THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY NOTICE
BOARD
Rheilffordd Arfordir Gogledd Cymru Bwrdd
hysbyseb
Meeting at Abergele (Greg Mape)
This site is dedicated to
all
our regular
contributors and
supporters, and especially the rail staff of North Wales.
Last update 30 April 2006
This issue has taken a while to create, as your compiler has
been travelling around more than usual and there are rants to be
penned! Many contributed items pending, another issue very soon.
The colourful scene at Holyhead before the start of the day's service,
23 April. Picture by Corrie.
Cheadle Hulme - Crewe:
Bumbling incompetents rule OK
As already rumoured in some quarters, reliable reports indicate
that the Cheadle Hulme - Crewe line, which has been closed to all
traffic since December 2005, will not be opening in June 2006 (already
delayed from March for 'software testing' as has been publicly
promised. It seems that some sort of temporary service might now be in
place by August, with a full timetable not restored until December
2006.
This shambolic situation has been brought about by the attempt to
re-signal this line with Ansaldo equipment from Italy, intended to be
controlled from the existing signal centre at Stockport which has
already proved unequal to the task of dealing with the Stockport
station area and has so far been confined to a small area around
Cheadle Hulme.
The Cheadle Hulme - Crewe line has been controlled from power
signalboxes at Wilmslow and Sandbach, built about fifty years ago and
featuring large numbers of electro-mechanical relays (suffering from
metal migration in their contacts) and miles of wiring whose insulation
had deteriorated to such an extent that anyone disturbing it for
maintenance was in danger of causing a short-circuit with potentially
fatal results. We imagine that it was decided that the re-signalling
project had to go ahead with the only design available, even though
engineers were sceptical about the results. The two signalboxes
contained asbestos, and both were dismantled and taken away at the
beginning of the current project.
Any further comments we could make here would not be suitable for a
family audience. - 30 June
Arriva Trains Wales
coaches
Arriva Trains Wales are in the process of purchasing a fleet of
air-conditioned Mk 2 coaches for use on relief trains, dated specials,
and so on. Six have been obtained from West Coast Railway Company, and
have been painted by WCRC at Carnforth into Arriva livery. These are
reported as standard opens 5853, 5869, 5913, 5965, 6013 and brake
standard open 9539. The above picture by Hywel Gwyn Jones shows
(we think) these vehicles at Crewe on their way to Cardiff Also to be
included in the fleet, according to a report in Today's Railways UK
magazine, are the six EWS vehicles already in Arriva colours and
previously used by the erstwhile Arriva Trains Northern company: 6035,
6066, 6124, 6170, 9521 and 9524. We await developments with interest. -
30 April
Manchester Thunderbirds
-
report by Charlie Hulme
A business trip on Wednesday 26 April offered the chance to be at
Manchester Piccadilly for the arrival of both morning and afternoon
loco-hauled trains from Holyhead. I positioned myself at the classing
gricer's point (without permission from the duty manager!) on Platform
9 for the morning train, to find instead this Northern Rail Class 150.
Now this is odd, because current operating practices at Piccadilly
normally require trains to stop much further back along the platform,
thus occupying the signal overlap and thus preventing the
signalling system from allowing a second train to draw up to the
signal halfway down the platform. It was the intention of the
people that designed the signalling that a second train should be
allowed in, but this has caused more delays than it solved, waiting for
passengers to make their way along the crowded platform, so '2-car
stop' (etc) signs have been placed to prevent this happening.
However, this unit is an empty-stock working (After working a Buxton -
Deansgate train I think), and therefore not required to pick up the
passengers, so the driver took it further along the platform, and the
Holyhead train behind then drew in to the far end of Platform 13 and
unloaded its passengers completely out of my view. So anyway, here is
57 316 FAB 1 departing with the empty stock for Longsight
just before I had to run off to catch the 09:24 Voyager to Bournemouth
from Platform 5.... on the skyline, the new Beetham Tower
hotel/apartment block, Manchester's tallest building, which had it's
'topping-out' ceremony this day. More about the Beetham Tower soon.
