A classic Coast line shot by Larry Goddard: the gorse is in full bloom as 47 843 Vulcan speeds through the cutting at Llysfaen with the 09:21 Holyhead-Euston on 20 March 2003.
Manchester Musings - by Charlie Hulme
47 734 Crewe Diesel Depot awaits departure from Manchester Oxford Road with the 17:19 Manchester Piccadilly - Holyhead on 21 March. Note the train is in Platform 2, which has for a long time been barred to loco-hauled trains. Does anyone know if this ban has now been officially rescinded, and indeed what was the reason for it in the first place?
Timetabled to run through Oxford Road just behind the FNW train is a Freightliner service headed for Trafford Park. On 21 March the traction for this train was 57 005 Freightliner Excellence, seen drawing to a halt in Platform 1 to await the road to Cornbrook Junction.
At Manchester Piccadilly on the same evening, Virgin Voyager 220 021 Blackpool Voyager. Note the silver shield on the front which helps distinguish 220s from the tilting 221s which have a red shield. After a few months in service these trains are starting to look a little less new and shiny....
In particular, a number of vehicles now have rather obvious buckling
of the roof panels, as this close-up of 220 021 shows, espcially in the
area around the rheostatic brake resistors which must get very hot in
service.
-
21 March
37 674 works 7F62 Dee Marsh Junction to Warrington Arpley freight trip through Cefn-y-Bedd, 19 March. Picture by Warren Desmond
Death at Oxford Road
A member of First North Western platform staff died on duty at Manchester Oxford Road station on the evening of Sunday 16 March, following a heated argument with a member of the public, who apparently left the scene, leaving the railman dying on the ground. Reporting of this incident by the media has been extremely limited, but we understand that the police are looking for anyone who may have witnessed the event. Our condolences go out to the victim's family, and our anger gooes out to the sort of society which creates this kind of thing. - 19 March
The name game
Simon Pritchard's picture above shows 47 776 Respected at Abegele with the 17:19 Manchester - Llandudno, 14 March, one of the few still in traffic with one of the 'Res' theme names. Some of the other EWS 47s likely to appear on Coast line work have recently been re-named, according to a report in entrain magazine: 47 757 Restitution (the first loco to work the Holyhead train with the Great Western coaches) is now Capability Brown, 47 767 Saint Columba has become Mappa Mundi, and 47 793 Saint Augustine finds itself transformed to Christopher Wren. Wren and Brown started life on Class 60s; Mappa Mundi (an ancient map of the world kept in Hereford Cathedral) appears to have been in store since it was removed from 31 405 in 1997.
North Wales railfans with deep pockets might be interested to know that the latest tender list for 'railwayana' sales includes a nameplate from 47 555 The Commonwealth Spirit which was once a familiar sight on the Coast line, and some time later one of its cabs was a familiar sight in a neaby garden, although this relic has now been scrapped. The name dates back to 1979, and, writes Colin Marsden in his book Encyclopeda of Modern Traction Names, comemmorates the Commonwealth expedition which completed a 12-week rail trip across India, performing the musical 'Kenaki' at places en route. If you'd like the nameplate on your wall, you'll need to send your sealed bid marked 'Railwayana 46' to The Disposals Manager, EWS Railway, Toton TMD, Long Eaton NG10 1HA by 10.00 on 14 April, and be prepared to collect it from Toton. - 19 March
22 March: Wales and Borders will be running their loco-hauled Rugby trains again. Class 47: 1H98 0732 Crewe to Manchester Piccadilly, 1V77 08:37 Manchester Piccadilly to Cardiff Central, 1Z89 16:44 Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly. Class 37/4: 1Z37 08:30 Crewe to Cardiff Central, 1Z81 16:00 Cardiff Central to Crewe. 2 x Class 37/0: 1Z66 08:05 Crewe to Cardiff Central, 1M94 17:44 Cardiff Central to Crewe.
