NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY:NOTICE BOARDRheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd |
|
Home | Notice Board | Travel Info | Calendar | History | Route Guide | The Trains | For Railfans | Links | Contact | |
06 July 2015Last issue Archive RSS Link to this issue Share this issue Tweet Tweets by @NWrail1 Contributions and comments are encouraged: see the Contributions Page This list may be out of date if you are reading an archived page. For the current list visit our Calendar. July 2015 Sunday 19 July Steam on the Coast. Railway Touring Company North Wales Coast Express. Liverpool - Holyhead and return Tuesday 21 July Steam on the Coast. Railway Touring Company. Welsh Mountaineer. Preston - Blaenau Ffestiniog. August 2015 Sunday 2 August Steam on the Coast. Railway Touring Company North Wales Coast Express. Liverpool - Holyhead and return Tuesday 4 August Steam on the Coast. Railway Touring Company. Welsh Mountaineer. Preston - Blaenau Ffestiniog. Sunday 16 August Stockport Railshow, Stockport station. Sunday 16 August Excursion West Coast Railways Holyhead, Llanfairpwll, Bangor, Llandudno Junction, Colwyn Bay, Rhyl, Flint, Chester, Frodsham, Warrington, Preston, Lancaster & Oxenholme to Edinburgh. Tuesday 25 August Steam on the Coast. Railway Touring Company. Welsh Mountaineer. Preston - Blaenau Ffestiniog. 28-30 August. Bala Lake Railway: 'Winifred' gala. September 2015 Wednesday 9 September Excursion West Coast Railways The Conway Valley Explorer Via the Scenic Conway line (with Ffestiniog Railway option) Sheffield to Betws-Y-Coed and Blaenau Ffestiniog. From Sheffield, Rotherham Central, Swinton, Moorthorpe, Normanton, Shipley, Keighley, Skipton, Hellifield, Carnforth & Lancaster. 12 September Excursion West Coast Railways The Conway Valley Explorer Via the Scenic Conway line (with Ffestiniog Railway option) Scarborough to Betws-Y-Coed & Blaenau Ffestiniog. From Scarborough, Seamer, Malton, York, Wakefield, Brighouse, Sowerby Bridge, Hebden Bridge, Todmorden & Rochdale. Monday 21 September RCTS: Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, Merseyside, Chester and North Wales Branch. LNER an appreciation by John Feild. Local member and keen follower of anything LNER John takes a look back at locomotives of that company and of its predecessors including some of them at Chester Northgate station Friday 25 September. Great Western Society NW Branch. P. Spilsbury. Steam Miscellaneous. October 2015 Saturday 10 October Excursion West Coast Railways The Conway Valley Explorer Via the Scenic Conway line (with Ffestiniog Railway option) Hereford to Betws-Y-Coed Departs – From Hereford, Ledbury, Gt Malvern, Worcester FS, Droitwich, Barnt Green, Walsall & Wolverhampton. Monday 19 October RCTS: Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, Merseyside, Chester and North Wales Branch. Aspects of the Chester & Birkenhead Line by John Ryan To mark the 175th Anniversary of Railways across Cheshire former BR Civil Engineer and local rail historian John looks at the more recent rail aspects of this line Friday 30 October. Great Western Society NW Branch. Mike Kenwright. Cutting of the Manchester Ship Canal. November 2015 Monday 16 November RCTS: Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, Merseyside, Chester and North Wales Branch. LNER, an appreciation by John Feild. Northern Delights by Steve Batty Steve our RO Branch News Editor and railway author from Selby reviews modern traction in Northern England 2002 2009. Friday 27 November. Great Western Society NW Branch. John Hobbs. A Black & White presentation, North Wales Circular 1963 - 66 (Steam) December 2015 Monday 21 December RCTS: Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, Merseyside, Chester and North Wales Branch. Arriva Trains Wales. Last 10 years going forward with Ben Davies. This is an opportunity to hear about more about one of our local Train Operating Companies from one of its locally based officers. January 2016 Monday 18 January RCTS: Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, Merseyside, Chester and North Wales Branch. BRANCH A.G.M followed by Back to The 60s with Geoff Coward. Geoff highlights photographs in various locations of the last few years of steam (1964-1968), including early diesels, mostly in the North West of England. February 2016 Monday 15 February RCTS: Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, Merseyside, Chester and North Wales Branch. "American Wanderings - Heading East" by Gordon Davies. Gordonm our RCTS National Chairman gives a digital presentation showing the American railroad scene in the eastern states depicting diesel locomotives working passenger and freight trains as well as electric locomotives, light rail and preserved steam in operation on preservation lines. March 2016 Monday 21 March RCTS: Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, Merseyside, Chester and North Wales Branch. "20 Years Of The Privatised Railway - What Does The Future Hold?" by Bob Casselden. Bob, a retired former B.R. manager looks at the changes to Britain's privatised railway over the last twenty years and reflects on what the future might bring. April 2016 Monday 18 April RCTS: Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, Merseyside, Chester and North Wales Branch. One Mans Rubbish is Anothers Treasure by Russell Hatt. Russell presents a selection of historic railway photographs that whilst too poor for publication are of interest to the railway historian. May 2016 June 2016 |
