14 October 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This list may be out of date if you are reading an archived page.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.
October
2013
Monday 21 October RCTS
Merseyside, Chester & North Wales ’Banished to the
Tropics’ by Les Nixon.Well known photographer travels
from Sheffield to present an account of his life as a railway
enthusiast working in Sri Lanka in the early 70s. Lots of good old
colonial British railwayana with plenty of steam e.g.
narrow-gauge
railcars and Garratts. All backed by two salaries – no income tax –
free accommodation – free car etc but no film available
locally. He to take out enough to keep him going for well over two
years!
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
Thursday 24 October Locomotive
Club of Great Britain Noel Coates "The L&YR in B R Days"
Friday 25 October Great Western
Society North West Branch The Corris Railway by David Coleman.
26-27 October Llangollen
Railway Days Out with Thomas
Wednesday, 30 October Ffestiniog Railway
Society Dee & Mersey Group Birkenhead Tramways & The Wirral
Tramway by Rob Jones
Thursday 31 October Llangollen
Railway Ghost Train evening
Thursday 31 October Richard Sant Merseyside Railway
History Group 'Building the new Patriot engine'
November
2013
Friday 1 November Clwyd Railway
Circle Paul Davies 'The Buckley Railway and the
Industries it served' The talk celebrates the 150th Anniversary of the
railway.
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
Friday 8 November Altrincham
Electric Preservation Society FREIGHT AROUND THE WORLD by John
Ryan. Presentation is 90% steam
9-10 November Llangollen
Railway Remembrance Weekend
Monday 11 November Wrexham Railway Society.
John
Fry,
North
West
Electrification,
speaking
on
the
electrification
of
a
large
number
of
secondary
lines
in
the
Northwest
these
and
the
forthcoming
initial
phase
of
the
work
across Chat Moss in particular.
Thursday 14 November Llandudno
and
Conwy
Valley Railway Society AGM 'American Wanderings Part 1'
Gordon Davies
Monday 18 November RCTS
Merseyside,
Chester
&
North
Wales
‘Circular tour of North Wales from 1966 to 1980’ by John
Hobbs.
Thursday 21 November Locomotive Club of
Great Britain Steve Fort "Carlisle to Crewe " - mainly steam
scenes
Wednesday, 27 November Ffestiniog Railway
Society Dee & Mersey Group George England Locomotives, by Chris
Jones
Thursday 28 November Geoff Morris Merseyside Railway
History Group 'The Many Varied Railways of Australia'
Friday 29 November Great
Western Society North West Branch Railways of the Iberian
Peninsula, by Barry Rushton.
Saturday 30 November Llangollen
Railway Santa Specials
December
2013
1 December Llangollen
Railway Santa Specials
Friday 6 December Clwyd Railway
Circle 'Members Night & Christmas Celebration'
Members are invited to give a 15/20 minute presentation of their choice
(any format). This will be interrupted by festive treats (all high
calories). Members must book their slot no later than 16th November by
telephoning David Jones.
7-8 December Llangollen
Railway Santa Specials
7 December Llangollen
Railway Real Ale Train evening
Monday 9 December Wrexham Railway Society.
Stephen
Gay,
Railways
in
a
Yorkshire
Landscape,
from
Sheffield,
he
specialises
in
researching
and
photographing
railways,
particularly
the
old
lines
and
former
features
alongside
current
routes
all
over
Britain
by walking along them in the company of his dog. He is a
Yorkshireman
and his presentation will be based on his home county, including the
beautiful Settle to Carlisle line.
