22 July 2013
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Forthcoming events
This list may be out of date if you are reading an archived page. For
the current list visit our Calendar.
July 2013
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. Timings: Outward
| Return
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. Timings: Outward
| Return
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 Timings: Outward
| Return
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 American 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.
October
2013
Saturday 5 October Steam at Chester
West Coast Railway Company
'Welsh
Borders Steam Special.' Cleethorpes - Shrewsbury and return.
Steam-hauled Crewe - Chester - Shrewsbury - Whitchurch - Crewe by
44932, 45699, 46115, or 48151.
12 October Llangollen
Railway Real Ale Train evening
Saturday 19 October Steam at Chester
West Coast Railway Company
'The Cheshireman' Cleethorpes - Chester. Steam-hauled by 70013:
Cleethorpes - Doncaster - Sheffield - Altrincham - Chester - Doncaster.
19-20 October Llangollen
Railway Days Out with Thomas
26-27 October Llangollen
Railway Days Out with Thomas
31 Oct Llangollen
Railway Ghost Train evening
November
2013
Saturday 2 November Llangollen
Railway Murder Mystery evening
Saturday 2 November 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.
Sunday 3 November Llangollen
Railway Ride the Rocket evening
9-10 November Llangollen
Railway Remembrance Weekend
30 November Llangollen
Railway Santa Specials
December
2013
1 December Llangollen
Railway Santa Specials
7-8 December Llangollen
Railway Santa Specials
14-15 December Llangollen
Railway Santa Specials
20-24 December Llangollen
Railway Santa Specials
7 December Llangollen
Railway Real Ale Train evening
26-31 December Llangollen
Railway Mince Pie Specials.
|
Merseyrail units 507 016 and 507 001 wait to depart from Chester
with the 18:15 service to Liverpool on 18 July. Picture by Martin Evans.
Big issue, sir? Yes, quite a lot of
items this week from several points of the compass....
Steam train worries
The hot, dry weather recently has prompted worries about lineside fires
caused by sparks from steam trains, with a couple of charters
postponed, and others, following discussions between West Coast
Railways operations manager James Shuttleworth and Network Rail, are to
operate as advertised, but with a diesel loco behind the the steam
locomotive, which we assume will supply power and reduce the blast from
the chimney of the steam loco. Whether this will affect the
start of the North Wales steam season on 28 July remains to be seen.
However, this prompts in our mind a question: since the driver of the
steam loco does not have full control of the train in these
circumstances, could a steam train venture on to the Cambrian lines
(weather permitting) with an ERTS-fitted diesel coupled behind the loco?
Additional loco-hauled trains
Arriva Trains Wales are bringing out their loco-hauled set to handle
the Summer holiday Saturday traffic, with kind permission of the Welsh
Government. This year, however, there is just one return train from
Holyhead to Crewe. This operated on 20 July with loco 67 002, photographed at Llandudno
Junction by Larry Davies (above) and at Prestatyn by Dave Sallery (below) and will run
again, we understand, on Saturdays through the school holidays. The
diagram is:
1K52 09:56 Holyhead - Crewe 12:04
1D74 14:40 Crewe - Holyhead 16:52
Stops are being made at Chester, Prestatyn, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno
Junction and Bangor. Enjoy!
Also planned for 27 July is a private charter in the shape of a GB Railfreight 'staff outing' from
Cardiff to Llandudno via Shrewsbury (10:04) and Crewe (10:41-11:12)
calling also at Colwyn Bay 12:24, Llandudno Junction 12:25 and arriving
Llandudno 12:48. We understand that while the passengers enjoy the
seaside, the train will then run as a 13:25
Llandudno
to
Holyhead (arr 14:35 dep 15:44) and back
(arr 16:50) with seats available to the public on a 'pay on the day'
basis with a flat fare £25 return. The planned traction is pairs
of Class 20 diesels: a rare opportunity. The return train to Cardiff,
again restricted to GBRf staff, leaves Llandudno at 16:57 and is not
booked to call at Llandudno Junction.
Trans Pennine Trip - with Alan Crawshaw
Rowan and I were again up early on Monday 15 July to catch the 06:01
from Bangor, seen here arriving on platform 1. We had a slightly
different breakfast experience from our previous trip (see last issue), this
crew told us that the chef boards at Rhyl, which we knew, and that they
may not be able to serve us breakfast in time, and asked up to check
with them when we got to Rhyl. We did, and were asked to return in 15
minutes to collect, so we didn't go hungry.
We didn't make the very tight unadvertised connection onto the 07:12
Chester to Manchester Piccadilly so we photographed 67 001 about to lead the Arriva
service onward...
