NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY:NOTICE BOARD
Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd
10 October 2022
Contributions to the Notice Board are welcome, although they may not always be used, due to time constraints, especially if they don't follow the file name convention given on the Contributions Page.
Forthcoming events
Charter trains, and meetings, may be subject to cancellation or postponement. See our Calendar Page for Club and Society details.
November 2022
Friday 4 November Clwyd Railway Circle: A trip by Norwegian Railways to Hell (and back). Geoff Morris
Saturday 5 November Llangollen Railway Ride the Rocket Firework Train
December 2022
Friday 2 December Clwyd Railway Circle: Members Selections & Christmas Celebrations Members are invited to give a 15-minute presentation of their choice (Any format). Contact David Jones 01244 537440 to book a slot.
(see our Calendar page for meeting venues)
North Wales Coast Railway website created and compiled by Charlie Hulme
Llangollen Railway's unique Wickham-built DMU was in traffic on the Heritage Railcar Gala on 8 October. Picture by Martin Evans: more below.
Silver and Black
67 029 at Rhosneigr on Thursday 6 October (Gary Thomas). This was the second day of test runs from Crewe to Holyhead and back in advance of the ex-Grand Central carriages being used on the Holyhead to Cardiff service while the usual TfW mark 4s being modified for selective door operation.
Leaving Llandudno Junction (Garry Stroud).
Bagillt (Stephen Dennett).
Were these the first appearances of the black Mk4s west of Chester as has been suggested? We have a picture on the 24 September issue showing 67 029 and its train at Chester which we thought it was train 3Q12 which ran from Holyhead to Chester on 21 September but this has been questioned. Does anyone know?
Chester and Warrington, 3 October - by Tim Blackburn
I took these just before the beginning (unknowingly at the time) of major disruption to services between Chester/Warrington Bank Quay/Manchester, and beyond, due to a person tragically being hit by a train at Patricroft.
TFW 158 818 on the 16:50 Llandudno to Manchester Airport at Chester platform 4 which terminated at Warrington Bank Quay due to the line through Patricroft being closed.
37 610, stationary at Warrington Bank Quay. My family and I were on the 17:17 Northern service from Chester to Leeds, which was also terminated at Warrington Bank Quay.
TfW 175 113 stationary and empty at Chester station platform 3.
According to Real Time Trains, this was the 13:32 Cardiff Canton Sidings to Chester DMU depot.
175 113 having reversed out of platform 3 and run back round to the DMU Depot in between platform 7 and the stabled Class 197 - 197 102, still with seats covered!
Thursday Variety on 6 October - pictures by Stephen Dennett
DBSO 9701 leads 3Q94 Bangor CS to Chester Network Rail test train past Bagillt footbridge ...
... with Colas Rail 37 099 powering from the rear negotiating the foliage.
43 251 leading 1Q18 Derby RTC (Network Rail) to Crewe test train ...
... 43 257 on the rear.
56 105 at the head of 3S71 on the Coleham to Coleham Rail Head Treatment train circuit.
56 049 Robin of Templecombe 1928-2013 at the rear.
2-car 197 009 comes past Bagillt footbridge with 3Q13, a Chester to Llandudno Junction test run.
Finally a revenue-earning train: 67 025 propels 1W93 Cardiff Central to Holyhead loco-hauled service past the foot crossing west of Flint station.
37 099: three pictures by Gary Thomas.
Notes by Charlie Hulme
On the outbound trip from Chester to Bangor via Llandudno on Wednesday 5 October, Deganwy ...
... and Conwy station. It retains the doors on the nose which were given to many early British Railways diesels. It seems that a lot of double-heading would be required, and the 'driver's assistant' would need to pass through to the second loco to tend the steam-heating boiler. Behind the doors was a smaller version of the 'concertina' connection used between older coaches. They were hardly-ever used: photographs of them in use are very rare. After the completion of 37 119 , class 37 locos were built without the doors.
Passing Dwygwyfylchi on the return trip from Bangor to Crewe via Blaenau Ffestiniog on 6 October.
37 099 is a venerable example of its type, built 1962 as D6799 for the Eastern Region passenger service, where it stayed until 1985 when transferred to Scotland, where after a spell in freight traffic as 37 324 by 1995 it was 37 099 again performing on the Aberdeen and Inverness portion of the sleeping car train from London. Back in England in April 1995, at Bescot depot, it was seen on North Wales Coast passenger trains at least once. In March 1996 if was withdrawn, and a year later bought for the North Norfolk Railway. But from 1999 it found itself as 37 324 again working on the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway, and worked there and on various heritage lines until 2016 when as 37 099 it was bought by Colas for main line work on their contract with Network Rail.
Peter Basterfield's view
37 099 and Ultrasonic Test Train stabled in Bangor overnight 5-6 October.
Rainbow over Penmaenmawr and 66 725, no pot of gold at the end, just a black Peugeot.
66 725 on stone train 6K22 from Penmaenmawr comes 'down the Cob', 6 October.
37 099 and train come off the Blaenau branch, 6 October.
67 025 passes the Puffin! Dwygyfylchi, 6 October.
Three class 60s in 15 minutes - by Greg Mape
On 9 October, GBRf 60 047 on a Liverpool - Drax 'biomass' run, picture taken near the site of Baguley station on the Cheshire Lines.