Thursday 12 December Merseyside Railway
History Group Geoff Coward 'Europe & The Old Buffers'
Thursday 12 December Llandudno
and
Conwy
Valley Railway Society Xmas Social/ 'All Change at the
Junction' Local Speakers
Friday 13 December Altrincham
Electric Preservation Society STEAM SHEDS ACROSS THE YEARS By John
Sloane
14-15 December Llangollen
Railway Santa Specials
Monday 16 December RCTS
Merseyside,
Chester
&
North
Wales ‘Early Days’ by
David Maidment, Formerly Operations
Manager BR London Midland Region David presents his early days at
Swindon and commuting on the Southern and around the UK in the early
60s
Thursday 19 December Locomotive Club of
Great Britain John Ryan "Various Gauges in France and Spain
1966 to 1973"
20-24 December Llangollen
Railway Santa Specials
26-31 December Llangollen
Railway Mince Pie Specials.
January 2014
1 January 2014 Llangollen
Railway Mince Pie Specials.
Friday 3 January Clwyd Railway
Circle David Rapson 'Wrexham to Bidston Line' A history
of the route illustrated with pictures covering the last 70 years.
Thursday 9 January Llandudno
and
Conwy
Valley Railway Society 'From a Driver’s point of view'
Dave Trains
Friday 10 January Altrincham
Electric Preservation Society HISTORY OF BOLTON TRAMWAYS by Derek
Shepherd (Vice-Chairman, Heaton Park Tramway)
Monday 13 January Wrexham Railway Society.
ANNUAL
GENERAL
MEETING
AND
RAIL
REVIEW
ENTERTAINMENT
Annual
General
Meeting
will
be
followed
by
various
members’
own
presentations.
Monday 20 January RCTS
Merseyside,
Chester
&
North
Wales
BRANCH A.G.M Followed by Alan Donaldson ‘Around
Britain 1983 to 2010’
Thursday 30 January Merseyside Railway
History Group David Rapson 'Seacombe to Wrexham'
February
2014
Friday 7 February Clwyd Railway
Circle
Brian Bollington & Peter Hanahoe 'Polish Steam'
The presentation
is a mix of slide shows and video showing steam on the national
network, including shed scenes, taken in the 1990’s.
Monday 10 February Wrexham Railway Society.
Fred
Kirk,
A
Scottish
Trip
60
Years
On.
The
results
of
a
week
long
trip
to
Scotland,
shed
bashing
previously
not
seen,
black
and
white
images
of
long
gone
shed scenes, Princes Street station etc.
Thursday 13 February Llandudno
and
Conwy
Valley Railway Society 'A short history of Crosville &
my time with it' Clive
Myers
Friday 14 February Altrincham
Electric Preservation Society A JOURNEY FROM MANCHESTER TO
EASTLEIGH WORKS IN 1910 By Mike Hayward (Secretary, Manchester
Locomotive Society)
Monday 17 February RCTS
Merseyside,
Chester
&
North
Wales Barry Shore ‘BR freight in the post steam
era 1967 to
1979’
Thursday 20 February Locomotive Club of
Great Britain John Sloane "BR Scenes from the 60s”
Thursday 27 February Merseyside Railway
History Group Allan Lewis 'Union Pacific Steam'
March 2014
Friday 7 March Clwyd Railway
Circle
The Committee & David Southern AGM followed by
the talk
'Railways of the Wirral' After the formality is over,
we can look
forward to Dave sharing his railway experiences of 60 years living on
the Wirral.
Monday 10 March Wrexham Railway Society.
Geoff
Morris-
Railways
of
New
Zealand
a
digital
presentation
based
on
two
steam-hauled
trips
around
New
Zealand
in
2011
&
2012
including
both
preservation
activities
and
the
rapidly-changing
current railway
scene on the other side of the world.
Thursday 13 March Llandudno
and
Conwy
Valley Railway Society 'The Dinorwic Quarry Railway &
its locomotives' Eric Lander
Monday 17 March RCTS
Merseyside,
Chester
&
North
Wales
‘The Ugly Duckling’: Bob Casselden looks at the transformation of
B.R.’s ‘Other Provincial Services’ via ‘Regional Railways’ into today’s
privatised railways
Friday 14 March Altrincham
Electric Preservation Society A Selection of Doug Darby's UK
PHOTOGRAPHS by Paul Shackcloth (Photographic Officer, Manchester
Locomotive Society)
Thursday 23 January Locomotive Club of
Great Britain Neville Bond “From Sea to Shining Sea” 30 years
of North American scenes
Thursday 20 March Locomotive Club of
Great Britain Dr Michael Bailey "The Manchester Ship Canal
Railway"
Thursday 27 March Merseyside Railway
History Group AGM & Members Slides
April 2014
Friday 4 April Clwyd Railway
Circle Ron Watson-Jones 'The Irish Mail
Train Crash at Penmaenmawr Aug 1950' Ron’s account of the accident on
27th August 1950.