... and cyclists boarding the following Virgin Voyager. I'd be more
impressed with their 'green' boasts if Virgin provided more bike space
and their staff refrained from using it as a storage area and advising
passengers to put their large suitcases there.
We stayed overnight in Hull as we were unfamiliar with the city and
spent Monday afternoon exploring. We took the train to York on Tuesday
morning and photographed the Scarborough Spa Express before ducking
into the National Railway Museum for the 'Mallard 75' exhibition, which
was packed - half an hour after opening on a Tuesday outside the school
holidays! We didn't stay long and it was impossible to get a clean
picture, but good to see all six surviving A4s together.
Integrated future?
North Wales media is reporting comment about the latest report calling
for improved transport for North Wales. The 'North East Wales
Integrated Transport Task Force Report to Edwina Hart AM OStJ MBE
Minister for Economy, Science and Transport' can be found
in
PDF
format
on
the TAITH website where we read that:
The rail modernisation business
case should consider how frequencies of service and journey times
within North Wales and to/from key destinations in the North West can
be improved. We would encourage the provision of new stations and
additional services that specifically serve major employment areas and
help to tackle poverty. The Task Force strongly supports the need to
improve frequency and line speeds on the North Wales Coast Main Line
and the Borderlands Line. We have also identified the need for new /
enhanced stations including at Hawarden Bridge, serving Deeside
Industrial Park and at North Wrexham, connecting residents with
training and employment opportunities. There is also strong support for
the delivery of the Halton Curve to enable direct services to Liverpool
South / Liverpool from the study area.
It is depressing that much is the medium term - i.e. ten years hence
... but it is worth reading if you can face the writing style found in
such documents, and comments are sought.
On a related topic, in an 18 July written statement on rail priorities
by Ms Hart for the Welsh Government we read:
In developing this agenda for
rail, as I said in my 10 July Statement, I am seeking to maximise value
for money and the impact from our investment in public transport. In
that regard, I shall be reviewing the processes and decision making
behind the rail infrastructure project to reduce North - South journey
times and redouble the railway between Wrexham and Saltney. The Welsh
Government committed to this project in 2008 and contracted Network
Rail to deliver it, but the project has been significantly delayed.
The reason for the delay is not given, does anyone have any
information? Increase of frequency on the Shrewsbury - Aberystwyth
section also gets a mention, from which we gather than although Network
Rail has completed the necessary infrastructure work at considerable
expense, there is no money for the current franchise to run the actual
trains. However, there seems a possibility that 'summer tourist trains'
in some form will operate next year on the Cambrian and Heart of Wales
lines.
'Stainless' Steel
Class 60s continue to work some of the steel trains between South Wales
and the Shotton coating plant from time to time, and on 18 July, 60 062 Stainless Pioneer was running over
95 minutes late when photographed at Cefn-Y-Bedd with 6M76 Margam - Dee
Marsh loaded steel. Picture by Mark
Riley.
A slightly more risky and isolated location for Mark Riley's second picture, taken
at the public crossing near Johnstown, as 60 062 hurries past at 11:05
with the return 6V75 Dee Marsh empty steel coil carriers.
Mark Riley writes:
'Whilst waiting at the crossing for 60 062 to pass, I noticed the
writing on the warning sign which reads "In loving memory RIP Victoria
Swift 16/3/92 - 15/01/07" a reminder that this young girl was struck
and killed here by a Holyhead-Cardiff service. It was believed that she
was playing with friends in the area at the time. A tragic loss of a
young life.
'This area sadly has some notoriety for antisocial behaviour and
trespass. As 175 113 rushes
past on a Holyhead-Cardiff service, it's a reminder of the need for
respect of the potential dangers personally, and to others, of trespass
and vandalism. Also, as if to prove my point, soon after 175 113 had
passed, I witnessed a rough, shaven headed man in his early 20s (so not
just children!) strolling casually alongside the track for about 100
metres - with the steel train about to arrive. However, being alone at
the time, I felt it unwise to challenge someone who appeared quite
aggressive anyway. Perhaps a lesson learned that some areas are unsafe
for anyone alone, and always to have the British Transport Police (BTP)
telephone number - 0800 40 50 40 - to report such incidents.' [There is
also a new service from BTP by which you can send a Text
Message, perhaps more inconspicuous if being observed by a
miscreant.]
On safer ground, Martin Evans photographed the same
train (above) at Gobowen.
