33 108, newly outshopped in smart Fragonset livery, preparing to depart Crewe on time on 3 February with the 10:28 Wales and West train to Cardiff, officially provided for Rugby fans. The stock is 5365, 5307, 5350, 17086, 5364 and 5275, the ones named after ladies and painted by Forward Trust Rail in blue and cream but now owned by Riviera. (Ian Bowland.)

Regular Contributors: Dave Sallery , Alan Crawshaw, Rowan Crawshaw, Dave Skipsey, John Lewis, 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: 03 February 2001

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

Crewe seemed to come alive again on 2 February with the following events happening within 60 minutes.
Celebrity 37 116 Sister Dora was on a train of concrete sleepers heading North on the WCML.
DRS locos 37 611 and 37 610 passed through the station heading South and parked alongside the spare North Wales Coast stock at the LNWR carriage sheds.  One(?) later coupled onto the stock, which included a Regional Railways liveried vehicle, and the whole train was then pushed into the shed by an 08 shunter.  Preparation for the Cardiff specials?

37 521 English China Clays, a former Coast line performer, went through platform 6 heading South with the Middlewich-Warrington Enterprise.  [Compiler's query - how does this train reach Warrington?] The middle roads appeared to be out of use. 37 415 was dead on the diesel depot at 11:30.

HST 43 121 + 43 093 Lady in Red arrived at platform 11 with the 08:38 London Euston-Holyhead running 40 minutes down.

47 841 Spirit of Chester arrived at platform 11 on time with the 09:19 Holyhead-London train, seconds after the HST left.

87 027 Wolf of Badenoch, resurrected victim of the Winsford crash, coupled onto the rear of the train to propel the train South and 47 841 ran round and left on the WCML heading North., to take over a southbound Cross Country train (1O16 to Poole) from an electric at Preston (dep. 15:28) if the normal diagrams have resumed. - 3 February

As another week passes with no sign of the First North Western 'standby train' seeing any service, locomotive fans focus their attention on the Virgin workings (see above) and the freight traffic. The Tuesday and Friday afternoon Nuclear Flask train, 7C40 15:12 Valley - Carlisle Kingmoor Nuclear Flasks, is a favourite of our reporters because of the convenient time it runs. Our pictures show the train on 2 February hauled by DRS locomotives 20 304 and 20 305, first at Bangor (above and below, by Alan Crawshaw) ...

... and later heading away from Rhyl. (John Humphries.) From these photographs it is evident that the 'barrier wagons' used are now the flat wagons modified to carry low-level waste skips between Sellafield and Drigg, whereas when EWS worked the trains, HEA-type coal hoppers with their bodies removed were in use.

For those interested in the flask wagons themselves, here's a side view of an FNA vehicle taken at Valley in January 2001 by Alan Crawshaw. Some were rebuilt from steel-carriers, and others built new in this form. Appleby Model Engineering made a 4mm scale kit for this wagon. Is this still available, and has anyone built one? - 3 February

Looks like the only news pictures we'll see now of Coast Line 37/4s will be those on Mike Dunning's excellent  'Talacre' Web site covering his 7mm scale garden layout. Here 37 408 Loch Rannoch runs into Conifer Tunnel.

Our item about which 37/4s might have been painted in Regional Railways livery more than once has, as we hoped, raised some interesting correspondence from Larry Goddard and Mark Williams.

37 414 was also repainted again in RR livery. It was the first 37 painted in this livery, at Cathays Wagon Works in Cardiff. It was in fact the last loco to be repainted by this works before closure, and this was commemorated by naming it Cathays C & W Works, Cardiff 1846-1993. This must have seemed to interested passengers a particularly boring name, but it did have a reason. Cathays gave the loco large running numbers, visible on Mark' s upper picture taken Llandudno Junction, with 1D40 13.55 to Holyhead on 29 January 1994.

It was subsequently overhauled and repainted in July 1995 with standard numbers as per 418, 420, 421, 422, 425, 427 and 429, as seen in Mark's second picture at Colwyn Bay, with 1D66 17.18 Crewe-Holyhead on 15 September 1996.

