THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY NOTICE
BOARD
Hysbysfwrdd Rheilffordd Arfordir Gogledd Cymru
The Royal Train departs from Hooton on 19 February (Dave Skipsey)
This site is dedicated to all our regular contributors and
supporters, and especially the rail staff of North Wales.
04 March 2010
North Cheshire Rail Users’ Group events
North Cheshire Rail Users’ Group are celebrating 20 years of
campaigning for better rail services and taking care of Frodsham,
Helsby & Runcorn East Stations, and cordially invite you to join
them on an Awayday Rail Journey
to Liverpool and Birkenhead on Saturday
13
March (using a Cheshire Day Ranger Ticket) to visit the
‘Grasshopper’ type pump at Shore Road Pumping Station, the ‘U-Boat’
Exhibition at Woodside Ferry, a ride on the Birkenhead Tramway (Hong
Kong tram) to the Transport Museum, and including a short cruise on the
world famous Mersey Ferry.
Starting points are Chester (08:52), Helsby (09:01), Frodsham (09:05)
& Warrington BQ (09:22) Return via Manchester Piccadilly and the
Mid-Cheshire Line to Chester arriving (17:51) or a shortened itinerary
via Warrington Central to catch the 16.26 from Warrington Bank Quay to
Frodsham & Helsby.
Cost:- Cheshire Day Ranger £18.00 with concessions
£11.90, Mersey Ferry & U-Boat Exhibition £9.00
Shore Road Pumping Station, Tram and Transport Museum are free. For
further details and to book your place please contact John Hobbs on
01925 818791.
There will also be an Open Meeting
on Tuesday 16 March, with
Guest
speakers Jim Barclay, Director of Resources,
Merseytravel, Julie Warburton, Passenger Link Manager, Passenger
Focus, Ben Davies, Stakeholder Liaison Manager,
Arriva Trains Wales. There will be a small exhibition showing some of
the highlights of the last 20 years, a Birthday cake, light
refreshments and the opportunity to hear about our future plans.
The meeting is at The Golden Lion, (upstairs meeting
room), Main Street, Frodsham Commencing at
7.30pm For further details please email Cedric Green at
ced.green[at]ic24.net.
Wrexham and Shropshire journeys and diversions
The Shrewsbury - Wolverhampton direct line (via Wellington) was closed
due to engineering work on 20 February, so Wrexham & Shropshire
services were
diverted to run from Shrewsbury via Crewe to Wolverhampton. Above,
Driving Van Trailer 82305 leads 67 014
Thomas Telford heading for
Wrexham via Chester, passing Beeston at 12:43 (Stavros Lainas)
Two pictures by Geoff Morris
from Saturday evening 20 February. Additionally, services
from the Cambrian were diverted to terminate at Crewe. 67 015 David J. Lloyd and 82301 are
reversing in platform 6 at Crewe with the 17:23 from Wrexham to
Marylebone.
Next to it in bay platform 7 is 158
822 on the 18:52 from Crewe to Aberystwyth.
At the southern end of the route on Sunday, all Wrexham &
Shropshire and Chiltern trains were being diverted into Paddington,
over the normally little-used line from Old Oak Common to Northolt
Junction. Richard Putley
reports:
This line was the former GWR’s Northern Line but since the 1970’s it
has only been used by one passenger train a day. Not only would this
provide an opportunity to travel over this line but also to shoot
W & S trains passing the GW semaphores at Greenford –one of only a
handful of locations in London where semaphores can still be
found. So I took the 10:12 from Chippenham to Paddington and then the
12:09 Chiltern service from there that was bound for Birmingham Snow
Hill. This departed from Platform 13 but luckily on this occasion
this did not prove to be an unlucky number! In the opposite platform,
stood a London Underground battery electric loco, L26, the Hammersmith and City line,
like Marylebone station, was closed for engineering work that day.
But I alighted at West Ruislip and then took the Central Underground
back to Northolt. Here I walked for about 10 minutes to a footbridge
over the line where the signals at Greenford could be seen in the
distance. Having filmed a couple of Chiltern DMUs from this bridge
(above, 165 022) I then
returned to West Ruislip.
