Don't miss our "Steam Special Special"
featuring the trains of 26 April
Community Rail Week on the Ffestiniog
The
Ffestiniog
Railway Company is marking ‘ACORP Community Rail Weekend’ with
super-saver £2 one-way tickets for Concessionary Travel Pass
holders in Gwynedd and Conwy - from 12th-17th May. In conjunction with
Arriva Trains Wales and the Conwy Valley Rail Initiative, there are
also special events at Blaenau Ffestiniog Station on Saturday 17 May -
including footplate rides, stalls, and information points. We will also
be joined by local community groups - including Blaenau Ffestiniog’s
own ‘Antur ‘Stiniog’.
Special guest locomotive ‘Jerry M’ will also be at Blaenau Ffestiniog
on Saturday 17 May and will be used to haul shuttle trains to
Tanygrisiau and back - tickets will cost just £2.00.
Concessionary Travel pass holders can travel for free on the Conwy
Valley Line up to Tuesday 20 May. Travel Pass holders also get a 50%
reduction on the admission fee to Betws y Coed Railway Museum from
12-17 May.
Events start at 10.30am on Saturday 17th May. For more information on
Ffestiniog Railway train-times and and events: phone Harbour Station on
01766 516000. For details on the Conwy Valley Line visit
www.conwyvalleyrailway.co.uk.
ACORP has a
diary of other Community
Rail events around the UK.
Wrexham and Shropshire previewed
Along with other well-known faces from the railway and general press,
Eryl Crump, North Wales reporter of
the
Daily Post and a loyal
contributor to our site, was invited by Wrexham and Shropshire (WSMR)
aboard a special VIP run on 24 April from Wrexham to Wolverhampton and
back in advance of the start of the company's public service between
Wrexham and London Marylebone. Above, the train awaits departure from
Wrexham General.
The Wrexham information screen,
Proud WSMR staff.
Andy
Hamilton, Managing Director since Wrexham & Shropshire was
founded, was previously the Engineering Director of associated company
Chiltern Railways.
The train consist, as will be used for the initial launch until the
permanent coaching fleet is ready, comprises a Class 67 each end of a
set of Mk3 coaches hired from the Cargo-D company, no doubt a sound
decision which contrasts with the endless postponement of another
'open-access' company's recent launch in eastern England.
(Your compiler can't help expressing his biased view that an engineer
is a good choice to run a railway.)
An example of the WSMR cuisine as will be served to first-class
passengers.
The dessert. Someone missed the chance to write WS there!
67 014 at Wolverhampton.
Wolverhampton, as one of the Voyagers still with Virgin, and used on
the Birmingham - Scotland axis, passes by.
Common visitors to Wolverhampton: a Virgin Pendolino on a London
service and a 323 in the bay used by local trains towards Birmingham.
The buffet counter. Bottle of wine and a KitKat, anyone?
Glimpse of one of the stored Class 180s at Oxley depot.
Shrewsbury, with an Arriva 158 in Platform 5 probably on a Cambrian
line service.
Back at Wrexham after a successful trip.
Arriva's Borderlands Line train puts in an appearance as the empty
train heads off towards Crewe where servicing is being carried out
until the new 'depot' at Wrexham is ready.
WSMR public services started on 28 April as planned:
see their Website for
details of times and fares. Watch for a report on their first week very
soon.
An unusual shunt movement - report by Dave Skipsey
Here's a shunt move which happens at least every Saturday. The unit
arrives at Helsby off 2F37, 07:02, Ellesmere Port - Helsby, it then
runs forwards off the branch as empty stock working 5F80, 07:20, Helsby
- Liverpool Lime Street via Chester (reverse) and sets back, along the
Down Main, and heads to Chester, returning through Helsby once again
about 40 minutes later (after 1H82, 06:00, Holyhead - Manchester
Piccadilly) - the view shows it shunting passed Helsby box. I assume
there is a crew change at Chester and this explains its seemingly
unnecessary detour.
An unusual move - report by Dave Skipsey
An interesting shunt move which happens at least every Saturday. The
unit arrives at Helsby off 2F37, 07:02, Ellesmere Port - Helsby; it
then runs forward off the branch as empty stock train 5F80, 07:20,
Helsby - Liverpool Lime Street via Chester (reverse) and sets back,
along the Down Main, and heads to Chester, returning through Helsby
once again about 40 minutes later (after 1H82, 06:00, Holyhead -
Manchester Piccadilly) - the view shows it shunting passed Helsby box.
