60 037 pictured by Rowan Crawshaw on engineering train duty near Penmaenmawr, 25 March. See story below.

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:  28 March 2001

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

Thanks to Tony Miles for forwarding this press release. If anyone understands why FNW should have to pay the SRA £37 million, and can explain it in terms understandable to the ordinary gricer, please could they let us know? - 28 March

The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) took a further step towards the creation of a Northern franchise today by agreeing with FirstGroup plc and the Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Merseytravel Passenger Transport Executives to amend the existing North Western Franchise.

Under the terms of the agreement, First North Western will separate the operation of their services and terminate the franchise, as required, to aid the creation of three new franchises - TransPennine Express, Wales & Borders and Northern. The agreement will assist the SRA in setting up these franchises and is designed to make the transfer of services as smooth as possible.

In addition, the SRA will receive £37 million from First North Western in return for a revised franchise payment profile. This has been designed to ensure that the current level of services can be maintained and properly resourced until the new replacement franchises are let.

Mike Grant, Chief Executive of the SRA, said:  “This marks a further step up in the momentum of the SRA franchise replacement process. The agreement with FirstGroup and the PTEs seeks to ensure that current service levels are maintained, while the SRA restructures in preparation for its new TransPennine, Wales & Borders and Northern franchises. All three franchises are designed to provide a superior service for new and existing rail passengers and I look forward to further progress on each of them in the coming months.”

Notes to Editors

   1.The SRA is progressing with development work for a new Northern franchise, combining services currently run by First North Western and Northern Spirit - excluding Trans Pennine  Express - to provide a coherent network of local services throughout the North of England. First North Western will work with the SRA and the PTEs over the coming months to  restructure its operations in preparation for the transfers. In return, the SRA has agreed to a revised schedule of franchise payments for the North Western franchise.

 First North Western will make a payment of £37million to the SRA on 2 April 2001, after which the SRA will increase franchise payments to amounts which will give them the opportunity to earn an agreed margin based on a budget for the year 31 March 2002 and  thereafter an agreed margin on actual costs for as long as it continues to operate some or all of the franchise.

 2.The three companies shortlisted for the TransPennine Express franchise are ARRIVA PLC, Connex Transport UK Ltd, Via GTI in partnership with FirstGroup plc.

 3.The four companies shortlisted for the Wales and Borders franchise are ARRIVA plc in conjunction with Connex Transport UK Limited, FirstGroup plc, National Express Group plc, Serco Rail.

This train pictured by John Dawson on 26 March features no less than 3 class 37s (37 503 + 717 + 706) on the 7L31 Carnforth to Crewe Basford Hall Yard engineers' train. 706 wasn't actually powering and wemassume it was being moved as part of the consist. Location is Winwick Junction just north of Warrington,  a popular location for photographers and one of the few places not restricted as 'out of bounds' by the Foot and Mouth epidemic. - 26 March

Sunday 25 March saw work taking place on the track at a rather spectacular location next to the A55 road near Penmaenmawr. 60 037 and 37 710 were in attendance, as John Humphries' and Alan Crawshaw's pictures here show.

Alan has a full picture report on his day's bicycle ride with more pictures of the works, on the Bikes and Trains website.

Thanks to Graham Blozsome for the following item: 'The Rhyl Minature Railway around the Marine lake, are holding a special event to celebrate their 90th anniversary on Saturday 5 May 2001. The highlight will be a parade of 6 minature steam locos at 11:15 am. Full details together with future developments on the railway, can be found on their excellent website, which incidentally has a nice shot of a RMR train running alongside a 37 on the coast line.' - 26 March

47 705 Guy Fawkes enters Crewe station at the northern end on 23 March, taking Ian Bowland by surprise so we don't know if it came off the Chester line or the WCML.  Did anybody else see it - it had 3 GWR liveried coaches in tow including a buffet restaurant car?