Thursday 10 April Llandudno
and
Conwy
Valley Railway Society 'Welsh Wanderings in the 1980’s
& 90’s' Geoff Morris
Thursday 10 April Merseyside Railway
History Group Ted Lloyd 'Quiz and informal evening'
Friday 11 April Altrincham
Electric Preservation Society Slides from the Manchester locomotive
society collection by David Young. Mainly steam locomotives taken
1950s and 1960s
Monday 14 April Wrexham
Railway
Society.
Jon Penn. Railway Pictures From the 1960’s –scanned
black and white
negatives and vintage colour slides, favouring the Cheshire and
surrounding areas.
Monday 28 April RCTS
Merseyside, Chester & North Wales ‘South of the
Border steam in the 50s and 60s’ by David Kelso, David
travels from Kent to present a follow up to his earlier North of
the
border presentation, including a period when he was resident in the
West Riding of Yorkshire.
Thursday 17 April Locomotive Club of
Great Britain Norman Matthews "Steam in Central America"
May 2014
Thursday 8 May Llandudno
and
Conwy
Valley Railway Society 'The Deganwy Dock Story' Eric Smith
Thursday 15 May Locomotive Club of
Great Britain AGM and Members/Visitors Slides & Digital
Photos.
|
37 606 leads the Radio Survey train eastbound through
Llandudno Junction on 11 October. Picture by Jack Bowley with
his new Nikon camera.
Ffestiniog Steam 150
The Ffestiniog Railway spent the weekend of 11-13 October celebrating
150 years of the
introduction railway's first steam locomotive. Friday 11 October saw a
'Nightglow' event at Boston Lodge shed. Eryl Crump's picture
above shows 1863-built loco no. 2 Prince on the right (recently
returned to working order) and Merddin Emrys of 1879 on the
left. The Manager's bowler hat is modelled by FR/WHR Marketing Officer
Roger Dimmick.
Various special events and trains were
staged including a 'gravity train' and a 'quarryman's train' seen above
at Porthmadog on a wet Sunday 13 October with one of the original
locos. Picture by Greg Mape.
Unique 'Single Fairlie' loco Taliesin stands at Porthmadog with
a demonstration freight (Greg Mape).
Cars wait their turn as Welsh Highland Railway Beyer-Garratt 138
negotiates the street track in Porthmadog on the approach to the
station (Greg Mape).
Radio Surveys
Network Rail's Radio Survey Trains have become a common sight recently.
Above, at Llandudno, as 175 113 departs with the 09:45 to
Manchester and work on the rebuild progresses slowly in the
background, 37 612 waits to head for the mountains with
the 07:28 radio survey run from Crewe to Derby via Sandbach, Northwich,
Chester, Llandudno, North Llanrwst (10:19 - 12:22), Blaenau Ffestiniog,
Llandudno Junction, Chester, Crewe, Lichfield and Burton-on Trent,
arriving at Derby Railway Technical Centre three minutes early at
17:59. Picture by Larry Davies.
On the other end, 37 038 tails out of town under the now-iconic
gantry at Llandudno (formerly Llandudno No.2) signalbox (Larry Davies).
Built
in
1962
as
D6738,
at first thought the oldest Class 37s still in use with
a main line train company (but read on). One of its final runs before
its first
withdrawal in early 1999 was a North Wales Coast passenger turn,
substituting for a 37/4, on 27 November 1998.
