NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY :NOTICE BOARD
Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd
02 January 2023
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.
January 2023
Friday 6 January Clwyd Railway Circle The Railways and Tramways of Blaenau Ffestiniog Dave Southern
Friday 13 January. Altrincham Electric Railway Society "Built in Britain: The Independent Locomotive Manufacturing Industry in the Nineteenth Century" by Dr Michael R Bailey MBE.
February 2023
Friday 3 February Clwyd Railway Circle Annual General Meeting followed by Chairman’s Choice. David Jones
Friday 10 February . Altrincham Electric Railway Society "Steam in North Wales and the Borders since 2010 - Main Line and Narrow Gauge" by Ian Pilkington.
March 2023
Friday 3 March Clwyd Railway Circle Travelling Around Britain by Train. Bill Rogerson
Saturday 4 March Railway Touring Company Steam 'The Cheshireman' London Euston - Chester
Friday 10 March. Altrincham Electric Railway Society "Colour-Rail" by Paul Chancellor
April 2023
April 2023
Sunday 16 April Railway Touring Company The Great Britain XV: Day 2. Steam: Bristol - Shrewsbury - Wrexham - Chester - Holyhead. WCRC Class 47/57 Holyhead - Llandudno Junction
June 2023
Saturday 24 June North West Rail and Transport Collectors' Fair. Crewe Alexandra Football Club
Alexandra Stadium, Gresty Road, Crewe CW2 6EB
(5 mins walk from Crewe Station) |0.00am - 3.00pm
Admission - £2 Adults, Children Under I6 Free
September 2023
Friday 1 September Clwyd Railway Circle A Year in the Life of an International Train Spotter - Part 2 Phil Thomas
October 2023
Friday 6 October Clwyd Railway Circle A History of The Internal Railway at Shotton Steelworks and its Links with the Main Line
Glyn Jones
November 2023
Friday 3 November Clwyd Railway Circle The Railway in Conway. Larry Davies
December 2023
Friday 1 December Clwyd Railway Circle Members Night Presentations. Members are invited to give a 15-minute presentation of their choice.
(see our Calendar page for meeting venues)
North Wales Coast Railway website created and compiled by Charlie Hulme
67 014 hauls the 11:33 Holyhead - Cardiff service formed of set HD04, photographed by Bob Greenhalgh passing Beeches Farm on 2 January.
Cheshire freight gallery - images by Greg Mape
On the last day of 2022, Greg was at the well-known vantage point on the bridge at Ashley station to record Hardendale Quarry, Shap empties to Guide Bridge with 66 702 Blue Lightning on the point.
Next, a Liverpool Biomass Terminal to Drax biomass train pulled by 66 796 The Green Progressor plus 60 047 Faithful still in Colas livery ...
... with 66 715 Valour on the rear.
Three 66s were on the front of the Sundays-only Doncaster Down Decoy GBRf to Liverpool Biomass Terminal empty Biomass wagons passing under the A34 on the single line between Stockport and Northenden Junction on 1 January. In order: 66 793, 66 755 Tony Berkeley OBE and 66 796 The Green Progressor - three different liveries.
Looking back: 23 October 1989 - by Barrie Hughes
Here are a set of four views from a period when the DMUs in North Wales were in flux. Above, 150 105 in Provincial livery on a Crewe working passing
Penmaenmawr with the yard full of a variety of ballast wagons.
47 431 in Large Logo livery heading east light engine, close to the Penmaenbach Tunnel. This often-neglected spot is protected from storms by a high limestone wall similar to the one just east of the tunnel. A year after this photo was taken the loco carried the unofficial name Silurian bestowed on it by Tinsley depot staff for a couple of years. The loco was cut up at Old Oak Common in April 1997.
The useful Chester Depot DMU set formations page on railcar.co.uk provides useful detail on the next photo. The 'old order' in BR blue/grey coaching stock livery with Chester-based fixed set CH 629 Class 108 Nos. 51950+52062 heading towards Holyhead seen from the Puffin Cafe bridge. This unit is fitted with a high intensity headlight essential for working the long single track Blaenau Ffestiniog
Tunnel.
The new order with 156 472 in Provincial livery on a Chester service departing Llandudno Junction. In the yard is a Class 47 323 on Bromine tanks from Amlwch and some diesel tank wagons from the fuelling point.