Scene 2, later that same day - and both optical and digital zoom create
this shot of the 13:20 Holyhead - Manchester, with 57 316 again in
charge, approaching Piccadilly along the Manchester South Junction and
Altrincham Railway viaduct as a Northern Rail 323 on a Macclesfield -
Deansgate heads the other way.- 30 April
Cambrian monster
Dean Marsh sends these interesting pictures taken on Sunday 22
April at Carno on the Shrewsbury - Machynlleth, showing a train of
'Autoballaster' engineers'' wagons with 66 114 at one and and
another 66 at the other.
Dean writes: 'The train was half the length of the village - 1400
tonnes according to one of the track workers.' - 30 April
Sorry, wrong country
Manchester Oxford Road, 21 April, and the Arriva Trains Wales 17:54 to
Carmarthen awaits departure, in the form of 158 741 looking
very freshly painted in First Scotrail colours! We don't
have an explanation for the odd allocation (suggestions welcome)
although we have been told that 158 741 has recently been transferred
from First Scotrail to the new, expanded, First Great Western company
which has taken over Wessex Trains' routes. - 30 April
'Tin Rocket" notes
Thanks to everyone who wrote to tell us that there are in fact two
ex-Anglia 153s in original livery now working in Wales, namely 153
311 and 153 326. Geoff Morris's picture shows 153 311
arriving at Chester on Sunday April 23 at the head of the 17:55 shuttle
from Crewe. The 153 is still in its original livery although it
no longer carries the Regional Railways transfers or the name John
Constable. These two have two bicycle sections and fewer seats, the
result of Anglia's award-winning improved cycle provision of a few
years back; 326 is frequently used on the Borderlands line.
Now, Alastair Graham comments: 'I hate to be pedantic but
on the 13 April edition you mention the 153 in Regional Railways
colours. It is not actually - it is "Provincial" livery.'
Well, these units were, we think, converted from 155 to 153 in 1991-92,
but when was the 'Regional Railways' livery introduced to replace the
'Provincial' version? 1990, say some references on the Web. With logos
removed, the way to tell the two apart is that the RR version had a
lighter shade of grey on its lower panels and the white-striped
'linking device' replacing the light blue line at cab ends. 311 looks
so work-stained in the picture it's hard to comment on the shade of
grey, but there's certainly no linking device. Yet a picture of
153 367 when new on Dave Bramley's fine website clearly shows the
linking stripes. Could the livery specification have been changed
during the conversion process? Any Class 153 historians in the house?
A study in corrugation -
by Larry Goddard
The aluminium billets from ZTR Anglesey is seen running early,
passing Llysfaen behind 67 014 at 17:45 on 24 April 2006. -
30 June
Journey to Holyhead -
with Geoff Morris
Here are few pictures taken on 25 April during a most enjoyable
round trip from Chester to Holyhead, out behind
57 316 FAB 1
on the Piccadilly - Holyhead and back behind
57 311 Parker
towing
390 042 City of Bangor / Dinas Bangor on the
Holyhead - Euston. The weather was glorious at Holyhead as you
can see. Above,
57 311 arriving with 390 042 on the 09:00 from
Euston.
This picture and the next ....
... show 57 316 climbing away with the 13:20 to Piccadilly.
Former Wessex unit 158 860 (with Brunel 200 vinyls)
arriving on the 11:03 from Crewe - a very colourful scene.
<>In fact the 3 'complete' ex-Wessex sets recently
transferred to ATW were on Holyhead - Crewe services (quite a
coincidence). Details were:
158 792 was on the 09:28 Holyhead - Crewe
158 859 was on the 11:40 Holyhead - Crewe
158 860 became the 13:35 Holyhead - Crewe.
So much for a standard pattern timetable - 3 successive 'hourly
clockface' trains from Holyhead to Crewe at 28, 40 & 35 mins past
the hour!
