THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY NOTICE
BOARD
Rheilffordd Arfordir Gogledd Cymru Bwrdd
hysbyseb
A fine landscape shot by John Myers of 1A23 05:47
Holyhead-Euston, seen skirting Rhyl's Marine Lake in the early morning
sunshine on 18 May, with just a few days of HST traction remaining on
the Coast.
This site is dedicated to all our regular contributors and
supporters, and especially the rail staff of North Wales.
Edition of 23 May 2004
Compiler's note, 23 May
Thanks everyone for the excellent collection of HST and other
material - however Al Stewart is performing in Salford tonight so the
next update will be on the late evening of Monday 24 May. The
Conwy Valley line is also in the news: services did run on 22 May as
far as Llanrwst, and the official opening of the full route will be on
Monday 24 May. Pictures welcome! - Charlie
Up for the Cup
Thanks to John Cowlishaw and the rail-gen mailing list
for the following details
(all times and headcodes still to be confirmed) of Class
67-hauled trains for the FA cup Final on 22 May which is being
played in Cardiff between Manchester United and Milwall, exact timings
+ Headcodes still to be confirmed. (train numbers beginning with 5 are
empty carriage workings.) Note: the Manchester trains have no
booked stops between Manchester and Cardiff, see also the
ATW website.
67 + 10 air-conditioned coaches + 67: 5Z67 06:02 Crewe CS - Man
Picc; 1Z67 07:39 Man Picc - Cardiff; 5Z67 11:25 Cardiff -Newport; 1Z68
12:05 Newport - Cardiff; 5Z68 12:33 Cardiff - Canton depot; 5Z70 17:05
Canton - Cardiff; 1Z70 17:20 Cardiff - Newport; 5Z71 17:54 Newport -
Cardiff; 1Z71 18:54 Cardiff - Man Picc; 5Z71 22:33 Man Picc - Crewe
Carriage Sidings.
67 + 10 coaches + 67: 5Z65 05:45 Crewe CS - Man Picc; 1Z65 07:10
Man Picc - Cardiff; 5Z65 10:57 Cardiff - Newport; 1Z66 11:30 Newport -
Cardiff; 5Z66 11:46 Cardiff - Canton depot; 5Z69 17:42 Canton -
Cardiff; 1Z69 18:08 Cardiff - Man Picc; 5Z69 21:43 Man Picc - Crewe CS.
Watchers should remember that the line through Stockport is now closed
at weekends until September, so these trains will (presumably) run via
the Styal loop. - 19 May
Last days of the Virgin
HST
The final workings of Virgin HSTs along the North Wales line will be on
Saturday 22 May. For the benefit of travellers and photographers,
the official diagrams for these trains are listed below.
Monday - Friday
1A23 05:46 Holyhead - London Euston
1H12 11:00 London Euston - Manchester Piccadilly
1A71 14:28 Manchester Piccadilly - London Euston
1H27 18:25 London Euston - Manchester Piccadilly
1A49 09:26 Holyhead - London Euston
1D88 17:25 London Euston - Holyhead
1A07 05:27 Manchester Piccadilly - London Euston
1D87 08:40 London Euston - Holyhead
1A77 13:41 Holyhead - London Euston
1D89 19:05 London Euston - Holyhead
Saturday
1A13 05:46 Holyhead - London Euston
1H20 18:40 London Euston - Manchester Piccadilly
1A39 09:21 Holyhead - London Euston
1D89 16:55 London Euston - Holyhead *
5D87 07:05 Longsight - Stafford
1D87 09:36 Stafford - Holyhead
1A62 13:25 Holyhead - London Euston
1H21 19:40 London Euston - Manchester
Piccadilly
On the final Saturday, the train marked * will most likely be worked by
a loco-hauled train to position it for the start of the loco-hauled
Summer timetable, so the last Coast line working will be the 13:25
Holyhead to Euston. There are rumours of some special events involving
some of the trains in the final days, including various 'VIP'
passengers.
It should be noted that although the daytime working from London to
Manchester and return is shown as Monday - Fridays in the list, it is
often worked by an HST on Saturdays too: the picture shows it departing
Stockport on 15 May with 43 080 in the lead.
