25 March 2013
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and especially the rail staff of North Wales.
Forthcoming events
This list may be out of date if you are reading an archived page. For
the current list visit our Calendar.
March 2013
Saturday 23 March Llangollen
Railway Diesel day
Thursday 28 March Merseyside
Railway
History
Group AGM: Members Slides
Saturday 30 March Wirral 0
Gauge Group Open Day, Unit 7, The Odyssey Centre,
Corporation Road,
Birkenhead CH41 1HB British model trains running 13:00 to 17:00.
Contact 0151 653 0637 for more information. Admission £2 -
ample free parking. Nearest Station Birkenhead Park.
April 2013
Friday 5 April Clwyd Railway
Circle Michael Murphy 'Liverpool Overhead Railway' To
finish off the season, a highly recommended speaker known for his
light-hearted style of presentation. The talk will be followed by film
footage of the railway in its heyday.
Monday 8 April Wrexham
Railway Society 'The Railways Of Scotland' Les Nixon
Thursday 11 April Llandudno
and Conwy Valley Railway Society “Chester to Holyhead English
Electric traction 1984 – Present day” Steve Morris
Friday 12 April Altrincham
Electric Railway Society "Current Developments on Metrolink" a
digital presentation by Tony Williams, Manchester Area Officer, Light
Rail Transit Association.
Saturday 13 April Railway and
Canal Historical Society "The General Strike & the
Railways" by Dr. Robin Smith
Saturday 13 April Llangollen
Railway Real Ale train evening
Monday 15 April RCTS Chester
Meeting has been moved to
29 April ( see below)
Thursday 18 April LCGB North West
John Sloane 'Steam Sheds and Diesel Depots'
19-21 April Llangollen
Railway Spring Steam gala with return of the steam Railmotor
93 and newly restored Auto Trailer 92
Saturday 20 April Steam on the Coast Steam Dreams Cathedrals Express 60163 Tornado London - Holyhead - Crewe.
Thursday 25 April Merseyside
Railway
History
Group Richard Kells : Quiz and informal evening
Saturday 27 April Excursion UK Railtours Letchworth and London to the
Welshpool and Llanfair Railway (Fuly booked.)
Monday 29 April RCTS Chester
Even Further Down Under: New Zealand In 2011 & 2012 By Geoff Morris.
May 2013
Friday 3 - Monday 6 May Ffestiniog
Railway Steam 150: A Narrow Gauge Odyssey
Saturday 4 May Steam on the Coast Vintage
Trains
The Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza -
GWR 4-6-0s 4965 + 5043: Tyseley - Llandudno and return.
Saturday 4 May Excursion Statesman Rail 'Llandudno
Victorian
Statesman' Cambridge and stations to Nuneaton to Llandudno Junction and
Llandudno.
Thursday 9 May Llandudno
and Conwy Valley Railway Society “The Buckley Railway” Paul
Davies
Saturday 11 May Llangollen
Railway Murder Mystery
Saturday 11 May As part of the Steam
Dreams
8-day 'Cathedrals Explorer' a diesel (97/3) loco-hauled run from
Shrewsbury to Porthmadog connecting with a special on the Ffestiniog.
The journey continues on 13 May from Bangor to Newcastle-on-Tyne.
Traction (steam?) to be arranged.
Thursday 16 May LCGB North West AGM
and Members/Visitors Slides & Digital Photos.
Saturday 18 May Excursion Compass Tours 'The Heart of Wales Scenic
Rambler'
Holyhead, Llanfair PG, Bangor, Llandudno Junction, Colwyn Bay, Rhyl,
Flint, Chester, Crewe, Whitchurch, Wem & Shrewsbury to Llandrindod
& Cardiff.
Sunday 19 May Llangollen
Railway Teddy Bears Picnic
Saturday 25 May Excursion Statesman Rail 'Welsh Mountain
Statesman'
Saturday 25 May 2013 Hull, Brough , Selby, Garforth, Leeds,
Dewsbury, Mirfield, Huddersfield, Stalybridge, Stockport
Wilmslow, Crewe (c. 09:00) to Aberystwyth for the Vale of Rheidol
Railway. (Fully booked.)
