08 February 2021
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Bob Greenhalgh braved the icy wind to capture DVT
82226 pushed by 67 025 passing Green Lane crossing
on the 12:08 Crewe to East Usk Yard via Chester trial
working, 8 February.
News pictures
Route learning for forthcoming engineering works on
Merseyrail continues: 66 742 ABP Port of
Immingham Centenary 1912-2012 passes Gobowen on 4
February. Picture by Chris Scott.
70 801 passes Green Lane with an engineer's train, 6
February (Bob Greenhalgh).
Two views from Greg Mape's telephoto lens on 3
February looking to Skelton Junction, Timperley. 66 754
Northampton Saints with its biomass train has climbed
the sharply-curved chord on to the line towards Stockport,
Guide Bridge and the Calder Valley line.
Freightliner 70 004 with empty refuse containers
from Runcorn. The line branching to left led
(latterly) to the industrial premises in the Partington
area, and is officially 'mothballed'. The crossover
which would allow to train to travel from that line towards
Stockport would be unable to reach the correct line has been
disconnected. To the left is a loop line, which
is clearly out of use, although the signal governing its
exit still shines red from amid the undergrowth.
Harlescott, near Shrewsbury, 8 February, with Graham
Brakewell. A convoy of Colas Class 70s - 70 815
hauling 809, 810 and 805 from Crewe to Westbury.
97 302 in residence at Coleham depot with 175
004 passing on 1V40 the 11:31 Manchester Piccadilly to
Carmarthen.
At Meole Brace crossing, Shrewsbury, 97 302 pilots a track
machine from Talerddig to Wrexham (Graham Breakwell).
Last days of 6A shed - remembered by Peter Neve
The date is 31 May 1967, just a week before Chester steam
shed closed and locomotives would soon be moving to scrap
yards or other depots. Fowler 0-6-0 Jinty 47598 was
withdrawn on 23 July 1966 and had been in store
pending scrapping. Built by W.G. Bagnall in 1928, 47598 was
previously shedded at Mold Junction (6B). The smokebox
number plate, shed code plate and whistle are all missing
and there appears to be an absence of vacuum braking
equipment.
Also on 31 May 1967 Stanier Black 5 4-6-0 45278
stands in the sunshine alongside Riddles 9F 2-10-0 92088
at Chester MPD. 45278 was visiting Chester from its home
shed, Wigan Springs Branch (8F). It was withdrawn from there
just 10 days later on 10 June 1967 and cut up at Cohens
(Kettering) in December 1967.
Stanier 8F 2-8-0 48745 was a Stockport Edgeley (9B)
engine photographed visiting Chester MPD on 31 May 1967. It
survived almost a year longer and was withdrawn from
Stockport Edgeley on the 4 May 1968 and scrapped in
September of that year.
From Ken Robinson's archive
Two images from 31 August 2004. Firstly, heritage liveried
D1648 (47 851) Traction Magazine passes Pont
Myfyrian near Gaerwen on Anglesey, with the 08:40
Euston-Holyhead...
... and secondly, the return working, the 13:23
Holyhead-Euston, passes Valley.
27 January 14 years ago, 2007, saw preserved 45
112 visit Holyhead with Hertfordshire Railtours'
'Tubular Belle Merrymaker' from York. 45 112, named The
Royal Army Ordnance Corps hadn't been in the best of
health prior to this tour, and many thought it might
struggle on the day. However things went well for 45 112
throughout the tour, although 47 847 was on the rear as
back-up loco, and to provide Electric Train Heating . Here
are a few of the shots I took on the day: Above, 45 112
arriving at Holyhead.
47 847, minus its nameplates and working for Riviera
Trains was on the rear of the train. (The livery was
still wrong - see recent issues - after the incorrect
typeface was improved, as there should be a space after the
class number.) The loco today is owned by Rail Operations
Group.
45 112 receiving attention from photographers and
passengers alike at Holyhead, with the empty stock of the
train in the sidings behind. The loco survives today,
based at Nemesis Rail, Burton-on-Trent.
From Dave Sallery's archive
Early morning flasks to Trawsfynydd
with 31 163 and 31 201, 1 July 1994.
33 207 on the last timetabled working of a
Class 33 on the coast, Prestatyn, 27 September 1986.
