In remarkably hot weather for September, 47 785 Fiona Castle pulls of Llandudno Junction with the 10:21 Birmingham - Holyhead.
No apologies for putting out more pictures of 47 635 Lass O'Ballochmyle: She was taking the sea air again on 11 September, seen by Rowan Crawshaw at Bangor with the 10:21 Birmingham - Holyhead ....
... and the 13:56 return. Note the correct space between the 47 and the 635, and the dusting of brake dust along the bottom of the body which always seeemd such a feature of this livery. For modellers, we recommend Carr's weathering powders. - 12 September
The National Rail Timetable book valid from 28 September is now on sale: it claims to last until 22 May, but buyers will be disappointed to find that for most of the lines in our area, coverage is only until the end of 2003, as the timetables for the engineering-work-ridden period after that have not yet been finalised. However, post the card that comes with it and they will send you the necessary supplement as a Christmas present.
Biggest news is of course the takeover of North Wales services by Wales and Borders Trains, bringing them back for a short while under the aegis of W & B's new managing director Peter Strachan, who knows this line as he was MD of North Western Trains for a while before they sold out to FirstGroup, and we believe has has been working in Australia for some of the interim. However, before the year is over the whole Wales and Borders network is to be transferred to a new company which will be a subsidiary of Arriva, a second-hand motorcycle repair shop established in Sunderland in 1938 which already controls many of the buses in North Wales under the flag of Arriva Cymru. (Are you following this?)
Anyway, the other significant thing to note is that engineering work on the Crewe - Stafford line means that of the four tracks, only the down slow line on this section will be available all day, with the fast lines closed altogether and the up slow olnly available until 10:00 each morning. To accommodate all this, Virgin have re-timed the long-standing weekday 09:19 Holyhead - London to depart at 07:20. The 13:30 to London runs, but with a slower timing south of Crewe: we suspect it is diverted via the newly-electrified Crewe-Kidsgrove line - can anyone confirm? On Sundays, the 18:45 London - Holyhead definitely runs this way as it has an unusual booked stop (21:21) at Stoke-on-Trent, arriving Holyhead at 23:42 where weary passengers will have a two-hour wait for the departure of the 02:50 ship to Dublin.
Wales and Borders continue with the two loco-hauled digrams, but have re-cast them because of the engineering blockage: instead of two return trips from Holyhead to Birmingham on weekdays, there will be three return trips to Crewe. Other items appear in an earlier Notice Board. Rowan Crawshaw has updated our railfan's timetable for Mon-Fri: any comments or correctuons to this are very welcome. By the way, Rowan's Rail Elite website is now back online with a new URL: lots of picture reports, with bigger pics that ours too!
142 038 leaves Gwersyllt on a Wrexham to Bidston service on September 9th. After 17 years this class will disappear from this line, and from all other services in North Wales, on 27 September when Wales & Borders take over the franchise. Anyone for a farewell tour?
Seemingly contradictory speed restriction signs at Wrexham General on the same day. Unless its possible to slow from 60 to 30 in fifty feet that is. The second 30 sign could refer to the turnout to the Bidston line although there is no arrow on it.
Thanks to Stephen Parascandolo for the following eludidation: 'The first board is a 30/60 Temporary Speed Restriction (TSR) board indicating 60mph for Units and selected other trains and 30mph for heavier freight. The second, triangular board is an Advanced Warning of a significant reduction in the Permanent Speed Restriction (i.e. The normal linespeed). So, the 30mph trains will stay at 30 throughout and the faster trains will have slowed from the presumably higher linespeed to 60 for the TSR and on seeing the second sign will brake further for the 30mph PSR in force further along the line.' - 12 September
George Jones sends us this clipping from The Liverpool Echo of 10 September, written by Neil Hodgson, their Industry Reporter:
Central Trains is prepared to fly the flag for Liverpool's status as 2008 Capital of Culture. The Midlands-based company backed Birmingham's bid by repainting one of its trains with Brum's slogans. But now deputy managing director Mike Haigh offered to return the favour. "We are prepared to deck out one of our trains in Liverpool's Capital of Culture branding," he said. Liverpool council leader Cllr Mike Storey said: "Liverpool is going to be the number one destination, and for people to arrive on a train bearing the culture colours will be a great boost.""Still crap compared with the axed through services to beyond Birmingham. Bet no one from SRA will travel on them." comments George. The article gives a very misleading impression with its "100% new." Even if one considers Class 170s to be new, our understanding is that the stopping services will be worked by a much older unit hired from First North Western. In any case this only runs to Crewe, so it is wrong to say 'Liverpool's rail link to Birmingham is to double to two trains an hour.' Or are we missing something? The promised new electric trains mentioned are, we believe, Siemens 'Desiro' units originally ordered for South West Trains, and not yet built, which will have to be re-engineered for 25kV overhead power instead of DC third-rail. - 12 SeptemberLiverpool's rail link to Birmingham is to double to two trains an hour. New operator Central Trains has promised that the fleet that services the route in three weeks will be "100% new." Central is taking over from Virgin Cross Country after a ruling earlier this year by the Strategic Rail Authority as part of a national rail shakeup. It sparked fears that the hourly service would be inferior to the one run by Virgin's new fleet of Voyager trains. But Mike Haigh revealed they will run two trains every hour between the two cities, after major engineering work finishes next January. "We will improve journey times between Liverpool and Birmingham by running a fast train between Crewe and Runcorn and an extra shuttle service between Liverpool and Crewe, so that will mean two trains an hour. "One will be a fast service and the other will be a stopping train. We have made a conscious decision to make sure this timetable runs like clockwork," he added.
He said: "We have given a commitment to the SRA that we will only use our latest trains, 100%, Class 170s, which can hit 100mph and are air conditioned and which compare well with the Virgin Voyagers." Tickets will also be cheaper. The three-day advance value ticket will be £1 cheaper at £17 and the one-day advance ticket will be £19 compared with £23.70. Mr Haigh also revealed the company is in talks with the SRA over a new fleet of electric trains to run on the route from 2005. "We are working with the SRA on options to upgrade trains to four or five-car electric trains. At the moment we have two, three or four coach diesel trains."
Central takes over the link when the national rail timetable changes on September 29. Mr Haigh said: "We expect to see 4% to 5% growth each year on the route."
Test Trains in the news
1Z14 Serco test train was round and about on 9 September, topped and tailed by 47 732 Restormel and 47 749 Atlantic College: Warren Desmond's picture shows it passing through Bidston station at the north end of the Borderlands line from Wrexham.
And this is at Chester: 47 732 Restormel still in the lead. (Jim Scott)
On Sunday 7 September, Network Rail's Class 101-based train was spotted by Eryl Crump at Llandudno Junction. Eryl writes: 'The sun was in the wrong place in the morning when I arrived ... and the train had moved to platform 1 (picture below) by the end of my shift ten hours later.' The two driving cars are the Ultrasonic testing/tractor unit 960 001, (cars 977391 and 977392) converted 1986, and operated by Serco. That essential website www.thejunction.org.uk tells us that this 'usually conveys a converted mk2 coach in the centre' which indeed it appears to be doing on this occasion. Untrasonic testing involved using high-frequency sound to detect cracks in the rails; the unit also seems to be fitted with video cameras. Tell us more about it, someone!