Tuesday 28 May Talyllyn
Railway Children's 'Duncan' Day.
Wednesday 29 May Compass Tours 'Ynys
Mon
Express' Southport - Holyhead. (Was to be steam, but has been changed
to diesel due to 'loco availablilty issue.')
June 2013
1-2 June Llangollen
Railway Day Out with Thomas weekend
Thursday 6 June Steam to Chester
Railway Touring Company London Euston
-
Chester . 70013: Euston-Northampton-Chester and return
Saturday 8 June Llangollen
Railway Real Ale train evening
Saturday 8 June Wirral 0
Gauge Group Open Day, Unit 7, The Odyssey Centre,
Corporation Road,
Birkenhead CH41 1HB British model trains running 13:00 to 17:00.
Admission £2 - ample free parking. Nearest Station Birkenhead
Park. Contact 0151 653 0637 or j.elliott37[at]sky.com for more
information.
22-23 June Llangollen
Railway Heritage Railcar Gala
July 2013
Saturday 6 July. The Welsh
N-Gauge Model Railway Show, organised by the N-Gauge Society
North Wales Area Group.An exclusively N-Gauge Exhibition with layouts
from the Group and visiting layouts in British and American outline. St
Mary's Church hall, Rosehill Steet, Conwy LL32 8LD,10.00am to 4.00pm,
adults £3.00 Children £1.50 Refeshments available.
Hall fully disabled accessible - car parking, bus stops and rail
station adjacent.Further information: 01492 572633.
Saturday 6 July Excursion Statesman Rail
'Welsh Mountain Statesman' Saturday 25 May 2013 Sheffield, and stations
to Wolverhampton to Aberystwyth for the Vale of
Rheidol Railway. (Fully booked.)
Saturday / Sunday 6-7 July Llangollen
Railway Classic Transport Weekend
Saturday / Sunday 6 July Talyllyn
Railway Garden Railway weekend.
Saturday 13 July Llangollen
Railway Murder Mystery evening
Saturday 20 July Excursion UK Railtours Cardigan Bay Panorama
London to
Aberystwyth. Note: entirely First Class Dining, fare £169.
27-28 July Llangollen
Railway July 1960s weekend
Sunday 28 July Steam on the Coast
Railway Touring Company 'North Wales
Coast
Express' Liverpool - Holyhead - Liverpool. Loco 45305, 46233, 60009 or
70013.
Tuesday 30 July Steam on the Coast Railway Touring Company 'The Welsh
Mountaineer'
Preston-Frodsham-Llandudno Jc -Blaenau Ffestiniog and return. Loco
45305 or 61994.
August 2013
3-4 August Llangollen
Railway Day Out With Thomas
Sunday 4 August Steam on the Coast
Railway Touring Company 'North Wales
Coast Express' Crewe - Holyhead, steam-hauled Manchester Piccadilly -
Altrincham - Chester - Holyhead and return by 45305/70013
8-11 August Llangollen
Railway Day Out With Thomas
Friday/Saturday 9 - 10 August Talyllyn Railway
beer festival
Saturday 17 August Vintage Trains 'The
Welsh
Dragon' Tyseley - Llandudno Junction and return. Loco 5043
Sunday 18 August Steam on the Coast
Railway Touring Company 'North Wales
Coast Express' Liverpool - Holyhead - Liverpool. Loco 45305, 46233,
60009 or 70013.
Tuesday 20 August Steam on the Coast Railway Touring Company 'The Welsh
Mountaineer'
Preston-Frodsham-Llandudno Jc -Blaenau Ffestiniog and return. Loco
45305 or 61994.
Thursday 22 August Talyllyn Railway
Children's 'Duncan' Day
Saturday 24 August Wirral 0
Gauge Group Open Day, Unit 7, The Odyssey Centre,
Corporation Road,
Birkenhead CH41 1HB Amwerican model trains running 13:00 to
17:00. Admission £2 - ample free parking. Nearest Station
Birkenhead Park.