35028 Clan Line at Three Locks, north of Leighton Buzzard, with the 'Clan Line Farewell' charter on 30 June. Picture by Roger Carvell. Lincoln to BlaenauFriday 3 June saw a West Coast Railways excursion, 1Z35 05:42 from Lincoln Central, made its way up the Conwy Valley, top-and-tailed by 47 832 and 47 237. Above, 47 832 recovers from a signal check at Rhyl in the morning (Roly High). West of Rhyl (Tim Rogers). 47 237 passes Tal-y-Cafn with its platform 'hump'. Picture by Dave Sallery. The loop at North Llanrwst at 12:23, with the excursion meeting 150 242 on the 11:46 Blaenau Ffestiniog - Llandudno service (Dave Sallery). Most excursions visiting this line run at this time because of the need to use the only passing loop between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau. 47 832 in view as the train waits in the siding at Blaenau; after arrival at 13:10, the train must shunt to the siding to free the platform for the service train which stands there from 14:32 to 14:57, returning to the platform for its 16:10 return to Lincoln, arr. 23:10 (Dave Sallery). 47 832 has brought the train back to Llandudno Junction (Peter Lloyd). 47 237 hauls the return train past the station site at Bagillt (Tim Rogers). A second trip, originally advertised for Saturday 4 July, did not run. West Shore Railway news - by Keith JonesSaturday 27 June was a red letter day for the West Shore Miniature Railway in Llandudno as we had the opening of stage two of the new line. Above, the vice-chairman drives the new loco paid for by Llandudno Council. The passengers are 'Alice' and lots of brass: the Mayors of Llandudno and Aberconwy. The running-in board coming in handy. The steam for the day was 'Manor' 7800 just about to go into the top cutting. This is one of my locos, driven by myself. The railway offers free train rides until end of October on Saturdays and Bank Holiday Weekend from Midday to 4pm (Weather Permitting). More information at www.nwmes.org.uk. Clan Line to Chester35028 Clan Line passing Slindon, south of Crewe, with the London Victoria to Chester charter on 30 June (Stavros Lainas). Hargrave, between Crewe and Chester (Tim Rogers). The sparkling condition of the loco belies the fact that this is the 'Clan Line Farewell' - the last duty before the it was taken out of traffic for an overhaul. Arrival at Chester (Derek French). This a rare excursion for 35028, which has usually been used on Venice Simplon Orient Express 'British Pullman' excursions in the south of England. The 30 'Merchant Navy' class locos were all named for shipping lines, and carried special nameplates including the appropriate flag. Designed by Oliver Bulleid for the Southern Railway, they originally had various innovative features and an 'air-smoothed' casing. Remarkably, in the late 1950s, when diesel locomotives were already available, it was decided to rebuild them into a more conventional form, inspired by the British Railways standard classes. Picture by Derek French. Heading out of Chester station; the whole train was turned on the triangle west of the station (Roly High). The steam emerging at the rear of the tender is from the coal-pusher which helps the fireman bring coal to the front of the coal space. The evening return train, passes Hargrave (Ian Pilkington). The steam loco was detached at Crewe, where its overhaul will be carried out, and an electric loco took the train on to London Euston. Arriva on mid-Cheshire lineAn out-of-the-ordinary event on Tuesday 30 June was an non-stop empty-stock run from Chester to Manchester Piccadilly and back via Northwich by 175 003. Arriva Trains Wales units are not normally seen on this line at present; are some diversions planned? Picture near Baguley between Altrincham and Manchester by Greg Mape. Ultrasonic testingJim Johnson photographed 37 604 on Ultrasonic Test Train 3Q83 at Bangor on Wednesday, 1 July. It had arrived in the early hours of Wednesday morning (04:35) from Derby Rail Technical Centre after working to Holyhead, and stayed parked up all day in the old Platform 4. Departure was at 21:33 Wednesday night. The consist is generator van 6261, Ultrasonic Test coach 62287, driving trailer 9702. The purpose of these tests is to detect any flaws in the rails. which could lead to breakages. East Lancashire Diesels - report by David HennesseyOver the weekend of Friday 3, Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 July 2015, the East Lancashire Railway held its annual Summer Diesel Gala, with visiting locomotives supporting the usual regular motive power in an intensive timetable. This year's guest list included four locos from the Scottish Railway Preservation Society, Bo'ness, and two from the Dean Forest Railway, as well as one from the US-owned operation Devon and Cornwall Railways. Above, D9531 Ernest is seen at at Bury Bolton Street, having arrived back from Rawtenstall. On the day of my visit, Friday 3 July 2015, a selection of the line's resident diesels was also to be found working a variety of services between Heywood, Bury Bolton Street and Rawtenstall. Resident 40 145 (in pre-TOPS condition as 345) heads south of Irwell Vale, with a service to Heywood. I include some hand picked pictures taken during the day of my visit, in chronological order. Above, Immaculate-looking Scotrail-branded 37 025 Inverness TMD from the SRPS fleet at Irwell Vale, on a service to Rawtenstall. Manchester-built 'Hymek' D7076 (looking smart in BR blue) rolls into Bury Bolton Street, with a service from Heywood. Devon and Cornwall Railways 31 601 stands at Ramsbottom, having worked a non-stop shuttle run from Bury Bolton Street. EWS-liveried 31 466 from the Dean Forest line heads south of Irwell Vale, with a service to Heywood. Another Dean Forest loco, electro-diesel 73 001, also took part in the Gala. Resident 33 109 Captain Bill Smith and SRPS loco 26 038 Tom Clift pause at Irwell Vale, with a service to Rawtenstall. Adorned with an 'S.R.P.S Diesel Group On Tour' headboard, Intercity/Scotrail-branded 47 643 stands at Bury Bolton Street, ready to work a service to Heywood. 20 020 (built in 1959) stands at Bury Bolton Street with a service to Rawtenstall. Class 57 catch-up
|