47 787 Windsor Castle passing Bangor signalbox on 23 October with the 12:45 Holyhead to Crewe. (Alan Crawshaw)
As we go to press, the BBC is reporting (or maybe leaking or speculating) that Network Rail is to stop using contractors for its track maintenance and do all thw work using its own staff. This news follows on from the various high-profile mishaps which have been largely blamed on the Jarvis company. - 23 October
Mystery train
Can anyone cast any light on a very interesting looking test train berthed at the Llandudno Junction all day 22 October, with a variety of coaching stock including some former emu vehicles in the formation. Power was provided by a pair of Fragonset 31s (one at each end); the train apparenely came down sometime the night before driven by a Freightliner Heavy Haul crew. - 23 October
'It came off in my hand, officer...'
Many thanks to everyone who sent in their observations on why the Class 20s on the flask train ran cab-to-cab on 20 October.(see picture below.) Here's what happened: after 20 312 and 20 313 had departed Valley nose-to-nose as usual, a serious problem occurred with the horn on the leading locomotive in the Penmaenmawr area. With no warning device available to the driver, the train was not passed to run on the main line, so it was run into the sidings at Llandudno Junction and re-marshalled with the two locos swapped around. (Rather like one of those shunting problems sometimes seen in magazines...) The rule is that it is not permitted for a traction unit to operate at all if the horn is totally unserviceable, but if one tone only is working, the train may proceed to the first place where it can be rectified or the traction unit replaced.
After much tooting of the horn to test the one on the nose end of the new leading loco 20 313, since these nose horns are rarely used, the train headed off east. John Wilkinson writes: 'I have just looked at the film of 47 787 coming into the station with the FNW Holyhead train, then departing, who would believe that in 2003 you could film a 47 on passenger with the sound of a pair of 20s ticking over In the background, now that's what I call music!' - 23 October
Most unusually, a pair of DRS Class 20s working nose-outwards pass Abergele with the eastbound flask train on 20 October: does anyone have the locomotive numbers and the reason for this rare arrangement? (Larry Goddard)
47 786 Roy Castle OBE pulls out of
Chester
with 1K67 12:45 Holyhead - Crewe, 18 October (Charlie Hulme)
Arriva signs on the dotted line
20 October saw the final deal signed between the Strategic Rail Authority and Arriva for the Wales and Borders rail franchise, for a period of fifteen years starting on 7 December 2003.
The key commitments contained within the new franchise, according to the official press release, include:
Arriva Chief Executive, Bob Davies, said: "The SRA announced that we were preferred bidder for the 15 year franchise at the beginning of August and we are very pleased to have reached an agreement which will enable us to take over the franchise on 7 December 2003. Our focus will be to ensure we deliver a safe railway with improved performance, reliability and punctuality for existing and new customers."
Andrew Davies, Wales' Minister for Economic Development and
Transport,
said: "The Welsh Assembly Government has given a high priority to
improving
transport infrastructure including road and rail and the development of
improved public transport on buses, community transport, trains and
air.
I am looking forward to working with Arriva to improve the existing
service
and to develop new passenger services on the Vale of Glamorgan and
Ebbw Valley lines."
The projected level of public subsidy, excluding Rail Passenger Partnership (RPP) schemes and services funded directly by the Welsh Assembly Government and local authorities, for the new integrated Wales & Borders franchise is: 2003/04 [part year] - £43.9 million; 2004/05 - £120.7 million; 2005/06 - £120.1 million; 2006/07 - £121.7 million; 2007/08 - £119.5 million; 2008/09 - £117.4 million; 2009/10 - £115.7 million; 2010/11 - £114.6 million; 2011/12 - £112.8 million; 2012/13 - £111.0 million; 2013/14 - £109.4 million; 2014/15 - £107.7 million; 2015/16 - £105.6 million; 2016/17 - £103.8 million; 2017/18 - £102.0 million; 2018/19 [part year] - £54.0 million. Note how the annual figure crawls down slowly, no doubt due to some promised efficiency improvements, but nothing like as drastic as some of the absurdly optimistic franchise signed back in 1997.
It is rumoured that the company name will be 'Arriva Trains Wales' although this is not confirmed. Arriva (who recently failed to have their franchise renewed for the adjacent Merseyrail network) run many of the bus services in North Wales, but whether this will lead to integrated transport or to an inefficient monopoly remains to be seen. North Wales staff will, no doubt, be exchanging their new red jackets for green ones.... - 20 October
There was a feat of Thunderbirds at Stockport station on 20 October, as engineering work north of Crewe which had originally been advertised for Sundays only was extended to include the Saturday as well. Trains from Liverpool were being 'dragged' by diesel power from Liverpool to Stockport, and those from Scotland from Preston to Stockport.
The picture above shows 57 312 The Hood, having just been attached to a London - Glasgow train in Platform 4 at 18:10. 87 027Wolf of Badenoch can be seen behind.