Contact 0151 653 0637or j.elliott37[at]sky.com for more
information.
30-31 August and 1 September Llangollen Railway
Steam gala
September
2013
Sunday 1 September Steam on the Coast
Railway Touring Company
'North Wales Coast Express' Crewe - Holyhead, steam-hauled Manchester
Piccadilly - Altrincham - Chester - Holyhead and return by 45305/70013.
Tuesday 3 September Steam on the
Coast Railway Touring Company 'The
Welsh Mountaineer'
Preston-Frodsham-Llandudno Jc -Blaenau Ffestiniog and return. Loco
45305 or 61994.
Sunday 8 September Steam on the Coast
Railway Touring Company
'North Wales Coast Express' Crewe - Holyhead, steam-hauled Manchester
Piccadilly - Altrincham - Chester - Holyhead and return by 45305/70013.
14 September Llangollen
Railway Murder Mystery evening
21 September Llangollen
Railway Diesel Day
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175 010 brings the 13:21
Cardiff to Holyhead into Ludlow, 19 March. Picture by Alan Crawshaw.
Our Calendar
Page is updated with this summer's planned steam trips and
excursions. Additions welcome.
Wrexham to Wembley
Arriva Trains Wales ran an innovative special train on Sunday 24 March
from Wrexham to Wembley Stadium for fans travelling to support Wrexham
against Grimsby in the final of the FA Trophy, a knock-out competition
for football teams in the lower leagues. The train, comprising six
coaches of the Holyhead - Cardiff
express stock and a Driving Van Trailer, ran as empty-stock from
Holyhead to Wrexham General in
the early morning it time for the 09:15 Departure from Wrexham. Ivor Bufton photographed the train
approaching Prestatyn, with 67 002
leading and 67 001 on the
rear. Note the light dusting of snow by comparison with the situation
further east.
Above, the departure from Wrexham (John
Cowlishaw).
From Wrexham, the train ran via Birmingham and the Chiltern Railways
route, with a Chiltern Trains driver (born
in
Wrexham
apparently) taking over for the Chiltern section. Guy Gorton braved the cold to visit
his local Chiltern station, Gerrards Cross, with his camera. 168 113 called at 12:27 with the
10:40 Birmingham - Snow Hill - Marylebone, strengthened to two units
and advertised as making an extra stop at Wembley Stadium.
A few minutes later the Arriva train passed Gerrards Cross on time at
12:31, with 67 001 leading after the reversal at Chester.
67 002 on the rear showed evidence of the snowy weather earlier in the
journey. The train is entering the tunnel built to allow construction
of a Tesco store above. Infamously, while the tunnel was under
construction, on 30 June 2005 it collapsed on to the line. Guy Gorton chronicled the results
and subsequent events on his Tesco Tunnel website
which is still online and well worth a look.
Wrexham won the match on penalties, becoming the first Welsh team to
win the trophy; the railway was ready for the possibly late finish, and
the alternative departure time of 18:41 (instead of 17:41) from Wembley
Stadium was applied. The train was diverted via Crewe due to a failed
train somewhere near Chirk, whose crew were due to operate the Chester
- Crewe shuttle which was therefore cancelled. The football special
stopped in platform 12 at Crewe to collect as many passengers as
possible that were waiting for the Chester service, and then made an
additional stop at Chester, arriving into Wrexham over an hour late at
about 23:30.
Next morning, 67 001 returned light-engine to Crewe.
Colwyn Bay sea defences - report by Nick Gurney and Dennis
Oliver
The next phase of the £6m Colwyn
Bay
coastal
defence
scheme has begun which will bring in 500,000
tonnes of sand to create a new beach. The Cyprus-flagged trailing
suction hopper dredger Barent Zanen
has been brought in to suck up sand from the sea bed out in the Irish
Sea and return it close to shore where a pipeline has been constructed.
