21 April 2014
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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This list may be out of date if you are reading an archived page.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.
April 2014
Friday 25 April Great Western Society
Tony Icke 'Around the regions in the
sixties'
Saturday 26 April Excursion Chester
Model
Railway
Club
/
FR
Dee
and
Mersey: 'Somerset Coast Express'
Hooton, Bache, Wrexham, Gobowen and Shrewsbury to Bristol,
Weston-super-Mare, Taunton and Minehead.
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.
May 2014
Friday 2 May (change of date) Mid-Cheshire
Rail
Users'
Association Excursion from Hooton, Chester and stations on
the mid-Cheshire line to Dumfries, Kilmarnock and Ayr.
Thursday 8 May Llandudno
and
Conwy
Valley Railway Society 'The Deganwy Dock Story' Eric Smith
Saturday 10 May Wirral
O Gauge group
open afternoon: 'We would like to invite model railway people to come
along and bring a loco or just watch. We are also looking for new
members to join us.' Unit 7, The Odyssey Centre, Corporation Road,
Birkenhead, CH41 1HB on 10th May 2014 from 13.00 to 17.00. Admission
£2. 2 rail F/s DC & DCC continuous tracks. More details can be
obtained from Jenny Elliott on 0151 6530637 or j.elliott37[at]sky.com
Tuesday 13 May 8E Railway
Association Les Nixon - Railways of Scotland.
Tuesday 13 May (Change of Date)
North
Wales Railway Circle A.G.M. followed by Members Videos,
Prints, Slides, and Digital work in the Photo Competition.
Thursday 15 May Locomotive Club of
Great Britain AGM and Members/Visitors Slides & Digital
Photos.
Saturday 24 May Steam on the Coast Vintage Trains Seaside
Flyer hauled by steam loco 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
from Tyseley, Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe to Llandudno for the
Llandudno Air Tattoo which is taking place that day.
June 2014
July 2014
Saturday 5 July North Wales
Area Group of the N Gauge Society.
Welsh N Gauge Model Railway Show. St Mary's and St John's Halls,
Rosehill Street, Conwy. What? - The largest gathering of N
Gauge
model railway layouts in Wales Opening times - 10.00am to 4.00pm
Admission £4.00 adults - £3.00 concessions - Children under
15 Free
when accompanied by a paying adult.
Sunday 27 July Steam on the Coast. Railway
Touring
Company. 'North Wales Coast Express' Liverpool, Broad
Green, Warrington BQ, Frodsham and Chester to Llandudno, Bangor and
Holyhead.
Tuesday 29 July Steam on the Coast. Railway
Touring
Company. Welsh Mountaineer. Preston, Warrington BQ,
Frodsham and Chester to Blaenau Ffestiniog.
August 2014
Sunday 3 August Steam on the Coast. Railway Touring Company.
North Wales Coast Express Crewe, Wilmslow, Stockport, Manchester
Piccadilly, Altrincham and Chester to Llandudno, Bangor and Holyhead.
Diesel-hauled Crewe - Manchester.
Sunday 10 August Steam on the Coast. Railway Touring Company.
North Wales Coast Express Crewe, Wilmslow, Stockport, Manchester
Piccadilly, Altrincham and Chester to Llandudno, Bangor and Holyhead.
Diesel-hauled Crewe - Manchester.
Sunday 17 August Steam on the Coast. Railway
Touring
Company. 'North Wales Coast Express' Liverpool, Broad
Green, Warrington BQ, Frodsham and Chester to Llandudno, Bangor and
Holyhead.
Tuesday 19 August Steam on the Coast. Railway
Touring
Company. Welsh Mountaineer. Preston, Warrington BQ,
Frodsham and Chester to Blaenau Ffestiniog.
September 2014
Tuesday 2 September Steam on the Coast. Railway
Touring
Company. Welsh Mountaineer. Preston, Warrington BQ,
Frodsham and Chester to Blaenau Ffestiniog.
Sunday 7 September Steam on the Coast. Railway Touring Company.
North Wales Coast Express Crewe, Wilmslow, Stockport, Manchester
Piccadilly, Altrincham and Chester to Llandudno, Bangor and Holyhead.
Diesel-hauled Crewe - Manchester.
Saturday 20 September Steam on the Coast. Steam Dreams: Cathedrals Express.
London -
Holyhead.
|
The narrow-gauge Bala Lake Railway, notable for its lake views, is now
operating daily over 4½ miles of what was once the Ruabon to Barmouth
main line, between Bala and Llanuwchllyn (except certain Mondays and
Fridays) until 28 December: see the Timetable Page for details. The
picture by Bob Greenhalgh shows
Hunslet-built
loco Alice in
service on a sunny 16 April.
