THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY NOTICE
BOARD
Rheilffordd Arfordir Gogledd Cymru Bwrdd
hysbyseb
34 067 Tangmere at London Victoria, 16 September (John
Myers)
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Edition of 21 September 2004
Two Travellers' Tales
Blackburn Rover - by John Murray
I went to a business meeting on 8 September in Blackburn, via
Warrington Bank Quay and Preston. On arrival at Chester station for the
10:53 Manchester service, there
was a VSOE Northern Belle charter service to Bath in platform 3 with 67
006 in charge.
An unusual coach in the VSOE rake was former Golden Arrow coach
"Pegasus" restored in 1999/2000. The Southern e-Group
has an interesting page about this vehicle.
Alongside the special was 67 019 with a test train, with
67 030 on the rear.
At Warrington Bank Quay 66 030, with a rake of MGR hopper
wagons, was
in platform 3 awaiting a crew change ...
... while a Jarvis track machine languished
in the unnumbered bay platform.
Meanwhile DRS 66 404 raced
through southbound with a container train.
Outward traction for the journey to Preston was 390 047, my
first ride
on a Pendolino, which arrived in Preston more than ten minutes ahead of
schedule.
Returning from the newly refurbished Blackburn station was on the 17:38
to Blackpool North. When I booked this on thetrainline.com (see
below) it showed the service as being operated by Transpennine Express,
however, the service was announced as "Arriva Trains Northern" and
consisted of West Yorks PTE MetroTrain liveried 158 901 with
Arriva
branding and crew (pictured with Thwaites brewery tower to the
left).
Return Journey: Wednesday, 08/09/2004
departs BLACKBURN at 17:38 travel by Train service Provider
TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS to station PRESTON arrives 17:56
departs PRESTON at 18:20 travel by Train service Provider VIRGIN TRAINS
to station WARRINGTON BANK QUAY arrives 18:43
departs WARRINGTON BANK QUAY at 18:50 travel by Train service Provider
ARRIVA TRAINS WALES to station CHESTER arrives 19:19
Confused? - 21 September
To London - with John
Myers
On 16 September a colleague and I decided to have a final
go on the loco-hauled 'Eustons', travelling out on 1A23 and returning
with 1D89 and, by
booking on line in advance, secured £14 singles for each
direction of
travel. Thursday proved to be useful as there was an opportunity to see
and
photograph the air-smoothed Bulleid Battle of Britain pacific, 34067
Tangmere on another of its afternoon Surrey circular tours. This
service,
reporting number 1Y82, was 'The Downsman' organised by Hertfordshire
Railtours
departing from Victoria at 12:28 and arriving back there shortly after
16:00.
The Up journey was textbook, with an on-time departure from Rhyl behind
former FGW 47 830, with 87031, Hal o' the Wynd
taking over (picture above) for the run south
of Crewe, resulting in an early arrival in the Capital.
A number of other
Class 87s was seen, including 87 008 City of Liverpool
and the Porterbrook
liveried 87 002 on the adjacent centre road. Locomotive hauled
trains were
to be found at Victoria, too with 73 208 departing on the 12:15
Gatwick
Express, shortly after 66 082 had arrived with the stock for
The Downsman,
complete with 34 067 on the rear.
The suburban service frequency, combined with the variety of routes
that
exist in those parts, allow, in theory, for the departure of the steam
service to be watched and still to arrive and take up position at
Clapham
Junction before the charter passes through. Not wishing to take undue
risks, however, our plan was to depart Victoria before the special only
for
this plan to be thwarted by the late arrival of a Connex driver.
Fortunately, this problem was not replicated in respect of the next
departure from an adjacent platform.
After using the film camera to record
Tangmere's approach to Clapham Junction, it was clear that the charter
was
being checked in favour of a service train and so an unexpected
additional
digital photograph at the western end of Platform 5 was possible. The
film
camera was used for another photograph south of Guildford and for
another as
the returning working approached Clapham Junction from the Brighton
main
line.
Finally, although lighting was tricky, it was enjoyable to see the
locomotive, complete with Golden Arrows on its casing (albeit without
the
matching headboard) under the classic trainshed that remains on the
SECR
side of the terminus. It was from here that the continental trains
departed, and which these locomotives powered when new and until
replaced by
the completion of the Kent Coast electrification in 1961.
Maybe Tangmere
can be coaxed to appear at a different port-side terminus in north
Wales
during its welcome return to the main line; so far as I know, that
would be
the first appearance of an air-smoothed Bulleid pacific on the coast.
Back at Euston, and after admiring the exhibits and sampling the
ales on
offer in The Head of Steam, it was possible to see the stock for 1Z52,
the
19:15 Euston-Bangor charter being organised by
The Railway Children charity
in connection with a three peaks fundraising event for 200
rail-passenger
participants . EWS loco 90 031 The Railway Children
Partnership provided the traction for the
first leg of transit to Crewe but was off the end of Platform 18 beyond
a
Mk1 BSK support coach and out of convenient photographic range.
At the
other end, Royal 67 005, Queen's Messenger, had arrived
with the all first
class rake of debranded Virgin MkIIIas. Appreciative that this was
being
run in a good cause, the charter left on time whereas, the regular
Holyhead train 1D89
fared less well. Apparently, the incoming 1A77 had suffered a failure
south
of Crewe such that a spare loco-hauled rake, headed by 87 004, Britannia,
had
to be found for its return working, together with a crew to operate as
far
as Watford Junction where, at an additional stop, the returning
Holyhead
staff were now to join the train, and which was 15 minutes late by the
time
it left the terminus.
We were over 30 minutes late by the time we reached Crewe and were
routed
into platform 6 to allow 47 826 Springburn, to provide
the traction for the
remainder of the run. Over on platform 12, 67 006 was being
made ready to
take over from 90 031 on the charter. We were ready first and
left before
them, only to be looped after leaving Chester to allow the charter to
pass
through on what would be a booked non-stop run to Bangor. Having thus
deferred, we were away again once a path had cleared but arrival back
into
Rhyl was by then some 55 minutes behind time. Most of us aboard had a
comfortable bed in which we could sleep, however, whilst those on the
charter were to undertake their first of three climbs, an overnight
ascent
of Snowdon!
- 21 September