The pipeline goes to the shore (above) close to the derelict pier.
A utility vessel the MCS Anneke
helps connect the seaward end of the pipe to the dredger's connection
on her bow, as seen above in a view from Rhos-on-Sea ...
... and the sand is pumped ashore. Work goes on 24 hours a day for at
least the next two weeks.
Cambrian Cruise updated
Dave Sallery writes to say he has updated his very useful guide to the
Cambrian Circular trip with 2013 times and prices. Visit: www.penmorfa.com/Cambrian/
The prices have gone up by a couple of pounds but the worst feature now
for passengers starting the tour from North Wales is the 57-minute wait
at Shrewsbury from 17:27 to 18:24. (This negative connection, which
occurs throughout the day, has been raised with Arriva management but
they claim few travel from the Cambrian lines towards Chester.)
North Wales passengers used to be able to travel earlier on the Cardiff
- Holyhead express but this has now been timed to run much later,
leaving Shrewsbury at 20:05. One idea might be to adjourn to one of
Shrewsbury's restaurants for an evening meal, returning for a
loco-hauled ride on the 20:05.
Dave's picture shows a Ffestiniog Railway train hauled by Earl of Merioneth passing Boston
Lodge works.
Snowy Llangollen - pictures by Mark Leman Lawrie
The Llangollen diesel running day on Saturday 23 March, and the normal
service on Sunday 24 March, were cancelled, due to the sheer amount of
snow that had fallen, and blown into drifts, in the area. These
pictures by Mark Leman Lawrie
illustrate the situation. Above, Llangollen station.
The cutting near Llangollen Goods Junction.
The locomotive depot.
Clearing under way.
Berwyn station.
The A5 main road between Berwyn and Glyn, with fallen trees.
Loading at Llanddulas - report by Dave Sallery
Cargo ship Fri Skien at
Llanddulas on 18 March, loading limestone for Stockvik, Sweden.
The limestone is to be used in the steelworks there.
Menai Bridge station archaeology - pictures by Peter
Basterfield
The station at Menai Bridge, near the mainland end of the Menai Strait
road bridge, opened in 1858, some years after the opening of the line,
and closed in 1966. The platforms were removed soon after closure; the
main station building lasted longer but was demolished in the 1980s.
The station area is now an industrial estate, but the
substantially-built subway which connected the platforms still exists,
as these pictures show.
There were four tracks here, with a central island platform; the
entrance to the island as now been blocked up (above left).
The trackbed of the former branch to Treborth and Caernarfon, closed in
1970, is used by Network Rail for access.
The occupier of one the the industrial units told Peter that someone
else had taken similar photos with a book in mind. Could it have
been someone from the Disused
Stations
website?
Day Return to Milford Haven - report by George Jones
Making the best of the end of the 'Club 55 ticket' season (Sunday 24
March was the last day for now) Gareth Thomas and I made a bid for
Milford Haven to achieve a 'round the Haven routing' which in a
frustrated earlier bid last autumn ended at Carmarthen with a
broken-down train blocking the way west. Making a difference this time,
for me it was the 07:32 departure from Wrexham General on a bleak
morning with a touch of snow about, but the Welsh Government Premium
Train was on time with Driving Van Trailer 82306 leading and 67 002 on the rear. Some thirty
people joined but there was plenty of room to choose from in standard
class. As the train runs non-stop to Shrewsbury, Gareth had to
use the earlier service from Gobowen to join me at 08:05, but he had
the benefit of seeing the empty stock of the of 'Northern Belle' top
and tailed by 47s head through for Birmingham.
Calling only at Hereford the express was on time at Newport and into
Cardiff Central (above) for 09:55 allowing an easy connection onto the
10:07 Milford Haven with 175 007.
The
excitement
west
of Central was the sight of Colas 56
094 parked up but little else
until Port Talbot where Class 66 locos were seen in the Tata yard and
another at Landore depot.
