THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY NOTICE BOARD

Rheilffordd Arfordir Gogledd Cymru Bwrdd hysbyseb

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Here's a press statement from the ASLEF union, 19 September:

WEEKEND STRIKES SET ON FIRST NORTH-WESTERN

Train drivers working for First North Western are to take strike action at weekends from September 28-29 until November 23-24, the ASLEF executive committee has announced The 48-hour strikes are part of a continuing dispute with the company over pay and productivity.  The executive also agreed that all rest day working by train drivers at the company will cease from the end of this month.

ASLEF general secretary Mick Rix is also to write to the chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority, Richard Bowker, to seek an urgent meeting to endeavour to resolve the dispute. Mr Rix said today (Thursday):  "There is no possibility of this dispute being resolved while  FNW management have their hands tied in terms of what they can offer by the SRA. It is time that Mr Bowker stopped carping from the sidelines, stepped out of the industrial  relations shadows, and actually helped resolve this dispute.  At present the SRA is playing a wrecking role.

"We have decided to set weekend strike dates henceforward in order to minimise disruption to commuters and to let the public know exactly what service may be expected."

Thanks to Tony Miles for help with this item. Links for more strike stuff:  ASLEF  (very confrontational) or BBC news (it's that Old Dalby test track pic again) or First North Western (no news on 19 Sept)

The 'nameplate' of 175 114 which we don't think has been pictured here before. Does anyone know if it actually appeared in time for the Games?

Eisteddfod Genedlaethol again, and other stories

News reaches us (thanks all) that the North Wales Coast Line's favourite loco, 37 429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol (less its nameplates - where are they?) travelled south from store at Motherwell depot 'dead in train' in  a Mossend - Wembley Enterprise freight, destination Crewe Electric Depot where it has been spotted on 18 September. If anyone knows what's happening here, please tell us. The usual reason for diesel locos visiting this depot is to make use of the wheel lathe; perhaps it will then continue to Cardiff for overhaul?  In a recent poll 'what is the biggest BEAST' held by the Hailthebeasts Yahoo group dedicated to the 37/4s, 429 won by a clear majority, with 37 408 Loch Rannoch second.

Joining this group could be a good plan, as there seems to be lot of Class 37/4 news about at the moment, including the fact that EWS intend to overhaul five locos, in connection with the signing of a further contract to operate the Fort William sleeper service. 37 422 has been at Cardiff Canton depot being very slowly overhauled all through the summer, and we hear that it may soon re-enter service.  Another piece of good news (editorial bias here!) is that the 37/4-hauled Wales and Borders Fishguard train will run again in Summer 2003. - 18 September

A last ride - by Ian Bowland

I took the opportunity to do one more Crewe-Holyhead-Crewe run before the end.  Photo above:
47 760 Ribblehead Viaduct arriving at Crewe to form the 11:15 for Holyhead.

An uneventful journey and on time all the way as 47 760 approaches Conwy Castle.

A quick dash at Holyhead to see the locomotive running round its train to form the 14.02 for Birmingham

The 13.43 HST service to London Euston was sat waiting to depart with 43079 leading 43007.

Plenty of clag as the HST departed East.

47 760 waiting to depart from Holyhead for Birmingham. A very pleasant journey out and back with all timings maintained despite a red signal just west of Rhyl on the outward leg. - 18 September

47 853 calls at Colwyn Bay with the 09:19 Holyhead - London on 18 September (Rowan Crawshaw)

Winter timetable review - by Rowan Crawshaw

The winter timetable comes into force from Sunday 29 September, and copies are now available in PDF format on the First North Western website. The Birmingham service continues with departures from Birmingham New Street at 05:21, 08:21 (08:07 Sat), 10:21, 12:21, 1421, 1721, 2024 and 2254.  Trains will depart from Crewe at approx. xx:30 for Holyhead. The 10:21 and 12:21 from Birmingham will not call at Prestatyn. 1550 Crewe - Holyhead reverts to terminating at Chester on Monday-Friday only. In the evening on Monday-Fridays only the 17:19 Manchester-Llandudno will run instead to Holyhead and be Class 47-hauled, and the 17:53 Crewe-Holyhead will go to Llandudno. The 06:30 Holyhead-Birmingham is retimed to 0648, is 18 minutes faster and runs non-stop between Rhyl and Chester but still calls at stations on Anglesey. There is a new 07:08 Llandudno-Crewe calling at all stations. In the evening the 21:25 Bangor-Chester starts from Llandudno at 2133.