Chasing the Aberystwyth Charter - with Chris Morrison
I travelled from Birmingham to Dovey Junction and Borth on Saturday 20
July to see the London - Aberystwth Charter. Things didn't start
well when 08:23 from New Street to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli rolled in
with two carriages instead of the usual four on one of the busiest
Saturdays of the year. Predictably we were full and standing from
Wolverhampton. The conductor announced that we would be terminating at
Shrewsbury for a train with more capacity forward from there. At
Shrewsbury the incoming train from Aberystwyth to Birmingham was
terminated to allow us to join its four coaches back to Aberystwyth and
Pwllheli. The unfortunates from the Cambrian were shoe-horned into our
two coach train back to Birmingham.
Returning on the 17:43 departure from Borth, the conductor said
passengers travelling beyond Machynlleth would need to transfer to
another train forward. At Machynlleth the two-coach train from Pwllheli
was already well-loaded and by the time it departed there were people
standing the full length of the train. Adding to the woes, the air
conditioning in the unit wasn't functioning, resulting in sauna-like
conditions until the conductor opened the windows after Caersws. The
air conditioning seems no better than previously on these refurbished
158s. The staff on the Cambrian are great but the trains need improving.
Heading picture: Network Rail 97 303
and 97 304 John Tiley approaching Glandyfi
with the 07:10 Euston - Aberystwyth UK Railtours First Class dining
charter. It was running 102 minutes late after missing its path onto
the single track Cambrian line at Shrewsbury.
Above, the pair head the return 16:00 Aberystwyth - Euston past
Borth. The passengers had arrived at the seaside resort 103 minutes
late, giving them only an hour and a half to enjoy its attractions
before returning to London. [No air-con in Mk1 coaches either.]
A view of the train passing Borth golf course. Nice to see a rake of
all mk 1 stock in almost matching livery.
York discoveries - by Roger Carvell
I braved the heat like many others on 15 July, for an advance cheapie
East Coast Trains trip to
the National Railway Museum in York to see The Great Gathering. It was
frustrating for serious photography inside but the crowds enjoyed the
spectacle of six A4s so one shouldn't complain. I understand another
event is planned for later in the year with 60008 / 10 shipping back
across the Atlantic in 2014.
There isn't much at the NRM in relation to Welsh railways, or indeed
our dear North Wales Coast line, but imagine my surprise when I found
the station nameboard for St Asaph in the public stores area. St Asaph
closed on September 19, 1955, although trains continued to pass through
until 1968. The nameboard would have long been removed by then. [The
rather odd nameboard can be seen in place in a 1954 picture on the Disused
Stations
website.]
Also found was the cab side sheet of 46229 Duchess of Hamilton, another North
Wales favourite of recent memory. This was removed when the loco was
re-engineered to its original streamlined form. The loco itself is
absent in its whole form at the York museum; we understand may
currently be at the museum's other site, 'Locomotion' in Shildon.
Colas variety
The log trains to Chirk are the stars of the moment as far as as our
photographic contributors are concerned. With a near-perfect
reflection (above) in the canal at 07:05 on 10 July, as 56 302 crosses Chirk Viaduct with
train 6Z51 Chirk (Kronospan) - Teigngrace empty KFA timber wagons.
Picture by Mark Riley.
The train from Carlisle has reverted to the Settle- Carlisle route
after a period of travelling via Shap: 6J37 Carlisle-Chirk logs at
Hoghton, west of Blackburn, with 56
105 and 56 087 in
charge, on 11 July (Ian Pilkington).
On 11 July the light was good enough for David Parry to get a decent view in
Frodsham cutting with its remarkable tree growth. The Carlisle to Chirk
logs is double-headed by 56 105
and (obscured by a band of shadow) 56
087.
During the period of 14-18 July, engineering work on the West Coast
Main Line saw the Carlisle - Chirk trains re-routed via Manchester,
Stockport and the Mid-Cheshire line, meaning some interesting photo
opportunities. Above, 56 105
and 56 087
make an usual sight near Mobberley on the Mid-Cheshire line with 15
July's loaded train. Picture by Andrew
Vinten.
The same train on 15 July passing the 'Forest
Rise' housing development under construction in the former goods
yard at Mouldsworth
station.
Picture by Bob Greenhalgh.
The same train again, accelerating through Wrexham General at 16:00, an
hour later than the train would normally be seen (Mark Riley).
On 16 July, 56 105 and 56 087 worked 'light' from Chirk to Washwood
Heath, and in the late afternoon, 66
849 Wylam Dilly was
sent to work 6C37 empty KFAs back to Carlisle. Therefore on 17 July it
was 66 849 working back from Carlisle to Chirk, still on the same
diversionary route, that was seen passing Wrexham General at the same
time of 16:00.
