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11 October 2010Last issue Archive RSS Link to this issue Contributions and comments are encouraged: see the Contributions Page This site is dedicated to all our regular contributors and supporters, and especially the all rail staff of North Wales. Forthcoming events October 2010 Monday 11 October. Wrexham Railway Society Preserved Steam on Video - the 2010 mainline steam action with PSOV. Tuesday 12 October. 8E Association Charles Roberts (RCTS): 80s and 90s Irish Railways. Saturday 16 October Llangollen Railway: Growler Group Members' Day. 6940 (37 240) will be making six return trips between Llangollen & Carrog. Tickets are available for non-members of the Group. 16 -17 October Class 37 weekend at the National Railway Museum, York. Monday 18 October RCTS Chester Tony Keeley: 50 YEARS BEHIND THE LENS. Tony’s presentation covers his career working for Beyer Peacock in South America and Europe through to the present day. Tuesday 19 October North Wales Railway Circle Bill Rogerson :Sardinia Railways. 23-31 October. Llangollen Railway Day out with Thomas. the half term event featuring No.1. Thursday 28 October Merseyside Railway History Group Keith Crabtree: Tornado, a steam locomotive for the 21st Century 29 - 31 October Merseyside Model Railway Society exhibition at the Pacific Road Arts Centre, Birkenhead. Trams will be in operation on the adjacent tramway. November 2010 Monday 1 November RCTS Port Sunlight Steve Ollive: PLANDAMPF 94 Featuring standard and narrow gauge in East Germany and organised trips around Dresden and the Thuringer Forest Tuesday 2 November North Wales Railway Circle Paul Hardy: Wait and See (a secret location?) Friday 5 November Clwyd Railway Circle Gordon Davies - American Wanderings. - A selection of slides showing diesel, electric and steam trains in the USA working passenger and extremely long freight trains from the East to the West coast, photographed in the last 16 years. Friday 12 November Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society 16MM CINÉ FILMS FROM THE 1970s a miscellany by Richard Greenwood 6-7 November. Llangollen Railway Poppy Train Service as part of the Remembrance festival - special guest engine possible. Tuesday 9 November. 8E Association Chris Simon: ‘The Examination Quiz’. Monday 15 November RCTS Chester Keith Crabtree: 60163 Tornado.Keith is from the A1 Steam Trust and will be giving a Power-point presentation on the history, building and operation of Tornado. Tuesday 16 November North Wales Railway Circle Steve Morris: Brake Trials Thursday 25 November Merseyside Railway History Group Geoff Morris: Steaming through the gauges in the 21st Century See the Calendar page for more details. |
9 October at 14:09 and the Rail Head Treatment Train passes Tattenhall, with Beeston Castle on the Skyline (Stavros Lainas). The disadvantage of top-and-tail working of this train is that both locos soon become filthy with the mud and gunk thrown up by the high-pressure water jets. The working times for this train initially published here before were incomplete: the full diagram is now on our Railfan page. Picture news round-upHaving arrived from the south in unusual double-header formation, 67 014 Thomas Telford and 67 015 David J. Lloyd 'double-tail' the 11:27 to Marylebone out of Wrexham General on 11 October. Driving Van Trailer 82301 was on the front. (George Jones) 57 304 Gordon Tracy passes the floral display at Colwyn Bay with the Saturday London - Holyhead train on 9 October (Darren Durrant). 57 304 again, with the afternoon London-bound working of 9 October, heads through the 'land of the long name' at Llanfair PG ... ... and passes the amusements of Abergele ... well, Pensarn actually (Stéphanie Durrant). 6K41 Valley - Crewe flask train is running quite frequently at the moment: on 6 October it is seen storming through platform 3 at Llandudno Junction at 14.59 on 6 October with old-style 'split-headcode' loco 37 087 and 37 229 in charge (Peter Lloyd) Another day, another platform: the train passes through platform 1 at Llandudno Junction at 15:51 on the next day. 7 October: locos are 37 667 and 37 259 (Peter Lloyd). Class 60s still rule on the Tunstead - Northwich stone trains. Andrew Vinten was at Plumley on 8 October to catch this view of 6H03 Oakleigh-Tunstead empties, with 60 054, which still carries the old Railfreight Petroleum subsector markings. 60011 had been working the diagram until until the previous evening when it was swapped for 60 054. (Andrew Vinten) The Ribble-Lune Railtour - report by Mark BayleyThe Branch Line Society 'Ribble-Lune' Railtour on 10 October 2010 covered several interesting lines, in the Society's usual style. It started from Crewe topped and tailed by Deltic 55 022 Royal Scots Grey and DB Schenker freight loco 66 066, and traversed the Middlewich branch from Sandbach to Northwich on its outward journey. Above, 55 022 was held at the signal at Sandbach station awaiting access to Middlewich branch. 55 022 turning onto the Middlewich branch at Sandbach after restarting. 