Autumn water cannon
The Rail Head Treatment Train approaching Llanfair P.G. on 23
November with
37 602 leading, looking rather sad, and a large
black cloud overhead. Picture by
Richard Fleckney - 27
November
Free for pensioners?
Writing in Saturday's Welsh
Daily Post, Emyr Williams
reports Welsh Assembly Enterprise Minister Andrew Davies saying: "We
recognise that in some rural areas the train is more convenient than
... the bus, and bus services can be more difficult to use for the
corresponding trip. I am pleased to announce that the assembly
government will fully support provision of free concessionary bus pass
travel on certain railways in rural areas."
A trial scheme will will be implemented on the Heart of Wales and Conwy
Valley lines in 2007. It may be extended to the Cambrian coast, Wrexham
- Bidston and Shrewsbury to Chester lines. More than 530,000 passes
have been issued in Wales to the disabled and over 60s allowing them to
travel for free. The lines will be designated community rail services
(aren't they already such?) so regulations on timetables and fares can
be relaxed.
- 27 November
Wrexham railway
progress - meeting report by
George Jones
The Shrewsbury – Chester Rail Users’ Association (SCRUA) is delighted
to report that the meeting held in Wrexham on Monday 20 November
attracted a record crowd to hear Mr Andy Hamilton of Laing Rail speak
about the proposed Wrexham – London, Marylebone train service.
Members of SCRUA were joined by as many visitors with representation
recorded from Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Chirk, Llangollen, Dyffryn Ceiriog,
Glyndyfrdwy, Ruabon, Abergele, Rhyl, Chester, Wirral and Wallasey, as
well as areas in Wrexham County Borough. Members of the
Wrexham-Birkenhead Rail Users’ Association, the Wirral Transport Users’
Association, Cambrian Railways Trust and Llangollen Railway also
supported the occasion.
The audience heard Mr Hamilton review the progress with the project to
provide a direct London train service by the Wrexham Shropshire Railway
using ‘open access’ arrangements whereby a train operator can provide a
commercial service between points not served by other train operators.
Such a service is not part of a rail franchise and receives no public
subsidy. The intended London service would call on the experience
gained by Hull Trains, which operates into Kings Cross, London, and has
proved to be very successful in attracting additional rail passengers
to a route otherwise served by GNER Trains to Doncaster for connecting
services to Hull.
The direct service from Wrexham would similarly avoid changes at
Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton or Chester and Crewe as are currently
necessary to access Virgin Train services. With five daily return train
services envisaged for weekdays, a provisional time table for the route
was displayed, but it is subject to on-going discussion and adjustment
before a final version emerges.
Progress with the project so far has developed after extensive
discussions with Network Rail as to the available paths for trains
around the congested West Midlands area, that an application for an
open access agreement is about to be made to the Office of Rail
Regulation. The decision by the ORR is expected in April with an aim to
start services in June 2007. Expressions of support from stakeholders
in the Chester to Shrewsbury line and from individuals would be
welcome. So far as is known there are no objectors to the plan.
The search is now on for suitable rolling stock. Turbostar diesel units
are favoured but the option to use a class 67 diesel locomotive with
three coaches and a driving van trailer is also being considered. The
stock acquired would be refurbished to give quality accommodation
suitable for a near 200 mile journey, with first class accommodation
being provided.
Overnight stabling of trains at Wrexham would be provided for in the
disused bay platforms at the south end of platform 1. These would need
to be provided with an electrical supply and plug-in points for on
train cleaning, and security with upwards of 50 new jobs being created.
Normal servicing and refuelling would take place at Wembley depot
in north London. Vacant accommodation in Wrexham General Station would
provide for train crew and passenger facilities. It is for these
infrastructure changes that the company has sought financial support
from the Welsh Assembly Government as a means of easing start up costs.
A lively question and answer session demonstrated the considerable
interest already evident in the success of this project. The need for
the direct trains to bring people out of London to Shrewsbury and
Wrexham was acknowledged as another aspect of the potential passenger
load, with important benefits to the local tourist economy. The ability
to change trains at Banbury would open up a new market for journey
opportunities to and from a wide area of southern England, as well as
access to Reading for London (Heathrow) airport. In particular, the
intended provision of three London services on Sundays was seen as an
important improvement on a day which is currently poorly provided with
rail services on the Chester-Shrewsbury line.
It was noted that no sooner had this project been announced to link
Wrexham with London than other far-flung centres without direct London
trains, notably Aberystwyth, began asking when they might regain such a
link. Mr Hamilton acknowledged this and said that Renaissance Trains
and Laing Rail were looking into a range of possibilities for such
additional routes. In bringing the meeting to a close, the SCRUA
Chairman, Martin Evans, said the meeting had been a great success and
thanked everyone for coming and showing interest and their support. It
is intended to invite Andy Hamilton for a return session once the
trains are up and running. In response to the request for support,
SCRUA has now submitted a formal letter to the ORR backing the
application and urging a favourable decision to allow train services to
start in June 2007 for a ten year agreement.
If individuals wish to support the submission they should
write to the ORR ; the address is: The Office of Rail Regulation,
One Kemble St, London WC2B
4AN - FAO Karl Holden - with a
copy to: Wrexham & Shropshire Railway Co, Great Central
House, Marylebone St, Melcombe Place LONDON NW1 6JJ. -
26 November
Test train 22 November -
report by Mark Riley
During its three-day visit to our region, the Serco test train visited
Wrexham on 22 November. Up to and including this date at least, the
train had kept excellent time and is seen at Wrexham General, waiting
to travel the short distance to Croesnewydd loop.
37 612 and
37
605 topped and tailed the train.