66 849 performed again on Thursday 18 July, photographed by Ian Pilkington at Grimeford between
Adlington and Blackrod.
Mid-Cheshire specials
For one weekend only on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 July 2013 you can
visit the Mid-Cheshire Line Railway Weekend at the Weaver Hall Museum,
Northwich. Learn more about the Mid-Cheshire Line and enjoy a
six-layout Model Railway Exhibition along with an outdoor Miniature
Railway. Adult entry at £3, Concessions £2, Children
£1.50, Family (2+2) £7. Further details on the Mid-Cheshire
Rail
Users'
Association
website.
The regular and popular Music
Trains will operate over the summer months with 'Goat Ropers' on
the evening music train to the Golden Pheasant at Plumley on Wednesday
14 August and an evening Music Train from Altrincham and Knutsford to
Chester with Dmitri Quarteton and Jazz Jam at Alexanders on Wednesday
21 August,
The MCRUA Settle & Carlisle Express
Scenic Railtour on Wednesday 11 September 2013 is the
Association's next Diesel hauled Excursion and is booking up
fast. With an outward journey
via the Settle & Carlisle Railway, a stopover in Carlisle and
returning via the Cumbrian Coast line, this will be an exceptional day
out. This year the train starts at Hooton, then picks
up at Chester, most
stations on the Mid Cheshire Line, Stockport and Reddish South. As
usual, there are reserved seats, a buffet car, trolley service and a
MCRUA detailed route description.
Back to the 60s at Llangollen
27-28 July is 1960s weekend on the Llangollen Railway. 'Black 5' 44806 was to have been running in
weathered 1960s condition, by kind permission of the
owner, but unfortunately will no longer be available due to damage
sustained in an 'incident' on 13 July. Classmate 45337, running as
45156 Ayrshire Yeomanry, will
be running subject to
repairs being completed. This month's issue of Steam Railway magazine features an
excellent article by Toby Jennings on how we weather a loco - it's well
worth a look. The Black 5 will work an 1T57 [the so-called 15-guinea
special of 1968] re-creation service, complete with headboard and a
blue and grey coach in the train.
There will be an intensive timetable featuring some interesting stock.
Also in traffic will be 7822 Foxcote Manor (above) and 2-8-0
3802. Diesels D5310, 6940 and a railcar will be in
use - a real 60s mix as usual. The full timetable is to be confirmed
very soon.
The popular vintage vehicle rally will take place at Glyndyfrdwy with a
superb line up of cars, bikes and even the odd caravan or two. See MGs,
Triumphs, Beetles (not with an 'a'!), Imps, a glorious E Type Jag and
even an Alvis. Two superb vintage buses from the North West Museum of
Transport will operate a free rail-replacement service between
Llangollen and Carrog. These will be a Chester Guy Arab and an open-top
Lancaster Leyland Titan PD2 - offering a spectacular view of the Valley
and Railway from the A5.
Dr Beeching's Bar will be open in the Robertson Suite all weekend, with
seven real ales to try from the Stonehouse, Llangollen, Ludlow and
Glaslyn Breweries as well as bottled lagers and wines. The Wrexham
Lager microbrewery will also be in attendance on Saturday and Sunday,
serving
from a separate little bar at Glyndyfrdwy during the day and then at
Llangollen on Saturday evening.
There will be trade stands at both Llangollen and Glyndyfrdwy selling
everything from transport-related crafts to aromatherapy massage. And
who could forget the live music? The railway is very lucky to have such
talented musicians amongst its ranks and this year performances
will all be from Llangollen Railway members and their friends. All
performances will take place on Platform 1 at Llangollen and the
atmosphere on Saturday evening, which starts at 7pm really is hard to
beat.
A campers and residents train will run back from Llangollen to Carrog
on Saturday evening at around 10:30pm after the concert finishes.
Visitors are encouraged to dress up in 60's clothes to add to the
atmosphere and join in the fun, but this is by no means essential. See
the Llangollen
Railway
website for more information.
[The website editor wears 1960s-style clothes every day, based on
a Nick Drake album cover picture...]
Trawsfynydd - another try?
A small item in the current Railway
Magazine tells of a 'group calling itself TRAWS' which proposes
that the mothballed Blaenau Ffestiniog - Trawsfynydd route should be
turned into a heritage line. The idea is to run trains from Blaenau
Ffestiniog 'where there is a spare platform face' - presumably the one
on the narrow-gauge Ffestiniog line - and possibly on to Llandudno
Junction. A phone number, 07449 324785, is mentioned for more details.
