THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY NOTICE BOARD

Rheilffordd Arfordir Gogledd Cymru Bwrdd hysbyseb



In addition to 47 847 - see below - another classic diesel did run on the North Wales Coast on Saturday 22 January. In Larry Goddard's picture, 60 099 Ben More Assynt picks up speed through Abergele with the Saturday morning stone train from Penmaenmawr, formed of Hanson Wagons.
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Edition of 23 January 2005

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Charlie goes to Holyhead, 22 January - report by Charlie Hulme



Well folks, 47 847 Brian Morrison did run to Holyhead on 22 January, and very well it ran too, running to time despite the efforts of a flock of Anglesey sheep, and some enthusiasts did travel and photograph the train despite the wet weather and the efforts of the railway's information services to persuade enquirers that there was no such train as the 10:06 Manchester - Holyhead.

So now its time to make good on my promise to Riviera Trains that I'd make a donation to the Disasters Emergency Committee for the Tsunami victims should the big blue machine make it to the port and back on this day.  To help this along and add to my own contribution I have a selection of  ten published videotapes here from the Page27 video cupboard,  all from the classic late-90s Class 37 era. The first ten people who email me with a promise to send me a cheque or note for at least £5 to forward to the DEC will be rewarded with a tape randomly chosen from this collection. Email your details to the usual address (see top of page) and see how you get on.

Here's the list of  tapes:
If you aren't a video fan, please feel free to make an online donation at the DEC website if you haven't already. Your money's in safe hands: David Glencross, chairman of the Disasters Emergency Committee, is my wife's mother's cousin!

Anyway, back to my journey, which began with a most appalling piece of railway incompetence. I arrived at Manchester Piccadilly at 09:30, and took a look at the information monitors to discover that far from any 10:06 to Holyhead, loco-hauled or otherwise, all that was on offer was a bus to Runcorn East which would depart at 09:32! Now, we all know that this was meant to be the case all spring, but that the engineering work had been cancelled at the last minute and a normal train service reinstated. But three weeks after this was announced an implemented, the information had not reached the Manchester Piccadilly computer system. I raise the matter at the Network Rail information booth on the concourse, to be told to some relief that the 10:06 was indeed running and that they would contact the signalbox to get the misinformation corrected.

So at 10:00 I was waiting cheerfully on Platform 14 when 47 847 rolled in with its four Virgin-liveried coaches and came to a stand to pick up the few waiting passengers. At this very moment, the automated announcing system (a.k.a. 'Digital Doris') decided to tell everyone that the train was cancelled!  Someone dived for the manual override button and made a correction announcement immediately, but all the same.... not many passengers made the trip, and I suspect most of them were carrying cameras and having the occasional glance at the loco....

Later, as the pleasant journey proceeded, the guard told me he'd had passengers earlier in the morning who'd been told by the National Rail website and on the phone that the Chester - Manchester direct line was closed. He kindly gave me a copy of the timetable leaflet supplement - I'd like to compliment all the rail staff I met during the day on their friendly helpfulness. And of course, farewell to the signalboxes at Mold Junction and Sandycroft and everyone associated with them; by Sunday evening they will have been disconnected and everything will be controlled from Chester.



Here's Larry Goddard's view from Abergele station. Larry writes: 'The 102½ years old signal box, which is centrally placed between the 'up' and 'down' lines at Abergele, is receiving  much needed attention as 47 847 rolls past with the Manchester - Holyhead. Of course, only a cynic would think it is being done up for demolition...!'



Rowan Crawshaw took this picture at Bangor before joining the train for the run to Holyhead and back.



Back safely at Manchester, time for a chat with some more website readers and home. As far as we know, this loco diagram is to continue for another week until the end of January - beyond that .... can anyone enlighten us?



Finally, here's a view of 47 847 while still an anonymous Virgin-liveried machine, at Bangor  with the 1A46 09:19 Holyhead - London on 3 March 2001.

