47 733 Eastern Star calls at Colwyn
Bay
with the 1D75 15:29 Crewe - Holyhead on 1 November (Rowan Crawshaw)
On Tuesday 4 November a Fragonset or West Coast Railway Class 31 or 47 will run a Network Rail Officers Saloon from Stockport to Holyhead. The loco and saloon arrive Monday evening at Crewe (16:36) from Derby for the next day's work:
5Z01 Crewe to Stockport: Crewe dep 07:22, Longsight 08:14/08:39, Stockport arr 08:45 (platform 2)
2Z01 08:50 Stockport to Holyhead: Stockport dep 08:50, Northwich 09:33, Chester 10:07 (Up & Down Main), Rhyl 10:40, Llandudno Jn 10:58 (platform 4), Bangor 11:19, Holyhead arr 11:55 (platform 1)
2Z02 12:15 Holyhead to Crewe: Holyhead dep 12:15, Bangor 12:15, Llandudno Jn 13:10 (platform 3); Rhyl 13:26; Chester 14:04 (platform 4), Crewe 14:37 (platform 11). The loco and saloon then run 5Z02 Empty Coaching Stock to Derby departing Crewe at 15:10.
Pictures invited.- 2 November
A Merseyside Meander - by Charlie Hulme
Some pictorial impressions of a visit to the Merseyside Model Railway show on Saturday 1 November. a day when Virgin trains from London to Liverpool (and vice versa) were being diverted via Stockport, requiring diesel locomotive haulage ('dragging' the electric loco along for the ride) from Stockport.
47 841 Spirit of Chester and 47 737 Resurgent await the call to duty at Stockport at 11:30. London - Glasgow trains were also passing this way and requiring diesel haulage.
Liverpool Lime Street: 57 309 Brains with 87 032 Richard Fearn behind.
The last leg of the journey was by water, this time aboard the TSMV Royal Daffodil, seen arriving at Liverpool Pier Head to work the 14:00 cruise. Built in 1962, and refurbished in 1999, this fine ship is the youngest of the Mersey Ferries fleet.
Across the river at Woodside Ferry can be found the Birkenhead Heritage Tramway, which opened in 1995 and runs through the waterfront area past the Pacific Road arts centre, site of the exhibition. The car in use here is Wallasey Corporation 78, built by Brush in 1920 and restored by the Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society.
Into the show, and very enjoyable it was too. With his usual topicality, Nick Gurney has already created a model of the Arriva Settle - Carlisle train as recently featured in these pages. It is seen here (driven by Nick himself) on the Wirral Finescale Railway Modellers' excellent 'Widnes New Yard' layout. It was good to meet several of our website contributors in person for the first time, too.
Back at Lime Street station for the 16:14 to London, with 47 737Resurgent attached and ready to go, first stop Stockport (if you don't count the half hour at a signal somewhere in the badlands of Denton.)
Two hours later at Stockport, and the shunter prepares to detach the loco, as the passengers wonder if they'll make Liverpool to London in under five hours. Special thanks for assistance and psychiatric help to John Lancaster and Don Burgess . - 2 November
The recent campaigning articles in the Daily Post newspaper have produced something of mixed reaction among our readers: the 'safe stations' campaign has prompted comments that in today's world you can be assaulted by drunken or drugged gangs in any public place, and the recent items comparing station facilities in North and South Wales provoked a reader (age uncertain) to offer a deconstructed version of Eryl Crump's description of a Valley Lines station:
Is the Daily Post running a campaign to stop people using the railway? The starry-eyed report on South Wales by Eryl Crump betrays a woeful lack of knowledge of the facilities in North Wales, just a few of the points he seems unaware of:It's also been pointed out that the newspaper reporter visited the Valley Lines on a Saturday morning when families where out shopping, and maybe he should have taken a look late in the evening. Much reliance appears to be placed on Closed Circuit TV to control the yobs, although it doesn't seem to achieved much in the recent Merseyrail case where a man was pushed on to the track with its live rail, despite the clip being used on the national news. (On the other hand, one of our contributors notes that he was nabbed by the CCTV while innocently taking train pictures on the very same station!) - 2 November"Rail passengers are able to enjoy a coffee while waiting for their train."
"Further down the line, bus passengers have a short stroll from the combined rail-bus interchange...."as they can at Rhyl, Llandudno Junction, Bangor, Holyhead and Betws-Y-Coed. "...or the secure car park adjacent to the rail platform."as they have at Flint, Rhyl, Llandudno Junction, Bangor and Blaenau Ffestiniog. "and there are taxis waiting outside."as they can at Flint, Prestatyn, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay and Bangor, as there are at Flint, Prestatyn, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno Junction and Bangor.
