02 October 2017
Contributions and comments are encouraged: see the Contributions Page
Forthcoming events
October 2017
Wednesday 4 October RCTS
Merseyside Chester & North Wales
LIVERPOOL Barry Shore – “Had Bike will Travel 1961 -
1963”
Friday 6 October Clwyd
Railway Circle Les Nixon '55 Years of Railway
Photography - Part 3' A selection of railway pictures which
include genuine BR steam, a wide variety of mainly older
modern traction along with industrials, some preservation
and brief visits, worldwide, to nearly 20 countries.
6-8 October Ffestiniog
Railway Victorian Weekend
Thursday 12 October Llandudno
and Conwy Valley Railway Society
Julian Birley MBE: The Bala Lake
Railway
13-15 October Llangollen
Railway Autumn Steam Gala
Saturday 14 October
Railway and Canal Historical Society Clinker
Memorial Lecture in Manchester 2:00 pm, Mechanics
Conference Centre, 103 Princess Street, Manchester M1 6DD.
William Fairbairn, the experimental engineer - a study in
mid-nineteenth century engineering. Admission free to all.
More
information (PDF)
Monday 16 October RCTS
Merseyside Chester & North Wales
CHESTER Les Nixon – “55 Years of Railway
Photography, Part 1”
Thursday 26 October Light
Rail Transit Association (Manchester) Robert
Pritchard: Tramways of the Czech Republic & Slovakia:
Part 1 Bohemia – Prague, Plzen, Most-Litvinov &
Liberec
Saturday 30 September Steam at Chester Vintage
Trains 'The Shropshire Express' Tyseley
Warwick Road - Chester. 5043: Tyseley - Wolverhampton -
Crewe - Chester - Wrexham - Shrewsbury - Birmingham New St
- Tyseley
November 2017
Friday 3 November Clwyd
Railway Circle 'Snowdon Mountain Railway' A
presentation given by Mike Robertshaw Msc IEng MIED, Senior
Engineering Manager of the railway.
Thursday 9 November Llandudno
and Conwy Valley Railway Society AGM /
Clive Evans Memories of North Wales steam and beyond
in the 1950s
Saturday 18 November Steam on the Coast Steam
Dreams 'Cathedrals Express' London Euston - Llandudno
for the Christmas Market. 46233 Duchess of
Sutherland: Crewe - Llandudno and return
Monday 20 November RCTS
Merseyside Chester & North Wales
CHESTER John Day – “UK Railways – Beyond
the Blue”
Saturday 25 November Steam at Chester Railway Touring
Company 'The Christmas Cheshireman'
Bristol - Chester 70013 / 45305: Bristol - Hereford -
Wrexham - Chester and return
Saturday 25 November Steam at Chester UK
Railtours 'The Chester Christmas Cracker'
London Euston - Chester 60163: Euston - Chester and return
Thursday 30 November Light
Rail Transit Association (Manchester) Bob
Bracegirdle: The Belgian Vicinal and its raison d'ętre.
December 2017
Friday 1 December Clwyd
Railway Circle 'Members Night & Christmas
Celebrations' Members are invited to give a 15 minute
presentation of their choice (any format). FREE tea/coffee
& festive treats during the interval. Contact David
Jones 01244 537440 to book a slot.
Wednesday 6 December RCTS
Merseyside Chester & North Wales
LIVERPOOL Tom Heavyside – “BR in the North
West”
Thursday 14 December Llandudno
and Conwy Valley Railway Society
Xmas Social / Bill Rogerson: Roaming the Rails with
Bill
Monday 18 December RCTS
Merseyside Chester & North Wales
CHESTER Bob Barnard – “The Lynton &
Barnstaple Railway“
January 2018
Friday 5 January Clwyd
Railway Circle Mike Blackburn 'The Welsh Highland
Railway (NWNGR)' A history of the North Wales narrow gauge
and Croesor Tramway and the linking to form the Welsh
Highland Railway, restoration and building of the new.
Thursday 11 January Llandudno
and Conwy Valley Railway Society Ron
Watson Jones: Rails to Roads
Monday 15 January RCTS
Merseyside Chester & North Wales
CHESTER AGM, followed by John Cowlishaw –
“The End of the Line, Part 1 (Non-members are invited to
attend from 20.15 hours)
Thursday 25 January Light
Rail Transit Association (Manchester) Tony
Young: The Tramways of Bury
February
2018
Friday 2 February Clwyd
Railway Circle John Sloane 'From Vulcan Foundry to the
Khyber' British built steam at work in Pakistan, It includes
pictures taken on the spectacular line up the Khyber Pass to
the Afghan border.
Wednesday 7 February RCTS
Merseyside Chester & North Wales
LIVERPOOL Doug Birmingham –
“Rail Reflections in Merseyside”
8 February Llandudno
and Conwy Valley Railway Society
Ellis Morey: The Penrhyn Railway
Monday 19 February RCTS
Merseyside Chester & North Wales
CHESTER Ian Pilkington –
“Steam and Diesel in the Northern Fells”
March 2018
Friday 2 March Clwyd
Railway Circle Annual General Meeting followed by
“Film Shows - Railways Past and Present”.
