THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY NOTICE BOARD

Rheilffordd Arfordir Gogledd Cymru Bwrdd hysbyseb

Edition of 03 April 2003

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Andrew Macfarlane writes: The Mid Cheshire Rail Users Association still has 15 standard class seats available on the 10th May special train from Manchester Picc, Chester and Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth behind two class 37s. A booking form can be found on the MCRUA web site at www.mcrua.org.uk. - 3 April

75 years of Transport in Llandudno Arrangements have now been finalised for the exhibiton and events to celebrate 75 years of public transport in Llandudno . The exhibition is at Llandudno Museum, Gloddaeth Street from 12 April to 31 May. Opening times of the museum are Tuesday-Saturday and Bank Holidays 10:30-13:00 & 14:00 - 17:00, Sunday 14.15 - 17.00. A good friend of this site,  Larry Davies, will be doing be doing two slide shows in the nearby English Presbyterian Church on 30 April at 14:30 and 19:45, and will be showing some of the material that will not be included in the Exhibition.  Additionally, for our Transport Festival (10 anniversary: 3 - 6 May) this year there will be  a special event of the old Llandudno UDC buses, with possibly two of the old 'Toastrack' buses returning. Larry comments that the response from the public to the appeal for exhibits has been very good and a lot of material that has never seen the light of day has emerged. - 3 April

For an excellent picture report on the Football specials and associated trains to Cardiff on 29 March, we recommend Wales v Ajerbaijan by Alan Crawshaw. - 3 April

I rode the 1G96 from Bangor to Crewe on 1 April, returned on the 1D71 to Holyhead then back to Bangor on 1K73 behind 47 746. Good to see the 47s back on the coast! See our traffic guide for the full timetables.

47 789 Lindisfarne calls at Crewe with the 1D67 10:21 Birmingham - Holyhead (above.) Note the ex-Virgin coach hired from Rivera Trains at the head of the rake.

47 746 The Bobby calls at Crewe with the 1G96 08:52 Holyhead - Birmingham  and ...

...  awaits departure for Holyhead with the 1K73 15:49 to Crewe. - 1 April

We've had a lot of emails following on from our 'hilarious' 1 April page - most for them are from people in Africa with lots of money to bring out of the country, and people selling ways to increase the size of parts of my anatomy, but also some from people who enjoyed the page - here it is in its full silliness if you missed it - thanks to everyone who wrote in, and thanks to Larry for his pictures and text.

One problem with this kind of thing is that the railway system itself seems determined to play jokes of its own; for example we have it on good authority that one of Virgin's new Pendolino trains is languishing somewhere awaiting repainting; having been painted the 'wrong shade of silver.'

And how about this map detail from the newsletter just issued by the West Coast Modernisation team, available in pdf format on the First North Western website? One might have thought that somebody of all the people involved in rebuilding the line might have spotted that they had relocated Wilmslow station to the approximate vicinity of Congleton...

... and then of course there's the all-new Network Rail 'Manchester Oxford Road platform alteration' trick, especially enjoyable in the rain when you can make all the passengers (perhaps including that bloke from Coronation Street) stand soggily on Platform 1, the one without the canopy, then make them all run over the bridge to Platform 2 at the last minute, even though there are no other trains in sight? What a laugh, eh? The picture from 1 April, taken by your compiler while cowering under the footbridge (but still getting spotted by the loco crew!), shows 47 732 Restormel finally pulling away from Platform 2 with the 17:19 Manchester - Holyhead after waiting for its customers to drag themselves over the bridge. - 2 April

Monday 31 March was the first full day of the Coast line's 'Spring diesel gala' and the sun shone, too. Above, a classic Larry Goddard shot of 47 746 The Bobby storming past Conwy Castle with the 12:21 Birmingham to Holyhead.

A few teething troubles earlier in the day, as  47 773 The Queen Mother was 35 minutes late arriving at Crewe with the 08:52
Holyhead - Birmingham. (Ian Bowland)

Here's a picture by Alan Crawshaw of the spacious seventies ambience inside one of the ex-Great Western first class coaches, of which each rake has one, now available to all passengers. - 2 April

The North Wales themed diesel weekend at the Llangollen Railway on 29 and 30 March seems to have been enjoyed by all concerned, especially since 37 240 managed to make an appearance after all, following concerns that it would not be ready. Thanks to Martin Frodsham of the Llangollen Railway diesel team for the picture above.

Here's a selection of pictures from Llangollen station on 30 March by our reporter Rowan Crawshaw. Above, Brush 4 D1566.

46 010 departs Llangollen...

... and the DMU Class 104 arrives.

25 313 ...

And last but not least, 'tatty' 37 240 with goose-stepping admirer.  Large logo blue, please, lads! - 2 April

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