I assume there is a crew change at Chester and this explains its
seemingly unnecessary detour.
Class
37/4 feedback
Thanks for the kind comments on our recent
Class 37/4 page.
Ian Bowland writes: 'Great
article on the coastal 37s, very nostalgic and very sad.
The worst for me was the breaking up of 37 429, I had hoped someone
would take it
but I guess it was a wreck.
I have posted up two video clips on the Rail37 website of 37 429 and 37
407 Top & Tail when they worked a
charter special up the Cauldon Low branch in Staffordshire, to Cauldon
Quarry.
407 was then
Loch Long.
'The
first
one shows 407 leading and approaching the site of Winkhill station,
long closed, and then both returning with 429 leading. The
second
sequence shows the train dropping down towards Leekbrook Junction
and then being flagged through Endon Station, between Leekbrook and
Stoke,
with 429 leading.
Warning: these are
large mp3
files and there is a lot of wind noise on the soundtrack.'
Phil Logie kindly sends these
two rather sad pictures of one-time Coast regular
37 414 taken at the
Weardale
Railway on 12 April. The Weardale Railway was on this day providing
tours around their depot
in conjunction with a Diesel operated service, provided by
73 134,
and the Diesel event at Locomotion, Shildon. This loco gives the
appearance of being ultimately destined for scrap, but officially, as
far as we know, its status is still 'preserved.'
It was bought from EWS in 2005, after lying around since 2000 at Wigan
Springs Branch 'Component Recovery Centre', by a company formed
by a group of active Class 37 Loco Group members, who formed Bedale
Railway Engines Ltd (BREL), which also acquired some other 37s, and
moved 414 to the Weardale Railway. Initially, 414 was stated to be 'in
the care of the Class 37 locomotive Group' but this arrangement ceased
when BREL decided to enter the commercial locomotive hire market.
The last we heard, someone previously connected with Ealing Community
Transport (ECT - operators of the Dartmoor Railway and also, following
the rescue from bankruptcy of the original Weardale company) claiming
to be a creditor, was petitioning the Court for the winding-up of BREL.
Presumably there is an issue over the rental for the storage of the
loco.
Late in 2007 the ECT group decided to to pull out of railway operation;
the Dartmoor Railway has closed down in April 2008 and is awaiting a
buyer, although the Weardale Railway continues to operate on 'a limited
basis' while a buyer is sought for ECT's 75% share. The ownership of 37
414 is, it would seem, anyone's guess. If you know, of an add to or
correct any of the above, please write. It would appear from the
pictures that its diesel engine has been removed at some stage. ECT
recently bought two other 37/4s in the great EWS sale: information on
their status would also be welcome.
Finally, we should mention that the picture in the
37/4 feature of
37 901
being removed from Llangollen was in fact taken by
Martin Perry; Our apologies. If you
send us a picture taken by someone else, please make it
very clear!
Royal progress
There always seems to be something different going on on 'our' lines,
and on 25 April it was the turn of the Prince of Wales to add to the
mix by summoning the Royal Train in order to, as his website puts it:
The Prince of Wales, President, The National Trust, will visit Bodnant
Garden, Tal-Y-Cafn, Conwy.
... visit St Grwst Church, Llanrwst, Conwy ... [and] officially open
the new Press Hall for North Wales Newspapers, Deeside Industrial Park,
Deeside. Here's a
Daily Post report on the Conwy
Valley visit, which, remarkably, involved the Prince alighting at tiny
Tal-y-Cafn station.
Approaching Hooton from Wolverton where the train is normally stored.
67 005 Queen's Messenger and
67 006 Royal Sovereign working
double-headed at this stage. (
Dave
Skipsey)
In Hooton station.
By the time the train arrived at Llandudno Junction the locos were at
either end. Note the 'Prince of Wales Feathers' headboard identifying
the passenger. (
Elgan Thomas)
The train reverse and headed up the Conwy Valley branch to Tal-y-Cafn. (
Elgan Thomas)
The train ran to Llandudno station for servicing ...
... as these pictures by
Pete Lloyd
show.
At the buffers in Llandudno.
Returning through Deganwy at 14:05. (
Pete
Lloyd)
Cambrian Constructions - report
by Gareth Marston
Two views of Machynlleth depot from 17 April showing footings for the
new ERTMS signalling centre under construction, with ATW Class 158's
under the cliff face in background, outside the new depot.
