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07 March 2016Last issue Archive RSS Link to 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issue Tweet Tweets by @NWrail1 Contributions and comments are encouraged: see the Contributions Page This list may be out of date if you are reading an archived issue. For full information visit our Calendar page. March 2016 Tuesday 8 March North Wales Railway Circle 'Railways of Ontario' Chairman Brian Bollington shows a mix of slides and video he has taken of the railway scene in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. Including main lines, short lines, preserved lines with steam and museums. Due to Saint David's Day bookings this meeting has been arranged for the second Tuesday of the month. Thursday 10 March Llandudno and Conwy Valley Railway Society Alan Roberts: Railway signalling in the Conwy/Llandudno area Friday 11 March Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society "A Photographic Tribute to Alan Gilbert. Steam on the main line in the 1950s and 60s" a digital presentation by Paul Shackcloth. Saturday 12 March Railway and Canal Historical Society North West Branch - The London & Dublin Railway: Surveys & Parliamentary Influences by Derek Cobby & Brian Dotson. Realisation of the inadequacy of the port of Holyhead and the increasing pressure for improvements coincided with the development of railways. Plans prepared for the Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway included a route from Worcester to Porth Dinllaen on the Llyn Peninsula. Vignoles and Brunel favoured developing Porth Dinllaen route rather than Holyhead which would avoid crossing the Menai Straits. Vignoles direct route on standard gauge to connect with the Grand Junction Railway did not attract sufficient finance leaving Brunel's second broad gauge direct scheme as an alternative to developing the route to Holyhead. Monday 14 March Wrexham Railway Society, Railways Of Wales in the 1980's - Geoff Morris describes a trip through Wales in a decade during which livery variations started to appear and steam re-appeared on a scheduled basis along the Cambrian & North Wales Coasts. Friday 18 March Great Western Society NW Branch Railway Images, Thirty Miles around Warrington, Barrie Rushton. Note change of date. 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 Friday 1 April Clwyd Railway Circle Denbigh Film Club. Railway Enthusiasts Film Night. A night of nostalgia and fun with a selection of films old and new to end our season in great style. Tuesday 5 April North Wales Railway Circle 'All Steamed Up' Mr Barry Wynne presents a selection of his work from his vast catalogue of photographs. Friday 8 April Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society "Steam in the North West of England and Scotland in 1965" a digital presentation by Noel Coates. Saturday 9 April Railway and Canal Historical Society The Presidential Address: The LMS School of Transport, Derby by Graham Wild. The speaker will tell the fascinating story of the school. The talk starts with the reason for the building and its location, moving on through a description of the building to the successful fight to save it and subsequent developments with what is now a listed building. Monday 11 April 2016 Wrexham Railway Society 'Days Gone' A Nostalgic Look Back at the 1960-90's by Larry Davies, looking at the enormous changes which have taken place on the railways in North Wales during the last four decades of the last century illustrated, mostly by Larry's own work. Thursday 14 April Llandudno and Conwy Valley Railway Society 1960/70s North Wales Railway Recollection Barry Wynne/Steve Morris Monday 18 April RCTS: Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, Merseyside, Chester and North Wales Branch. One Mans Rubbish is Another's 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. Friday 29 April Great Western Society NW Branch A tribute to Tom Lewis, Railway cameraman 1947-1970, Paul Shackcloth. May 2016 Tuesday 3 May North Wales Railway Circle AGM and Photographic Competition. Thursday 12 May Llandudno and Conwy Valley Railway Society Ray Bailey: Steam into Holywell |
57 310 on Mother's Day Northern Belle special passes Milepost 211, Green Lane crossing, Saltney 6 March. Picture by Bob Greenhalgh. We hear that the second track on this section will not now be usable until June 2016. Mothers' Northern BelleThe 'Northern Belle' worked a luxury Mother's Day dining trip on 6 March, which ran from Chester to Liverpool Lime Street (reverse), Crewe, Stafford, Bushbury Junction, Shrewsbury, Chester and back to Liverpool. Above: 57 312 Solway Princess was leading on the first run round the Halton Curve, with 57 310 on the rear (Mark Barber). Some time later, 57 310 Pride of Cumbria leading northbound at Gobowen, running ahead of the Birmingham to Chester service train due at 14:39 (George Jones). 57 310 leads past Balderton heading for Chester amid a sea of new ballast (John Mathers). 