Holyhead Sunday 8 June - with John Lewis
47 810 Porterbrook stands in platform 1 at Holyhead, waiting to leave with the 16:13 Euston service.
The same train passing through Rhosneigr, taken from the end of the down platform.
47 786 Roy Castle O.B.E. was stabled in the siding oppostie the signal box ...
... with its train coupled up to 47 746 The Bobby. This formed the 18:29 First North Western service with the double length rake, as pictured here from the station bridge before departing from platform 3, and in the heading picture departing past the water tower.
As a maritime bonus, a quick picture of the HSS Stena Explorer leaving a few minutes late on the 18:30 service. - 8 June
In our recent item about Bill Rear's new book, we stuck in an editorial comment that '...1950s steam trains were in reality rather infrequent, not very fast and often dirty and uncomfortable.' Needless to say, this generated a reaction from our senior contributors. Bill Rear himself writes: 'Although trains were generally tatty, they were usually clean. Shed staff operating the branch lines were usually very conscientious about time-keeping and if a defect arose (like the windscreen wiper dropping off), they would plod on. I have memories of all hands on Bangor shed changing a tender spring on a Patriot, which was booked to work the 3/50pm to Chester. This included us cleaners, the Running Shift foreman and Max. Dunn, the Shedmaster, who was not afraid of getting his hands dirty. I cannot see some of today's Management doing such a thing. I suspect the accountants that control everything don't know what a train is!'
From Larry Goddard (who send the picture above as an illustration): 'Public transport has gone through so many changes since 1955 that it is inevitable that people will talk about a golden age. People usually accept the world they are born into as normal, but it is only with age that one can have a better measure of changes, and I can assure you trains were not all the things you described ... Like Bill, I don't have a rose-tinted view of the past, having also worked on the railway and buses. I don't know why you say that trains must have been infrequent, slow and often dirty and uncomfortable, or that it is a shame diesel railcars were not used more. With respect, it sounds so unlike the words of a person that was there at the time. [well, I was there but not very old - C.H.]
'Many of us commuted to work by train in suburban carriages that were between 1 and 50 years old. In those days the muck was on the outside caused by a combination of aggressive washing plants and the smoke and grit environment, but inside they were clean considering the type of work clothes people had to wear in those days of heavy engineering etc. No beer cans, take-away leftovers, nappy-contents and the general mess one has to accept these days. Once off the commuter branches, one usually travelled in the comparative privacy of corridor coaches where one could stretch ones legs in the corridor or sit back and look at the scenery or even the framed pictures above the seats. The old railway companies had developed the carraige to a high standard of travelling comfort with smooth riding bogies (especially on LMS coaches) with wood veneer compartment walls and individual wall lamps even in third class.
'The arrival of the 'utility' BR Mk.I coach marked a downturn in ride, comfort and decor, however the DMU was the ultimate in dumbing-down. It was like travelling on a typically tinny 1950s bus and no longer was the 'rail experience' unique. We used public transport because it served us well. Even so, it has always been an aspiration of people to own a car and have more control of their situation. Privatisation and deregulation has only served to accelerate this process. I agree it is sad the branch lines did not linger on longer as I have a feeling we will all need them once the oil runs out. On a politics level, I feel the public should pay for public transport, just like health care, whether they use it or not. They need it when they're young and theyll need it again when they are old, and this way we get a public transport that serves the public instead of vested interests and shareholders.'
And here's another view from Alec Fuller: 'Bill Rear and I have something in common: we went to the same school, we both worked for BR, we both moved on to the Crosville, and we both subsequently became teachers. Bill's books are all excellent, they show the spirit on the railway in those days. As a passenger however, I much prefer the modern stock, I prefer the 175 to the 47 + 4 coaches, the HST from Holyhead is a totally different experience to the train I took from Bangor to London in January 1945 when it took eight hours plus. The thought of having to shovel five tons of coal on a swaying footplate at 70 mph would fill most people with horror. Thank goodness no one has to do it so that we can travel.