It was sold by EWS to Ian Riley Engineering at Bury, running on the
East Lancashire Railway and elsewhere, including some main line jobs,
until sold again to DRS in 2003.
The Radio Survey train ran again of Friday 12 October, to the same
timetable, but with different traction in the shape of 37 608
and 37 606. Peter Lloyd's picture shows it westbound at
Llandudno Junction.
Anyone looking for the actual oldest Class 37 still in ordinary
service needs to look at these machines which in the 1990s were
converted for use by Eurostar. 37 608 was formerly D6722, built
in 1961, and sister loco 37 601 was formerly D6705, one of the first
37s built in 1960. The two oldest ones that still exist are in
preservation: D6700 is part of the national collection and 37 003
(D6703) belongs to the Class 37
Locomotive Group, whose website is an essential research resource
on 37s.
Seen again at Llandudno Junction on the return journey (Jack Bowley).
Runcorn East is 30
Runcorn East station (above, picture by John Hobbs) is 30 Years
old on Friday 18 October 2013. The
Mayor
of
Runcorn, The British
Legion and the Railway Chaplain will be in attendance at a ceremony
which commences at 11.00 and continues, after sowing of Poppy seeds in
the station grounds, at the nearby Murdishaw Community Centre until
13:00, where tea and Birthday Cake will be available.
The ceremony will dedicate the Poppy & Wild Flower Gardens which
have been prepared at Runcorn East with assistance from the Probation
Service, Halton Borough Council, Arriva Trains Wales and the North Cheshire Rail Users
Group. The Garden will form a suitable memorial to support
commemorations of the centenary of the First World War.
The Royal Society for the Protection
of Birds will mount a display and it is hoped to have a miniature
railway and, perhaps, a vintage vehicle in attendance. The plans
include a planting programme, for the extensive grassed areas at the
station, this will be focused on the idea of providing wildflower and
poppy meadows to enable reduced maintenance of the current grassed
areas and to increase the bio-diversity of the station area, in
conjunction with the current bird nesting box installation.
The Scenic Snowdonian - postscript
We asked if anyone knew how the proposed itinerary for the passengers
of the recent Scenic Snowdonian excursion, involving two though trains
on the Welsh Highland / Ffestiniog system one from each end, was
affected by the late running of the outward main line train de to loco
problems. It has been planned that half the passengers would travel
from Caernarfon to Blaenau Ffestiniog and the other half from Blaenau
to Caernarfon.
Our thanks to Paul Udey, who writes:
'The itinerary for the narrow gauge railway was changed on the day with
everyone alighting at Bangor for the road coach connection to
Caernarfon and returning from Blaenau to Llandudno Junction.'
Wirral Model Railway Exhibition
The Merseyside Model Railway Society's annual Model Railway Exhibition
on 26 and 27 October 2013 take place at Mosslands School,
Mosslands Drive, Wallasey, Merseyside CH45 8PJ. Opening times are 10am
- 5pm. and admission for adults is £5.00, concessions £4.00
and Children to 15 £3.00 (Under 5 free).
The show moved last year to Mosslands School in Wallasey Village which
proved a great venue: You can enjoy refreshments and free vintage bus
rides as well as the normal entertainments. Off-road parking is free
and there is full disabled access. We are just off the M53 at junction
1, 7 minutes by foot from Wallasey Village Station, Merseyrail (New
Brighton branch) & near the 423 bus route.
With 15 layouts, our usual traders, demonstrators and Society stands,
the Exhibition will have plenty happening for the family and enthusiast
alike. Full details are on the Merseyside MRS website.
Leaf Fall time again
The Rail Head Treatment Train (RHTT) with its high-pressure water jets
has started its usual autumn season which is likely to continue until
the December timetable change. Darren Durrant's pictures taken
at Colwyn Bay on 12 October show the train westbound (above) and
eastbound (below). The locomotives are Network Rail 97 303 and 97
302 from the small fleet fitted with the ERTMS signalling now in
use on the Cambrian lines west of Shrewsbury; the schedule for the
train includes part of this network from Shrewsbury to Machynlleth and
back.
