THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY NOTICE
BOARD
Rheilffordd Arfordir Gogledd Cymru Bwrdd
hysbyseb
37 682 leads 37 689 through Rhyl, on 30 October
with 4Z07 Railhead Treatment Train running 50 mins late. (Ivor Bufton)
This site is dedicated to all our regular contributors and
supporters, and especially the rail staff of North Wales.
Edition of 05 November 2004
More rugby trains
Saturday 6 November sees a rugby international match in Cardiff between
Wales and South Africa. Many extra trains will run, including a Cardiff
- Gloucester shuttle using the ex-S & C 37s and stock, and the
Rhymney branch will be 37-hauled all day. On the Marches Route, we
believe that the following will be loco-hauled: 1H98 07:16 Crewe -
Manchester Piccadilly; 1V75 08:33 Manchester Piccadilly - Cardiff; 1Z67
07:28 Crewe to Cardiff (via Chester);
1V76 09:44 Crewe - Cardiff; 1Z89 1644 Cardiff - Crewe; 1W93 1714
Cardiff - Crewe. There's lots of times etc. on Jason
Cross's website. - 5 November
Pendolino update
57 304 Gordon Tracy and 390 051 Virgin
Ambassador were captured at Llandudno Junction at 21:05 on 24
October terminated and getting ready to run empty to Crewe and
then presumably empty back again. The Pendolino service had a difficult
time in the last October as Network Rail had to close parts of the
route to Holyhead overnight to repair flood damage, meaning that the
units could not make their usual nocturnal return to Crewe for
servicing. It was therefore decided to temporraily revert the diagram
to electric locos south of Crewe handing over to Class 57s and Mk 3
coaches which can be serviced at Holyhead. 47 851 also
made a few appearances on these trains; the Pendolinos returned from 30
October, although not without the odd hour's delay.
We asked for traveller's tales of the Pendolinos; so far we have this
response from Peter Everett: 'I was going to go on the 06:35
Colwyn Bay-Euston Pendolino on the first day of operation back in
September (I think) but decided to stay in bed! Quite lucky
really as it was cancelled.
'I caught the Holyhead Pendolino from Nuneaton on Friday 22October
which arrived 20 minutes early at Nuneaton. The station staff it
would terminate at Chester due to the flooding but it continued to
Llandudno Junction. At Crewe however, they were unable to connect
the 57 to the front for some reason. I’m not sure exactly what
the problem was but the power to the laptop/phone sockets went off
while the loco connected then came back on so I though everything was
fine but then there was a lot of shouting on the platform and people in
orange jackets went to the front of the train. Someone then came
on board and told us the train wasn’t going anywhere! We were all
swapped to the Liverpool train which consisted of an 87 + Mk3 coaches
to which the 57 coupled onto with no problem and we left 40 minutes
late. The Pendolino became the train to Liverpool.
'Return journey south on Monday 25 October wasn’t good as the 06:35
Colwyn Bay-Euston was cancelled as was the following Voyager. The
Cardiff train was very busy and running late and it was getting on for
9am before anybody got to Crewe. So far, I haven’t managed to get a
ride on a Pendolino or a Voyager along the coast!' - 5 November
Contrast at Llandegai -
by Rowan Crawshaw
Above, 14:45 Holyhead - Crewe passes Llandegai near Bangor on 30
October; below, 37 689 and 37 682 pass the same spot with the
RHTT. - 5 November
A memory of 101 692
Larry Goddard writes: 'Good to see Strathclyde Blue 101692
operational again at the Severn Valley event. It was last seen (by me)
at Deganwy working the 11.45 Blaenau Ffestiniog-Llandudno on 27
September 2000.'
On the subject of Class 101s, the two centre cars from the Regional
Railways 'Conwy Valley' three-car 101s which were stored for a number
of years in the carriage sidings at Blackpool have finally beeen moved
to the safety of preservation sites, after a failed attempt in
September involving a low loader which could not get round a
corner (see www.101692.co.uk).
The green one, 59539 is at Dereham (Mid-Norfolk Railway)
in company with Strathclyde orange 101 695, and the RR-liveried one, 59303,
last used in 101 683 but previously part of 101 692, is believed to be
at the Midland Railway Centre, Butterley where it is hoped to reunite
it with the preserved power cars of 692.
Is there anyone out there who can write us a short udates on the status
and whereabouts of any of the other First North Western Class 101s?
What's become of Daisy, in particular? - 5 November
Bangor, 27 October -
with Alan Crawshaw
1A78 (14.17 Holyhead - London Euston) leaves Bangor to reveal 37 689
tailing the daily Railhead Treatment Train. As soon as the Voyager has
cleared the section the cannon is activated and heads back to Wigan
with 37 893 leading. - 5 November
Let it snow!
Something different, photographed on a cold 27 October by Dave
Bramley, 66 083 + 66 092 on 2Z99 09:57 Crewe -
Chester - Crewe snowplough test, with ploughs ADB 965580 and 965581.
If we are not very much mistaken, these vehicles were created from the
bogies of withdrawn Class 40 locomotives. - 5 November
Dave Sallery's archive
spot
31 434 and 31 106 are seen on a ballast train in Watery
Road loop at Wrexham on 8 December 1992. The pair had arrived
from the Shrewsbury direction and were to drop stone between Wrexham
and Ruabon. In the distance the Arpley - Dee Marsh log train
awaits its turn to use the loop. - 5 November
Yellow to turn blue?
Here's an interesting insider picture
of 37 194 Neil Webster and 37 087 Vulcan B1
inside the
LNWR deport at Crewe. It is rumoured that these have been purchased
from the Harry Needle Railroad Company by Direct Rail Services. - 5
November