'But I wish that today's staff had the freedom to make operating decisions that are in the better interests of passengers. Your tales of operating at Chester, and the rules that have to be followed would not have happened 30 years ago when I used to commute regularly from Rhyl to Liverpool.The sense of urgency seems to have gone. In 1879 Llandulas viaduct was washed away in a flood. 5 days later traffic resumed on a new track laid alongside, and 26 days later the new viaduct came into use. In the 1950s BR apologised that it took 36 hours to restart the service after the Penmaenmawr accident. Now, of course, it can take three months for services to return to normal. Hatfield was typical. The service does not matter; avoiding blame, and finding culprits seems more important.' - 8 June
As a change from Class 47s, Here's a couple of pictures of 37 417 at Rhymney on Saturday 7 June, on 2F30 13.15 to Cardiff (above) and backing onto 2F42 16.15 to Cardiff (below). This worked the 07.13 / 10.15 / 13.15 / 16.15 Rhymney-Cardiff and 8.59 / 11.59 / 14.59 / 17.59 returns. Incidentally the other 37s out on this day were 37 408 Loch Rannoch on the 08.04 / 11.15 / 14.15 / 17.15 / 20.20 Rhymney-Cardiff and 09.59 / 12.59 / 15.59 / 19.05 return. Newly re-instated and newly re-painted 37 402 [there's a picture on the Class 37 locomotive group news page] worked 1B96 09.11 Cardiff-Fishguard and 1R38 13.35 return. All ex- North Wales Coast favourites! - 8 June
John Murray was there with his camera on 7 June when the Wrexham Society of Model Engineers recreated the world's first titled express train, "The Irish Mail", on their five-inch gauge track at Pant-yr-Ochain, Gresford, near Wrexham. John has created a fine Picture Report on the event, which includes full details of the Society's activities including rides for the public on summer Sundays. It looks like a very enjoyable time was had by all. - 8 June
Dave Sallery reports the Railtrack track testing 3 car 101 in Llandudno Junction station at 22.15 on 6 June, having arrived from Blaenau. Does anyone know what was happening? - 8 June
Garry Brookes (brother-in-law of the man who designs purple colour schemes for locos, but we won;t hold that against him!) writes: 'I'd like to refer you to my web-pages, perhaps you would take a look at them in return. I run a number of sites, but I am sure the main one you'll be interested in is my railway website. The site is really a way of publicly showing my old railway colour slides from the 1969 to 1984 period. There's quite a few North Wales pictures which have been recently added, and the site is growing all the time. If you feel so disposed, could you add a link to my railway pages index, as I think it should interest a few of your visitors?'
Certainly will, Garry - it certainly interests your compiler: there are some very interesting pictures of the Holyhead breakwater line, for example, and shots of the The "Farewell Caernarvon" rail tour in 1972.... - 8 June
Classic train and station
Helsby station is one of the best-looked after stations on the First North Western network; these sunny pictures by Ian Richardson show the 17:20 Manchester - Holyhead calling there on 6 June with 47 746 The Bobby at the head. Has anyone noticed the correlation between those stations which get looked after and those which have an old-fashioned signalbox? Of course, the authorities would love to sweep all these signalboxes away and have everything controlled by computer. - 8 June
Here are two pictures I took in "Ten shop" ie the Erecting shop at
Crewe
during the open day on 31 May. It has to be one of the most impressive
locomotive workshops still in use. It has come a long way from
the
days when I worked in there as an apprentice in the "Black and White"
1950s.
- 8 June
Take a look at another of John Lewis's pictures of a Serco test train at Holyhead on 2 June. John has missed the number of this rear loco, and we asked the help of our readers, which as usually was instantly forthcoming. Several people (thanks all!) suggested 47 789 as the next day (3 June) the same train was booked to go to Bangor, Bleanau, Llandudno and Hooton and it was 47 749 and 47 789 then, and also when the train passed through Hale and Altrincham on Wednesday 4 June at about 11:30. heading towards Manchester. However, what we forgot to put in the original caption was that John said it was an EWS liveried 47, as this picture shows, and 47 789 Lindisfarne retains Res livery, we think.Could it be 47 786 Roy Castle OBE? - 8 June