The route of the train can vary
from day to day, but the overall plan as we see it is to start from
Crewe at 18:46 and head for Machynlleth where the train reverses at
about 21:30, returns to Shrewsbury and travels to Craven Arms and
return.
It spends the night running via Wrexham and Dee Marsh Junction to
Bidston, and back to Shrewsbury arriving at 07:04. It then travels via
Chester to Holyhead, arriving mid-morning, and then back to Crewe
arriving soon after lunchtime. Real Time Trains
is the place to look for the running on a given day: change the
operator code from 'all' to ZZ for non-passenger trains.
Expect the yellow livery to change to muddy brown as time goes on...
Running round at Llangollen - pictures by Martin Evans
On 12 October the British Railways Standard 4MT 2-6-4T 80072 in
traffic. Above, it prepares to leave Llangollen with the 11am
service to Carrog running tank first in true branch-line style. The
narrow upper part of the coal bunker gives the driver a reasonably good
view. Hornby-Dublo aficionados will note there is no 'power adjusting
screw' on the back of the water tank.
Preparing to run round at Llangollen having returned from Carrog.
Ediitor's notes: 155 locos of this type were built in the early 1950s,
based on the successful designs of 2-6-4 tank of the London Midland and
Scottish (LMS) Railway, with some modification of dimensions to
allow them to work an all British Railways regions. The design, under
the supervision of R.A. Riddles, formerly of the LMS, was completed at
the Southern Railway's Brighton Works, and features gently curved side
sheets to the tank, cab and bunker, as the pictures show. This feature,
unique to British tank locos, seems to owe something to the ideas of
Southern Railway engineer Oliver Bulleid, seen in his design of
coaches, on which the BR Mark 1s (seen in the picture) were based, and
the curious wartime 'Q1' steam loco. A similar concept later appeared,
probably coincidentally, in the 'Western' class diesels.
80072 now detached from its train to run round at Llangollen for the
1pm service to Carrog.
Preparing to take on water at Llangollen after running round.
Past Times by John Hobbs - Standard 2-6-4Ts
There were a lot more 2-6-4Ts around 49 years ago in 1964. Here is a
selection; many
of them found good homes. Above, BR Standard 2-6-4T 80080 rests
amongst the dross at Croes Newydd (Wrexham) with a Pannier Tank for
company on 30 June 1964; the loco is currently working on the East
Lancashire Railway and owned by Princess
Royal
Class Locomotive Trust
(PRCLT).
80097 at Criccieth with the Cambrian Coast freight; 4-6-0 75004
is on the left on the 1.30 pm (SX) Pwllheli to Portmadoc on 1 July
1964. The "Ringo" displayed on the smoke box was the fireman on the
loco and he has recently received a copy of this picture! The loco is
currently under restoration on the East Lancashire Railway.
80098 at Afon Wen, junction of the line from Caernarfon
with the Cambrian Coast line. Lots of steam age infrastructure, all
gone now of course; very little is left of Afon Wen. The loco is
heading the 10.25 am Pwllheli to Aberystwyth on 1 July 1964; this is
now another PRCLT machine and currently awaiting repairs.
80135 arrives at Hereford with the 9.48 am Gloucester to
Hereford. This was a turn for a Shrewsbury-based loco which worked an
early morning van train to Hereford then continued on to Gloucester via
Ross-on-Wye with a passenger service. So if you were looking to 'cop'
your Shrewsbury 2-6-4Ts they could be anywhere between Pwllheli and
Gloucester! This is 31 October 1964, the last day of the Gloucester to
Hereford service. This loco is awaiting repairs on the North Yorkshire
Moors Railway.
80105 rests at Barmouth before working the 2.20pm Barmouth
to Dovey Junction on 21 November 1964. Now in Scotland, the loco
belongs to members of the Scottish
Railway Preservation Society and has
visited railways in England recently.
