This picture of Wrexham General station by Dave Sallery which we put up recently generated a remarkable amount of correspondence. Thanks to everyone who took the time to write. The explanation of the apparent contradiction is that the sign in the foreground marks the exact beginning of a temporary speed restriction (for engineering works or 'condition of track') which applies on the main line over the points visible in the picture, where the connection to the 'Borderlands' line to Dee Marsh and Bidston goes off to the left. This junction is 201 miles 62 chains from London Paddington, and loco-hauled trains are restricted to 30 miles an hour while railcar-worked passenger trains are allowed to pass this point at 60.
The triangular sign, although next to these points, is actually an advance warning of the permanent speed restriction which applies over the next set of points at Wrexham North Junction, 202 miles 40 chains, where the double line becomes single until it joins the North Wales Coast line at Saltney Junction (which as a matter of interest lies 212 miles from Paddington by this route and 181 miles from London Euston via Chester.) Any passenger train passing the first sign at 60 (in the unliklely event that it is not stopping at Wrexham Central) this has 58 chains - about three quarters of a mile - to reduce speed to 30.
Totally logical, you see ... - 20 September
Mayfield station in Manchester was built in 1910 alongside London Road (now Piccadilly) station as an overflow to handle the increase in the number of trains after the opening of the Styal loop. It closed to passengers in 1960 and became a parcels depot; soon afterwards the Royal Mail built a sorting office on the opposite site of the main lines and connected it to Mayfield with an overhead conveyor bridge which crosses the whole of the station throat of Piccadilly station, as seen in the May 2003 picture above.
The brutalist-style concrete sorting office (seen in this picture) was closed in 1986 when the Parcelforce arm of Royal Mail abandoned rail transport and the building, the bridge and Mayfield station fell into disuse; the tracks into Mayfield were removed as part of the severe cutback (known as a remodelling) of the station layout in 1989. A couple of years back the sorting off had a brief career as an Indoor Karting track (some readers may recall that the large sign in the windows, visible to all train passengers, had its K changed to an F by the proverbial 'some wag') but is now being rebuilt and redeveloped as yet another prestige office suite. A contractor has begun work on the tricky job of removing the conveyor bridge. A special rig has been devised which moves along to allow them to remove the cladding while trains continue to run, as eeen in our pictures taken on 16 September.
The station throat is busy with trains as usual as 175 002 runs in to Platform 14 to form the 17:45 to Chester via Warrington on 16 September. The structure itself, which also bridges the street below to the right of this picture, is planned to be taken down along with its central pier on 25-26 December while no trains are running. Photographers will be pleased about all this for sure, as the bridge has a way of casting its shadow across your well-panned shot, although supporters of integrated transport systems might be less impressed. Thaks to Tony Miles for assistance with this item. - 20 September
Tim J. Rogers took advantage of the good weather on 16-17 September to get out and about with his camera and investigate some different photo locations: to let you have a look at the results we've been playing with our new Digital Slide Show program. The result as it stands will only work in Internet Explorer, and may take some time to start on a dialup line, but it's worth the wait. Your comments are very welcome. - 19 September
The northbound Virgin train for Holyhead on 14
September
arrived behind Virgin veteran 86 247, scheduled for withdrawal
soon,
and left only a few minutes late behind 47 826. (See heading picture)
Readers may be interested in another service ending on Saturday 27 September - the 08.25 Chester to Runcorn via the freight-only Frodsham to Runcorn curve. This is another service run for similar reasons to the more famous Stockport-Stalybridge train, though it only runs during the summer timetable.
Dave Booth, who took the pictures at Chester (above) and Runcorn (below) writes: 'I travelled on the 6th, as the only passenger - I've attached a picture before departure at Chester and another on arrival at Runcorn. Is the Helsby destination blind on the unit a smokescreen - asm the train runs non-stop? It's easily possible to combine this trip with the Stockport - Stalybridge train - I managed a trip round the Oldham loop via Liverpool and Wigan on the way to Stockport.'
The train leaves Chester at 08:25 and arrives Runcorn 08:47, summer Saturdays only: we believe the unit then runs to Liverpool but cannot carry passengers as First North Western has no licence to carry passengers on this section. Unlike the Stalybridge run, a return working would be physically impossible as the chord at Frodsham Junction is now only connected to the eastbound Manchester line.
George Jones writes: 'I am reliably informed that the prospects for the future use of the Halton curve, which connects Runcorn with Frodsham and would provide the direct connection from Allerton Interchange to Chester and North Wales, are not good. It seems this piece of rail infrastructure falls between two operators in the revised rail franchise arrangements soon to come into effect. The new Northern franchise does not include it and neither does the new Wales & Borders (which also looks after train services east of Chester). Unless someone is allocated responsibility for this stretch of line it will go out of use by default. Approaches by various public representatives to the SRA have failed to produce a response. All part of the failure to provide a joined up railway.'
'On this basis the weekly 'ghost service' could run on Sat 27 Sept
when
the summer timetable ends. Any future chance of a quick and easy
transit
by train to Liverpool airport from North Wales will then disappear.