Would anyone like to ring it and find out more for us? Readers may
remember an earlier proposal, last heard of in 2010, involving a
gentleman called Colin Dale, which we reported at the time (11 October 2010 issue)
but the website mentioned there is now defunct.
More recently (2011) we heard of a 'Velorail'
idea to use the line for human-powered vehicles. This was all set
to happen by 2012, one vehicle was obtained and some undergrowth
clearance was done. In May 2012, however, we read that the plan had
'hot the buffers' for want of £100,000 but it was hoped
to
start
in
September ...
Our picture, taken by Ian Bowland
c. 1990, shows the line at Trawsfynydd in use for transfer of flasks to
and from Trawsfynydd nuclear power station, the only UK station which
took water from a lake for cooling, which ceased to generate in 1991.
The last of the fuel was taken away in 1995, and the station is
currently in the very slow process of cooling and decommissioning. By
2027 most of the structures will have been removed, but the reactor
must remain in place until at least 2073.
Suffolk to North Wales - with Adam Barnard
After visiting my family in Suffolk, it was time to return to North
Wales to start my new Job at Tesco in Porthmadog. I had booked to go a
scenic route, via the 'Berks & Hants' route to Taunton then up to
Newport before picking up the 'WAG express' and heading to Bangor. I
departed Sudbury on the 07:59 service to Marks Tey on Tuesday 2 July,
and got to Marks Tey without incident. Greater Anglia had provided one
of their newly refurbished 156s for the journey, which are head and
shoulders above the dreadful old National Express East Anglia
refurbished examples. After some spotting at Marks Tey, of which my
quarry included Class 321s (above), 360s, Class 90s on InterCity
services ...
... and a very noisy NR test train worked by DRS Class 37/6s, I boarded
the 0918 service to London Liverpool Street. I arrived in London and
quickly travelled to Paddington aboard a very tatty C-stock train bound
for Hammersmith.
After arriving at Paddington, I was met with the delightful
announcement that they would be testing the Fire Alarm systems for the
next half an hour so my wait for the 12:18 HST stopper to Taunton was
met with alarms going off every five or so minutes. They announced that
they would be testing the station evacuation alarm soon, and that there
was no need to actually evacuate the station but when they tested it
60% of people still headed towards the main exit.
After this, Heathrow Express' only 360, 360 205 turned up working a Heathrow
Connect service, which was good as I had never seen it before. I then
boarded the 12:18 service, which was formed of a very mis-formed HST
rake, with no Entertainment carriage and both 1st class vehicles
(excluding the buffet) being labelled as quiet coaches. This latter
issue was addressed by the train manager, informing us via the tannoy
that only one of the coaches was in fact a quiet coach. I had a
very pleasant trip to Taunton, calling at most stations between Newbury
and Taunton. En-route I noticed that FGW have removed the mid-coach
bulkheads from their coaches during the last refurbishment. I wonder
why.
At Taunton, I exited the train to wait for a miserable and
nightmarishly slow FGW stopper to Newport, my ticket not being valid on
CrossCountry services. I had a choice of either the 15:15 or 16:07
services, both of which called at almost all stations to
Newport/Cardiff, and after seeing that the 15:15 service was formed of
a single 150/1 with the old Central Trains 3+2 seating, I decided to
wait for the later train.
I did some more spotting at Taunton, with most of the trains I saw
being CrossCountry Voyagers or First Great Western (FGW) HSTs,
including Hewlett Packard advertising-liveried power car 43 186. I had made the right choice
waiting for the 16:07 service, as it was formed of a 153 and 150/2 with
2+2 seating. After an agonisingly slow journey to Newport I disembarked
from the Sprinter and waited for the Express to Holyhead.
No announcement was made about the train having First class or a
restaurant service, making me anxious that a 175 had been substituted
for the loco-hauled rake, so I was relieved to see Driiving Van Trailer
82308 lead the train round into the platform. I got myself a table seat
to fully enjoy the comfort of the train and the magnificent scenery of
the route. After Abergavenny, I ventured to the restaurant car and
ordered the chef's special, a bacon and tomato pasta bake. I had never
used a restaurant car on a train before, and was blown away with the
quality of it, and the fact it was no more expensive than a gastro-pub.
