THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY NOTICE
BOARD
Rheilffordd Arfordir Gogledd Cymru Bwrdd
hysbyseb
47 776 Respected and 175 114 at Bangor, 10
February (Alan Crawshaw)
This site is dedicated to all our regular contributors and
supporters, and especially the rail staff of North Wales.
Edition of 12 February 2004
The Class 47
Massacre
Reports began flying around on the Net on 9 February to the effect that
English Welsh and Scottish Railway were about to withdraw all their
remaining Class 47s from service, and unilaterally cancel their
contract to operate the North Wales Coast loco-hauled trains. However,
the true story appears to not quite so disastrous, in that the
intention is to retain just five of the twenty which remained after the
loss of the Royal engines at the beginning of February, sufficient it
is thought to continue the Coast workings and also provide a couple to
help with Virgin's diversions via the Settle-Carlisle at weekends,. The
remaining fleet is understood to comprise:
47 749 Atlantic College
47 776 Respected
47 778 Duke of Edinburgh's Award
47 790
47 792 Robin Hood
The status of these five on the evening of
11 February was
two 'broken down' and two undergoing examinations, leaving just 47
776 Respected
still in working order at Holyhead after working the train from
Manchester. We believe ex-Virgin locos 47 805 and 47 829
have been
hired in from Freightliner to cover
the North Wales turns.
The loss of all these 47s is very saddening for all diesel locomotive
enthusiasts: it is reported that the end of the financial year on 31
March will also see the end of all remaining Class 56s, and perhaps
also all EWS 37s except the 37/4s. Clearly, the accountant has spoken.
The loss of heritage loco 47 635 The Lass o' Ballochmyle
seems particularly tragic: surely this could retained for use on
special occasions, or something?
Thanks to Shaun Courtnage of www.sulzerpower.com,
Andrew Macfarlane, Richard Boyd and Mr Lickfold
of EWS for help with the above notes.
Northern Belle timings
for Friday 13th
Friday 13 February was to have seen a Northern Belle luxury dining
train heading up the valley to Blaenau Ffestiniog, and special
permission had been obtained to use a Class 67 on the line for the
first time. However, this plan has been washed away by recent
events so the schedule has been altered to run to Holyhead
(twice!) instead. Times are as follows (with many thanks to 'Yellowcake
UF6' for this detail). 1Z65 10:41 Chester - Chester (67 leading, 66 on
rear ex-Chester). Rhyl pass 11:09, Llandudno Jct pass 11:25, Bangor
pass 11:40, Holyhead 12:09 to 12:39, Bangor 13:11 to 13:33, then back
again to Holyhead 14:03 to 14:23, Bangor pass 1448, Llandudno Jct pass
15:05, Rhyl 15:25, Chester 15:58. Pictures welcome! - 12 February
Chasing the oval ball
There's a big Rugby international between Wales and Scotland on
Saturday 14 February, and as usual Arriva Trains Wales will be putting
on extra trains, some of them loco-hauled, and running extra 37-hauled
diagrams on the Rhymney line. Arriva's website shows the following
specials:
10:06 Crewe to Cardiff Central via Chester, Wrexham and Shrewsbury
10:18 Crewe to Cardiff Central via Shrewsbury
18:05 Cardiff Central to Crewe via Shrewsbury
19:15 Cardiff Central to Crewe via Shrewsbury and Wrexham
These we think will be loco-hauled, possibly with 47 and/or 67 power.
We know several of our contributors are heading down south with their
cameras, so expect a bumper picture special next week! - 12 February
Chester freight in
pictures - by Dave Bramley
10 February at Chester, and 37 676 in careworn two tone
grey passes (above) on the 'logs' to Chirk in the afternoon, so
within 45 minutes at Chester were 47 776 Respected on
the 15:27 Crewe - Holyhead , 47 749 Atlantic College on
the Manchester empties, 37 676 on the timber train, an HST to Euston
and the two 31s shunting into the platform for the15:49 to Blackpool.
Fantastic action!
11 February, and the Sandbach to Warrington tanks (6F17) is diverted
via Chester for the rest of the week due to a points problem at
Greenbank.Here is is with 37 676 in its filthy railfreight
grey. It looked fantastic,and sounded even better ...