Compiler's note: we highly recommend a trip using Geoff's
itinerary: but remember it is only possible Mondays - Fridays as the
Pendolinos are replaced by Voyagers on Saturdays, and on a gastronomic
note, we cannot recommend the chip-shop opposite the station which can
offer you a truly unforgettable experience. - 30 April
On the bike - report by
Charlie Hulme
On 15 April, Easter Saturday, we were out of bed at 06:00 to catch the
08:16 Manchester - Llandudno with the intention of joining a part of
friends cycling from Abergele to Llandudno and round the Great Orme We
had not reserved spaces for our bikes, but got them on board the 175
without problems. Tip: the cycle area is at the non-cab end of Coach
'C' - C for cycling. The North Wales cycleway is a great thing: there
are just a few places where no cycle facility is available.
Unfortunately, one of them is the promenade at Llandudno, despite its
great width there are notices (ignore by many but not us!) banning
cyclists and forcing them to walk or use the narrow and busy road
alongside. Local cyclist are doing their best to get this situation
changed - see this
CTC page - but no doubt there will always be the idiot who will run
over someone's dog. Anyway, enough of that. Here's the classic coach
that will take you for the splendid run round the Great Orme Marine
Drive, but even better, do it on a bike, only motorists have to pay the
toll.
This is really wild scenery, in complete contrast to the elegance of
the town, a hard climb to the summit, but I did manage it with just a
small amount of walking and a short rest or two.
Back at Llandudno Junction with ten minutes to spare for the
loco-hauled train back to Manchester and its capacious brake van. In
the picture, as well as our bikes Dawson and Davina, is 175 002 working
the 13:47 Llandudno - Manchester train due to leave 'The Junction' at
13:56. We let this go in favour of a visit to to the award-winning
station buffet and the 57-hauled boat train from Holyhead to Manchester
due to depart at 14:07.
This Holyhead train, which gets so mentions in our pages, is an example
of the most bizarre timetabling. Although it departs Llandudno Junction
just a few minutes after the Llandudno service, it is bound to catch it
up as it is not booked to stop at Flint, Shotton, Runcorn East, Helsby
or Frodsham while the 175 does call at all these places. Slow running,
long stops at signals, at at Earlestown station are therefore the order
of the day, culminating in a crawl through west Manchester and the
usual timing of seven minutes for the 45-chain run from Manchester
Oxford Road to Piccadilly (5 mph) producing an overall journey of 181
minutes for the Holyhead - Manchester journey.
Despite this, the train does not always arrive on time at Piccadilly:
on Mondays - Fridays it seems there are two Freightliner trains from
Trafford Park that have to be given priority.... - 30 April
Vegetation Control -
report by Geoff Morris
An MPV (DR98911 / 98961) has been running around
the area on weed killing duties (from Wigan) this week. It did
the Blaenau branch and the Coast main line as far as Gaerwen on
18 April, and visit other parts of the network the following days. It
turned up at Chester on the evening of 19 April just after 17:00,
heading west - picture above. These are the same power
units that were used in the winter for some of water cannon trains in
the N West so it shows their versatility. It's getting quite dirty
as a result of these duties. - 30 April
Weeds are not the only
fruit (of neglect)
Arthur Jones sends this sequence of pictures taken recently in the
Llandudno area, and wonders at the condition parts of the rail
infrastructure in very public places. Above, the end of Platform 2 at
Llandudno Junction.
And again ... how long since the other track was lifted? 20 years at
least.
Further down the same track. Not unsafe, maybe, but not likely in
instil confidence in rail users even so.
Did you ever try to lay Peco flexible track before you were really old
enough to do it neatly?
Some of these sidings at Llandudno Junction are surely still part of
the official network. Did the MPV shift the bushes?
Then there's Llandudno station....
... still morosely awaiting its promised transformation into a wondrous
transport interchange. What's the phrase? Ah yes, 'The Crumbling Edge.'
- 30 April