THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY NOTICE
BOARD
Rheilffordd Arfordir Gogledd Cymru Bwrdd
hysbyseb
The first working of the revived (yet again) loco-hauled 10:00
Manchester - Holyhead
crosses the M60 west of Eccles on 16 August, with 47 853 Rail
Express in charge. Why would anyone want to be on the motorway when
Mk2 comfort is
available? Picture by Tony Miles.
This site is dedicated to all our regular contributors and
supporters, and especially the rail staff of North Wales.
Edition of 16 August 2004
Loco-hauled
returns to Arriva
Monday 16 August will see Class 47 locomotives working for
Arriva Trains Wales along the North Wales Coast line again, as the
crisis of Class 175 non-availability continues. The diagram, initially
for
two weeks, is:
Mondays - Fridays
1H44 06:38 Bangor - Manchester Piccadilly
1D37 10:00 Manchester Piccadilly - Holyhead
1H52 13:52 Holyhead - Manchester Piccadilly
1D45 17:20 Manchester Piccadilly - Holyhead
Some sources source suggest there will be a Saturday diagram
too, but
this is, we understand, not confirmed yet:
1G96 08:54 Holyhead-Crewe
1D67 11:30 Crewe-Holyhead
1G11 13:58 Holyhead-Crewe
1D77 16:31 Crewe-Holyhead
Railfans will certainly enjoy this Saturday run if it does
happen.
We'll try to get confirmation as soon as we can.
Locomotives and stock - four Mk 2 air-conditioned coaches - will be
supplied by Riviera Trains. XP64-liveried 47 853 Rail Express
is likely to work the trains to start with as Riviera's other loco 47
839 is needing some attention shortly. Freightliner 47/8s will be
hired in if Riviera power is unavailable for any reason. We are told
that rumours of Fragonset Railways also being involved are
unsubstantiated.
There's no doubt at all that some action is necessary. The log of 175
troubles from a recent sequence of days is: Day 1, 175 001
failed at Chester. Day 2, 175 108 failed at Colwyn Bay and at
Chester. Day 3,
175 111 failed at Abergele stopping all services from the North
Wales direction to everywhere for about three hours. Allegedly the only
one which has not disrupted traffic by failing recently is 175 109
which has been dumped unserviceable for weeks in the sidings at
Chester.
The diagram chosen is interesting in that the locomotive will need to
run round its train at Manchester, which was the reason given by the
previous management for not taking the obvious action of including the
'Irish Mancunian' in the diagram as previously worked. Presumably it
will shunt and lay over in the loop at Longsight.
Thanks to the many people who gave helped with this item. - 13
August, revised 15 August.
A Thunderbird
rescue
mission - Notes and pictures by Mark Lloyd Davies
I was visiting Bangor late in the morning of Saturday 14 August
and I thought I would just pop into the station to see the Euston -
Holyhead passing through. Much to my amazement 57 304 Gordon
Tracy was on the centre road.
I was able to take a few pictures of its progress to Holyhead. Thank
goodness I took my camera with me as the trip was only supposed to be a
quick there and back trip to B&Q.
The 57 was held for the 09:54 Manchester Piccadilly - Holyhead to
pass, and then the Euston - Holyhead - here is a shot of 47 841
Spirit Of Chester arriving. With the Virgin service gone I took
a gamble that there was a chance to see the loco at Gaerwen. After a
compliant drive the gamble paid off as the loco was further held at
Bangor for a 175 service to pass, the 11.30 Crewe to Holyhead.
Here the rescue loco trundles slowly into Gaerwen where it was to be
further held at the outer signal for the 175 to clear Valley.
This gave a further opportunity to nip ahead to get a shot of it
passing Railway Cottages at Llangaffo.
Recovery underway at Holyhead. 47 830 and train were supposed
to be the 09:20 departure from Holyhead, but appears to have failed
before departure. - 15 August
Book news
Larry Goddard's latest North Wales colour album, Conwy
Valley Line - Eight Decades of Colour (96 Page Hardback), published
by Foxline, will be on sale from 17 August price £14.95.
Larry writes: 'The book outlines the reason why the Ffestiniog Railway
and two of Britain’s major railway companies, the GWR and LNWR,
made a dash for Blaenau Ffestiniog slate in the nineteenth century. I
have attempted to show how things were and where tracks once lay and
have described the railway practices at Blaenau. The decline of slate
might have been a disaster had it not been for increased tourist
travel, and the Conwy Valley line, with its links to the
Chester-Holyhead mainline, was well placed to handle large numbers of
summer visitors. Marketing initiatives are illustrated, from the LNW
Observation Cars of 1912/3, the introduction of first-generation Derby
Lightweight DMU’s though to the luxury Northern Belle, which has
regularly traversed the line since 2000. Trawsfynydd line services in
the 1950s are covered plus the 'Sunday Shuttle’, upgrading of the line
and decommissioning of Trawsfynydd power station. Loco haulage on the
Llandudno branch is shown in the heyday of rail travel as well as in
more recent years.' - 15 August
Voyager training
starts
221 105 William Baffin has been out and about on the
North Wales coast, engaging in staff training and general trials in
preparation for the start of public services by these diesel-electric
railcar sets. The train pictured by Larry Goddard on 10 August
on the return run at Abegele at 13:37. The midday Virgin service train
had been cancelled, but no attempt was made to use the 221 to carry the
stranded passengers.
