lunchtime Virgin train was cancelled. The 10:23 from Crewe to Bangor and 12:30 return was 150 149 so there are no more run-rounds at Bangor. This diagram also includes the 16:49 Holyhead -  Birmingham which is 17 stops and just over 3 hours, do you fancy this?

37 426 stands at Bangor with the 10:07 Birmingham - Holyhead

175 008 Valhalla at Bangor on the 12:19 from Llandudno. The signal shows the unit allowed to move to platform 1 for the 13:16 to Crewe.

Rowan's Rail Elite website has moved to its own domain: http://www.railelite.org.uk- 19 November

Despite attempts by the rail companies to stop me, I took up Stu Wright's invitation to visit the Alsager Model Railway Show on 18 November, and very enjoyable it was too. A a special Class 37-hauled railtour was even run for us (above) on the N gauge 'Stapleforth Main Line.'

This view shows some of the line's interesting motive power 'on shed.'

Another reason I was very happy with my visit was my discovery of a stand selling 4mm Mk 1 coaches in Regional Railways livery, just what the North Wales modeller needs to go with the Hornby Mk 2a stock. The coaches are Lima models, not the best Mk1 model but capable of improvement with flush glazed windows, etc. and the paint job is not bad at all. The coach I bought (above) is a corridor second, but these differ from the Coast coaches, which are open seconds, only in the interior. New bogies would perhaps be needed too, but at £14.95 for a professionally painted job, worth considering. Corridor brake seconds and (less useful) composites are available. Contact Manor Models, 39 Manor Gardens, Dawley, Telford. Shop hours are limited: Phone Telford 591473.

We have a lot more modelling news to hand : watch this space! - 19 November

16 November, and a reminiscence - by Mark Brazier

Having lived up near Wrexham 12 years ago, my wife and I were regulars along the coast in the days of 47s and dmus, always with our cycles. We used to cycle one way and train the other depending which way the wind was blowing, and have great memories of some fantastic days. We also used to visit Barmouth, Aberystwyth and Machynlleth in the same way, and remember the summer Saturday double headers of the late eighties. Towards the end of the decade, the regulars on the Cambrian were those intrepid performers 37 426, 427, 428, 429, 430 and 431. I think the run back from Barmouth on a hot
summer Saturday afternoon with the smell of the sea hitting you as the 37 thrashed through Llangelynin is one of my most vivid memories - what a sad case I must be!

We have been up to North Wales with our bikes in the last year, usually from Ledbury (where I help John Goldrick run Ledbury station ticket office) or Hereford. Thinking it would all end in May we enjoyed the sadly missed 8.17 from Chester and 18.20 return from Bangor on a few occasions, and some reunions with the survivors of the Cambrian 6. Since then the diagrams have meant taking the bikes and combining it with real trains is not so easy, so the occasional day out by train only has taken place.

16 November will probably be the last but one and what a great day with the bonus of 37 429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol between Birmingham and Holyhead, and back to Crewe. The attraction of crossing over at Penmaenmawr to return to Holyhead for the 18.25 back, with 37 401 Mary Queen of Scots was not up to what could be a last run behind one of the Cambrian 37s. Anyway, having endured the delights of the trip back to Hereford in plastic comfort  ( what a pale shadow of the old Friday night North and West 37
diagram that went in Sept 99), whilst waiting at Hereford station for my train back to Ledbury, with an impressive roar as it was opened up through the platform came 37 413, Houdini of the class, as it went north back to Crewe, no doubt to be back on the coast, Soon I must make a trip up to Rhymney, a bit easier from here! - 19 November

The Stena Line HSS ferry from Holyhead to Ireland was cancelled on 24th September.  I applied for a refund in respect of non-use of my combined rail and ferry ticket from Chester and even submitted my air boarding card as evidence. The response has been there is "no liability for bad weather".  I am not asking for compensation other than a refund for the fare which I paid and did not receive a service for and indeed had to them buy an air ticket for. Stena quote their terms and conditions on liability which also say that
refunds are available so I wish they would make up their mind!

I am going to take this matter as far as possible.  In a year of travelling to and from Ireland it is apparent that FNW and Stena Line treat their passengers appallingly, which is why RyanAir has had my business since.

I have been offered £25 compensation in vouchers, well basically FNW and Stena can stick it as I have no intention of going on their rail/sale again. RyanAir now have my business.  I have spent over £4000 travelling by rail/ship in the last 12 months mainly and this is the way I have been treated!   I have already complained to the Advertising Standards Authority about the current FNW/Stena "Getting to Ireland has Never been Easier" campaign.  The claims made in it just cannot be justified!

How do they get away with it?  No retailer would get away with not providing a service and then not refunding passengers' money. - 19 November

[Earlier stories are on the previous Notice Board]

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