From Dave Sallery's archive
25 191 at Birkenhead stabling point, 21 October 1983.
25 279, Warrington Bank Quay, 3 October 1985. Today this is one of 20 members of the class in preservation, and currently works on the East Lancashire with its original number D7629.
25 902 and 25 912 at Chester on logs to Shotton Paper, 04 June 1986. The 25/9 sub-class comprised 12 locos, and was created in 1985 primarily for use on mineral trains operating in the North West. The locos chosen were all from the later-built Class 25/3 sub-class with low engine-hours and, to prolong their life, they were restricted to 60 mph. 25 902 was previously 25 268.
Three of the four locos in these pictures survive today. Only 25 902 has been scrapped, although 25 279 was already in the scrapyard when purchased.
25 912 was formerly 25 322, which became a 'celebrity' with a special livery variation and an unofficial name Tamworth Castle. Later it was given the two-tone green livery which had been applied to earlier 25s, but this one was painted blue when new.
You can read the 'biography' of these locos, including their varied work on the Coast line, on Derbysulzer.com: 25 191 , 25 279, 25 902 and 25 912. All, along with all other remaining 25s, were officially withdrawn in 1987, although 912 was retained for 'training' purposes which included hauling special trains, until 1991. It was then purchased for preservation and moved to the Churnet Valley Railway where it worked until 2001 when it was taken out of traffic for overhaul, which is still awaited.
Points
We are informed that the limestone being loaded at Llandudno Junction otiginated from Graig Quarry, Denbigh, which is a Breedon-owned operation, and not Llandulas quarry as we first thought.
Enthusiasts travelling to get a ride in a Class 197 should note that it has returned to Class 153 operation, to free 197s for the Liverpool and Manchester Airport services.
Looking back: Steam and Diesels 2010 part 6 - by David Pool
Passing through Winwick on 24 June 2010, Plasser and Theurer Switch and Crossing Tamper DR 73941 (type 08-4x4/4S-RT) is owned by Swietelsky & Babcock Rail.
In the days when the Cardiff to Holyhead trains were regularly more than a 2-car DMU, Arriva Trains Wales 57 315 was photographed at Hargrave on 29 June 2010 with the 1615 from Cardiff.
The Railway Touring Company ran “The Cotton Mill Express” on 17 July 2010 from Lancaster to Manchester Victoria, the intention being to have two separate trips to Huddersfield before returning to Lancaster. The first leg was 1Z18, 0812 from Lancaster, hauled by 46115 Scots Guardsman. The train is leaving Bolton, and one of the footplate crew seems to be looking forward at something. It was later reported that 46115 had failed at Manchester, so the train may not have run beyond there. This viewpoint is now obstructed by overhead electrification masts and wires, so I have not been tempted to return here for more photography.
Another good day for Steam Specials was 28 July 2010, when Black 5 44871 worked 1J77, 10:05 Machynlleth to Pwlllheli. It is making a cautious approach to the Briwet Bridge at Llandecwyn. My photograph of this train leaving the bridge appeared in the Notice Board of 11 May 2020.
There was plenty of time for me to get to Blaenau Ffestiniog to see 48151 arriving with 1Z43, 07:40 from Preston, the Railway Touring Company’s “Welsh Mountaineer”. This would presumably not have had any problems with the curvature and gradients on the line, unlike some other locomotives!
On a rather dull 8 August 2010 the Steam Special 1Z62 (10:08 from Liverpool Lime Street to Holyhead) went via Llandudno. 6233 Duchess of Sutherland has just left Deganwy, with a diesel on the rear.
The diesel dragging the train back to Llandudno Junction was 47 270, one of the few Class 47s in original condition, dual braked and with no Electric Train Supply heating equipment fitted.
47 270 was built as D1971, but has never had any other number. It received the unofficial name Swift at Tinsley in 1990, but became Cory Brothers 1842-1992 in 1996, and was eventually bought for preservation in 2007. The restoration to running order was carried out at the Nene Valley Railway, and on 10 June 2009. I photographed it at Wansford, having regained the Swift nameplates. At the time I was more interested in the purple Class 50, apparently 50 008 Thunderer, which would soon be back in BR blue. I don’t remember why it should have been painted purple, unless this was just an undercoat.
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