THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY NOTICE
BOARD
Rheilffordd Arfordir Gogledd Cymru Bwrdd
hysbyseb
47 853 Rail Express works the first loco-hauled
06.38 Bangor - Manchester of the new era towards Eccles on 17 August.
Picture by Tony Miles, who writes: 'The train was running five
minutes early, which is pretty impressive considering the number of
stops it makes en-route, which isn't the sort of thing a 47 really
likes.'
This site is dedicated to all our regular contributors and
supporters, and especially the rail staff of North Wales.
Edition of 20 August 2004
47 Special
to Chester 21 August
Thanks to Ralf Edge (and his source!) for the following
charter train times for Saturday 21 August - 1Z47 First Great
Western Green 47 832 + Fragonset 47 709: Norwich depart
04:36 (!) .... Leicester 09:46-09:54, Nuneaton pass
10:22, Stafford pass 11:40, Crewe 12:07-12:11, Chester arr.
12.37.
1Z48 Chester dep. 17:02, Crewe 17:25-17:29, Stafford pass 17:55,
Bushbury Junc (Wolverhampton) pass 18:08, Leicester 19:30-19:37,
Peterborough 20:51-20:54 Norwich 00:43. - 20 August
Locomotives galore
Right folks, lets take a look some views received of the scene on
the North Wales Coast line since Arriva Trains Wales began running
their loco-hauled service again on 16 August (See 'Diagram Digest'
below) - thanks as always to everyone who sent in pictures, the
following are as many as we can get edited in before the Olympic
cycling time trial starts on the BBC 'press red' thing.... all these
are from Monday 16 August - watch this space for more soon,
and keep them coming.
Tim E. Rogers spent an hour at Shotton in the moning and managed
to 'collect the set'of 47s. 47 840 North Star on 09:20
Holyhead to Euston ...
... 47 853 Rail Express on the 10:00 Manchester to
Holyhead ...
... and 47 828 Severn Valley Railway on the 0840
Euston to Holyhead.
Ralf Edge travelled on the first run of the ATW service, the 10:00
Manchester - Holyhead, seen here arriving at Manchester Piccadilly from
Crewe; being the first day of the diagram, the train came empty from
Crewe leaving the 06:38 from Bangor to be worked by the railcar set
which had spent the night at Holyhead.
The same train, 1D37 'The Irish Mancunian' (as it was once officially
called) heads through Prestatyn. (Dave Sallery)
The train arrives at Bangor, as the 12:15 Bangor to Llandudno Junction
stands at platform 1. (Alan Crawshaw)
The return working to Manchester at Chester. (Dave Bramley)
Or maybe you prefer an alternative view of the same, by Concrete Bob.
If the XP64- liveried loco was not exciting enough, "Blimey, a
pair of 37's on the logs!" - 37 669 and 37 706
photographed at Chester by Dave Bramley on 6F71 14:07 Chirk -
Warrington Arpley empties.
The Holyhead - Manchester hammers through Mostyn (Tim J. Rogers)
Finally for now, two Llandudno Junction views by Ralf Edge: 47
853 (above)...
... and 47 828 on the Virgin service. Ralf reports that at one stage
during the day at Crewe there were 7 Class 47s within the station!
- 18 August
Diagram Digest
Stop press news: a 57+Pendolino
test
run to Holyhead is planned for Thursday 19 August - expected to depart
Crewe between 10:00 and 11:00, return from Holyhead 15:00-ish.
Here is a reminder of the times of some interesting workings from
both
ends of the historical spectrum: first, the Arriva Trains loco-hauled
workings. Mondays - Fridays 1H44 06:38 Bangor - Manchester
Piccadilly; 1D37 10:00 Manchester Piccadilly - Holyhead 1H52, 13:52
Holyhead - Manchester Piccadilly and 1D45 17:20 Manchester Piccadilly -
Holyhead to be worked by a Riviera Trains Class 47/8 and ex-Virgin
coaches from 16 August for at least two weeks. Unconfirmed Saturday
diagram is 1G96 08:54 Holyhead-Crewe; 1D67 11:30 Crewe-Holyhead; 1G11
13:58 Holyhead-Crewe; 1D77 16:31 Crewe-Holyhead.
Secondly, the Virgin Trains crew-training runs: 17 - 19 August 1Z21
09:40 Crewe - Holyhead ;1Z22 1243 Holyhead -Crewe ;1Z23 1450
Crewe - Holyhead ; 1Z24 1740 Holyhead -Crewe. Friday 20
August 1Z32 07:30 Crewe - Holyhead; 1Z33 1025 Holyhead
-Crewe.
Time to get out and about with the camera! Thaks for all the pictures
received so far: a special edition is coming soon. - 17 August
Oxford Road Curiosities
- by Charlie Hulme
The 'green' apartment building at Manchester Oxford Road with
its solar panels and wind turbine has been completed during the absence
of the loco-hauled trains to North Wales: a slight colour clash is
evident between it and the XP64 blue of 47 853 waiting
with the 17:20 Manchester Piccadilly - Holyhead on 16 August. (Charlie
Hulme)
If we may be forgiven for milking the subject of the Manchester Cow
Parade, we notice that the Oxford Road bovine has been
officially mooved inside the station from the forecourt, no doubt due
to the attentions of 'revellers.' This of course makes it easier
to get a train in the picture, as this 16 August view shows. This
animal, 'Cow Noir.' was decorated by Cath Staincliffe, writer of
detective stories whose private-eye character Sal Kilkenny has an
office in a building near the station. 'Through these mean
streets a cow must go' reads the wording. - 17 August