THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY NOTICE
BOARD
Rheilffordd Arfordir Gogledd Cymru Bwrdd
hysbyseb
'Peak'* meets Merseyrail, Bidston, 4 August (Warren
Desmond)
This site is dedicated to all our regular contributors and
supporters, and especially the rail staff of North Wales.
Edition of 08 August 2004
Peak
Practice (or 'last chance saloon', or 'passing inspection',
etc.)
The Network Rail Inspection Saloon got an outing to our area on 4
August, hauled by Fragonset Railways-operated loco 45 112 The Royal
Army Ordnance Corps. The itinerary, which as so often on these
occasions involved much running round of the one-coach train by the
loco, was Crewe - Middlewich - Chester - Wrexham (reverse)
- Bidston - Birkenhead North (reverse) - Bidston - Wrexham (reverse) -
Chester (reverse) - Holyhead (reverse) - Chester - Crewe.
There follows a sequence of pictures from our contributors following
the journey of train 2Z01. So far this year the North Wales line
has seen appearances by a remarkable variety of diesel locomotives of
classes 20, 31, 37, 45, 47, 50, 57, 60, 66 and 67; class 33s should
also have appeared but pulled out at the eleventh hour.
We pick up the special just north of Sandbach on the Middlewich
line. Picture by Mark Watson.
Arriving at Bidston, rounding the curve from the Wrexham line to join
the Merseyrail electric system. (David Holden)
Pausing in Bidston station. (David Holden)
At Birkenhead North, the furthest point towards the Mersey tunnels that
normal trains are normally permitted.
45 112, originally numbered D61, was built by British Railways at Derby
works in 1960 as one of a class which became for many years the staple
power for expresses on the Midland lines out of London St Pancras. Its
wheel arrangement, of two four-axle bogies, the outer axle of each
bogie being unpowered and serving just to distribute the loco's 135 ton
weight (1Co-Co1 in the British notation), is common with the English
Electric-built Class 40, but the diesel engine is a 2500 HP
Swiss-designed Sulzer unit, an earlier version of that used in Class
47.
Returning south across the Wirral through Upton on the way back to
Wrexham. (Warren Desmond)
Arrived at Chester (Mark Atkinson) ...
... about to run round using the centre crossover ...
... and ready to set off for North Wales (Mark Atkinson)
The name 'The Royal Army Ordnance Corps' was, like all(?) the
names given to locos of this class, was originally carried by a London
Midland and Scottish Railway 'Patriot' class 4-6-0 steam loco, in this
case no. 5505, which became 45505 when the private companies
were combined into British Railways in 1948; no connection with diesel
Class 45 ... 45505 was withdrawn for scrapping in 1962, and the
name reappeared on the diesel loco in 1965. In 1987 the name was given
to a Class 47, 47 972, but using a standard 'corporate image'
nameplate with upper-lower case characters. 47 972 was taken out
of traffic in 1998 and according to the excellent End of the Line website
is currently stored at Carnforth. The plates now fitted to 45 112 are
of the format of the original Class 45 diesel, with the regimental
crest.
Through the centre road at Rhyl past Rhyl No 2 signalbox still waiting
for someone to find a use for it. (Dave Sallery)
Passing a leafy Beach House Road, Llandulas at 16:38 (Larry Goddard)
The coach, 999506, was built at Swindon in 1957 as the Western
Region General Manager's Saloon. Although superficially similar to a
more common type of inspection saloon built to an LMS design, this one
has a different body profile resembling a Mark 1 BR coach.
Through the centre roads at Bangor, more rare track for the Network
Rail managers! (Rowan Crawshaw)
Another run-round in Platform 1 at Holyhead (Mark Lloyd Davies)
And finally, one from the Larry Goddard archives: In the days
when 45 112 was a regular engine on the coast, it departs from
Llandudno Junction points its nose towards Llandudno on the last leg of
its journey from Scarborough (09:35 from Manchester Victoria) on 22
November 1983. The picture is full of interest: in the left background
can be seen both the old and new signalboxes. The new 'box was
created at the expense of the road builders as it was felt that the
bridge would block the signalman's view from the existing LNWR
structure. The new 'box, commissioned in 1985, was the very last to be
built of the London Midland Region flat-roofed style known to signalbox
experts as 'type 15.'
Thanks as always to everyone who contributed to this page.
- 8 August
* Please don't write to tell us that only Class 44 should be
called 'Peaks.' The name was commonly uses for all varieties of
the type when they were regulars on Midland line expresses. 'There's a
Peak on the Passenger today' one would hear on Appleby station.