At 18:15 a Liverpool - Euston train drew into Platform 1, hauled by 57 311 Parker with 87 035 Robert Burns dead in tow on the back. This would have been travelling for at least an hour, probably longer, by this point, yet was almost as far from London as it was when it started.
At 18:25, an orange-clad shunter showed up, and the 57 was uncoupled from the train (picture above), and ran forward to cross over ready for the next one. By 18:35, brake continuity had been tested and the train was ready to go ... except that it was then discovered there was no 'train manager' available. Meanwhile the 18:22 Manchester - Hazel Grove, due to depart Stockport 18:35, came to a stand at the signal on the viaduct, having been sent up the slow line by the Heaton Norris Junction signaller. Trains cannot cross over to the fast line platform 2 here, as the crossover road was removed after being damaged by a derailed oil train about 30 years ago.
At 18:45 a chubby chap in a red coat sidled up the subway steps to take on the role of train manager, and away went the train after standing for over half an hour, departing Stockport when it might have been expected to be somewhere near Rugby. During all this, the 18:27 Manchester - Northampton Pendolino (although the displays on the doors said Milton Keynes), called at Stockport and headed off south. I strolled down the platform to pass the time, and counted no more than 25 passengers on the whole of the Liverpool train: at least one standard class coach was totally empty. As the line further south, from Rugby to Hemel Hemsptead, was due to close for engineering works at 21:00, it would seem this motley crew was destined for a long bus journey later in the evening....
Eventually, at 18:50, the train to Hazel Grove due to depart at
18:35
managed to get into the platform and away. At no time did the station
staff
make any announcement about the late running of this train. How can
anyone
possibly claim to be a rail 'enthusiast' while watching this kind of
performance?
Does anyone know when the ill-fated passengers arrived at Euston? Would
they be keen to travel by Virgin Trains again? Would they have been
better
to have transferred at Stockport to the 18:58 Midland Mainline train to
St Pancras? Would their tickets have been accepted? What's it all
about, Alfie? - 20 October
Very special thanks to Paul Eccles for allowing us to include this first view of a Class 57/3 as modified with retractable Dellner couplers for use working with Class 390 Pendolino units, notable as planned between Crewe and Holyhead. This is 57 301 Scott Tracy looking suitably disfigured. However, another problem with the proposed North Wales working seems to have raised its ugly head: if a 57/3 hauls a Pendolino some of its exhaust fumes might find their way into the Pendolino's air conditioning system. Modifying the air-con inlets is estimated to cost £10,000 per vehicle, so an alternative plan being considered is to have the loco pushing the train, driven from the Pendolino's front cab, providing it proves feasible to control the loco in this way. Presumably this means that on arrival at Holyhead the loco will have to run round so it can push the train back to Crewe, which is different, so say the least. - 20 October
The Modern Image Gauge 0 exhibition at Saltney organised by our contributor Mike Dunning on 18-19 October was very much worth a visit, with Class 37s and other favourite locos very much in evidence. One tends to think that people start Gauge 0 modelling because their eyes are getting older, but what caught my eye was the sheer amount of detail it is possible to put in when working in 1:43 scale. Note the generator and the blue safety fencing, for example, seen above on Gary Brice's 'Halsdon Road.'
37 422 Robert F. Fairlie no less, seen on Mark Agnew's 'Buxfield.'
And how about this luggage trolley, on the marvellous little layout 'Oldham King Street' built by David Hampson? This layout also features locos with working diesel exhausts, and all sorts of other things, yet is no bigger that many 00 layouts. A very enjoyable visit, and I got to meet Mark Found, presenter of the excellent Garden Railways and Trainspotting TV series. A very nice man he is too! - 20 October
Passengers prepare to leave and join Wednesday 15 October's 07:35 Holyhead to Crewe as 47 761 draws into platform 1 at Bangor.
A view from on high on 17 October as the morning's Euston to
Holyhead
service leaves Bangor 40 minutes late. - 20 October
To add to the West Coast Main Line, at around 03:30 on 16 October 86 611 and 86 631 hauling 4M53 Ipswich-Trafford Park Freightliner service ran into the rear of the stationary 4M57 Grain-Trafford Park hauled by 66 534 at Norton Bridge, south of Stafford. Dave Skipsey's picture above is one of a series taken from a passing train (visit Dave's website for the full sequence) during the following day after two of the four tracks at the scene had been reopened to traffic. The driver of the 86 was rescued by firefighters, and walked away from the scene, as did the driver of the 66.
We believe that the driver of 4M53 has stated that he has passed two signals at green, only to come upon the next one at red without warning: investigators will have to take a very close look at the signalling circuits. Thanks for reports to Dave Skipsey, Joe Kelly, Alex Roberts and our other invaluable correspondents. - 20 October