On the way back my tube train overtook an engineers' train hauled by 66 009, so I alighted at Ruislip
Gardens to film it going through.
Back at the footbridge again just in time to see 1P50, the 10:38
Wrexham General – Paddington which was formed of a uniform W & S
rake, seen approaching Greenford. This came back as the 16:09
Paddington - Wrexham General, train 1J43.
Barrie Hughes took at trip on
the diversions on 20 February:
Taking the train from Banbury to Wrexham would mean travel in an
anticlockwise circle from Wolverhampton to Wrexham via Crewe and
returning via Shrewsbury and Crewe due to the track work near
Wellington. The outbound train was booked via Crewe so that the train
could arrive at Wrexham in time to form the 17:23 departure.
It was a bad start with the 13:37 arriving 30 minutes late due to a
failure of the previous set and a substitution. The rake was headed by
a new Chiltern livery DVT and with 67015 on the rear. The train made
good time to Leamington Spa and then slow progress on the single track
link to Coventry where we passed a southbound Virgin Voyager. Given the
increase in traffic and frequent delays on this short link it surely
can't cost Network Rail that much to redouble this 10-mile section?
We passed through Coventry non-stop but then ended up, according to
messages overheard between the driver and guard, behind a 'LMR stopper
and a Pendo'. We overtook the stopper at Birmingham International via
the slow lines! We were glad to get onto the Grand Junction cut off at
Stechford after travelling signal to signal for half an hour. This was
the third side of the triangle when the Grand Junction
(Crewe-Birmingham) and London and Birmingham used to terminate at
Curzon Street.
At Tame Bridge Parkway, many left the train to travel by coach to their
destinations but others, including some for Gobowen, stayed on for the
direct train. Bescot Yard seemed almost deserted although a line of
Class 37s and 08s remain in store there. The train avoided
Wolverhampton via the Bushbury Junction route though normally it is set
to pick up there. We now ran non stop to Wrexham, though via the slow
lines north of Stafford, passing a W&SR rake on the fast lines
heading south, presumably the 14.18 ex Wrexham.
The Crewe-Chester line seemed badly maintained with some uncomfortable
bumps and sways as the loco ran at line speed to make up time. We ran
through Chester's main platform non stop but ran into problems near
Saltney Junction as there was a problem with the Green Lane Automatic
Half-Barrier level crossing south of there. It was a pleasure to hear
jointed track again for the first time in the journey on the single
track between Chester and Wrexham, but I couldn't help wondering how
long before the 'dynamic loop' will be installed at Rossett. The newish
green steel footbridge there has allowed for double track on the site
of the former loops but of course the A483 has single track bridges
both north and south of the site preventing the redoubling of the line
throughout without great expense. How shortsighted of the Highways
Agency!
The train arrived in platform 1 at Wrexham (above) and remained there
rather than shunting into platform 3 as nothing else was due. We
departed on time and ran to Shrewsbury as normal. However, there we
reversed and travelled to Crewe. Speculation about travelling through
Basford Hall Yard Crewe Independent lines was dashed when we continued
on into Crewe passing Gresty Lane signalbox. The train reversed at
Crewe, with 67 015 now leading, and used the fast lines to Stafford,
returning to Banbury via Wolverhampton and the Stechford cut-off. The
train was terminated at Banbury as planned, and passengers used
Chiltern services onward to Marylebone.
As Chiltern (part owners of W & S) develops its Class 67 plus Mk 3
coach fleet in parallel with the W & S it will be interesting to
see how the sharing of locos works out when problems occur in future,
and whether any of the new modified plug-door Mk3s promised my Chiltern
ever make it to Wrexham.
A pair of steamers
70013 Oliver Cromwell and 30777 Sir Lamiel, running about 35
minutes late through Acton Bridge on Monday 22 February, on their way
from the East Lancashire Railway to Tyseley and then on to Southall.
Picture David Jackson.
Another view of the pair and their support coach at Acton Bridge (Andrew Vinten)
Dave Bramley writes: 'I popped
down Nantwich Road in Crewe for a walk with my son and noticed when
passing the station that there was an above average number of people on
the north end of platform 6; after a text message or or two I found out
70013 and 30777 were running as 5Z77 from Heywood ELR to Tyseley and
would be due through soon so went down to watch them arrive and take
water,
'A bonus for my son as he'd never seen a mainline size steam loco in
full steam before.'