55 022 leaving the passing loop at Middlewich heading for Northwich... ... and 66 066 bringing up the rear at Middlewich. Above, the train is leaving the Middlewich branch via the north curve of the triangle at Northwich. Heading along the goods line at the back of Northwich station heading for Lostock Works. The trees and houses in the background are on the site of Northwich locomotive depot, closed in 1984. The full itinerary of the train was: Crewe, via Northwich, Wade Works Branch and Hartford to Wigan N W (pick up), thence to Preston Dock branch and Ribble Steam Railway with time to visit (museum entry included). Onward to Lancaster, Morecambe, Heysham Power Station branch, Carnforth, Hellifield, Clitheroe, Daisyfield Jn, Blackburn, Darwen, Bolton (set down), Manchester Piccadilly (set down), Longsight, Altrincham, Northwich and Crewe. Cathedrals ExpressPacific 6233 Duchess of Sutherland arriving at Crewe around ten minutes early on Saturday 9 October with the London - Chester 'Cathedrals Express' charter. The stop was for pathing only; the loco did not take water. (Tim Fenton). Passing Beeston on the way to Chester; several of the coaches were early Mark 2s in green livery (Stavros Lainas) 6233 arriving at Chester (George Jones). 6233 had been suffering from an overheated axlebox, and at one time it was thought that A4 Pacific 60019 Bittern might substitute, but it was all right on the day. 6233 looked as magnificent as only a 'semi' can, and a big crowd turned out at Chester to see it arrive. Our thanks to all the 'punters' who paid their fares to provide us with the sight of this fine machine (George Jones) 6233 backing its train into Platform 3 at Chester after turning on the triangle of lines west of the station. From lower down - Tim Fenton was standing at the corner of the east car park for this view - you get a better impression of the great size of this loco. As the sun starts to set, 6233 makes an on time departure for Euston, watched by the remainder of the 'gallery' and a single British Transport Police officer. The loco is scheduled to do a Derby to London charter next weekend, and then that really will be the end for 6233 - well, this side of the planned overhaul. (Tim Fenton) A last look at the train as it passes Rowton (Stavros Lainas) The Cathedrals Express will visit Chester again on 11 December; new steam loco 60163 Tornado is the planned motive power. This train is operated by Steam Dreams, a company run by Graeme Bunker, sometime managing director of Arriva Trains Wales, who has also been known to take a turn with the coal shovel. Another upcoming steam train to our area is Vintage Trains 'Deva Explorer' from Tyseley to Chester on 27 November with 'Black 5' 4-6-0 45305. As far as we know, there are no more steam runs planned for the North Wales Coast line to Holyhead in 2010. Chester station developments - report by George JonesAnother kind of express is 'Café Express' which is now open for business on the island platform at Chester. Refreshments are served in a facility similar to the one on the concourse but with tasteful seating, glass panel doors and windows. However the secondary staircase within the new structure awaits connection to the footbridge when its refurbishment is tackled. Despite the copper cladding panels in Arriva turquoise colour the new facility has a refreshing modernity about it in in the midst all the heritage. Picture above by Richard Neale. Class 158 views (or not)Open letter from Gareth Marston of the Shrewsbury - Aberystwyth Rail Passengers Association to the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG)Transport Minister: Whilst rail users welcomed the announcement in August that WAG will be funding a programme of long-overdue refurbishment on the rolling stock currently used for the Wales and Borders franchise our members have been appalled by the details of proposed refurbishment which have come to light. For one type of rolling stock, the new internal arrangement will mean that views out of the windows will be blocked as seats and tables have been aligned with window pillars. The type of unit in question is the Class 158 used mainly on Holyhead to Birmingham International, Aberystwyth to Birmingham International and Cambrian coast services. As built these units were designed to allow clear views through the windows from all seats. The diagrams being circulated about the refurbishment clearly show that in some instances the window pillars will be directly aligned with pairs of airline seats and the middle of tables completely spoiling the views out of the windows. Arriva Trains Wales Stakeholder Manager for Mid and North Wales has confirmed this to us. 'The seating layout is constrained by a number of requirements, including the position of under seat boxes such as the heaters and coolant header tank, the space required by the disabled and priority seat positions, and the specified number of sets of tables. Aligning all of the tables with the windows is not practical and would result in a large reduction of the seating capacity. A lot of time, thought and effort went into the layout, which is perhaps the optimum compromise to achieve the specified number of seats and tables while providing an extra wheelchair space and a compliant number of priority seats'. Would the Minister agree that at the same time another type of unit in the Arriva Trains Wales fleet (the Class 153) is having WAG money spent on it to improve visibility out of its windows its perverse and contradictory to diminish the view from another type in the fleet? Wales has just showcased itself to the world with the successful Ryder Cup golf tournament. I travelled on one of the Class 158 units recently and in my carriage there were some American golf fans traveling between Cardiff and Abergavenny enjoying the view out the window. If they decide to visit Wales again this delight will be denied them by this ill-thought-out scheme. We understand that the work is not due to start until December this year, surely there is time to review this nonsense and revise the specifications so as not to completely ruin the traveling environment for all passengers not just tourists? Far-flung Class 86 - report by Mark Barber
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