New 68s, and thoughts from Winwick Junction - by John Hobbs
On 16 April (above) 37 609
heads towards the former Winwick Quay area with brand new locos 68 003 Astute, 68 004 Rapid and 68 005 Defiant (already fitted with their
Warship nameplates) in tow; quite a contrast in locomotive design over
60 years. Let's hope that 68 003 fares better than its namesake
submarine which famously
ran
aground during sea trials in 2010.
The going-away shot shows the fine lines of these locomotives; the
'rumour factory' says they will soon be working from Holyhead to
Cardiff as well as Birmingham to Marylebone. [The first chance to
travel behind a 68 may be the Pathfinder Tours 'Caterpillar
Cat' excursion from Eastleigh to Crewe and Chester planned for 19
July, named after the Caterpillar company whose diesel engines are
fitted in these locos.]
Northern Rail 156 455 passes
with the 11:16 Liverpool (Lime Street) to Warrington (Bank Quay)
service. These trains are rumoured for early conversion to electric
working with class 319s; we will see if they can spare enough of those
high-mileage trains to do that; the first two will arrive in the North West
un-reburbished, unlike the 170's that are leaving Trans Pennine
Express (TPE) which are being equipped with wi-fi and having an
overhaul to meet Chiltern's high standards before they take them on. If
somebody wanted to, of course, we could now have electric trains from
Manchester (Oxford Road) to Warrington (Bank Quay), a bit unnecessary
but we could.
Electric freight with 92 024 JS Bach also passed Winwick
Junction with the 06.05 Mossend to Daventry which, although it started
very late was nearly on time by the time it reached Warrington. This
loco still carries its original British Rail Railfreight livery, with
EWS sticker, although now part of the DB Schenker fleet.
66 109 heads North
towards Winwick Junction as a buzzard takes flight from one of the
pylons; it can be seen gliding away to the left.
Sun, Scenery and 'Syphons'
A colourful train such as the Radio Survey Train, a Class 37, a sunny
day, and the North Wales scenery put together make a magnet for
photographers. 37 611
leads the along the Chester - Wrexham single line (very soon to be
partly doubled) at Rossett on 15 April. 37 612 was on the rear.
(The curious name 'Syphon' used
by some railfans for this loco class, particularly in its early days,
is explained by an anonymous Internet pundit: 'When the locos were
first introduced they were dubbed by some as 'Syphons' in reference to
the GWR "Syphon" parcels/milk vans in use at the time, primarily
because "EE Type 3" rhymed with "Syphon G". The name used for the
vans was one of many randomly-chosen telegraphic codes used by the
Great Western Railway for different types of Wagon. The idea survives
today in the names of marine creatures applied to wagons used to carry
railway track components etc. End of digression)
At Penyffordd on the Bidston line, with 37 612 now leading as 150 267, working the 12:32 Bidston -
Wrexham despite the setting of the destination blind, calls at the
station (Bob Greenhalgh).
Following the visit to Bidston, 37 611 approaches Wrexham Central later
in the afternoon for a stop of just 7 minutes, a rare visit of a
locomotive-hauled train to this small terminus (Mark Riley).
The train stopped just long enough for Mark
Riley to get ahead for a picture of it heading back along the
branch line to Wrexham General. A lot of the encroaching vegetation has
been cut back, opening up the view in this area considerably.
The train re-appeared on 18 April as the 09:00 from Crewe, its mission
to travel up the Conwy Valley to Blaenau Ffestiniog, before returning
to Chester and heading via Wrexham to Shrewsbury, then back via
Chester, Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent to its base in Derby. James Shuttleworth's picture (above)
shows it heading out of Chester pas the canal locos towards the North
Wales Coast.
North Llanrwst station (Garry Stroud).
The
train paused here from 11:09 to 12:25 to await the passing of the
11:46 Blaenau Ffestiniog - Llandudno passenger service; perhaps the
train crew took the chance to have lunch.
Crossing the Conwy river above Llanrwst (Garry Stroud).
Blaenau Ffestiniog (Dave Sallery)
Down the line at Tan-y-Bwlch, a Ffestiniog Railway train headed
by Earl of Merioneth (Dave Sallery).
The return train near Dolwyddelan (Garry
Stroud).
Dolgarrog station (Garry Stroud).
The tide was in at Glan Conwy (Ivor
Bufton).
Departing Llandudno Junction for Chester, with 37 612 now on the rear (Garry Stroud).
