NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY: NOTICE BOARD

Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd

20 May 2011

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Forthcoming events

May 2011

28-30 May Rhyl Miniature Railway Centenary Gala. The line's biggest Gala ever, with a host of family attractions. Full details on the RMR website.

June 2011
 
Sunday 19 June  Steam on the Coast:   Northern Belle Father's Day Special. Note: this will not now be steam-hauled.


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 'Cathedrals Explorer' on 12 May, heading away from a water stop at Knighton on the Central Wales line; see item below. Picture by Ian Pilkington.

This is an extra issue: a new one will appear on the night of Monday 23 May as usual. Don't miss the 16 May update

Pony Express



Thanks are due to the remarkable number of people, even from as far away as Canada,  who forwarded to us the bizarre story of the 'mystery man' who attempted to take his grey pony on the 19:02 departure from Wrexham General to Holyhead on Saturday 14 May, having used the station lift to reach Platform 2; Arriva Trains Wales decided to hand over CCTV images to the media including the BBC (see more on their news site). It transpired that he had also taken the animal in the local hospital A&E department asking them to treat it, and into the local Wetherspoon pub. (Why the long face? said the barman in the old joke repeated by several newspapers.)

It turns out that the man is not that much of a mystery: he is 'Crazy Joe' Pannell, a 'member of the Irish traveller community' well known to many in Wrexham, as is his pony, 'Ruby',  who he commonly attempts to sell to passers-by. Understandably, the RSPCA are investigating the treatment of the pony as a result of this sad tale. The media coverage certainly reminds us that one can't go far without being watched on CCTV, and if you do anything that will make good entertainment, your images will be published, although to be fair, the first published images were chosen not to show Joe's face.


The Cathedrals Explorer



'The Cathedrals Explorer', train 1Z70 Carnforth - Carmarthen, of 12 May, was day seven of an eight- day nationwide railtour. Stavros Lainas captured it (above) at Helsby on the way to Chester.



Above, 'Black Fives' 45407 The Lancashire Fusilier and 44871 stand at Platform 4, Chester, having arrived 17 minutes early,  Picture by Mark Riley.



The train reversed out and was shunted back into the yard until its scheduled departure time of 14:37 (Mark Riley).



On the single line to Wrexham, near Saltney (Bob Greenhalgh).



Approaching Wrexham, slowing for a caution signal. This is the second time in two months that steam on the main line has been seen in this area, a treat for railfans in this part of North East Wales (Mark Riley).



Wrexham General station with two horses of the strictly 'iron' variety (George Jones)


Train of Hope auction news

Latest item on the 'Train of Hope' auction for children's charity Clic Sargent is a set of four day travel vouchers donated by Northern Rail. These are each valid for day's travel anywhere on the Northern Rail network, valid until December 2012. The eBay auction runs until 29 May: follow this link to bid.


Railbus on bus route



The strange scene above is experimental Leyland National RB004 being delivered by road to the Llangollen Railway on 20 May. The picture, by George Jones, shows it on Abbey Road as part of the low-loader's reversal to get into the yard. The vehicle will be the highlight of the Railcar Weekend on 26 - 27 June: there is no truth in the rumour it is to replace the route 5 bus to Llangollen...

RB004 was built in 1984 by British Rail Engineering and Leyland Vehicles as an export demonstrator, and travelled to the USA where it was shown to railway managements, but gained no orders. It was brought back to Britain and used for a while as a mobile classroom at the British Rail Engineering Works at York, before passing into preservation. Currently it belongs to the Aln Valley Railway group who are hoping to revive the Alnmouth - Alnwick branch in Northumberland.


Aberaeron Centenary - report by Dennis Bates



12 May was the centenary of the opening of the Aberaeron Branch - the Lampeter, Aberayron and New Quay Light Railway, which closed to passengers fifty years later in 1951.



It was marked by the unveiling of a plaque on the site of Aberaeron's
station, a walk by local primary schoolchildren, in Edwardian costume,
from Aberaeron to Llanerchaeron (a National Trust property which includes
Llanerchayron Halt in its grounds), picnic lunch and cake cutting there,
and the "unveiling" of the halt, with a replica Pagoda shelter and
nameboard.


Second 'WAG' express starts

The most news-worthy development in the new Arriva Trains Wales timetable, which commences on 22 May, is the journey time improvements on many Manchester - Cardiff trains, also making a low-key début is a second Monday - Friday North Wales  'express' sponsored by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG). This train, the 07:51 Holyhead - Cardiff (arr 12:08) and 18:18 return, will be worked by a Class 175 railcar set until December, when a (Class 67)  locomotive-worked train, using the coaches which the WAG has leased for the purpose. It will reverse at Chester (three minutes are allowed for this) and run via Wrexham, made possible by diverting the 07:15 Holyhead to Birmingham to run via Crewe. One might have thought that the second train would have run from Cardiff to Holyhead and back; perhaps it is thought that nobody from the south wants to visit the North?

Another train for Cardiff leaves Holyhead not long afterwards at 08:05, but this offers request stops at the small stations to Bangor (for schoolchildren?) where it then waits for 20 minutes before proceeding, and doesn't reach the capital until 13:22.


Conwy Valley Belle



1Z48 08:36 Preston - Blaenau "Northern Belle" stands at Llandudno JUnction on 13 May, with DRS locos 47 712 Pride of Carlisle and 47 832 Solway Princess  in charge. (Rowan Crawshaw)




Nature claws back and envelopes the railway at Llandudno Junction
as the 'Northern Belle' awaits departure to Blaenau from Platform 4.
175 004 heads east with the 10:33 Holyhead to Cardiff as a Harsco Rail
Grinding Unit 79262/79272 emerges from the tamper siding or "up avoiding" to those of a certain vintage! (Larry Davies)

 

Larry Davies writes: 'Contrast the last shot to this one I took from the same location on Queens Road Bridge on 17 June 1966 as Class 5 44964 gets down to business and leaves with the evening Holyhead - Manchester express.  It was all a lot cleaner and tidier then with a Permanent Way staff who had time to care care in those far-off days.'



47 712 now 'has the road' and heads for the branch with the Northern
Belle. She will cross the service train at Llanrwst in the rain (Stéphanie Durrant). 



Portrait of 47 712 in action (Tim Rogers)



By the time the Northern Belle reached the banks of the Conwy river the rain had become very heavy, as M.Lloyd Davies took this picture (above).



The conditions had eased by the time 47 712 powered around the curve at Roman Bridge (M.Lloyd Davies).




Approaching Blaenau Ffestiniog (John Eyres).



Entering Blaenau Ffestiniog station (M.Lloyd Davies)



The scene at Blaenau (John Eyres).



47 832 (nameplate, inset) arrives at Llandudno Junction with the return train, 1Z70 Preston - Blaenau Ffestiniog. DRS now have a 5 year contract to haul the Northern Belle for VSOE, taking over from DB Schenker. Reports suggest that two DRS Class 47s have been earmarked for a new livery to match the coaches, and 47 790 Galloway Princess has indeed been re-painted at Eastleigh (and may lose its name as well), so these pictures might prove to be historic (Mark Riley).



Shiny buffers to the fore at Llandudno Junction (not sullied by any run-rounds or shunting) 47 712 prepares to take the train back to Preston. A report in Railways Illustrated magazine suggests that DRS are considering ordering some brand-new diesel locos for this kind of work, and that Vossloh have prepared a design for such a machine, a modification to suit UK loading gauge of their 'Eurolight' design. These would be erected at the Spanish factory which built the Class 67s. Whether they actually materialise remains to be seen.



Ffynnongroyw (Tim Rogers)

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