Misty morning at Bangor, 21 December (Alan Crawshaw)

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: 22 December 2000

To the North Wales Coast main page : To The previous Noticeboard
Class 37/4 diagrams: 18-23 December 24-30 December

Alan Crawshaw observed the morning's action at Bangor station: From the east we have 37 426 half an hour late on the 05:25 from Birmingham (above and heading)

From the west, arriving just two minutes later, 37 401 Mary Queen of Scots brings the 07:49 Holyhead to Crewe into platform 1.

Ian Bowland was at Crewe when 1K57 arrived at Crewe: 401 dropped the stock off at the carriage sheds and is is seen here reversing from bay 8 to cross to the Shrewsbury line and enter the diesel depot from the South end to refuel.  The normal way in was blocked by a re-railing train.

175 106 is leaving Crewe with the 11.15 for Holyhead. Alongside is 87 022 Lew Adams: The Black Prince waiting to attach to the rear of the Holyhead-London Euston Virgin train.

Shortly afterwards 47 747 Graham Farish came off the Coast Line, working the 09:19 Virgin train from Holyhead for the second day running.

37 426 entered platform 12 with 1G96 the 8.47 Holyhead-Birmingham, by now running 50 minutes late. Alastair Graham explains: Again there was a 'staff shortage' at Chester on 21 December for 1D57 05:25 Birmingham - Holyhead. The train having been very ably supervised by one of the Coast's most popular and respected guards from New Street to Chester there was no-one to take it forward. Eventually a guard was poached from the 07:06 departure and we left behind 37 426 at 07:13. OK until grinding to a halt outside Talacre Signal box and the loco shut down. A Failure? Not a bit of it!  After a few nail-biting minutes (or 10) the loco was re-started (high oil pressure?) and the good old 37 was able to continue with only the aid of a driver but no state-of-the art computer. Despite a late arrival at Holyhead, the excellent efforts of the shunter ensured we were ready to depart before 09:10. But no ... we have no guard as the incomer was due to book off and that is precisely what he had done! The Virgin 09:19 left on time behind 47 747 and we left at 09:33 as soon as the guard off the 07:06 (who presumably was the replacement for the guard who had replaced ours?) had arrived and took 1G96 (08:47 to Birmingham) out! 426 was fine on the way back once the driver was back at the controls running very well in the superb morning sunshine. - 22 December

37 702 Taff Merthyr entered and left Crewe with the Middlewich-Warrington Enterprise freight, one of the small number of freight trains that runs through Crewe station rather than via the avoiding lines below.  This loco has performed on the Coast Line passenger service in the past.  - 22 December

20 December - Charlie's day out

The 09:19 Holyhead - London departs Rhyl dead on time behind 47 747, 20 December. Picture by John Humphries.

Not just Charlie, either, but several other Website contributors were out and about in the last week of the two daily Class 37/4 diagrams and the first of Virgin's revival of its London service.

Ian Bowland's picture shows the arrival at platform 12 of 37 429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol with 1G96 the 08.47 Holyhead-Birmingham train.  It arrived on time at Crewe but things got worse from then on - much more from Ian on this on this intrepid journey at www.rail37.co.uk, and a picture report by Charlie too  - A Winter's Day... - 22 December

There was a 30 second sequence on the BBC Welsh news on Monday night, 18 December, showing 47 817 arriving at Bangor station - the angle being Virgin's reintroduction of through services to London. There was also a comment from a passenger unhappy that the 09:20 departure for Birmingham wasn't expected until 10:00 despite starting only from Holyhead.

On 19 December new 175 110 was noted relying on traditional window destination stickers rather than the fancy new internal displays. Virgin 08:38 Euston to Holyhead left Chester at 11:51 almost empty. Power cars were 43 161/063 - 22 December

50 018  Resolution became the first of its class to appear on the Conwy Valley.  It worked part of the first "Conwy Crusader" railtour on March 3 1984.   The train is seen here approaching Tal y Cafn station on
its way to Blaenau Ffestiniog.   After returning to Llandudno Jct the tour continued to Chester, Wrexham, Bidston, Rock Ferry and Crewe.  The distant signal for Tal y Cafn has since been replaced by a reflective board. - 22 December

Another Wolverhampton Run-Round - report by Peter Gilbert

I went to Birmingham New Street station on 18 December about 12:10 (yes it was 3mins past booked departure but the 12:07 to Holyhead is almost always 15-25 mins late since the speed restrictions came into force.)  With no info on the boards anywhere I assumed it had gone so just watched the mail trains (both 67s).

However I had seen on this page that 37 429 had been turned at Wolverhampton a few days before.  With
that information still present in the brain, when I saw today's 12:07 was cancelled I immediately got a local 323 and headed to Wolverhampton where 37 426 had just arrived at Platform 3.