Having reversed at Chester, 37 612 is in charge again heading for
Saltney Junction and the Wrexham line. The single-line branch in the
background is the link to the Merseyrail electric line, the side of the
triangle of lines not normally used by passenger trains (James Shuttleworth).
In good afternoon light, approaching Wrexham General (Mark Riley).
Mark Riley's final view
of this particular train was on the last leg of its itinerary, heading
back north over Cefn viaduct, returning to Crewe via Wrexham and
Chester.
Running slightly late at 17:55, the train passes Saltney heading for
Chester (Bob Greenhalgh).
A visit from Bridlington
West Coast 47 786 Roy Castle OBE eases past Conwy
Castle with the 06:30 Bridlington - Holyhead excursion on 19 April. The
twelve-coach train called at Conwy station on the outward and return
journeys. Picture by Chris Morrison.
Passing Waen Crossing (Darren Durrant).
West Coast 47 826 powers the
16:30 Holyhead - Bridlington return charter past Rhosneigr on 19 April.
47 786 was on the rear (Chris Morrison).
The Radio Survey Train's job is testing the signal strength and
operation of the new GSM-R train-to-base communication network which
'went live' on 1 April and and replaces the now-outdated NRN radio
which will be switched off at the end of the year. Our picture
shows the cab console of a Class 150 prepared to work train 2D16, a
Conwy Valley service.
A separate network, but using digital mobile phone protocols, the new
system is responsible for the conspicuous steel towers which have
appeared at points along the railway. The data capability of GSM-R
offer the option of use for more than just talking to control, and is
an essential feature of the ERTMS signalling now installed as a pilot
scheme on the Cambrian lines.
Railcar miscellany
Above, the 14.23 Chester - Holyhead on 19 April, formed of 175 005, approaches the partly
reconstructed Saltney Junction, whence it will continue on the line
heading off to the top right of the picture by Tony Robinson. When complete, trains
from Chester to Wrexham will take the left-hand route at the turnout
seen just ahead of the train, and continue on the re-instated second
track. Lengths of rail have been laid down in the 'four foot' along the
length of the track through what was once Saltney Yard in preparation
for the re-instatement of double track.
Some Arriva trains now carry 'Ten Years of Service' decorations, as
exemplified by 150 213,
photographed at Llandudno Junction on 19 May by Chris Morrison.
Here's the version on 158 833,
photographed by George Jones
at Wrexham on 16 April. The roundel is at the 'inner' end of the coach.
Light and shade at Manchester Piccadilly on 18 April as 175 102 waits with the 17:30
departure to South Wales (Charlie Hulme).
Merseyrail electric 507 003
departs Chester in bright sunny conditions with the 17:15 to Liverpool
Central on 8 April (Martin Evans).
Fleet-wide
replacement
of this livery, which introduced in 2003 and has tended to suffer from
the attentions of the train washing plant, has begun. These trains, 33
of which were built built from 1978-80, along with the similar Class
508s, are some of the oldest in everyday use on the National Rail
system, although they still look quite modern.
A 10-car Virgin 'Super Voyager' comprised of 221 103 Christopher Columbus and
de-named 221 116 rushes
through Abergele forming the 09:10 from London Euston to Holyhead on 19
April (Roly High).
Penyffordd Puzzle solved
In the last issue
we expressed confusion about the working of the empty coal wagons after
unloading at Penyffordd Cement works. The timetable shows that
the train heads to Dee Marsh Junction where the loco runs round the
train which then heads back south, passing through Penyffordd station
on the way to Croes Newydd and another run-round. The actual timings on
the Real Time Trains (RTT) website,
however, appear to suggest that the trip to Dee Marsh does not happen
and the train heads directly south from Penyffordd.
However, observations by our contributors of the train which ran on 16
April prove that it certainly does happen. Paul Shannon photographed the train
heading north, with Penyffordd station in the distance. 66 120 is the loco of the day. The
train left Penyffordd cement sidings at 17:16, no data appears to have
been entered at Dee Marsh, and a time of 17:18 (93 minutes early) was
recorded for Penyfford station (presumably the signalbox). It seems
that the RTT software, or maybe the railway's own system, cannot deal
with two consecutive timings recorded for the same place.
Bob Greenhalgh visited
Penyfford station, and photographed the train (above) passing
southbound on its way back from Dee Marsh at 18:57. Note the
discrepancy in spelling between the signalbox sign and Arriva's station
sign.
Incidentally, although coal used to come from Maltby Colliery in
Yorkshire and a path from there still exists on the timetable database,
that closed in 2013 and the source is now New Cumnock in Scotland.