Instead
it will mean using Merseyrail into Liverpool and bus out , a process
which
the other week occupied me for three hours 20 minutes travelling from
Wrexham
via Chester to Liverpool and out to the airport. The connections
existed
but were poor and the average speed low -
apart from the 500 bus which was the fastest leg. Does anyone know
anything about this and the future prospects for the reinstatement of
the
connection?' - 17 September
The newspaper item we published recently with a Central Trains man bragging about their frequent new service appears to even wider of the mark than we thought. Tony Miles writes: 'Tthe Crewe - Liverpool stopping service will in fact be operated by First North Western after Central Trains and First North Western appealed to the SRA that it should be a "Northern" service. This is confirmed by National Express Group's David Franks - director of the northern half of the group's rail division - who has explained that W&B will release back to FNW one of the "Cardiff 4" - 142s that FNW reluctantly gave to W&B a couple of years ago. This will free up a class 158 at FNW which will operate the Crewe - Liverpool shuttle.'
Another angle on this is raised Barry Doe in The Fare Dealer column in RAIL magazine, spottted by David White. Mr Doe writes about Central Train price rises: "Its even worse on Liverpool for currently Virgin's 7-day value single is £6.50p from Birmingham.The SRA insists Virgin pulls out and we have to travel by a one-class, non inter-city Turobostar instead - and the result is that the cheapest single fare rises to £12 !"
Furthermore, we may also have to postpone our farewell "celebration" for the 142's on the Wrexham-Bidston line for a few months. There's talk (but not definite) of W&B borrowing stock off FNW in the short-term to cover at Chester and you only get one guess as to what might be available. Certainly, Chester W&B crews (as well as FNW Piccadilly conductors and Victoria drivers) will continue to work the mid-Cheshire line under contract to FNW until January and meanwhile Central as well as W&B (but not Chester) crews will continue to work the Chester-Shrewsbury via Wrexham services for W&B. The Chester crews have all been issued with their W&B uniforms and told not to wear them until Sunday 28 September and not to wear their FNW ones from that date. The new uniforms shouldn't see much wear until they get issued with their Arriva ones in a few months time.... - 17 September
Miscellaneous Notes
George Jones writes: 'Refurbished Merseyrail 508 108 returned to Birkenhead depot on the evening via Wrexham to Bidston. 47 727 brought the unit round from Crewe via Chester at 19.10. Went forward at 20.06. It was due off Crewe Basford Hall at 17.34.
Alec Fuller writes: 'On 16 September I passed Holyhead station at about 11.30. A loco hauled set and loco was dead in the sidings, I think the loco was 47 785, but hard to see when you are watching the traffic, lights and ferry traffic. It was in the siding where the 06.08 ecs is normally stored.' Did one of the loco-hauled diagrams go missing?
From Ian Bowland: 'Monday 29 September at Stoke on Trent station: Dedication of a Virgin Pendolino train to the City of Stoke on Trent with the Pendo running from Crewe via Alsager and into Stoke. Train goes from Crewe at 11.00, dedication ceremony at 11.35.' - 17 September
John Oates writes: 'I went on the extension to Rhyd Ddu on Saturday 13 September for the first time. What a stunning railway line and quite different from the previous two sections - anyone who hasn't been on it yet should get there before the end of the season!! There's an excellent real ale pub at Rhyd Ddu (9 real ales) about five minutes walk down the road from the station, though the landlord could do with trying to smile a bit....'
Here's some pictures taken by Rowan Crawshaw on Sunday 14 September. Above, Garratt loco Mileniwm at Caernarfon.
Velinheli, ex-Dinorwic Quarry Hunslet of 1886, usually resident at the Launceston Steam Railway in Cornwall, was giving footplate rides at Dinas station. Ben Fisher's WHR website has an excellent picture report on the weekend. - 17 September
Changing times - the follow-up
Thanks to everyone who kindly wrote in about our 'Changing Times at Crewe' report in the last issue. It is confirned that the shunter has to swing down the buckeye coupler of the front coach before he can couple it to the Class 47 loco.
John Murray writes: 'You mention that electrics, even with
pantographs
lowered, are restricted from the coast. They can certainly go as
far as Chester as I have indeed seen them and ridden behind, so I
wonder
where the restriction is. One occasion was on Sunday 13 June 1982 when
I went from London Euston to Liverpool Lime St behind 86 219
"Phoenix".
A 47 was put on the front at Stafford and the whole formation dragged
to
Chester (where it stopped to pick up and set down passengers).
Then
instead of running round, the train went forward into Northgate Tunnel,
was reversed by radio pilot on Chester
west curve onto the Hooton line, returning through the station, via
Mickle Trafford and Frodsham Junction to Liverpool Lime Street.
The only recent time I have seen an electric dragged to Chester, was
87
025 which was named County of Cheshire while on static
display in the parcels platform for the Environmental Transport
Exhibition
held in Chester in April 1998 (when John Prescott famously pranged
a solar powered electric car. -17 September
A 'Northern Belle' ran from Chester to Blaenau Ffestitiog top and
tailed
by 47 799 and 66 019 on Tuesday 9 September.
66 019 leads the train out of Llandudno Junction (above) en route to
Blaenau Ffestiniog on 9 September 2003.
Tail-end Charlie, or at least his son Prince Harry in the shape of 47 799 (below), brings up the rear as it curves away from the mainline onto the Conwy Valley Branch at 12 noon. - 17 September