Reversing at Swansea, the route west for Llanelli and Carmarthen takes
the single line via Gowerton and here work on the Network Rail project
to redouble the track was very evident, including the new bridgeworks
over the Loughor viaduct. West of Pembrey & Burry Port the weather
began to improve and we eventually had some sunshine in Pembrokeshire
after a reversal at Carmarthen. An on-time arrival at Milford Haven
(above) provided for a lunch break.
The basic facilities at the terminal have not changed since I was here
before (above) and the state of the run-round loop would suggest it has
not been used for a long time and is not needed with today's train
formation.
A stroll around the harbour to see two moored-up Belgian trawlers and a
view across the Haven identified our ultimate destination in Pembroke
Dock. The 13:52 bus service by Silcocks took us out of Milford, past
Neyland and onto the high level toll bridge to cross the eastern arm of
the Haven, then via Tesco to be dropped off at Pembroke Dock station
(above) where 153 362 Dylan Thomas 1914-1953 awaited on
its stopover.
Before joining the train we had a quick look at where the line used to
go as traces of the former dock line can still be seen between the
houses. Beyond the buffer stops (above) the gap in the houses is the
former dock rail route.
From the road the former track is heavily blocked by concrete
obstructions - the 153 can be seen in the background.
Departing at 15:09 the lightly-loaded 153 took us past the army ranges
at Manorbier and then to the main centre at Tenby for a return to
Carmarthen. Here we elected to join the return working of a Manchester
Piccadilly service due to leave at 17:04. 175 005 ran direct to Shrewsbury
where a change onto a following Holyhead service got me home to Wrexham
at 22:15 after a 502-mile epic day out when everything went according
to plan and all trains ran on time - unlike the disastrous scenes
depicted on BBC2's recent six-part showing on their 'The Railway
programme.
We hope for another Club 55 season to allow for further exploration
opportunities by rail.
Past Times with John Hobbs - Freight at Flint
LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 44800
passes Flint (now Fflint) Station, on 23 March 1964, with an 'Up' Class
K freight. The station is in a tidy condition with all lamp posts
looking respectable.
Another 'Black 5', 44821, this
time on the 'Down' line with a Class H Freight. All the usual
railway accoutrements can be seen: telegraph poles, loading gauge, coal
bunker etc.; the Distant Signal for Muspratts Sidings is still
'On', perhaps the train will be turned on to the slow line there.
On the 'Up' line the distant for Pentre Sidings is 'Off' so perhaps the
box is switched out. Again, on 23 March 1964.
Later that year on the 30 April 1964, 45493
passes Flint with the morning Down Parcels Train; the staff are busy
with a loaded trolley, the weighing machine is in working order and the
Station Master oversees operations. This train followed the 9.20 Crewe
to Holyhead at this time and made a leisurely progress along the North
Wales coast.
Stanier 8F 2-8-0 48094 potters
about in Flint goods yard on 30 April 1964. The yard closed to freight
from 4 May 1964, so perhaps this was one of the final revenue-earning
visits to the yard. It remained in use for engineers' trains at least
until 1967; now it is the site of a car park and bus terminus.
Flask 37s
The 6K41 Valley - Crewe ran again on 20 March, this time featuring 37
194 and 37 604. Above it passes the golfers of Rhosneigr (Peter Basterfield).
Traversing the concrete canyon at Colwyn Bay (Jack Bowley).
Cardiff locos - report by Richard Putley
On a visit to Cardiff Central on 20 March I saw no less than three
class 56s: 56094 in Colas
livery (above) ...
56 311 in Devon and
Cornwall grey (nearest to the camera above), with 56091 in plain grey.
66 850 in Colas livery
was also there.
One of the three Arriva Blue 67s was visible on Canton Depot with the
Arriva Trains Wales Express stock laying over before the evening return
to Holyhead.
Meanwhile 66 008 headed
through on an eastbound steel train.
Cambrian panorama
Snow on Diffwys as the 11:30 Pwllheli - Machynlleth heads south off
Barmouth bridge, 18 March (Ian Wright).
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