These 10 August shots by John Lewis show the unit apparently
trying out various sidings and shunting moves at Holyhead.
The Class 221 is a tilting unit capable of 125 mph, but along the Coast
it will not be tilting and will be limited to 90, only using its full
capabilities between Crewe and London. Llandudno is to see a London
service for the first time in many years.
The trains was also run through the washing plant at Holyhead
Here's a couple of views from 12 August by Tony Fell ...
...showing the unit crossing the wide open spaces of Anglesey near
Rhosneigr station.
This is Bagillt on 13 August. (Tim J. Rogers) - 15 August
Dave Sallery's
archive
spot
Luxury cross-country DMU travel from a different era. A Swindon built
Class 120 unit (is that a Class 119 centre trailer) heads an up service
at Mostyn in September 1982. - 15 August
47 810 Porterbrook storms up Holyhead bank in the
summer sun, 12 August. (John Lewis)
Across the water
John Lewis's picture here shows Irish Ferries' two
vessels leaving Holyhead together for Dublin on the afternoon of
12 August. Fast ferry Jonathan Swift is passing
superferry Ulysses in the middle of a thunderstorm On the same
day as John's sunny heading picture!), departing on their 14:50 and
15:00 sailings respectively (the Swift was, however,
approximately 15 minutes late - hence the reason it was possible to see
them passing each other).
Speaking of Ireland, most Inter city trains in Ireland are hauled by
the 32 members of the General Motors 201 class. Dave Sallery's
picture shows the first of the class on shed at Inchicore on 6 July
1994. The loco had arrived a few days earlier, by air (!).
The reasoning behind this was to get as many drivers trained on them
before the rest of the class arrived by ship.
If anyone fancies a visit to Irish Rail, using the many cheap fares
available on the ferries, one can 'Take a €10 spin from Dublin to
anywhere with Iarnród Éireann this Summer. The Summer
promotion Day Return fare €10 (about £6.60) is valid Monday
to Thursday until 26 August from Dublin only. On Cork/Limerick
routes it is only available for departures from Dublin from 10.00 hrs
until 13.20hrs. Tralee route available on 10.55 and 13.20. only.
Waterford route available for departures 07.35 , 09.35 and
11.35 and 15.05 only. Galway route available for departures
07.30, 09.40, 11.00 and 14.40 only. Westport and Ballina
available for departures 08.05, 12.55 only. You may return on any
service the same day. The offer is not valid on Cross Border Services.
(The Dublin - Rosslare line is now operated by DMUs.)
The
Irish Rail website has details. It's also worth
noting that Virgin Trains
have some special offers to Ireland at
present. - 15 August
Chester - Runcorn
- the
last weeks?
Ralf Edge writes: 'Saturday 7 August saw me get up stupidly
early to catch the 05:39 from Derby for a trip on the 08:25 Summer
Saturdays-only Chester - Runcorn, as it has only a handful of days left
to run, being withdrawn at the September timetable change. Saturday saw
156 429 doing the honours, seen above at Chester.
'The train ran hitch-free, except on arrival at Chester the departure
board said 08:25 Runcorn only platform 5; around 08:20 I asked
a member of
station staff who assured me he had written platform 1 at the start of
the day, so off I went over the footbridge to find it now said platform
3! And of course no announcements to advertise this train..... the
picture above shows it on arrival at Runcorn.'
Ralf's picture shows the inside of the train, with not many other
passengers to be seen. It has been reported that the Strategic Rail
Authority has consented to the closure of this line, despite protests
from passengers' groups and local authorities who have many reasons why
it should be retained, including the development of a service to
Liverpool John Lennon Airport. The current absurd service has run for
several years now, as a token to avoid going through a closure
procedure; meanwhile the crossover at Frodsham Junction which would
allow a return Runcorn - Chester service to run has been removed. In a
letter to Rail magazine, the chairman of the Mid-Cheshire Rail
Users' Association reports that the SRA recently sent a 'consultant' to
count the number of passengers travelling on the 08:25: if the SRA
believe this can possibly be of any value, then perhaps their abolition
by the Government cannot come soon enough.
Runcorn signal box is an interesting structure; built in 1944 during
World War II it is an example of the LMS 'Type 13' box
intended to be resistant to bomb blast. - 15 August
Sixty by the Sea
60 089 The Railway Horse basks in the sunshine
west of Penmaenmawr on Sunday engineering duties. (Alan Crawshaw)