The Chester-Manchester Airport service is withdrawn. A better idea would be extending at least a few Crewe-Chester shuttles to Wrexham.

For Virgin the main charge is the withdrawal of the 21:45 Fridays only from London - Holyhead and the 03:36 return on Saturdays, apart from the changes due to the West Coast upgrade.

Moving on to Wales and Borders there is a new 07:11 Chester to Shrewbury via Crewe service on Monday-Fridays calling at all stations. The Cardiff - Holyhead via Llandudno service is withdrawn. There are  two services from Cardiff-Holyhead on Saturdays, which are the 17:14 via Wrexham followed by the 18:44 via Crewe, returning as the 10:35 via Wrexham and 14:50 via Crewe on Sundays. - 18 September

Thanks to Andrew Macfarlane for trawling the Railtrack Journey Planner to discover that, although not included in the published timetable, there are a series of engineering diversions between Crewe and Chester on Sundays in the near future. Good trains for a ride over this fairly rare track (the route will be Crewe - Sandbach - Northwich - Chester non-stop) are the 13.35 and 14.33 Crewe to Chester or the 15.54 Chester to Crewe.

The list of dates established by Andrew is:

Sunday 29th September (all day)
Sunday 6th October (all day)
Sunday 13th October (until lunchtime - final diversions are 11.17 off Chester and 12.11 off Crewe)
Sunday 20th October (until lunchtime)
Sunday 27th October (until lunchtime)
Sunday 3rd November (all day)
Sunday 10th November (all day)
Sunday 17th November (until lunchtime).

Could be an enjoyable Sunday afternoon ride. - 18 September

Drivers change over at Chester, 17 September. Loco is 47 760 Ribblehead Viaduct. Picture by Andrew Rhodes

First North Western would like us to be aware that on Saturday 28 September, the last day of the Summer timetable, the line between Stafford and Wolverhampton will reopen to traffic, and therefore the FNW loco-hauled diagram will run the full weekday route from Holyhead to Birmingham New Street and back. In anticipation of railfans looking for a last 47-hauled ride to Birmingham, FNW are hoping to strengthen the set to six coaches on Friday 27 and Saturday 28.

From Monday 30 September, the loco-hauled turn will be the 06:30 Bangor - Manchester Piccadilly and 17:19 Manchester Piccadilly - Holyhead Mondays - Fridays. We believe the train will run empty (shame!) from Manchester to Crewe for servicing. - 18 September

47 489 on a Holyhead - Euston working passes a Class 108 near Mostyn on July 20 1988.  In the background can be seen the former Heysham - Belfast ferry Duke of Lancaster.  - 18 September

A visit - well worth it - to the Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon) on 15 September. The "Superpower weekend" was excellent. Above,  Beyer-Garratt locomotive 143 prepares to leave Waunfawr with the 11:10 service to Caernarfon.

The locomotive is seen again at Dinas with the return working from Caernarfon.

The other Beyer-Garratt locomotive number 138 Millennium  is seen here at Caernarfon with the 12:50 service to Dinas, the train consisting of 4 wagons and 5 coaches. )

Enough of the Narrow gauge steam now and back to standard gauge ... 43 013 is seen entering Bangor while 43 123 is ready to leave Bangor with 1A61 to Crewe. The set then went forward to work a Crewe- Lancaster and return to Crewe to work 1D88 to Holyhead.

While at Chester at 17:45, 60 099 was noted passing through Chester station and then down the coast line.  Where was it going?

At Crewe station 47 843 Vulcan was happily waiting in the sidings at 19:00. - 18 September

Saturday 14 September in pictures

Interest focused on the Chester area on Saturday 14 September, thanks to the promised arrival of two Class 37/4 locos on a charter train. The 09:19 Holyhead - Crewe Virgin train was pictured at Chester (above) by Rowan Crawshaw  - the train is formed, as now is normal on a Saturday, by an HST. 43 091 is the leading loco.  The train terminated at Crewe, and passengers are then expected to catch another train which will only go as far as Milton Keynes for a bus connection to Hemel Hempstead and a train shuttle to London. Rowan notes that 'this train was very quiet.' Not surprising!