Llandudno 27/28 September: another view - by Edwin
Chappell>
This is my photo of the
First Great Western special train on 27 September (see 30 September issue)
just
entering
the
Llandudno
Branch,
taken
from a moving Leyland Tiger Club 41-seater coach operated by
Alpine Coaches of Llandudno on the road to Conwy. I knew what time the
special was due at Llandudno (via this site) and by pure luck saw the
train at this point. I think I might be able to claim the award for
"photo taken from the most unusual place".
Leary: we should mention that the
operators were actually giving out free cups of tea to anyone who
wanted
one. Here is the proof.
The Omnibus Society
Presidential
Weekend for 2013 covered 4 days (coinciding with the ACoRP event) based
at Llandudno. It was hosted by Michael Morton, Managing Director,
Arriva Buses Wales and Arriva provided buses for all of the weekend bar
one trip. The first trip (above) used Arriva Wales open top bus 3996
(C212 GTU) to trace the route
of the Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Tramway. Upon returning, we had a
sightseeing trip on the Leyland Tiger Club coach operated by Alpine
Coaches, including Conwy and the Great Orme scenic drive.
Unknown to most of us, the
organisers of the weekend had arranged with the Llandudno and
Colwyn
Bay Tramway Society for their replica tram No. 7 to be at
Rhos-on-Sea
promenade for us to inspect as part of the tour. It is hauled by a
rather splendid AEC Matador unit.
This is a side view of the
replica tram and shows the various destinations on the tramway for
those who are less familiar with the tramway.
In addition, the Tramway
Society had arranged for two classic former Crosville buses to be
present specially for
members of the Omnibus Society. Above, DLG876 (833 AFM) is a Bristol
Lodekka LD6G built in 1957 which for a number of years until June 2013
was used by Dreadnought Coaches on a sightseeing service in Alnwick,
Northumberland.
Crosville ERG3 (OFM 3E) is a Bristol RESL6G built in 1967 for express
services.
For the rest of the weekend
Arriva Buses provided us with two modern buses, complete with special
destination messages. 2511
(CX05
AAJ), on the left, is a VDL SB200/Wright Commander whilst 4480
(CX61 CCZ) is one of the VDL/Wright Gemini double-deckers (4479 - 4488)
dedicated to Cymru
Coastliner route 11, Chester - Holywell - Caernarfon and
fitted with fashionable leather seats and wi-fi.
On the Saturday, our tour
of local bus operators took us to many places from Llanrwst right up to
Anglesey where we visited O.R. Jones & Sons at Llanfaethlu. Mr
Jones is very proud of his collection of old buses (AEC Regal LPT 328
and Bedford OB ECT 912) and lorry, and had
lined them up specially for us. The lorry was only finished its
restoration in June of this year and was a complete restoration job
from scratch.
On the Monday, we visited
depots and operators along the North Wales Coast and our first visit
was to the Arriva Buses depot at Rhyl (alongside the railway line)
where the Depot Supervisor had arranged a special welcome for us.
Talking to him, he said he thought he ought to something special; I
know it was much appreciated.
It was noticeable that many
small operators keep spare buses or coaches tucked away at the
back of their yard. Some though, may need a bit more attention before
they are ready for use! Name of operator tactfully withheld.
Challenge at Llangollen - report by George Jones
Barclay 0-6-0T No.17 (works no 1338 of 1913) has been delivered
to the Llangollen Railway works for restoration after many years laid
up at the Tanfield Railway. It is in poor external condition and lacks
the coupling rods after scrap-metal thieves made off with them in the
early years of its preservation. The loco has been quickly dismantled
and the boiler extracted for assessment. No doubt, with money, it can
be returned to working order.
Coming to the end of a major overhaul is former War Department 71516 Welsh
Guardsman (RSH 7170 of 1944) about to be steam-tested and returned
to the Gwili Railway, seen on shed after the overhauled boiler was
placed back in the frames and the piping-up was in progress. All
part of the Engineering challenges the locomotive works team will take
on, to apply skills and facilities which help to earn their keep.
