THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY NOTICE
BOARD
Rheilffordd Arfordir Gogledd Cymru Bwrdd
hysbyseb
With attendant video cameraman, 43 065 departs Chester on
Friday 21 May with the 13:35 Holyhead - London. (Trevor Roberts)
This site is dedicated to all our regular contributors and
supporters, and especially the rail staff of North Wales.
Edition of 24 May 2004
Endings and beginnings
So much newsworthy recently, so many contributions, and so little time,
but let's dive in with the first of a series of pages which will
describe each subject in approximate order. (to make things harder, the
site address is currently receiving literally thousands of emails per
day, taking over half an hour to download and automatically scan for
spam, even over a broadband line - look out for a change of email
address and contact method in the very near future. Sorry we can't use
all your pictures, but we hope you like the selections which will
appear over the rest of this week.
Anyway, tonight let's take a look at the HST events of Friday 21 May,
which was designated by Virgin Trains as the 'official' last day of
Virgin West Coast HSTs, and the 1D87 08:40 London Euston -
Holyhead were chosen to give a treat to an assembled company of
railway (print) journalists and other guests. A very neat 'Irish Mail'
headboard, apparently in genuine cast metal, was carried.
Here's Tony Miles' evocative impression of the train waiting at
the buffers at London Euston having arrived as 1A07
05:27 Manchester Piccadilly - London Euston. This is loco 43 065
at the southern end of the train. In the background is a Silverlink
outer-suburban Class 321.
43 080 heads the train at Euston, with a Class 87 electric loco
and a new Pendolino unit glimpsed behind. (Tony Miles)
Arrival at Chester ... (Tony Miles)
And departing for Holyhead (Tony Miles)
The classic viewpoint passing Conwy Castle (Larry Goddard)
Light and shade on arrival at Holyhead. (George Westlake)
The driver prepares to attach the headboard to 43 065 for the return
journey as 1A77 13:41 Holyhead - London Euston. (George Westlake)
Suitably adorned and ready. The First North Western 156 in the
background is the booked traction for the Stockport - Holyhead and
return 'boat train.' The locomotive release loop of platform 4
can
be seen on the right with decidedly rusty-looking rails since the
Arriva loco-hauled trains ceased.
#
Pausing under the bridge at Rhyl station. (picture by Simon of simon8096.fotopic.net)
Rolling through Mostyn (Tim J. Rogers). The same train worked
1D89 19:05 London Euston - Holyhead, aboard which was apparently
a management celebration (or piss-up, as our contributor actually
wrote.)
On the same day, 43 097 on 1A49 09.26 Holyhead Euston with 43
092 on the rear leaving Crewe on time at 11.44. (Steve Morris)
Steve also managed to see 40 145 arrive Light from Bury
ready to work the Pathfinder tour to Plymouth the next day - a couple
of views also attached. Nice to get the 40 and HST together -
well just about anyway !
A better view of the 40, contrasting with a Central Trains 158. (Steve
Morris)
Coming Soon, the last 31s to Chester, the very last day of the HSTs, a
nostalgic look at the North Wales HST, and of course the re-opening of
the Conwy Valley. - 24 May