THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY NOTICE BOARD

Hysbysfwrdd Rheilffordd Arfordir Gogledd Cymru




175 002 (with bag to protect its coupler from the snow) calls at Llandudno Junction on 13 January as Network Rail's rail grinder unit lurks in the Tamper Siding. Picture by Darren Durrant.

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14 January 2010


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The Decade so far - in pictures
As promised, here is a big catch-up of pictures received so far in 2010 and not yet shown. Thanks as always to all the contributors. If you want to read about some coming events, and see some other news, don't miss the 13 January edition.


Saturday 2 January


150 235 at Betws-y-Coed working the 13:20 Llandudno - Blaenau Ffestiniog. Picture by Route19.



The same unit is seen later in the day at Llandudno Junction in dusk working the 14:52 Blaenau - Llandudno. (Route19)



175 010 is departing Llandudno at dusk working the 16:08 to Manchester. (Route19)


Monday 4 January


175 105 is departing Llandudno working the 12:10 to Llandudno Junction. (Route19)


Tuesday 5  January


Still in the UK, unlike some of its classmates which are now in Bulgaria, 87 002 The AC Locomotive Group (named for its current owners) is seen at Crewe heading train 1Z91 additional Willesden PRDC - Warrington Dallam Royal Mail train, comprised, as is usual these days, of Class 325 multiple units in use as hauled stock.

According to the AC Loco Group website, 87 002 had the distinction of heading the last official Virgin West Coast diagrammed Class 87-hauled train with 87 010 on 10 June 2005, and hauled the really very last Virgin diagrammed Class 87-hauled train on 22 December 2006. Today it is the only Class 87 still in use in the UK, working these trains on hire to First GB Railfreight.



57 314 calls at Crewe with the northbound 'WAG Express' from Cardiff to Holyhead.




Snow is falling as 86 702 Cassiopeia passes on 180-minute-late train 1S96 Willesden PRDC - Shieldmuir Royal Mail train.


Wednesday 6 January


175 006 is at Llandudno at sunset waiting to work the 16:08 to Manchester. (Route19)


Thursday 7 January


Grey, silver and white at Gobowen as 67 013 Dyfrbont Pontcysyllte departs for London, running nearly an hour late, with one of Wrexham & Shropshire's own trainsets.  Picture by Martin Evans.


Saturday 9 January


175 002 arriving at Prestatyn  working the 11:44 Llandudno to Manchester (Route19)



175 101 departing Prestatyn working the 10:50 Manchester to Llandudno (Route19)



158 833 arriving at Prestatyn working the 11:23 Holyhead to Birmingham (Route19)



The 158 was shown as 'delayed', but it left only two minutes down. The delayed train was in fact 175 103, which was about 15-20 minutes down! It was working the 09:20 Cardiff- Holyhead. (Route19)



At Holyhead, it was decided to use 57 314, which was stabled for the weekend with the Cardiff express, to help out 57 307 Lady Penelope return train 1A55, the 14:36 London-bound Pendolino,  390 007 Virgin Lady,  to Crewe. Train heating problems, perhaps? Above, the cavalcade awaits departure from Holyhead. Picture by Corrie.



Soon after departure, passing RAF Valley (Corrie).



At Llanfair PG level crossing, someone has to open the gates, whatever the weather. This time (above) Mark, one of the team, walks across the ice to do the honours.  (Richard Fleckney)



175 103, forming the 14:23 Holyhead - Cardiff, slows for the signal protecting the the single track across the Britannia Bridge.  (Richard Fleckney)



158 829, destination Holyhead, leaves the single line and lets the 175 proceed.  (Richard Fleckney)



57 314 and 57 307 pass Llanfair PG with the London train. (Richard Fleckney)



Heading off towards the bridge. (Richard Fleckney)



Emerging from Pen-Y-Clip tunnel near Penmaenmawr (Paul Williams)



Along the sea wall at Ffynnongroyw (Stavros Lainas)



Meanwhile, Andrew Vinten was at the East Lancashire Railway for their 'diesel day.' Above, 'Deltic'  55 022 Royal Scots Grey stands at Summerseat station.



40 145 East Lancashire Railway looks good in the sun in its non-authentic large logo livery. 37 418 Pectinidae can be glimpsed on the rear: it spent the day impersonating an ETHEL (electric train heating ex-loco) although was the star of the service on the next day, Sunday (see below).



Double-headed Deltics: as reported here, a few days earlier 55 022 had run to Barrow Hill (Derbyshire) to return with sister loco D9016 / 55 016 Gordon Highlander, which has been bought by 55 022's owner Martin Walker from DRS, who in turn had bought it from the Harry Needle organisation. Some time earlier when owned by Porterbrook leasing company it notoriously appeared in purple livery, but as can be seen it now wears a slightly care-worn version of the original colours of these machines; also, the modern-style light clusters, added in its purple period, have been removed and replaced by original-style marker lights.


Sunday 10 January


67 015 David J. Lloyd and a full silver set awaits the next duty - 13:11 to London - in a snowy stabling point at Wrexham General (George Jones)



57 312 The Hood ran light-engine to Holyhead (above) to take up duties the next day on the express to Cardiff, after 57 314 was borrowed the day before for the London train. Picture by Corrie.



Over on the East Lancashire Railway, events took a distinctly 'North Wales 1990s' feel after the water supply for the planned steam loco was found to be unreliable due to the cold, and 37 418 Pectinidae was called upon to substitute. It is seen above at Bury waiting to depart at 14:45 for Heywood. (Charlie Hulme)



The other diagram was being operated by a green Class 101. Not good old 101 685 Daisy, though: This is 101 659, on loan from the National Railway Museum collection, and latterly one of the First North Western units that would have run on The Coast in Regional Railways livery.


11 January


Test Train 1Q18 heads trough Warrington Bank Quay en route for Mossend (Glasgow). 31 233 is seen on the rear: heading the train is blue-lived 31 106, which we last saw working the one coach-test train in the last issue. (Andrew Vinten)


To the Cinema



If you've got this far, and still have nine minutes 59 seconds to spare, why not watch our YouTube Video of an ELR journey on 10 January. Any adverts which appear are not our choice!


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