Somehow, your compiler was talked into being interviewed for Radio 4 by Mark Holdstock of the You and Yours programme. The idea was to travel on a couple of trains and comment on the seating and other facilities inside them. So it was suggested that we travel from Manchester Oxford Road to Bolton on the 16:15 Barrow-in-Furness train from Manchester Oxford Road, with a manager from First North Western riding with us to see fair play, and I could put on tape my love affair with the Class 175. Unfortunately, things went a little pear shaped ... the previous train to Bolton and Preston had been cancelled, with the result that none of the people you can see on the platform in the picture above was physically able to board the train. The lady on the extreme right had every reason to look glum, as she was travelling to the terminus, and the next Barrow train was in an hour.
We did manage a short interview later on an Airport train and a packed Hazel Grove-bound 142, but with any luck the whole thing will end up on the virtual cutting-room floor. - 2 November
Thanks to Merfyn Jones for details of the Test Train that we reported as seen at Llandudno Junction on 22 October. The consist was: 31 190; 99666 ex Mk2 FO, ultrasonic test coach; 62482 ex 4-REP motor second as above; Mk2D open second (number not noted); Mk2D as above, (possibly ex Gatwick express trailers) - the above all in Railtrack livery - and 31 128 in Fragonset livery. And thanks also to Dave Stretch for the timings of the train's workings:
Tuesday: 4Z08 20.37 Longsight Carriage sidings; 21.29-21.41 Crewe South Yard; 21.46-21.55 Crewe; 22.44-23.15 Chester; 00.07-00.48 Rhyl; 01.38-01.44 Llandudno Junc; 02.16-02.34 Bangor; 02.57 Llandudno Jc.
Wednesday: 4Z08 18.00 Llandudno Jc; 1912-19.19 Holyhead; 22.27-22.57
Chester; 23.41-23.54 Crewe; 00.20 Stoke
00.44 Macclesfield; 01.11 Longsight.
Thursday: 4Z08; 20.38 Longsight Carriage sidings; 21.44-22.07 Crewe Sth Yard; 23.38-23.49 Liverpool Lime Street; 01.07-01.37 Crewe; Then to Tyseley TMD. - 2 November
Larry Goddard writes: 'After taking the photo at Porthmadog [reprised below] on 23 October 2003, I came across some photos I took there on 21 August 1963. We had travelled via Bangor, Caernarvon and Afon Wen and were in search of the Festiniog narrow gauge. Forty years ago and it only seems like yesterday. The loco is ex-GWR 2-6-0 No. 6368.'
On the subject of the modern picture showing the 'Station Inn', our Porthmadog correspondent Ken Robins writes: 'It's difficult to see, but the pub sign (seen top right corner of Larry's photo) features a very interesting painting - it is in fact Fort William station!' - 2 November
Trams and Sandite, 19 October - by John Murray
I visited to the Birkenhead tramway on 19 October. While leaving Chester, a sandpit unit formed of Network Rail Multi-purpose vehicles was in the depot (photo taken from Merseyrail train).
Above, a picture of the immaculately restored Liverpool Standard Tram number 762 in service on the Birkenhead tramway today. This machine was a true joy to ride.
Returning to Chester, I was surprised to see the sandpit unit pass
through
Birkenhead Hamilton Square station. I had always thought that
diesels
were banned from underground sections of Merseyrail and have only ever
previously seen class
73s on these duties. - 2 November
37 798 is seen on the rear of the 'Northern Belle' passing Towyn on the North Wales Coast on its way to Blaenau Ffestiniog. A the other end of the train was 47798 Prince William. This train is not just your posh nosh day out. It is a round Britain tour for seriously rich people. The trip includes 6 nights hotel accommodation, all meals, sightseeing etc. Price per person $4,995. Take a look at a list of 'affordable' tours from the Abercrombie and Kent company.
On the subject of luxury trains, the VSOE British Pullman ran as the 11:45 Birmingham International Chester on Sat (12 October) - one of its rare non London starts - hauled by 67 010 Unicorn outward via Biscuit, Wolverhampton, Salop and Wrexham and back via Crewe, Whit church, Salop and as outward. Peter Smith writes: 'Doesn't seem to have been much mention of it anywhere. What I was wondering if anyone could tell me was, how many 67s have appeared on the Shrewsbury - Wrexham - Chester route before. Come to that Wolverhampton - Salop? Was it a first? Also, what was the reporting number? Interested, as I was on board, part of a 78th birthday treat for my Mum!' - 2 November