The afternoon Warrington to Chirk log train was 37 powered again, this
time 37 682 was at the fore and equalled 37 676's departure for
noise, but not smoke ... the same two 31's on the Blackpool, 31
468 Hydra + 31 602 Chimaera (still smoky!) sat in
the yard whilst all the above passed by. - 12 February
Wrexham - Bidston: good
news or extortion?
From the local press:
'A vital rail link will been given an 11th-hour reprieve after urgent
action by council bosses. The Wrexham to Bidston evening and Sunday
services, which calls at seven stations in Flintshire, was under threat
after the Strategic Rail Authority increased the subsidy the councils
pay to keep the trains running. Flintshire Council has agreed to
increase its contribution for the remaining financial year and for the
coming year, and Wrexham Council is expected to do the same today after
the matter was pushed through onto an executive board agenda. The
service is a vital link for shoppers, workers, students and
day-trippers, and its loss would be a huge economic blow to North East
Wales.
'In September last year, the SRA told the council that bidders for the
new franchise had been required to give a price for operating the
evening and Sunday service between Wrexham and Bidston, where
connections to Birkenhead and Liverpool can be made. A meeting was
arranged to discuss the implications of this, where the SRA explained
it could not justify funding the services directly and a payment of
£107,000 a year, rising to £145,000 after 16 years, would
be needed if local authority support was to continue.
'Further talks were held last week, and although Arriva Trains Wales,
the new operator of the franchise, agreed to consider a one-year
rolling contract instead of 15 years, it would not reduce the cost of
the service. Funding should be in place to keep the service running
until May, with increases in funding being agreed to keep it going for
the coming year. A snapshot survey of passengers using the service
carried out by Flintshire Council found that many travelling in the
evening had used the train earlier in the day or week, and that
removing the services would damage the viability of the line.
'Executive member for transportation, planning and the environment Cllr
Meirion Matthews said: “We have funding for this year and are going to
be looking at the budget again next year. “We have always supported
this, and we do have funds for next year. We are now talking to Arriva
Trains to see how much support it needs from us. “I must stress that
Flintshire County Council fully supports the Wrexham-to-Bidston line.
“We see this as a very important line for work and shopping.” A
spokesman for Flintshire Council said: “The timetable finishes in May
and the subsidy will continue until then.“We are now in negotiations
with Arriva Trains Wales to consider options for the future of the
evening and Sunday services. Wrexham Council is also involved in these
discussions.”' - 12 February
Picture news now...
Two days of passenger events in pictures. Our prediction that
47 749 Atlantic College was about to be withdrawn proved
wide of the mark, indeed it seems to be one of the few that is still on
the books. Dave Bramley's picture above shows the empty
stock for the afternoon Manchester - Holyhead arriving at Chester to
reverse on the triangle. The morning 1H44 Bangor - Manchester was 47
790 which then ran light engine to Warrington for an 'A exam.'
The main day's diagram on 10 February was trusted to 47 776
Respected, which reportedly has the greatest engine hours of all the
last 20 EWS 47s, yet mysteriously has been chosen to survive. It
certainly was performing OK on this day, seen leaving Chester on the
12:48 Holyhead-Crewe with a plume of exhaust darkening the sky. Picture
by Dave Bramley.
The same train at Bangor (Rowan Crawshaw)
47 749 headed out from Manchester towards Holyhead with the 17:19 'Club
Train' as planned. Colin Meredith trued his hand at a night shot as it
called at Rhyl.
The next morning, 11 February, 749 set off with 1K57 07:45 Holyhead to
Crewe but was 'failed' at Bangor with a fuel leak, and the train had to
be cancelled. Rowan Crawshaw's picture shows the train
abandoned in the old platform line at Bangor station.
The return train, 1D65 10:30 Crewe-Holyhead (pictured at Bangor by Rowan
Crawshaw) was covered by 'Cambrian Line' ex-Central Trains set 158
847 (so good they numbered it twice!) which worked through to Holyhead
and back as far as Chester on 1K67 where it was swopped for FNW's 150
203,which was in turn expected to be replaced at Chester on 1D75 by
a 175...
43 121 calls at Bangor with the 1A49 09:26 Holyhead - Euston (Rowan
Crawshaw)
21:30 on 11 February, and 47 749 was still languishing at Bangor.
Apparently, a Class so had been planned to run from Warrington to
rescue it, and the shunter came in his van from Holyhead to handle the
coupling duties, but for some reason the move never took place.
- 12 February