Two pictures of the special approaching Chester: Warren Desmond took this dramatic view of 37 411 The Scottish Railway Preservation Society leading 37 405 and the SRPS set of coaches through Helsby station.

Also near Helsby, a view by Tim E. Rogers.

Arrival in platform 4 of Chester station (Rowan Crawshaw.) The train originated from Morpeth on the East Coast Main Line, and the passengers had four and a half hours to explor the historic city of Chester.

The locos ran round the train (picture by Rowan Crawshaw) before shunting to the sidings in the background.

The 11:15 Crewe - Holyhead First North Western service calls at Chester behind 47 758. (Rowan Crawshaw). With reference to our previous query about the name of this loco, thanks to Nick Gurney for the information that the name Regency Rail Cruises was removed from this locomotive after the Regency company ceased trading.

The train returned to platform 4 at about 15:50 in preparation for a 16:13 departure. Picture by Mike Dunning.

Mike comments: 'It was sad to see how the condition of these fine locomotives has been allowed to get so bad.'

This is 37 411 - which is the second locomotive to carry the name The Scottish Railway Preservation Society. 37 413 was the first, from 1997 to 2000, when it was withdrawn; later that year it was re-instated for a while and used on the Coast line, but without the nameplates. 37 411 had its name Ty Hafan removed when transferred from Wales to Scotland, and first appeared with the SRPS plates in March 2001. (acknowlegements to the SRPS website.)

Crewe, and the 17:18 Crewe - Holyhead basks in the sun awaiting departure, formed of 175 104. (Charlie Hulme) Will anyone ever be quite as interested in these as we are in the 37/4s? - 15 September

The Bangor branch of the North Wales Railway Circle starts its 2002-2003 season at 7.45pm this Tuesday, 17 September, with a talk on the Talyllyn Railway given by David Mitchell. We have moved our base to the Railway Institute in Euston Road (behind Bangor station sidings); Euston Road is a turning off Penchwintan Road near the latter's junction with Caernarfon Road. As always, visitors will be made very welcome. - 15 September

20 303 and 20 313 accelerate past Abergele & Pensarn signalbox with the Up 'flasks' on 13 September (Larry Goddard)

Press release from the Rail Passengers Committee Wales:

The future of Holyhead station interchange is to be considered, with the views of the public being expressed, at a two-day top level Rail Passengers Committee Wales (RPCW) meeting to be held in Holyhead on September 24 and 25.

The urgent issue of Holyhead station, where improvements are considered long overdue, is expected to generate immense interest. The meeting - at Trearddur Bay Hotel near Holyhead - will be attended and addressed by senior executives of all the Train Operating Companies serving Wales together with representatives of the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), Railtrack and British Transport Police.

It will start with a presentation from the SRA of the facts on the current situation regarding progress towards the letting of a new Wales & Borders franchise whose managing director Chris Gibb, will be among the rail management leaders gathering in Holyhead for this open meeting, regarded as of the utmost importance for the future of integrated transport in the area. The future of Holyhead station is on the agenda for discussion on Wednesday 25 September at 11.15 am.  The meeting will continue throughout Wednesday morning 25 September from 9.15 am to 12.30 pm.

Clive Williams, Secretary of the Rail Passengers' Committee, said: "This  meeting will present an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in rail travel and associated public transport modes in Wales to find out for themselves at first hand what developments are in the offing.  Representatives of the Strategic Rail Authority will give a report on the progress made so far towards letting a Wales and Borders Rail Franchise.  There will be discussions about the possibilities for bringing about long-overdue improvements to Holyhead's railway station, which is such an important gateway both to the town itself and to the busy ferry terminal.  Constructive comments from members of the public will be particularly welcome at the beginning of each day's session." - 15 September

On Borrowed Time - by Steve Vaughan

Here are some of pictures of 1A77 13:43 Holyhead - London  on 13 September. The first two show the train at Holyhead.

The Power Cars were 43 013/091. The appearance of 43 013 was somewhat unexpected. This is one of the three Power Cars destined for Serco [for powering test trains] at the end of the timetable and is also due for a major 'exam' at Neville Hill. When it ended the day at Manchester Longsight on 12 September the last thing expected was for it to be put on to West Coast. However Longsight thought it should see Holyhead as a Virgin Power Car before it goes!

43 013 at Llandudno Junction. By coincidence 43 014 is also on West Coast at the moment and this one is also destined for Serco at the end of the month. - 15 September

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