37 422 Robert F. Fairlie also meets the criterion, having been repainted in preparation for its naming at Blaenau Ffestiniog in May 1993, It was overhauled in July 1995 and noted ex-works in its second application of RR livery on 5.8.95 on the 12.24 Crewe-Holyhead turn. It would seem that in 1993 it was considered important by Mr Goundry and his team to get some locos in RR livery in 1993 for the new prestige service, even though they were not due for overhaul. On passing through works for overhaul they were naturally given a new coat of paint. - 1 February

3 x 2 car Metro-Cammell units pass Norton heading towards Chester.  The photo shows the original box at Norton later replaced by a BR pattern one which is still in use.  Norton station was closed and replaced some years later by Runcorn East on a site to the West.  The 3 units are the earliest type of Metro-Cammell units and had housings for jumper cables.  As the (rear) destination blind is blank maybe they are on an excursion to the coast.  Interestingly these units came complete with a top headlight as seen on 175's although the lights mimic a steam loco arrangement.  [And the 79xxx number series  of these early units is reappearing on the Class 175s too. - CH.] Looks like the photo could have been taken for the signalmans benefit.  Any idea of the date or other information welcome.

Much more archive stuff at Dave's website. - 1 February

The down Liverpool Independent and down slow appeared to be blocked.

175 110 worked 10:48 Holyhead - Birmingham and 175 104 the 12:07 return. The Virgin 06:50 Edinburgh -Bournemouth was loco hauled stock and 47 848 replacing the booked HST, while 86 417 worked the 09:03 Euston Liverpool The 10:45 Liverpool  - Euston arrived at 11:49 and after fitters attended to the
DVT and the loco ran round departed  at 12:41 - it taking 36 minutes from detaching 90 003 off the rear to getting away - meanwhile the 11: 45 Liverpool had overtaken it.

Despite the revised Virgin timetable only allowing 10 minutes extra,  trains were still taking over three hours to get from Euston to Crewe - an additional set is still being inserted in the workings at Liverpool but the Preston turn rounds remain unworkable. The 08:38 Euston - Holyhead was even later, not leaving Crewe until 12:22 - at least it was in front of the fNW service. As it is formed by the 04:48
Manchester Euston due in Euston 08:06 (40 late at Watford yesterday) it needs to be made non=stop down the coast or terminate at Bangor,  to give the return working any chance at all of being on time.

For 37 fans, the lunch-time Middlewich-Arpley Enterprise pick-up goods was worked by 37 799. - 1 February

Let's take a look at the passenger environment of the 175 units, with comments by our readers incorporated in the hope that Alstom might be interested in our views. Of course it is very hard to escape from the emotional baggage of the  Mk1 and Mk2 coaches, but if these had followed on immediately from the Pacers, Sprinters and 158s even railfans would, I feel, be impressed. The general ambiance, and especially the legroom, are very impressive, although the colours are a touch garish compared to, for example, Northen Spirit's nice wooden effect.

The thick sound insulation is very effective indeed considering the powerful engine under the floor. Some might even say they are too quiet, as other sounds like conversations and mobile phones etc. are sometimes obtrusive.The seats are hard for some people's taste, although I'm getting used to them now and find them quite comfortable. The main obvious criticism is that the air-conditioning vents in the ceiling seem to blast out cold air even on the coldest day, which is very obvious to those who might have to stand on crowded runs (not so common any more thanks to Hatfield etc.)

The luggage racks are small, but at least this means no heavy cases falling on unsuspecting heads, but there is a definite lack of luggage space in general and for large rucksacks and bikes in particular. The in-seat audio found in part of each centre car is interesting, although Radio 4 as a change from music would be welcome by some.  The 'easy listening' CD channel seems to have a predeliction for 'Magic Moments' by Perry Como, a childood fabourite of mine  ... at least one unit seems to be missing its CDs, though.

A major point requiring attention relates to the end doors between the vestibule and the seating area. These are opened by pressing a button (if you can find it) and close again after less than ten seconds which can be very disconcerting if you are waiting to get off the train. They do stop if obstructed, but I think they need something like the sensors found on 158s to keep the doors open if someone is standing there. An outside door closed on me as I stepped through one morning, a fault no doubt, but dangerous to small children especially.

The automatic announcements and displays - there seem to be a lot of teething troubles with these resulting in incorrect announcements such as 'we are now arriving at Llandudno' as the train arrives at Piccadilly. Finally, if passengers are being watched on closed-circuit TV, shouldn't that be made clearer to them by signs on the seat backs or something?

Any comments or arguments very welcome. - 1 February

[Earlier stories are on the previous Notice Board]

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