The staff were very friendly and helpful indeed, which made the journey
all the more enjoyable and relaxing. Also, contrary to my previous
assertions, I noticed that Arriva Mark 3 coaches and Class 158s do not
actually have the same seats as FGW Mark 3s and East Midland Trains
Class 158s, as the Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) examples have a much
better and softer headrest with more stuffing. The journey was most
pleasant, with reversal at Chester going as planned. Night had fallen
by the time I had reached Bangor, but I managed to get a photo of 67 001 (above) without using flash
as it was illuminated by the station lights of Bangor.
I never actually used Wrexham & Shropshire when they were
operating, so I cannot make a fair comparison between the restaurant
service (although I highly doubt anything can beat the superb ATW
example), but I have been on one of Chiltern's silver trains, which are
the same stock, and in my opinion the Welsh mark 3s are more
comfortable than the silver mark 3s. It is mostly down to the seats, as
the soft headrests easily beat the 'IC70' seats in the ex-Wrexham &
Shropshire carriages, but I must say the decor in the W&S carriages
is more tasteful and having curtains in standard is a nice touch.
There is something that worries me about this service though. Funding
for it is only secured until 2015, and DB are looking to expand
services out of Marylebone, so come 2015 I have a horrible feeling
Wales will lose these lovely coaches, and they will be consumed by the
irrepressible mark 3 lust of Chiltern. I implore everyone, do use this
service while it still exists, as it may not be around for ever and
needs to be experienced.
The Jolly Fisherman - report by Roly High
04:30 on a gloomy Saturday morning, 20 July, as DRS loco 37 419 Carl Haviland draws 5Z20, the empty
stock,and what should have been two Class 20s at the rear, into
Hooton's long siding, to form train 1Z20, Compass Tours 'Jolly
Fisherman' tour to Lincoln and Skegness,with the pair of Class 20s
leading. However, despite the best efforts of DRS, only one Class 20
was deemed suitable. It was coupled to 37
608 to make the trip. When we arrived at Crewe, 37 608 had to be
removed from the train due to oil pressure problems, and 37 419 was
brought from the rear and coupled to the class 20.
As always,a Network Rail staff member was in attendance to oversee
operational and safety issues.
Despite superb planning by Network Rail, DRS, and Compass Tours in
navigating a path across the busy Midlands rail network, with a lot of
the network undergoing engineering works,we had to come to a stand on a
number of occasions to let service traffic pass.
Things got a little twisted at a stop outside Chesterfield ... it must
have been the heat.
A three car 156 / 153 combination East Midlands Trains service at our
second scheduled stop at Wainfleet. Quite a number of passengers got
off the train here; I think the main attraction was the local brewery, Batemans.
The sole Class 20, 20 312 at
journeys end in Skegness station. Due to a combination of
numerous pick-up points, engineering constraints,and waiting for
service trains to pass, the travel time was over 8 hours in each
direction. The grand tour left Hooton at 05.07 - Chester(pick up) -
Crewe(pu) - Whitchurch(pu) - Wem(pu) - Shrewsbury(pu) -
Wellington(pu) -Telford(pu) - Wolverhampton(pu) - Walsall(pu) -
Coleshill Parkway(pu) - Tamworth High Level(pu) - Burton-on-Trent -
Derby - Belper - Chesterfield - Sheffield - Darnall - Worksop - Retford
low level - Gainsborough Lea Road - Lincoln Central(first set down) -
Sleaford - Boston - Wainfleet(second set down) - Skegness, arriving at
14:33.
The lead loco 37 419 complete
with crossed spades headboard!
37 419's nameplate. Carl Haviland, who died in 2012, was a fitter with
the Harry Needle company who worked on the refurbishment of the 37/3s
for DRS.
This plaque about the famous 'Jolly Fisherman' poster ('Skegness is SO
bracing') is high up on the
wall of Skegness station.
Generator coach 17105 was converted from Mk 2 Brake / First vehicle
14105 in 1977 for use as a staff couchette and generator car for the
Royal Train, numbered 2905, later renumbered 17105 and sold to Riviera
Trains.
20 312, now the lead loco at an operational stop at Derby on the return
leg. Due to essential engineering works which we could not bypass,
passengers for Chester and Hooton had to board rail replacement coaches
for the rest of the journey home. The passengers left on the train who
were going to Crewe, Manchester, etc. were taken to Nantwich where the
train terminated, and then they were bussed onwards.The empty train
then went to Riviera trains depot at Crewe.
Brake van on the road
Nick Gurney photographed
this brake van on a low loader parked in a layby on the westbound
carrigeway of the A55 near Llanfairfechan on 15 July. It looks very
much like the BR-built LMS style van which spent many years abandoned
at Holyhead and was reported as sold to the Cambrian Railways people at
Llynclys, but we may be wrong. Can anyone tell us where it's from and
where it was going to?