The train stands on the loop. It was just far enough away from Ruthin
Road bridge to enable me to get a nice 'shot' of it.
Seen from Bersham Road, the train leaves the loop after a 40-minute
stop, and is about to receive a brief signal check further up the line,
before heading off for Shrewsbury.
The weather was pretty dull all day, and it was raining as I took this
picture at 12:45, and it was a miracle the picture wasn't blurred too
much! With
37 605 leading, the train makes its final pass
though Wrexham after returning from Shrewsbury, and heads back towards
Chester, then on to Cheshire. -
27 November
RCTS news
A meeting of the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society takes place
at the Lever Club, next to Port Sunlight railway station, on Monday 4th
December at 7.45 p.m. John Ryan, a local member and a retired railway
civil engineer, will be giving part two of his talk on railway civil
engineering. Visitors will be most welcome to attend with payment of a
small donation. New entry arrangements into the club building involving
the use of press button device should be noted. urther details
about the meeting can be obtained from Richard Neale
(rwnealeatl[at]supanet.com).
- 27 November
New group
A new Yahoo Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/uktransporteventsandrunningdays
is for preserved railways in Britain, bus running days and similar
special events.
- 27 November
Jam tomorrow for the
Cambrian
Transport minister Andrew Davies announced potential service
improvements to the Cambrian mainline at a meeting of stakeholders at
the Cambrian Coast Railway Liaison Conference at Porthmadog on 25
November, the
Daily Post reports. Network Rail presented
to stakeholders the detailed results of their initial feasibility study
on improving the Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury service from two-hourly to
hourly. Our picture above by
Dave Sallery: passengers join a
Birmingham-bound Class 158 at Machynlleth.
The meeting heard there are a number of viable options for
infrastructure improvements – like passing loops - and a
robust timetable for an hourly service has, apparently, for the first
time been developed and tested. There will be major improvements in
performance on the Cambrian and the investment would take place
alongside Network Rail’s major resignalling of the Cambrian due
to start before the end of the decade.
Of course, it would have been handy if so many passing loops had not
been not been abolished in the first place - and this website's
editorial opinion remains that the proposed testing, and great expense,
of a new 'European' cab signalling system, is of doubtful benefit to
passengers, who will no doubt have to suffer the 'teething troubles' -
and according to
Informed
Sources the fitting of the equipment to trains alone will cost
about £250,000 per two-car Class 158.
For more about this, and Cambrian craziness, take a look at the
Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth Rail Passengers Association (SARPA) news
page. Frightening indeed proposed 'redevelopment' of Aberystwyth
station involving shortening the railway and building a car park on the
existing station site. Tell us it's not true! -
27 November
Llandudno Junction
diesel gala - report by Gwyn Williams
Llandudno Junction, 21 November, 15:00 on a murky afternoon.
57 311
Parker has a green for departure with
390 044 Virgin
Lionheart, while
37 605 and
37 612 (inset) prepare
to follow with the test train.
There was more DRS to come -
37 259 and
37 602 went by
with the 'water cannons' at 16:02, followed at 16:09 by
new-off-the-boat
66 419 with the flasks. The only thing missing
was a DRS passenger train.... -
27 November
Llandudno events -
report by Mark Riley
On 21 November, the Serco Test Train visited Llandudno, after calling
at Blaenau Ffestiniog earlier in the day. I went there on a flying
visit, and was in time to see the arrival of Virgin Voyager
221
103 Christopher Columbus with the 11:28 London Euston -
Llandudno. Just a dozen or so passengers actually disembarked; wet and
windy weather greeted optimistic day trippers!
The test train arrives at platform 1, drawing in alongside the Voyager,
topped and tailed by
37 612 and
37 605. I last saw 37
605 working the first RHTT of the season back on 3 October.
37 612 ticks over as the crew switch locomotives.
37 605, now with the crew aboard, awaits its departure. The train ran
pretty much to its programmed schedule.
Test Coach No: DB999508. This is one of a batch of inspection saloons
built to the Mk1 body style; the it was modified in 1987 with the side
cutaways.
37 612 at the rear as the train passes under the signal gantry back
towards Llandudno Junction. -
27 November
Conwy Valley Serco
The
test train on 21 November also reached Blaenau Ffestiniog: apparently
the last time this train came to North Wales the Conwy Valley Branch
has to be missed, as FM Rail's drivers did not 'sign the
road.' DRS had no problem so long as the windscreen wipers kept going!
Above, the train is arriving at Blaenau Ffestiniog at 13:08 in
appalling (usual)
weather. Picture by
Merfyn Jones.
Another Blaenau view by
Merfyn Jones. The Ffestiniog Railway
station is to the left.
Portrait of 37 612 at Blaenau (
Merfyn Jones)
Arriving at a very dull Llanrwst heading back to The Junction with
37
612
leading (
Peter Roberts)
The class 153 on the service train to Blaenau has stopped at the
signalbox
and both locos blast away. (
Peter Roberts)
Just past Tal-y-Cafn, curving around the Conwy river. (
Peter Roberts)
- 27 November
Eddie's model railway
plan foiled
We've reported before on Eddie Knorn's Class 101 vehicle 56342, which
he installed in October outside his home, next door to a service
station near Wardle on the A51 road in Cheshire. Mr Knorn intended to
use
it as a model railway room, but ran up against bureaucracy in the shape
of the Planning Department of Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council, who
ordered him to remove it.
On 21 November the story hit the national press: our picture above is
borrowed from the
Daily Mail -
their
report is well worth a read, if only for the comments sent in by
readers. The coach has now been removed: reportedly to the Midland
Railway Centre at Butterley, Derbyshire.
- 27 November