And a pair, 60 021 Pen-y-Ghent and 60 002 Graham Farish, 50th Anniversary 1970 to 2020 approaching Skelton Junction with a movement from Doncaster Decoy to Tuebrook sidings.
From Dave Sallery's archive
57 009 Freightliner Venturer passes through Liverpool docks on an intermodal to Crewe in August 2003.
37 407 leaves Pen y Clip tunnel on a Holyhead train, 5 June 1993.
67 010 pushes the Holyhead - Manchester Piccadilly train through Deansgate on 19 September 2019.
59 205 passes the Oakeley slate quarry tips while working the 'Roman Nose' railtour to Trawsfynydd, 18 April 1998.
Looking back: Steam and Diesels 2008 part 1 - by David Pool
On 1 March 2008 Vintage Trains ran a Railtour from Birmingham to Preston, via Liverpool Lime Street in both directions. The motive power was the celebrity Class 86 Electric 86 259 Les Ross, with 47 773 used for the non-electrified sections. The train carried a headboard “Les Ross’s Day Tripper”, and was photographed at Winwick.
The Wrexham and Shropshire Railway was operating trains between Wrexham and London in 2008, and had a few Class 67 locomotives in their livery, but the coaching stock had not yet been rebranded, and blue/grey Mk3 coaches, hired from the short-lived Cargo-D company were being used until the Wrexham and Shropshire's coaches were ready. The 06:45 Marylebone to Wrexham was approaching Ruabon on 29 April 2008, hauled by 67 015 with 67 013 on the rear.
A Western Diesel on the West Coast Main Line was rather special, and I must have got up very early to be at Warrington Bank Quay by 7am on 3 May 2008 to see D1015 Western Champion with the Pathfinder Railtour 1Z52 0510 Tame Bridge Parkway to Edinburgh. The train was stopping at Bank Quay to pick up passengers.
D1015 was looking rather weatherbeaten on 18 May 1975 when I photographed it approaching Taunton on 18 May with the 0830 Plymouth to Paddington. It had been based at Plymouth Laira from 1971 until the end of its working life in 1976. The gantry is magnificent, but I sometimes wonder how difficult it must have been to identify individual signals at night.
Appropriate for the Host of Eurovision 2023, Liverpool was a Capital of Culture in 2008. Four Merseyrail electric units were embellished with an assortment of images, the doors being highlighted with black and white chevrons. 507 033 was leaving Hooton on 6 May 2008.
A Northern liveried Pacer was taking the line to Ellesmere Port at Helsby on 15 May 2008. 142 031 was possibly an empty stock working to be used on the Ellesmere Port to Helsby shuttle service.
Pacer 142 031 was no stranger to Wirral lines. On 23 August 1992 I had photographed it at Burton Point, working the 10:56 Bidston to Wrexham, when it was in the original Provincial Sector livery. The remains of the platforms of Burton Point station (closed in 1955) are visible, but have since been removed.
Wrexham and Shropshire Railways were not always able to provide a locomotive in their colours, and the blue/grey coaches were still being used on 18 May 2008. The 06:45 from Marylebone had arrived at Wrexham with 67 014 and 67 012, but the latter had been replaced by 67 026 for the return journey, with 67 014 on the rear.
Llangollen's Railcar Gala
Ken Robinson writes:
'I attended the Heritage Railcar Gala at Llangollen on Saturday, 8 October, which proved to be a very sunny day, and the gala was well attended and very organized. Here are a few photos I took:
'The class 104 ready to depart Carrog with the 10:15 to Llangollen. The Observation Saloon was put on the back (no problem for the twin power cars) which generated extra income.
'The Wickham (class 109) unit entering Glyndyfrdwy with the 13:35 from Carrog to Llangollen.
'Class 108 DMU enters Glyndyfrdwy, past the 109 unit, with the 13:15 from Llangollen, complete with 'Barmouth' as the destination!'
George Jones writes:
'With three DMU sets out to provide a frequent service on the line, the star item was the reformatted BRCW class 104 now that 50528 is out of the works and has re-joined 50454. As this is a power-twin unit, both vehicles having a pair of Leyland 150ph engines, it was able to accommodate a tail load and was matched with the inspection saloon, offering a novel train set. This arrangement required the unusual manoeuvre of having the 104 'run round' at Carrog and for the 08 shunter to shunt the saloon at Llangollen.
Waiting to pass at Glyndyfrdwy with the 1515 from Carrog ...
... and the 08 shunting the saloon at Llangollen after the 104 has been released.
'The other trains comprised the 108 and 109 sets. On a sunlit day, they provided an entertaining autumnal event for a season when the DMUs have provided the mainstay of services at with no reduction in the passenger numbers enjoying the Dee Valley.
'Additionally, the Cravens class 105 trailer car 56456 was on static display in platform 2 at Llangollen allowing inspection of the work so far in the refurbishment of the vehicle following internal asbestos removal. The Cravens, as matched with the class 127, was the first DMU to operate at Llangollen providing the opening train service to Berwyn back in 1984.'
Class 08 13265 was at Llangollen hosting 'Driver for a Fiver' trips (Martin Evans)
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