A trip to Aviemore - with Richard Putley
While staying Edinburgh for the Festival, on 13 July I travelled
to the Strathspey
Railway at
Aviemore, on which I used to be a volunteer on back in the 1990s. While
waiting for the 10:36 from Edinburgh, I saw 91 110 Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
(above) propel the 09:30 to London King's Cross. Stabled in one of the
bays was DB Red 90 018, with 67 008 for company.
My train was formed of 158 786
which was joined by a class mate, 741, from Glasgow Queen Street,
at Perth. Arrival at Aviemore (above) was on time.
The Strathspey Railway's train also arrived punctually at 14:05, hauled
by Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 46512,
pictured above at Aviemore. This loco spent most of its working life
allocated to Brecon working the lines - all axed in 1962 - that used to
radiate from there to Merthyr, Neath, Hereford and Llanidloes. It was
rescued from Barry scrapyard by the Strathspey Railway in the 1970s and
restored for use on their line.
But a lineside fire resulted in a 20 minute delay to our departure. 170
422 headed through Aviemore with another service for Inverness. Once
underway, I saw Class 27 D5394
(above) outside Aviemore shed and Class 31 31 325 at Boat of Garten. Also there
were a number of DMUs and a pair of Class 26s in need of attention.
The train continued to Broomhill, used as "Glenbogle" in the TV series
"Monarch of the Glen", where the line ends at present. But plans are
afoot to extend it a further 3 miles to Grantown-on-Spey. I saw the
girders at Aviemore which will be used for a replacement bridge over
the River Dulnain a mile north of Broomhill. On the return journey a
further fire between Boat of Garten and Aviemore caused more delay to
the Strathspey train. As a result I missed the 16:35 from Aviemore to
Edinburgh.
The next train south was the 18:14 to Glasgow Queen Street. I caught
this train as far as Stirling. This enabled me to photograph the soon
to be replaced semaphore signals there.
While waiting for the 20:36 to Edinburgh, I saw 66 160 bring a coal train off the
Alloa line. It was allowed out on the main line in front of the
Edinburgh local. The Edinburgh train arrived on time and whisked me
back there in what seemed like a lot less than the booked hour-long
journey time.
The hostel where I stayed was in the centre of Edinburgh. So most
mornings I'd pop round to Waverley station. Thursday morning I saw a
sleeper train headed by 90 036
...
... and one of the Fife loco-hauled commuter trains headed by 67 004.
Irish Adventure - by Charlie Hulme
Last week's issue was prepared in advance, as on Thursday 11 July we
set off for Ireland, where I had been invited to participate in an
event commemorating John
Cassidy, a sculptor born in Sale, Co. Meath who practiced in
Manchester. Eschewing air travel as usual, we headed for Holyhead where
we would spend the night before boarding the Stena Nordica for the crossing to
Dublin. Few trains from Manchester go direct to Holyhead so a change
was required at Llandudno Junction on to a Birmingham - Holyhead train
formed of 175 110 (above).
Arrival in Platform 2 at Holyhead: thankfully the air-conditioning in
175s does usually work well. We stayed at the Travelodge near the
station, which is ideal for the purpose and has decent rooms at very
reasonable cost. Next morning we headed back to the station and with a
dozen or so others, boarded the bus for the ferry. It's good that Stena
Line seem to have adopted a more friendly attitude towards foot
passengers - the procedure here is that the bus drives on to the ferry,
reversing up the ramp, which requires some skill on the part of
the driver, and parks alongside the staircase leading to the passenger
deck. One small drawback of all this is that it is impossible to get a
photograph of the ship. We enjoyed a vegetarian cooked breakfast and
relaxed on the open deck area for the pleasant journey (fine weather!)
to Dublin Port.
The bus appears to stay on board for the journey across to Dublin, and
on arrival takes you to the terminal there, whence we found a taxi to
take us to Dublin Connolly station for the Belfast-bound 'Enterprise'
intertantional train which we took as far as its first stop, Drogheda,
whence we could get a bus to Slane.
The Enterprise trains are worked by the impressive EMD locos and some
very comfortable coaches in push-pull mode: unfortunately for the
photographer they are a close fit into Drogheda's platform. This is
Northern Ireland Railways-owned 8208
River Lagan. Although
related to the Class 66 family, from the sound they make it seems the
Irish 201 Class don't have modern silencers.