'Daisy', celebrity heritage-liveried 101 685,
Roman Bridge 18 July 1994.
Early morning flasks to Trawsfynydd with 31 163 and 31
201, Llanrwst 1 July 1994.
56 134, brand new from Crewe Works, on test at
Prestatyn, with 47 465 as insurance, 12
September 1984. (See next item.)
More about Blyth Power - by Daniel Pearson
I was interested to read the brief article by Martin Weeks
in the 1 February issue on the
class 56 name Blyth Power.
Growing up in the North East (with the bonus of also having
family living in Connah's Quay and Sandycroft!) I was very
use to seeing this plate initially on 56 076 and then
carried by 56 134 so when I got the opportunity to purchase
one of the original nameplates a few years ago I jumped at
the chance. Unfortunately the associated dedication plates
that Martin mentions had long since 'disappeared', despite a
search of the nameplate stores at Toton, so I asked the
clever people at Newton Replicas (who produced the
originals) if they could make me one. Despite not having the
original pattern they managed impressively to make me an
exact dimensionally correct copy just from a photograph.
Both plates now sit proudly on my office wall as per the
attached photograph.
Looking back with David Pool - Llangollen 1996-98
Although several Deltics had been preserved, some had not
been certified for main line running, and were to be found
as visitors on Preserved railways. 55 015 Tulyar
was on the Llangollen Railway on 19 October 1996, nearing
the Fixed Distant signal on the approach to
Glyndyfrdwy. It was certainly unable to demonstrate
its “East Coast Racehorse” capabilities on this occasion.
The last time I had photographed Tulyar was on 13
July 1962, when it was leaving Harrogate with the Southbound
Queen of Scots Pullman. This was nothing out of the
ordinary at the time, but it illustrates how much the
railway scene has changed since then. Note the West
Yorkshire Bristol LL5G on the bridge and the green Class 110
dmu with headcode 2N71 in the platform.
This is one of those images which was so typical of branch
lines in the early 1980s, but the Class 108 units never ran
on the Llangollen Railway before it closed in 1965. On
29 March 1997 the blue/grey 108 M51907/M54490 was leaving
Carrog, with Llangollen shown on the destination
blind. This must be one of the few station shots on a
Preserved railway with no photographers or spectators
visible on the platforms. The LO 262 indicates the Unit’s
home Depot would have been Longsight (Manchester).
19 June 1997 was a red-letter day for the Llangollen
Railway, since the famous “Coal Tank” 1054 was
visiting, and arrangements had been made for a Special train
to run after normal services had ended for the day. My
first shot was taken as it left Llangollen, and I managed a
second at Berwyn, thinking that the evening sun would be
behind the hills by time 1054 reached Glyndyfrdwy.
For once I was lucky, and there was a small patch of sunlit
track at Glyndyfrdwy opposite the signal cabin on
the Carrog side, which just suited a “going away”
shot. This was more successful than in 1969 when I
tried to photograph 1054 in Penrhyn Castle Museum. It
may have been still carrying its BR number 58926 then, but
it was a tight fit in an alcove, and little more than a head
on view of the smokebox had been visible.
It was a cold Easter Saturday in 1998, and I was hoping for
some shots of steam in snow along the line. I planned
to try for a shot leaving Berwyn, but called in at
Llangollen to see what was in steam. Prairie Tank
4141 was in the station, and all looked promising, but
then there was the sound of a diesel, and this proved to be
25 313.
Win a few, lose a few, is the usual pattern for my
photography, so I was not surprised to see 25 313 on the
front when the train got to Berwyn. Fortunately 4141
was just visible behind the diesel, so the steam didn’t look
out of place. At least the Class 25 had the
appropriate miniature snow ploughs!
To answer the question “where is 4141 today?” I show a shot
taken on the Epping and Ongar Railway at North Weald on 29
June 2014. 4141 was looking very clean, but was not in
service at the time. The Class 03 in front of the
locomotive was one of the “cut down cab” variety from the
Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley line, where they used to
work in pairs on the heavier trains, until they were
replaced by similarly cut down Class 08s.
Paperwork
Rail Replacement Buses are not just a modern phenomenon, as
this 1935 publication from Jim Johnson's collection
shows. Below is the full length of the document. Was
there a specific reason for this disruption, or just simple
engineering work?
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