Track relaying is taking place in the Penmaenmawr area again on Sunday 25 March, with buses replacing trains between Llandudno Junction and Bangor. According to the North West Gen List, 37 503, 37 710 and 37 717 will be working ballast trains from Crewe - carrying granite ballast which was originally quarried at Penmaenmawr. Pictures welcome!  - 24 March

Crewe 23 March - by Ian Bowland

The 08:38 London-Holyhead unusually arrived in platform 6 running 45 minutes down.  43 156 was leading with 43 090 following. 47 817 The Institution of Mechanical Engineers was in charge of the 09:19 Holyhead-London as far as Crewe.

In reply to Ian Bowland's question about the barcodes on the sides of electric locomotives, a driver writes to tell us that they are there to report the locomotive number to the 'panchex' system fitted at certain locations (such as Longsight South, on the main lines) to check pantograph uplift and identify
defective pans before they get chance to damage the overhead wires. The First North Western Class 323 units also carry them.  - 24 March

40 145 stands in Penmaenmawr yard in January 1979 before backing on to a ballast train.  The area in the background is now occupied by the A55 while beyond it can be seen the now demolished jetty. - 24 March

47 722 The Queen Mother stands at Bangor with the 09:19 Holyhead - Euston on 21 March. Picture Rowan Crawshaw

It's just come to our notice reading the First North Western website in search of details of the engineering works on 25 March between Llandudno Junction and Bangor (definitely taking place, but no details given on the Web...) we note that the diversions of trains between Chester and Crewe on 17/18 March due to engineering work near Crewe Steel Works did not quite go according to the original plan.

It appears that Class 175 units are not yet cleared to run on the West Coast Main Line between Crewe and Warrington, so all passengers between Crewe and the Coast line had to change trains at Chester. Virgin trains ran via Middewich, but this route is not cleared for 175s either. - 24 March

The last run, 1981 style -  by Tony Flusk

After witnessing he scenes at Holyhead on what was going to be the "final" day of class 37 locomotive hauled services on Saturday 30 December 2000, I managed to find a picture of a similar event on Saturday 30 May 1981. "The Bangor" as the diagram was known to both railwaymen and "bashers" alike was the result of an service improvement idea for the May 1979 timetable change to replace  a DMU diagram on the Manchester - Bangor circuit with locomotive hauled stock.

Two return trips from Manchester Victoria (0747 Manchester Vic - Bangor,1130 Bangor - Manchester Vic,1545 Manchester Vic - Bangor and  1925 Bangor - Manchester Vic) meant just under 400 miles of Class 40 haulage was available, quite a high distance at the time, but not compared to the intensive class 37/4 diagrams of later years.

The train was nearly always a safe bet for a "40", plenty of members of which were available in the Manchester area,coupled with the fact that the rake of mark 1 coaches where steam heat only fitted members of the London Midland fleet,ensuring that during the winter months a boilered loco had to be provided. Even when inferior motive power  such as a 25 was kicked out for the morning trip,the afternoon turn could still turn up a "40".

With the May 1981/82 timetable change,the train was booked for a Crewe 47/4,but as with other "lasts" it proved not to be the case,and after a short while "40's" again fell onto the diagram,making this together with the other hauled diagrams on the North Wales Coast that year, made it one  of the best for 40's on the line.

On what was supposed to be the "final" day 40 120 worked the morning turn, being a Longsight boilered example, one of the more regular performers on the train.However by design or default, the afternoon turn was changed for 40 004, a no heat example and very rateable indeed.

The enclosed photograph by A.Knight (who also made the fitting headboard) shows most of those who turned up before departure with the 1925 to Manchester Victoria, includingmyself  (somewhere !) and the secondman who is now a work colleague.He only recently told me that on arrival at Manchester, he and his driver were met by a traction inspector as word had been passed on that the train was running with an unauthorised headboard!