As is often the case at Drogheda, there was a freight train stabled,
part of the fleet which serves the Tara mines near Navan. For some
reason Irish Rail have adopted the full UIC numbering system as used on
the Continent, even though the track gauge and the lack of a train
ferry makes it unlikely that they will wander far. This is 92 60
0117071-7, or in ordinary parlance, 071,
also
a
North
American product dating from 1976.
Drogheda station has an interesting display of railway relics.
After departing Drogheda, trains for Belfast cross the River Boyne on
this bridge, 30 metres above the river, a very early example of its
type, designed Sir John MacNeill and completed in 1855, although the
wrought iron spans were replaced by steel to the same basic design in
the 1930s. Currently the spans are encased in scaffolding during
refurbishment work.
After a busy and fruitful time in Slane, Sunday 14 July found us back
at Drogheda (above) to catch the Enterprise back to Dublin, as we had
tickets for a concert by brilliant singer / songwriter Tom Russell. Driving trailer
9004 was at the head of the train as it arrived at Drogheda.
On arrival at Connolly, loco 233
River Clare had
been detached from the train before I could reach it, and headed off
promptly for servicing.
We stayed in a hotel off St Stephen's Green, but unfortunately the
'Luas' tram line outside the hotel (above) is on a line which is
currently not connected to the tram line which serves Connolly station,
although there are signs of work in progress
to remedy this, although a change of tram will be needed to reach
Connolly.
Monday 15 July, and we travelled by Enterprise again, this time in
First Class, to Belfast Central, where 227
River Suir is seen after
arrival. First class is not cheap, but very comfortable, and
there are refreshments available, although even tea and coffee have to
be paid for. Wi-fi connection is free in both classes.
From Belfast, we pressed on immediately to the seaside resort Portrush
aboard modern railcar set 4014, built by CAF of Spain. There are 20 of
these 4000-series 3-car sets, delivered in 2011-2012, and very
comfortable, with air-conditioning and free wi-fi. It is perhaps worth
noting, however, that neither Northern Ireland Railways nor Irish Rail
have on-line ticket sales, except for the Enterprise service.
A marked contrast to the new trains: the 'somersault' semaphore signals
at Portrush station dating back to the days of the Belfast and Northern
Counties Railway. These were famously used by the Great Northern
Railway in England after an accident
blamed on a lower-quadrant signals being weighed down by heavy snow and
ice to display a false 'clear', but I had no idea they existed in
Northern Ireland.
Portrush also has a superb old station building, designed by the Chief
Engineer of the BNCR, Berkeley Deane Wise, and dating back to tourism
boom of the 1890s. The day we arrived was one day of the two-public
holiday the people of Northern Ireland enjoy at this time of year, so
the place was very busy.
Joanna had expressed a wish to see the Giant's Causeway, so next day we
caught the open-top bus service from Portrush, worked by Ulsterbus 2000 (CXI 6200) an ex-Dublin bus
Leyland Olympian.
In addition to the famous stones, there is railway interest at the
Causeway in the form of the Giant's Causeway
and Bushmills Railway, re-laid in recent years on part of the
trackbed of the electric tramway, one of the first in the world, which
from 1883 to 1949 ran from Portrush to the Causway Hotel. They do have
a steam loco, but the everyday travel is by a diesel loco and coaches
designed to resemble the original trams. The power unit is furthest
from the camera in our picture above.
After three nights in Portrush and some fine coast walking we returned
to Belfast by the 06:05 train to get a taxi to Belfast Port for the
10:30 Stena Ferry to Birkenhead. While waiting for departure, we noted
the Stena Superfast VII
(above) arriving from Cairnryan in Scotland.
Our ship was the Stena Mersey, and during the
8-hour crossing we passes sister ship Stana
Lagan on its way from Birkenhead to Belfast. Since they were
built in 2005, these ships and their route have had several owners, but
on taking over the route from DFDS in 2010 both has a full
refurbishment and look very new and again offer good food including
cooked breakfasts. Again, foot passengers are welcome and there are
very cheap fares, although the transit to Liverpool on arrival requires
a bus from ship to terminal where we were asked for photo ID despite
this being a purely UK route, then another bus to Hamilton Square which
none of the other foot passengers bothered with, then a train to James
Street where thanks to engineering work we had to catch a replacement
bus to Lime Street station.
From the ship we were able to view some of the sights found in the
Irish Sea these days...
... including many wind turbines and many more under construction. A
train home from Liverpool concluded what had been a fascinating
journey, well away from the riots which were occurring in the Belfast
suburbs. Indeed everyone we met in Northern Ireland was very very
friendly, and keen to list the tourist sites we should visit, including
the Coleraine to Londonderry railway which will surely justify another
visit.
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