On 15 December I also went to get the 12:07 but having waited until 12:40 I had to return to work.  How people get connections still amazes me when they are not familiar with the various happenings at major stations. - 22 December

A Problematical Evening -  by Alastair Graham

175 105 which Alan Crawshaw was trapped in on Saturday 16 December, failed again on Monday 18 December. I do not know the problem but I had the misfortune to be travelling on 175 005 behind the offending unit.  I was attempting to get to Llandudno Junction for the 'Tractor' (1G79 18:25 Holyhead - Birmingham) back to Crewe but we were cautioned near Llandulas then there was a huge 'bang' as we were over the A55 just outside Colwyn Bay. After being sat for some 10 minutes and the 'plus whatever' connection at the Junction turned into a 'minus' at Colwyn Bay and the 37/4 gracefully growled by, the guard announced that the delay was due to trying to couple up to a failed unit in front (the bang no doubt being a detonator placed by the crew of 105 as a warning of their location.) Evenually there was success and the pair moved off to the Bay and The Junction, nothing left but to catch another one of the purple monsters back home! - 22 December

Points of View

There were a number of errors in the last Notice Board: seems Seasonal Affective Disorder is upon us. Apologies: in particular it was of course the Holyhead - Birmingham (not vice versa) train which ran round at Wolverhampton. This has in fact happened before, at least twice, writes Ivor Bufton.

Regarding Alan Crawshaw's Trapped in a Coffin by Failed 175 105 scenario, 'Concrete Bob' writes to tell us the problem was that compressor had failed, and as soon as the air reservoirs drained to a certain point, the brakes are applied automatically. 175 007 thus hooked up to provide a supply. We believe the same unit had to be rescued again on the evening of 18 December. On the morning of 19 December only seven of the current fleet of 13 175s was available for service, as the first anniversary of the arrival of the first set at Chester depot (23 December 1999) is nearly upon us.

Mike Sheridan's light-hearted 'new hobby' suggestion brought in some correspondence, as expected! Alan Crawshaw writes: 'As for Mike Sheridan's humorous piece on buses, old timers like me can remember when buses were interesting. I enjoyed a wonderful variety of early post war models while travelling to my York school in the sixties. I suppose buses became boring before trains because of their shorter lifespan. At around this time we used to marvel at the futuristic transport in the Dan Dare comic strips, never realizing that when it arrived it would be totally lacking in charm and character.'

This from 'Concrete Bob' - 'Tell Mike Sheridan that some of us have already made the transition... 25 years ago! my Website has just the thing... a smashing picture of a Guy Arab!'

A personal comment from your compiler: 'You know, in the days before Websites and when kids walked to school, 9-year old Charlie became obsessed with the North Western Road Car Company and wrote to the company asking for a fleet list. And they sent me one! I still feel grateful when I think about it today.'  -20 December

My Last Ride,  19 December - by Rowan Crawshaw

I had a ride behind 37 429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol on the 09:20 from Bangor to Crewe, and on to Holyhead and back to Bangor. This was my last ride behind a Class 37 on the full length of the North Wales Coast.

37 429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol stands at Crewe with the 08:47 Holyhead - Birmingham on 19 December

47 790 Saint David / Dewi Sant stands at Crewe with the 09:19 Holyhead - London

37 429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol awaiting departure time at Holyhead with the 15:58 to Crewe. - 20 December

The 19:08 Euston - Holyhead on Monday 18 December was two road coaches. 1D87, the morning train from London, has not quite lived up to Virgin's promise of a through service from London, either: on 18 December it started from Milton Keynes, and on 19 December from Crewe with 43 161/063. A curious fact about Virgin's Christmas plan is that an HST set will be left at Holyhead over the Christmas closure: the 18:35 Milton Keynes - Holyhead on 24 December next forms 05:46 Holyhead - London on 27 December.

Reporting by Tim Brawn, Mike Stone and Steve Vaughan.- 20 December

Chester and Crewe, Tuesday Morning 19 December - pictures by Alan Crawshaw

A grab shot from the window as we approached Chester from Bangor at 10:42

56 011 heads west through Chester with a coal train at 10:50 - Alastair thought this would probably be destined for Gobowen.

66 224 going east at 11:02 with three empty timber wagons

'Thunderbird' 47 705, a 175 and 47 790 on the Virgin London service at 11:08

I waited in the hope of photographing 60 064 which we'd passed fully loaded at Penmaenmawr but it still hadn't shown up by 11:55 so I jumped aboard 101 683 which took me to Crewe where I saw...

... (left to right): 37 401, 421 and 426 in the depot. The interloper is 47 789 Lindisfarne

[Earlier stories are on the previous Notice Board]

Back to top

Created by Charlie Hulme, Comments welcome to charlie@dweb.u-net.com