Thursday 8 March Llandudno
and Conwy Valley Railway Society John
Cashen RCTS: North West & North Wales
Reminiscences in the 1960s
Monday 19 March RCTS
Merseyside Chester & North Wales
CHESTER Peter Berry – “The Robert
Whitfield Collection, UK Steam 1948 - 1958”
April 2018
Friday 6 April Clwyd
Railway Circle John Cashen 'North West & North
Wales Reminiscences In The 1960s' The presentation will
cover from Liverpool to Liverpool within an area bounded by
Southport, Burscough, Standish, Warrington, Crewe,
Whitchurch, Chester, Holyhead, Barmouth, Aberystwyth,
Shrewsbury, Wrexham, the Wirral, Chester, Northwich and
Speke
12 April Llandudno
and Conwy Valley Railway Society Members
Evening
Wednesday 4 April RCTS
Merseyside Chester & North Wales
LIVERPOOL Alan Moore – “The
Railways of St. Helens”
Monday 16 April RCTS
Merseyside Chester & North Wales
CHESTER Brian Armand – “Railway
Roundabout”
Thursday 26 April Brian Yates: Light
Rail Transit Association (Manchester) The
Tramways of Berlin, Potsdam, Lyon and Grenoble.
May 2018
10 May Llandudno
and Conwy Valley Railway Society W. Gordon
Davies: A taste of Japan
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5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe makes a spirited
departure from Chester in pouring rain, passing Roodee with
the 16:40 return 'Shropshire Express' to Tyseley on 30
September. Picture by Chris Morrison. Scroll down for
more views.
Just back
from a short holiday, so for this week mainly a selection
of pictures of recent special workings, we'll catch up on
other items next week. Thanks as always to all
contributors - Charlie
North Wales Railway Circle
The North Wales Railway Circle meeting on Tuesday 3 October
is presentation 'Belfast to Cambodia, a Trip by Rail.' Adam
Fetherstonhaugh travelled from Belfast to Cambodia via
Vietnam; his chosen mode of transport was rail. Adam
gives us a pictorial account of this epic journey.
Venue:The Victoria Hotel, Telford Road, Menai Bridge LL59
5DR. Time 19:45. All welcome.
Spirit of the Lakes
Saturday 30 September saw a 'Spirit of the Lakes' charter,
specifically 'The Conwy Valley Explorer II', train 1Z30
05:51 from Cleethorpes, running to Blaenau Ffestiniog worked
by West Coast Railways locomotives 47 826 and 57
315. Above, 47 826 brings the train into Chester.
Picture by Roly High.
47 826 leading across Llanddulas Viaduct (Greg Mape).
After reversal at Llandudno Junction, 57 315 hauled the
train past Glan Conwy ...
... with 47 826 now on the rear. The tide was out, so Greg
Mape was able to walk out on the sands to take these
views.
The return train - 16:10 from Blaenau - arrives through the
vegetation at North Llanwst ...
...and the train pauses to collect surrender the token for
the section from Blaenau to the signaller (Greg Mape).
For operational reasons, the train terminated (as
advertised) at Barnetby at 22:36 with a connection by road
coach to Grimsby and Cleethorpes.
5043 on the Shropshire Express
The 'Shropshire Express' on 30 September ran from Vintage
Trains' base at Tyseley to Chester, via Crewe. Above, the
train passes Beeston Castle (Robert Meredith).
Chester (Phil Clarke).
Chester (Roly High).
5043 waits at Chester with the stock of the 'Shropshire
Express' as Meseyrail 508 139 forms a service to
Liverpool Central (Chris Morrison).
Chester (Phil Clarke).
The return train ran via Wrexham, avoiding a reversal at
Chester. Above: Balderton Crossing (Bob Greenhalgh).
Leaving the new double-track section at Rossett (Charles
Allen).
Climbing Gresford Bank, view from a public footpath (Andrew
Thomas).
Picture by Andrew Thomas.
Wrexham General in the rain (Peter Basterfield).
Departure from Birmingham New Street (Chris Morrison).
Northern Belle in North Wales
The Northern Belle luxury train ran from from London
Victoria to Llandudno on the afternoon of Friday 29
September with 68 029 leading and 68 004
Rapid trailing in top and tail mode. Fist 68s
to Llandidno, it is thought.
Beeches Farm (Bob Greenhalgh).
Arrival at Llandudno (Larry Davies).
The train returned empty, while the passengers enjoyed a
weekend at Llandudno. Greg Mape's picture is from
Abergele.
When the train headed back to North Wales on Monday 2
October, it had been turned round: Roly High at
Rhyl captured 68 029 on the rear.
68 004 takes the Llandudno Branch (Larry Davies)
...
... and brings the empties into Llandudno (Ken Robinson).
North Wales
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