Will history ever repeat itself  and the Train operating companies decide to improve services again by replacing units with locomotive hauled stock ? - 22 March

[Are any readers in the picture? Tell us your story, and receive the larger version of the image as originally sent us by Tony. - Charlie]

Services through Stockport station are now cancelled for every Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday from 24 March until October, with London, Birmingham  and Crewe - Manchester trains running via Styal and many local services replaced by buses. So basically, I can't go anywhere by train in my free time, and I can't walk the local canal paths or trails - might as well just stay at home and be miserable. - Charlie

37 710 leaving Rhyl yard on 8 March  after depositing two cranes for engineering works. (Dave Sallery)

The problem with the bogies on the 175s does not appear to have been to serious, normal diagrams were more or less restored during the week beginning 19 March. A "fix" has been sorted which takes about 8 hours, but whether this is per bogie or per train we are not sure at the moment...

The brake pad bolts problem has been with the 175s since new. The bolts are, we believe, those that fix the brake discs to the wheel web, not the pads into pad holders. It is suggested it is connected with the extra use of the pads at the moment, although First North Western engineers reckon that they should have been designed with more bolts. A harder metal is being used for the new bolts and all seems well.

Thanks to Tony Miles and Steve Morris. - 22 March

56 063 about to back on to the Enterprise freight,  Mostyn, 3 March. (Dave Sallery)

Coast line regulars might well be interested in a steam excursion being run by Rail Tours North West on Saturday 28 April. Unlike most such tours which arrive from the south, "The Anglesey Express" starts from Carnforth and Runs to Holyhead.

Depart from Carnforth  at approx 06.00, picking up at Lancaster, Preston, Leyland, Wigan (North Western), Warrington (Bank Quay) and Chester,  then via the North Wales Coast to Llandudno  Junction (connections for Llandudno), Bangor  and Holyhead. Passengers should be able to spend  a full afternoon in Llandudno or about 3 hours in Bangor or Holyhead. The return journey will call at all stations as on the outward journey with an arrival back in Carnforth at about 11pm. Motive Power:  Steam-hauled throughout by ex-LMS Stanier 2-8-0 No. 48151.  Water and photographic stops at Preston, Chester and  Llandudno Junction. Fares from any station are £43 standard class, £65.00  First Class, £75.00 First Class with guaranteed window seat at table for 2. Telephone 01704-893583 or email rtnw799@netscapeonline.co.uk.

Its a sign of the current state of things that the March Website which is everyone's bible on steam tours has decided to discontinue its usual listing of the timings of trains for the moment to deter anyone from venturing on to farmland to take pictures and possibly spreading Foot and Mouth Disease. - 22 March

Miscellany

1A23, the 05:46 departure from Holyhead to London has been loco-hauled on a number of occasions of late, as well as the 09:19, certainly on 21 March so 1D89 (19:08 from Euston) is too. Virgin or RES-liveried 47s can be seen.

The 6E39 'Enterprise' Freight from Mostyn was 37 667 with 12 tanks and 3 steel flats and barriers on 21 March, but the Nuclear Flask train has not been seen recently. Other freight notes: 18 March,  6E36 Holyhead - Humber Coke  was worked by 66 209. 6D21/6K22 Penmaenmawr - Crewe Ballast on 19 March 66 056, 20 March  60043. 21 March  66 091. 6M43/ 0M43  Cokes and return light engine on 21 March was  56 085.

3-car 101 656 (known to the crews as "fridge" for obvious reasons to those who travel in it) failed on the 0820 Chester to Piccadilly via Northwich on March 19.  It got as far as Mickle Trafford by which time the driver decided that due to gearbox problems a retreat to Chester was safer.  It spent the day ticking over in the yard alongside Chester station.  The problems can't have been that bad though, since the following day it was  working a service from Manchester to Rose Hill.

Further north, it looks like ex-Coast line favourite 37 401 Mary Queen of Scots is to be repainted in Royal Scotsman livery to work this luxury train through the Scottish Highlands in place of 37 428 which is now judged to be not reliable enough.

Reporters Alastair Graham, Sel Williams, John Oates and 'leopard333'- 22 March

The Kidlington Railway Auction in Oxford on 21 April features among its 50 lots a nameplate from 37 411 Ty Hafan, and incidentally a BR 'totem'  from Llandudno Junction. Wealthy readers could ring 01993 706111 for info. - 22 March

The 09:19 Holyhead - London featured 47 844 as far as Crewe on 20 March, where 90 005 Financial Times took over. Can anyone tell us what the 'barcode' is for that Virgin electric locos carry (see inset in Ian Bowland's picture.)