158 at Llandudno - report by Route19
158 821 made a rare appearance
by a Class 158 (175s, 153s and 150s are common) on the Llandudno branch
on 27 February, arriving on the 11:26 from Junction and waiting time
(above) for the 11:44 to Manchester. I made a mad and stupid sprint up
to Maesdu footbridge for a film of it leaving, which can be seen on my
Youtube channel, 'TheRoute19'.
Chester signboard controversy
Until the major resignalling and rationalisation project of 1979 -
1984, the Chester station area was controlled by several old-style
signalboxes, including a rather curious example, known as 'Chester
No.3', perched high on the brick wall opposite (what is now called)
Platform 3 to operate the crossovers there. When this was removed, the
British Rail Area Manager of the time arranged for the area, seen by
passengers entering the station, to be tidied-up with a grassed area
and, on the wall, a locally-made board showing the distances to London
and Holyhead. Recently this board has been looking rather sad (picture
above by George Jones) ...
... and at the end of February a new one appeared in its place,
apparently organised by a body called 'Chester Renaissance' - picture
by George Jones. The size,
colour and letter forms of this are different from the old, which has
led to some complaints from historically-minded people who believe the
old sign should have been replicated (perhaps not necessarily with the
fern growing on the top.) But how old does something have to be
to become a historic relic? Some might consider the poor state of the
wall to be a more important matter...
Last of the snow? Report by Mark Riley
Yet more snow affected much of North Wales during the third week of
February. Another 5cm fell in as many hours on Wrexham overnight on 21
February. Chiltern blue and white DVT 82302 looks a little whiter
(above) as it stands in the bay at Wrexham General. The formation still
comprises the blue/grey Buffet First 10257, with ex-Virgin Mark 3 Open
Standards 12094, 12127 and 12054, and 67
010 providing power. Does anyone know if this will eventually be
named Charles Darwin as was
thought?
67 014 Thomas Telford awaits its first
service of the day, train 1P50, 10:38 Sunday service to London
Paddington (trains again diverted due to engineering work). This was an
all-silver set consisting of Buffet First 10208, and Open Standards
12127, 12145 and 12117. Of interest here is the EWS red drop
light, which I am reliably informed was replaced last October. (I
haven't seen much of this particular 67 since then) This was the only
colour available at the time it was replaced, thus giving the 67 a
unique characteristic.
As can be seen here, as 67 014 powers the 10:38 departure from the
rear, the other drop lights match the grey/silver cab ends.
News from Ty Mawr publications
Steve Morris writes to let us
know that he has set up a new website for publishing activity, Ty Mawr
Publications. As well as details of the books, including several
about North Wales subjects, he has on offer, there are pdf downloads of
some interesting archive magazine articles by Steve.
New traction for the timber train - report by Mark Riley
Colas-liveried 66 843 had been
used for driving training purposes recently on train 6J37 from Carlisle
to Chirk, piloting a Class 57/0 as far as Warrington Bank Quay, where
it was removed and the Class 57 continued on to Chirk. However. 23
February saw the end of Class 57/0 traction on these trains when 66 843
worked solo for the first time, and is seen arriving at the Kronospan
plant in Chirk at 18:18, in a mix of sleet and snow.
Of course, the pictures would look better with the cab light on, but
the crew only put it on for a few seconds, and sadly between exposures,
not whilst I was taking the
pictures!
Driving snow was blowing straight at the camera, so it took several
attempts to get reasonable pictures. Above, 66 843 has drawn forward
into the shadows to allow unloading to continue.
ATW in 00
George Jones sends this picture of the Bachmann 00 scale Class 158 and
150/2 railcars now available in Arriva Trains Wales colours. Both
make a good attempt at the livery and general appearance, although the
158 is now quite an old model, and the 150, although recently released,
has come in for criticism in the model press for the large motor block
and weight which prevents one of the cars having proper interior
detailing. In an attempt to camouflage this, Bachmann have given the
windows a dark tint, which is not authentic.
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