A visit to Oswestry - with
Edwin Chappell
On Saturday 2 October, I
was attending the Dapol members
day, held this year at the Cambrian Heritage Railways station at
Oswestry. The train running consisted
of small Diesel Shunter Telemon and one Guards Van. Above
is a view of the
loco from the guard's van.
A view of the rather
impressive station building at Oswestry, headquarters of the pre-1922
Cambrian Railways company. It really gives a good idea of
how impressive a station this should become one day when the other
platform is restored and bought into use.
This is the limit of the
brake van rides and on the left are the remains of the old cattle and
sheep pens and their loading bay. The track on the right extends for a
further four miles but is not currently operated.
A return to Devil's Bridge, September 2013 - by Richard Putley
I can't remember when the last time I rode on the Vale of Rheidol narrow
gauge railway. I think it was after British Rail sold it in 1986. I
recall that privatisation had not made much impact. A couple of
un-recognised steam locos were stored on a head shunt, but there was no
mention of them in the very meagre guidebook. The recent news that the
Railway had acquired part of the old roof from London Bridge station
may well have been what prompted me to stay in Aberystwyth for a couple
of days and pay another visit to the Vale of Rheidol. So on
Monday 23 September I set off from Great Malvern on the 10:45 to
Hereford. This was on time.
At Hereford (above) I saw 66 083 standing on the down goods
line with a southbound steel train. Whilst waiting on the station a
coal train headed north behind a Freightliner 66. The 12:27 to Holyhead
also arrived on time. But we got signal checked at Craven Arms and
again at Marsh Brook due to having caught up the coal train. As a
result I missed the 13:27 from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth. A
number of fellow passengers had tickets for that train, so the station
manager at Shrewsbury offered to arrange a taxi. I however declined his
kind offer, pointing that had I wished to travel by road I would have
used my own car. Instead I opted to wait for the next train at 15:27.
I decided to kill time by walking up to the Castle in Shrewsbury. From
there I observed a 6 car (3 x 2 car 158s) arrive on a Birmingham
International - Holyhead service. The rear unit was detached and then
attached a few minutes later to a Holyhead - Birmingham
International service. The 15:27 was on time and I had an uneventful
journey to Aberystwyth where I soon found the Glengower Hotel which I'd
booked and enjoyed the pleasant evening. The hotel was very good and I
enjoyed the selection of real ales on offer.
On Tuesday 24 September the weather was again warm and sunny. I arrived
at the station in good time for the 10:30 Vale of Rheidol train to
Devil's Bridge. I was very pleased to see that the loco of the day was
none other than Number 9 Prince of Wales, the only one I had
not been hauled by before. The passing loops at Capel Bangor and
Aberffrwd have been re-instated. At the former we crossed a PW Way
vehicle.
I travelled in coach 4149, one of the open coaches with unglazed
windows. Like old tramcars, the seats in this carriage are reversible
so you can face the direction of travel on both outward and return legs
of the journey.
I returned to on the 12:30 from Devil's Bridge and watched the 14:00
depart from a table outside the Vale of Rheidol's shop.
On Wednesday 25 September I returned on the 11:30 from Aberystwyth to
Shrewsbury. The incoming train arrived 10 minutes late. No sooner had
we set off than we were told that we would have to get off at
Machynlleth as the unit was going to be taken out of service. When I
asked the guard if that meant we'd all have to cram in to the Pwllheli
portion, she replied: No they'd have a replacement unit waiting.
Sure enough when we arrived at Machynlleth a 4-car train was in front
of us and there was no difficulty in finding seats. Departure was only
5 minutes late - not bad in the circumstances. A gang of fitters were
seen waiting on the platform at Machynlleth waiting to deal with the
recalcitrant 158. Arrival at Shrewsbury was on time and I had no
difficulty in getting the 13:40 to Hereford. This too was punctual as
was my connection to Great Malvern at 14:40 from Hereford. So ended an
enjoyable short break.
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