57 310 leading on the second run along the Halton Curve - travelling the same direction as the first run, but the whole train had reversed at Liverpool Lime Street and by running round the curve from Bushbury Junction to Stafford Road Junction to head back north, it avoided a further reversal. (Mark Barber). This shows particularly well the extensive drainage work which has been carried out; however considerable work on the track connections at each end will be needed before the link can be used in both directions again, as has been promised. End of the day out at Liverpool Lime Street, 16:35 (Ian Henderson). Loco swappingOn Saturday 5 March, 67 001, which had been allocated to the Manchester loco-hauled diagram, was sent light-engine from Crewe to Holyhead, and was photographed by Roly High at Rhyl. On Monday 7 March, 67 014 from the Cardiff express duty headed east on its own, as seen at Aberele (Roly High). 67 001 worked the express to Cardiff, and the Manchester turn was reportedly covered by a Class 158 railcar set. Rhydymwyn, 1974 - pictures by John HobbsAs a follow-up to the mention of the Rhydymwyn Branch on the last issue, here are some pictures which John Hobbs managed to catch up with on one lucky occasion, 12 July 1974. Above, 40 183 is seen at the unloading point with the unloading crane in the background. The site was adjacent to the renowned 'Valley Works' where much second world war nuclear research was undertaken. 40 183 departs with the empty wagons... ... which were bogie bolster wagons fitted with cradles to hold the stack of pipes in place. Does anyone have a picture of the loaded train and/or details of where the pipes were made? Pipes were delivered by rail for the pipeline from Rhosgoch tank farm on Anglesey to Stanlow refinery that passed along the Wheeler/Alyn Valley. Rhosgoch itself was provided with a siding off the Amlwch branch for delivery of construction material. The Shell company's idea was that crude oil would be unloaded from tankers and stored at Rhosgoch as a supply to Stanlow refinery, but the tank farm abandoned after a just a few years of operation and the site was donated to the people of Anglesey who apparently have yet to make any use of it. 40 183 passes over the traincrew-worked level crossing at Bromfield Road, Mold with the empty wagons. Passing over the former Mold by-pass by the level crossing in the background (there is a much bigger by-pass today), this is on the approach to Llong. Built in 1962 as D383, 40 183 lasted in service until 1983. Semaphores at Plumley - pictures by Phil ClarkeSunday 28 February: trains passing two remaining semaphore signals controlled by Plumley West signal box on the Mid-Cheshire Line. Above, 60 100 heading to Lostock Works (Tata chemicals soda ash plant), to take empty limestone wagons back to Tunstead Quarry. Northern Rail 150 225 on the Chester to Southport service. 175 110 on a non-stopping Chester to Manchester Piccadilly, diverted from the usual Arriva route due to Sunday engineering work. Killoch Colliery - report by John CowlishawWhile I was on holiday recently in Galloway I noticed on Tuesday 1 March Real Time Trains indicating that the Penyffordd cement works coal train was running, and decided to explore the whereabouts of Killoch Colliery, the relatively new origin of these train. It is obviously not now a colliery but a vast, somewhat ramshackle, empire of piles of various types of stone and earth, partially run by Breedon Aggregates, set high in the hills to the Easy of Ayr. Fortunately the sound of an idling 'shed' carried on the stiff breeze brought encouragement that the train was actually running. Knowing that it had run 38 minutes early the previous week, a conservative approach was required and so I embarked on a long wait on the A70 bridge awaiting the train to come round the corner from the colliery. Finally at 15:32 66 194 slowly made its way past (picture above) with about 25 loaded wagons, having set off at 15:16, 52 minutes early. The line is very tortuous and so it was easy to beat the train to Mossblown or in railway terms, Annbank junction where the Killoch Colliery branch joins the Mauchline - Newton-on-Ayr freight only branch. The train was stopped at the only signal there where two orange dressed chaps arrived by van for it. One was probably a driver and entered the cab, the other a presumed Network Rail chap who took the token from the 66 driver and placed it in the ground frame which, after a telephone call, was released to move over the points and clear the signal to allow the train out. The train would have been followed further but by then the weather had deteriorated enormously and the last pictures shows a very wet and dark scene. Picture GalleryA class 150 on a Bidston - Wrexham service having just crossed the River Dee at Hawarden Bridge on 6 March (Greg Mape) Recently the log train from Carlisle to Chirk has been running about an hour early so making it possible to take photos, if the weather is OK. Here's Bob Greenhalgh's effort from Thursday 3 March at Green Lane crossing, Saltney. The scruffy-looking loco is 60 095. While on a breezy bike ride along the coast cycleway, Greg Mape captured a Class 221 crossing the A55 near Colwyn Bay on a Holyhead - London Euston service on 5 March. Snow on the hills as 175 102 departs Llandudno for Manchester, 5 March (Greg Mape) A new meaning to the term 'out-of-the-box' shot as 37 605 and 37602 pass Bangor with the Flasks on 4 March (Peter Basterfield). Northern Hub vs. Arriva Trains Wales
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