Here are some other HST pictures from our correspondents. Peter Roberts
writes: '43 097 at The Junction on 17 May: she had the Virgin
logo "Stealthed" but still visible. We will certainly miss the sound of
them powering up - you can usually tell the time of day in The Junction
by the sound. This is the mid-afternoon, on time to Euston.
43 122 at the rear of the same train as it heads east. (Peter
Roberts)
43 065 leads 17 May's 1D88 17:25 London Euston-Holyhead as
it makes the scheduled Prestatyn stop at 20:28. (John Myers)
Bringing up the rear was 43 080 and, as will be seen, whilst
both Class 43s are amongst those fitted with conventional drawgear,
neither now carries the Virgin Trains logo.
An atmospheric view taken on the evening of 14 May at Chester by Laurence
Wheeler.
To keep track of events in the final few days, with full train
working details, there's no better place to look than Deiniol
Williams' excellent Railhead website. - 19 May
End of the Chester 31s
Finishing on Friday 21 May is the use of a pair of Class 31 diesels by
First North Western on the 15:49 Chester - Blackpool. Laurence
Wheeler rode the whole way on 14 May to commemorate this. 31
602 Chimaera (with 31 459 Cerberus on the
rear) waits to leave Chester What a shame, writes Laurence, that
more use is not made of the clean and comfortable mark 2 coaches now
surplus to requirements.
Some three hours later the train has arrived at Blackpool North after
an uneventful run. Just needs a refreshment trolley to complete the
experience.
The 31s continue into the summer with FNW, but will work just an Monday
- Friday early morning Blackpool - Manchester Victoria and evening peak
return. The 15:49 train from Chester will be worked by a railcar set
and terminate at Manchester Piccadilly for a few weeks, and then be cut
back to Stockport for many weeks during the Stockport 'blockade.' -
19 May
DMUs in pictures - by
John Myers
175 008 standing at Prestatyn with 17 May's 19:54
Llandudno-Manchester Piccadilly.
158 830 passes Rhyl Marine Lake on time with the preceding
05:23 Holyhead - Cardiff on 18 May. - 19 May
Progress at Dolgarrog
We are pleased to report that the Dolgarrog Railway Society has now
received its lease for the old Aluminium Works Railway Line at
Dolgarrog. The picture shows the Engineering Director of Dolgarrog
Aluminium Ltd., presenting the lease to the Society's Chairman, Mr.
Malcolm Wrigley (left), and a short press release, describing the
occasion. The locomotive is 'Taurus', the Society's 0-4-0 diesel
mechanical locomotive, (Vulcan Foundry D139/1951, Drewry Car Co
2273/1951)
The Society, which has been in existence some ten years, has, whilst
based at Tal y Cafn, purchased and restored several items of historic
railway rolling stock, and the diesel shunting locomotive. The Society
will shortly be transferring its headquarters, rolling stock,
locomotive, and equipment, to a new headquarters to be built on land
near to the Aluminium Company's entrance at Dolgarrog.
Once there, following trackbed clearance, and relaying of track, the
Society plans to operate a heritage railway, of an industrial
style, over the old railway line, which is between half and three
quarters of a mile in length. The line runs from near the
Aluminium Company Works entrance, alongside Station Road, Dolgarrog,
almost to the pedestrian and pipe bridge, which spans the River Conway,
connecting the West side of the river, to the East side, near Dolgarrog
Station, on the main Conwy Valley Railway Line.
The Society has received much support and encouragement, through the
Dolgarrog Community Council, and the Aluminium Company, individual
members of the community, and the local Tourist Authority. It is
hoped that, once the railway is operational, it will act as a magnet,
to draw tourists to the area.
Especial thanks are due to Mr. Roy Johnson, Chairman of Dolgarrog
Aluminium Ltd., whose generosity in making the line available to the
Society, at a peppercorn rent, has made the whole project possible.
Further information can be obtained from: Dr. John M. Willis,
Project Coordinator, Tel: 01492 650835, or 07745873648. (johnmwillis@tiscali.co.uk),
Mr. David Owen, Tel 01492 583151, or Mr. Peter Smith,
Tel: 01492 596651 (email address: pete@tracks2000.freeserve.co.uk
). - 19 May