There is also a railtour from Milton Keynes to Aberystwyth. The Cambrian Growler, which will feature haulage by pairs of 37s: the Class 37 loco group site has detailed timings in its news section. - 19 March
Following on from our special feature about the Voyager gauging run to Blaenau Ffestiniog (last notice board) a reader writes with an interesting question. It seems very easy for Virgin to get their all-singing, all-dancing Voyagers passed to run up the Conwy Valley. First North Western, on the other hand, can not take their 158s or 175s along that route because they are not cleared for it. The same is the case for the Frodsham curve which is not open to class 158s or 175s but again is passed for Voyagers. Even at Chester station the same two classes are restricted to where they go, with 158s being banned from the Parcels platform and 175s being prohibited from the parcels bay and platform 2 (why?) The Voyager classes 220/221 of course have no such restrictions on them.
Is it a case of have money,will travel? - 19 March
Once a regular Saturday morning working, 37 509 brings the empty locomotive fuel tanks from Holyhead up through Rhyl on 22 July 1995. Today, the railway's fuel travels by road.
Our insider in Crewe Diesel Depot on 18 March witnessed the assemblage of a convoy of locos on the Down Holding sidings. Traction for the journey was 45 112, and the consist 47 471, 47 547 and 47 574 which have been bought by Fragonset, and 47 596 which is intended for preservation at the North Nortfolk Railway. 47 471 was latterly in South Yard, having been kicking around Crewe in a withdrawn state for about twelve years. The train did not actually depart Crewe for Tyseley until the evening of the following day, 19 March, and then only got as far as Stafford where 45 112 ran round and shunted the dead locos into a siding before disappearing back south. Acknowldegements to the excellent End of the Line website for the full story.
Due to problems with trains that should have preceded it, the 05:23 Holyhead - Euston arrived in Euston just under 20 mins early on Friday 14 March. The train has, like most inbound trains in to Euston, generous recovery in the schedule, plus public times later than the Working Time Table. Actual arrival was at 09:41½; this was after a clear run from Nuneaton (with one 50 mph temporary speed restriction near Attleborough) which took 49 minutes 27 seconds at an average speed of approximately 97 mph. The run in to Euston took 14 m 27 s. Power cars were 43 093 / 065 + 8 coaches.
This is quite a notable performance, as feeling among the crews is that the power cars on the Holyheads have been 'a bit poxy' of late. 43 121 was sent for repair to Laira on 3 March with the last two power notches isolated (giving effectively 3/5ths power) and had been in service like this for a number of days. It came back the same way, so Virgin must not think that this defect is not likely to be detrimental to day to day operations. ... - 19 March
Dave Plimmer writes: 'Just to add to the Class 50 story. (See the noticeboard, passim) I also don't have any pictures on service trains in the 70s, although the 10:00 Euston-Bangor produced a couple of times double-heading with 47s. (e.g 50 005 on 19/08/74). In 74-76 this was the test train Crewe used if more than two locos were released on the same day - I think the first loco went out on the IJ01 Crewe - Church Stretton and return test train, and there was a second diagram to Church Stretton as well. In 1984, there was a second class 50 railtour to Blaenau - on 21st April - worked by the green 50 007. Up the Conwy valley it was double headed with 40 192, and then it ran to Holyhead (without the 50) behind 40 086. Picture above showing Sir Edward Elgar running round at the Junction.'
This railtour seems to hae happy memories for many readers. Andy Dunnett writes: 'Further to the recent pictures, my picture shows 50 007 Sir Edward Elgar passing through Prestatyn on the Down Slow, 21 April 1984, with "Conwy Crusader 2." Both tours were organised at British Rail, by a Mr Stephen Proctor at Stanier House, Birmingham, who did a fair amount of weekend work on Prestatyn station around 1980/1981. The headboards for both tours were made by Heath Williams (Hector) another Prestatyn regular, 40 192 and 40 086(?) also worked the tour on the coast and 40 122 on the Wrexham - Bidston line.' - 19 March