Locomotive assortment
Crewe on 17 April, and a meeting of locos built by Brush Traction of
Loughborough. 31 233 heads a Network Rail train heading for Wigan past 57 304 Pride of Cheshire on 'Thunderbird'
standby duty. Picture by Darren
Durrant.
Class 08 shunters, once a huge fleet but now much reduced, rarely
feature here. Martin Evans photographed
Riviera
Trains 08 507 looking very smart on pilot
duty in Crewe Carriage sidings on 15 March.
Photographed from the Fridays-only 10:33 Stockport - Stalybridge on 18
April, while being entertained (along as many other passengers than ORR
statistics claim use this service in a whole year!) by a folk-music duo
provided by the Friends of
Reddish South Station, a lucky shot of 66 521 in Freightliner Heavy Haul's
sidings at Guide Bridge, set against a digitally-enhanced sky. The pile
of ballast to the right looks like grey Penmaenmawr Quarry material,
now no longer used by Network Rail in favour of pink Cumbrian granite
as seen in the Saltney Junction picture above. It may be left over from
the deliveries to Manchester Metrolink for the Rochdale and East
Didsbury lines in 2011-12.
Class 37/6 locos feature heavily in this issue, so readers might be
interested to see what they looked like in the heady days
of the early 1990s when it was thought that 'Regional Eurostars' and
sleeping-car trains would link major cities other than London to the
Continent. Twelve refurbished Class 37 locos from the 37/5 series were
fitted with additional wiring to work with passenger trains, renumbered
37 601 to 612 and given the 'tunnel segments' adornments also seen on
Class 92s. They were to act as 'rescue locomotives' for Eurostars and
also haul the proposed overnight trains from the west of England. The
project came to nothing (very sadly) and they saw little use before
being sold to DRS.
In the picture, 37 608 (nearest
camera)
and 37 604 lay over at
Stockport, after (I think) hauling a Regional Eurostar set to the
newly-built depot at Longsight; a shiny new Class 158 can be seen in
the distance. The depot featured its large but ungrammatical sign
'Le Eurostar habite ici' for years afterwards until part of it blew off
in a gale. The building has been used at times by Alstom and by Siemens
for various projects. Behind the loco a pair of the Eurostar translator
vehicles converted from bogie parcels vans; the Eurostar-style coupler
can be seen covered by a yellow bag; these could be lowered for use in
a similar way to the later Virgin Class 37/3 locos.
Past Times with Dennis Kerrison - GWR Moguls at large
Captions by John Hobbs
GWR 43XX Mogul 7314 leaves
Chester for the east, leaving behind a fine trail of smoke which would
quickly raise complaints today and possibly a "Form 1" (please
explain...) even then. It's a Class 2 train so could be an all
stations to Shrewsbury perhaps bound for Barmouth. On such a
horrible wet day that old fashioned cab will not offer much protection
in the Welsh hills. The engine was built in 1921 and lasted until
February 1963.
The remnants of Chester station roof are suspended overhead and
rebuilding is not far away, although this spot is the inevitable car
park today. This all happened on 3 September 1960.
6368 is seen at Pwllheli on 14 September 1962, having just left the
station on the "Up" main. There was double track to Pwllheli East, on
what is now a shunting loop to enable loco hauled trains to be recessed
to allow others to operate; the track layout has obviously been
extensively rationalised. This train will no doubt be bound for Dovey
Junction to connect with a train for Shrewsbury or Aberystwyth,
although some trains were short workings to Criccieth, Portmadoc or
Barmouth. 6368 is in
poor external condition - shown particularly clearly by the colour
photography - reflecting the declining standards inflicted on
locomotives as the sixties passed. It would last out until withdrawal
at the end of 1963.
Have you ever seen such a marvellous sight as this? The locomotive is
in magnificent condition and is running light engine into
Barmouth having probably been to Barmouth Junction to turn on the
triangle of lines there in readiness to work a service over Barmouth
Bridge to either Ruabon or Dovey Junction. This is July 1957 and 6339 would last until July 1962.
At about this period I was taken on a "Land Cruise" train by an Aunt
who lived in Ruthin, we boarded the train there and enjoyed the trip
through the Welsh hills past Bala lake to Barmouth; at Barmouth she
rashly let me stand on the footbridge at the adjacent level crossing
immediately to the south of Barmouth Station to watch the locomotives
which were all in similar sparkling condition, and she missed her lunch
as I could not be persuaded to leave this railway heaven! We later
continued our travels returning to Rhyl with a bus back to Ruthin
included in the price. The story of how my Aunt missed her lunch
circulated in the family for years.
North
Wales Coast
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