And here's a question raised with me during the day by a long-time Class 47 fan for attention of the Class 47 experts. 'Many years ago one could tell the D1600 serves locos from the D1500 ones by the pinkish tingle to their windscreens. What  was all this about, and when did the pink vanish?'   - 23 January

Train Crazy! Two recent Video / DVD programmes reviewed by Rowan Crawshaw

Diesel Hauled Passenger Trains 3

It is filmed from 2001 to February 2004. We start with a few shots of ex-Cross- Country 47s, including 47 840 in Virgin and BR Blue. It includes Midland Mainline 47s, 57 601 in purple and 47 714 to Great Yarmouth. There are too many 57/3s on drags over the S&C and at Liverpoolbut there are also two 47s at Liverpool. There is excellent footage of the Rhymneys including a couple of shots at the tiny station of Gilfach Fargoed and 56 114 departing Rhymney and also the Fishguard passing Pontyclun. There is only 8 minutes of North Wales action filmed on February 2004 including a run-round at Crewe with 47 776. Arriva’s S&C top-and-tail 37 and even a shot of an idiot crossing a line in front of a non-stop train at Mouldsworth is included. 47 813 working for Virgin is shown.

There are lots of football specials with 31s, 37s, 47s and 67s. Rugby specials with 37s to Cardiff is including with a ride behind 401. A sad sight included is a 67, which had displaced from Mail Trains, on the Northern Belle. There are some Railtours with Classes 31, 37 and 55.

Diesel Hauled Passenger Trains 4

This show starts with a Saturday of 67-hauled holiday trains at the sea wall in Dawlish, followed by 57s on the Penzance sleeper. We go on an anti-clockwise tour of the country in 2004. It shows 47 drags on the Settle and Carlisle and to Glasgow via Dumfries but only one 57/3 is featured. We also include the 47 hauled diversions to Norwich, Arriva’s 37 top and tailed service, 37 416 on the Fort William sleeper, pairs of 67s on sleeper drags, 31s from St Anne’s and Bristol to Weymouth and sadly a 66 on the Royal Scotsman. The 31s and 47 at Manchester within a few minutes apart in March are included.



Alan Crawshaw's picture 47 732 on the 07:45 Holyhead - Crewe calling at Llanfairpwll on 26 March 2004 with the Train Crazy man on the bridge and Rowan on the down platform.

The North Wales section is 17 minutes, beginning with a 24-hour stake out on 26 March with the night train at Rhyl followed by a run round at Holyhead in the dark. It even shows a train stopping at Llanfairpwll with me on the platform! The empty stock reversing at Chester is featured. After that we go on to the few shots from the last summer Virgin 47/8 hauled trains including one of 826 from high above Colwyn Bay and this section finishes with 47 853 working for Arriva.
In South Wales we include the Fishguard and Royal Welsh Show train to Llandrindod but not the Rhymneys as featured in earlier titles in this series. We end with pairs of locos on railtours including 56 farewell tour, 50 031+049 at Dawlish and 37-hauled tours.

Overall

It is depressing for the classic traction enthusiast that more new units have arrived and there is unlikely to be a No. 5 in this series. He is finding new locations to film trains. Train Crazy produce good quality DVDs but beware of compatibility problems, as one of them won’t play on my DVD player so I’ve had to return it. The first two titles in this series are available in Video and DVD. To order please visit the Train Crazy website. - 23 January

Other news in pictures



Thursday 20 January's Warrington to Chirk logs turned up at Chester in monsoon conditions with 67 022 at the head, Very strange, there's not a lot that hasn't worked that train now! (Dave Bramley)



Another 158 has appeared in Arriva livery, 158 837 - which we believe was the last 158 in full original livery left, apart from 158 750 which is in use on TransPennine with all its silly stickers on the lower bodysides. (Dave Bramley)



Friday 21 January saw 47 853 Rail Express make a couple of empty stock runs from Crewe to Chester and back. (Ian Bowland) - 23 January

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