Out on the Coast, things began to go astray when, according to the National Rail website, the 10:31 Llandudno - Bangor struck a tree which had fallen on to the line near Penmaenmawr, and single-line working had to be instituted.

The Wales & West Alphaline to Holyhead, 158 872, due to depart at 11:36, unusually arriving at platform 1 at Bangor seriously delayed. (Picture Alan Crawshaw) Next in was the 12:30 to Crewe at 13:15, delayed "due to operating difficulties between Bangor and Llandudno Junction" and stopping additionally at Llanfairfechan, Penmaenmawr and Conwy.

Our contributor Alastair Graham was caught up in the disruption: 'The 11:35 off Chester eventually reached Bangor at 14:04 having left the Llandudno Junction at 12:24. We then had to change onto the following service to continue to Holyhead as our train was turned round at Bangor. The cause of the problem? A fallen tree was resting on the side of the embankment  a mile or so past the site of the old Aber Station. Single line working was eventually instigated which entailed reversing over the crossover at Aber emergency ground frame and the associated clamping of points etc.'

Thanks also to David Peters and John Oates for reports. - 22 March

Further to our previous note,  Green Class 101 685 had an eventful week. It was attacked by murderous brick-throwers who smashed its windscreen while working the Manchester - Rose Hill line on 15 March. On 16 March it was planned to work the Fridays only Stockport - Stalybridge train for the benefit of some student film-makers and attendant railfans; Longsight depot staff did a fine job getting it back into working order in time for this starring role.

Then came the temporary withdrawal of some 175 units, leading to 685 being used on the North Wales Coast on 17 March; it was spotted by Siôn Owen about 16:10 on the Llandudno branch; does anyone know what train this was?  On 18 March it worked a number of trains between Chester and Manchester via Warrington.

Reports on the Class 101 DMU mailing list on 20 March suggest that this set, the oldest train now in normal National Rail service except the old tube trains on the Isle of Wight) is not in the best of health: It ow has No.2 engine on car no. 53160 isolated - first it had no 2nd gear, then it became stuck in 4th gear and the final drive wouldn't reverse. Also 53160 has no saloon heaters and 53164 has only one of the two heaters working. Let's hope it survives to feature in the Llandudno Victorian weekend over the early May Bank Holiday weekend as planned.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this report. - 20 March

A 2 hour video issued on November 2000 by the Train Crazy is the "Final Chapter... Diesel-Hauled Passenger Trains".

This video takes you round the country looking the various areas of diesel hauled operations still surviving in 1999-2000 with a short section on each. The North Wales Coast section is 40 minutes. This section starts off with regular locos finishing off with 5 no-heat locos. Includes a ride on the double-header, loco run-round at Llandudno, 37 420 + 37 429 on the double header and loco-hauled trains calling at Conwy. Both the First North Western Class 37 farewell specials are shown. We also see the First Great Western 47s, the last Fridays only Wales and West 37, valley commuter trains and the Fort William sleeper. It's depressing that diesel hauled are being replaced by new multiple units. The captions show the date, location, loco number and service. The film quality and photography is good. This video is well worth having.

To buy this video you can phone or fax Train Crazy on 01253 346005 or visit their website at http://www.tram-trainvideos.co.uk. - 20 March

The 9.19 Holyhead-London was unusually directed into Crewe's platform 6 on 16 March due to congestion in 11 and 12.  This was partly caused by the late departure of the 8.38 London-Holyhead which I suspect was 47 hauled  - I just caught site of what appeared to be a DVT running off onto the Chester line from Crewe.

47 787 Victim Support being detached in platform 6.

86 261 The Rail Charter Partnership [ex- Driver John Axon GC] ready to leave for London Euston.

142 052 arrived from Chester showing "Manchester Piccadilly" at both ends and returned to Chester shortly after showing "Rose Grove" as the destination!  I wonder where it finished up? - 20 March

[Earlier stories are on the previous Notice Board]

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