NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY: NOTICE BOARD

Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd

18 October 2010

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Forthcoming events

October 2010


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.

Wednesday 20 October Aeron Valley Railway Society AGM  at 1930 in the Prince of Wales pub, Aberaeron, followed by a buffet.

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.



















57 314 on the All-Wales express passing the site of Kilpeck station, between Pontrilas and Tram Inn, 8 October (Andrew Vinten). This train continues its weekday duty, although now passing through North Wales in darkness.

A rather brief epistle this week due to pressure of other projects. Apologies, outstanding items will appear next week. -Charlie

Chester RHTT - report by Geoff Morris



Two views of the Rail Head Treatment Train at Chester on its return journey from Holyhead to Crewe. On 12 October (above)  I photographed 66 101 (leading) and 66 105 passing under the City Walls at Chester.



On 13 October, the same pair in charge, running around the curve at Chester Northgate.


North Cheshire Rail Users' Group AGM

The North Cheshire Rail Users' Group will be holding its Annual General Mooting this Wednesday 20th October in the Helsby Methodists Church Hall, Chester Road, Helsby with a 19.30 hours start. The Methodist Church is on the main road in the centre of Helsby right opposite to Station Avenue which leads down to Helsby Station.

The meeting will start with a Keynote talk by Robin Tudor, Manager of Corporate Affairs at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. With the Rail User Group actively pushing the re-opening of the Halton Curve to two way passenger traffic so enabling residents who want to use the Airport to travel by rail to Liverpool South Parkway Robin will be able to update the meeting on future developments at the airport and their hope that the Curve can be reopened allowing better access by rail to the airport from North Cheshire and North Wales.


Saturday Drag



57 306 Jeff Tracy hauls Pendolino 390 017 through Colwyn Bay with the Saturday afternoon train to London, 16 October (Darren Durrant)



The train passes Beeston between Chester and Crewe (Stavros Lainas)


Wylfa powers on

It was announced on 13 October that Wylfa Power Station is to continue generating electricity beyond December 2010 for up to two additional years. The Press release from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority follows:

The station, which is owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, was scheduled to close at the end of this year, but now has the opportunity to continue producing electricity for a further period - likely to be around two years - following a period of review with the site's regulators.

The site is operated by Magnox North, which has been undertaking work to support the period of extended generation over the last year, including an evaluation of the Periodic Safety Review - required every 10 years by the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Directorate, the regulator of safety and security in the nuclear industry, to validate the safe and compliant operation of the site. The Environment Agency, which regulates other aspects of the site's work, had also been involved in this programme of work.

January 2011 will see Wylfa's 40th anniversary as a generating power station. Wylfa has the world's largest Magnox reactors and has generated 682 Terawatt-hours in its operational life to date.  The additional revenue from the power station, expected to be in excess of a hundred million pounds, will be used to help fund the NDA's decommissioning mission.  Extended generation will be subject to the site continuing to meet rigorous operational and safety standards.


Class 60s in traffic



Class 60s are still around: 60 011, seen at Plumley on 12 October, still wears the 'aircraft blue' livery of the shirt-lived Mainline Freight company of the 1990s (Andrew Vinten)



17 October at Northenden Junction, and 60 054 brings its loaded stone train off the single line from Hazel Grove on to the Stockport - Chester line. The sidings on the right serve the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Agency terminal (Les Burton).


Puzzle Pic



Here a mystery picture for you to ponder, taken by Dave Jackson 'a year or twenty ago.' Can you identify the location? No prizes!


Llangollen Diesels



A few more views from the Llangollen Railway diesel gala, all from on 2 October. Above,  D5310 bringing the 11:30 demonstration engineering train into Carrog station  on 2 October (David Parry).



Class 37 6940 as recently restored to its second (?) BR livery approaches Carrog signal box with the 11:15 from Llangollen (David Parry)



6940 again, approaching Carrog with the 1400 from Llangollen while
"Teddy Bear" D9521 waits its next turn in Carrog yard. (David Parry)



Class 104 DMU exchanging tokens outside Glyndyfrdwy on 2 October (David Parry)



6940 on the demonstration engineer's train at Carrog (Jack Bowley)



0-6-0 Diesel Hydraulic D9521 at Llangollen (Jack Bowley).



Making smoke at Llangollen (Jack Bowley)



6940 at Llangollen (Jack Bowley) ...



... and ready for departure (Jack Bowley). Thanks are due to everyone involved in the running of this event.


Cathedrals Express



Two portraits by John Beresford of 6233 Duchess of Sutherland working the Cathedrals Express charter from London to Chester and back on 9 October. Above, outbound at Bunbury ...



... and on the return run passing Huxley. This loco will not been again on the main line for a while as she will be entering works for an overhaul.


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