NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY: NOTICE BOARD

Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd

06 May 2011

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Forthcoming events

May 2011

Thursday 12 May    Llandudno and Conwy Valley Railway Society   
A presentation by Paul Lewin, General Manager, FR/WHR on the current
operations of these two fascinating railways.

Thursday 12 May   Steam at Chester  'The Cathedrals Explorer' Steam Dreams Oxenholme - Carmarthen via Chester - Shrewsbury - Llandrindod.

Friday 13 May Excursion 'The North Wales Scotsman' Compass Tours Holyhead, Llanfairpwll, Bangor, Llandudno Junction, Colwyn Bay, Rhyl, Flint & Chester to Dundee via the Forth & Tay Bridges.

June 2011
 
Sunday 19 June  Steam on the Coast:   Northern Belle Father's Day Special. Crewe-Holyhead and return with 46201 Princess Elizabeth.


July 2011      

2 & 3 July – Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, Porthmadog – Steam in the Sheds. 'Over a hundred very small steam engines will be on display and working in the Engine Sheds.

Tuesday 9 July Conwy Valley Steam: Railway Touring Company, 'The Welsh Mountaineer' Preston - Blaenau Ffestiniog.

August 2011


Note: The Railway Touring Company tours in August can also be booked together as a week's package which also includes steam trips on the 'Cumbrian Mountain Express' and 'The Cambrian'.

Sunday 7 August Steam on the Coast: 'The North Wales Coast Express' Railway Touring Company  Liverpool and Chester to  Colwyn Bay, Llandudno, Bangor and Holyhead. Hauled throughout, by one of  6100 Royal Scot,  6201 Princess Elizabeth, or 60019 Bittern.

Tuesday 9  August Conwy Valley Steam: Railway Touring Company, 'The Welsh Mountaineer' Preston - Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Sunday 14 August Steam on the Coast: 'The North Wales Coast Express' Railway Touring Company  Liverpool and Chester to  Colwyn Bay, Llandudno, Bangor and Holyhead. Hauled throughout, by one of  6100 Royal Scot,  6201 Princess Elizabeth, or 60019 Bittern.

Saturday 20 August Steam on the Coast: Vintage Trains Tyseley - Llandudno and return with 5043.

Sunday 21 August Steam on the Coast: 'The North Wales Coast Express' Railway Touring Company  Liverpool and Chester to  Colwyn Bay, Llandudno, Bangor and Holyhead. Hauled throughout, by one of  6100 Royal Scot,  6201 Princess Elizabeth, or 60019 Bittern.

Tuesday 23 August Conwy Valley Steam: Railway Touring Company, 'The Welsh Mountaineer' Preston - Blaenau Ffestiniog.

27, 28 & 29 August –August Bank Holiday Weekend Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, Porthmadog – Fun Whatever The Weather!
'Who cares if it rains over the Bank Holiday?  We’ve organised a special fun weekend, including chance to win a prize if you find the Welsh Dragons hiding in the Engine Sheds.' 

See the Calendar page for more details and later dates.



















The return charter from Llandudno to Sheffield near Rhos-on-Sea, 2 May (Peter Lloyd)

This extra edition focuses on the two excursion trains that ran to Llandudno on 30 April and 2 May. For a normal assortment of stories, our next issue will appear late in the evening of Monday 9 May as usual.

The Llandudno Victorian Statesman



Bank Holiday Monday 2 May saw a Sheffield - Llandudno excursion arrive on the scene, worked by West Coast Railways locos 57 601 and newly-acquired and repainted 57 001. Above, the outward train passes Mold Junction with 57 601 leading (Mark Riley)



Rhyl (Stavros Lainas)



... and 57 001 on the rear. This was the first of the original Freightliner batch of 57s, introduced in 1998/9 and of course modified from class 47s, this example originally being 47 356 (Paul Varley).



57 001 shines in the sunshine as it awaits the return journey at Llandudno (Stavros Lainas)



The return train departed Llandudno on time at 16:35. 57 001 heads  through Deganwy on the return to Sheffield (Stavros Lainas)




Newly-refurbished 158 840, working the 15:09 Birmingham International-Holyhead heads north past Beeches Farm as 57 001 approaches on the return leg of the Llandudno Victorian Statesman (Mark Riley).



A few moments later and the special has passed, with 57 601 trailing (Mark Riley).



A last look at the special as 57 001 passes Waverton between Chester and Crewe (Tim J. Rogers)

More Hall and Castle scenes


To round off this extra issue here's a second helping of pictures from the Vintage Trains tour from Tyseley to Llandudno on 30 April hauled by 4965 Rood Ashton Hall and 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe. Above, 4965 at speed near Bagillt (David Smith).



The train made an impressive sight passing through Rhyl (Chris Morrison).



Arriving at Llandudno Junction (Garry Stroud)



The view from above the site of the old 'Llandudno Junction Level crossing' signalbox as 5043 leans the curve for Llandudno (Larry Davies).



Deganwy station (Greg Mape)



Near the golf club, between Deganwy and Llandudno Junction (Darren Durrant)




Being admired by golfers as it leads the train down the Llandudno branch (Garry Stroud)



Memories of hot summer Saturdays long ago as the locos ran back to '6G' for servicing. Here in 2011 two GWR (not ex LMS or ex LNER) set back past the old LNWR railway cottages at Glan-y-Mor Road, Llandudno Junction (Larry Davies).



Passing Penmaenmawr on the way to Valley to turn (Garry Stroud).



Passing Rhosneigr (Chris Morrison)



The two locos romp through Deganwy past the erstwhile 'Deganwy No.2' signalbox (now just 'Deganwy')  to pick up their 17:55 departure from Llandudno to Tyseley (Larry Davies).



Departing Llandudno. It is not often you can record mainline steam running over bullhead track on both running lines. Is this the first time a Great Western Railway-built loco has reached Llandudno town station? We know that in steam days GW engines appeared at Llandudno Junction, viz. inside-cylinder Collett 0-6-0s and 56xx 0-6-2Ts. There was much discussion at the platform end regarding width over cylinders, as the shape of GWR outside cylinders has historically made them too wide for other companies' lines; one or two platform edge coping slabs at Llandudno looked well 'out of gauge' (Roger Carvell).



Passing Deganwy on the return run (Garry Stroud).



Skirting the Conwy Estuary between Deganwy and Llandudno Junction (Chris Morrison).



The Llandudno Transport Festival was among the attractions enjoyed by passengers from the train. Above, preserved Crosville Bristol FLG DFG 38 (319 PFM) preserved at the Wirral Transport Museum, Birkenhead, passes Deganwy on the Saturday evening road run (Chris Morrison).



The same vehicle against the classic North Wales Coast backdrop (Larry Davies)



Also on the evening run, 1965-built Stockport Corporation Leyland PD2 334 (FDB 334C). Picture by Greg Mape.

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