NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY :NOTICE BOARD
Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd
22 May 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.
June 2023
Wednesday 7 June Statesman Rail The Snowdonia Statesman Hull Manchester Victoria - Betws-y-coed/Blaenau Ffestiniog LSL Pullman
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 16 Free
July 2023
Wednesday 12 July Statesman Rail The Snowdonia Statesman Kilmarnock IST Lancaster - Betws-y-coed/Blaenau Ffestiniog LSL Pullman
August 2023
September 2023
Friday 1 September Clwyd Railway Circle A Year in the Life of an International Train Spotter - Part 2. Phil Thomas
Wednesday 13 September Statesman Rail The Snowdonia Statesman High Wycombe IST Birmingham NS - Betws-y-coed/Blaenau Ffestiniog LSL Pullman
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
11 October Statesman Rail The Snowdonia Statesman Stevenage - Nuneaton - Betws-y-coed /Blaenau Ffestiniog LSL Pullman
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
Hawarden Bridge on 21 May: 66 798, one of the locos recently imported from the Continent, sits at signal DM3 with its load of cement tanks, awaiting the road to Wrexham and on to the south. Picture by Alastair Graham.
A visit to Chester - by Stephen Dennett
37 219 Jonty Jarvis 8-12-1998 to 18-3-2005 arrives at Chester on 15 May with 0CO1 a track-monitoring circuit from Preston Dock Street Sidings. It did a long circuit taking in Wigan, Warrington, Crewe, Stafford, Chester, Runcorn, and Liverpool South Parkway.
The Jonty Jarvis name has been transferred to this Colas loco from DRS 37 229 which was scrapped some years ago. Jonty Jarvis, who died of meningitis in 2005 aged just 6, was the son of a Network Rail manager, Paul Jarvis. In the background, a 'dumped' class 175.
66 721 Harry Beck passes through Chester with 4Z58, Wellingborough to Llandudno Junction empty slate waste wagons. Harry Beck was the creator of the London Underground Tube Map, which was first issued in 1933; the loco was named when GBRf had a contract to deliver ballast for track relaying on the suface lines of the Underground.
Corwen news (1) - by Ken Robinson
On Tuesday 16 May, The Llangollen Railway ran two 'test trains' from Llangollen to Corwen and return. The trains were for volunteers, members and their families only, and were for 'test purposes'. Tickets were not for sale, and stations were closed to the public. The trains departed Llangollen at 10:30 and 12:50, returning from Corwen at 11:45 and 14:05 respectively. There will be a repeat of these trains next week, before the official opening on 1 June. Full information on 'Corwen Opening' trains (1-4 June) can be found on the Llangollen Railway website.
Picture above: the 10:30 train from Llangollen entering Corwen.
The train was formed of a hybrid DMU (class 104/108). Above, the unit at Corwen, whilst passengers had a good look around.
The 11:45 departure from Corwen.
Corwen News (2) - By George Jones
For those who joined the train at Llangollen, the run into the new formation beyond the site of the former Corwen East platform provided an opportunity to alight at the new island platform and see the work in progress to complete the facilities in advance of the planned public opening on 3 June.
The couple of hundred yards of new track into the station loop perhaps belies the considerable effort extended to overcome all the challenges of returning the former over grown embankment into a new build terminal station as now exists. Visitors for the first time were impressed with what has been achieved and gained an appreciation of how convenient the station's location is relative to the town's car park, bus interchange and easy pedestrian access to the town centre.
A steam-hauled test run was made on 22 May, seen above entering Corwen.
Running round the train.
Taking water.
Coast scenes - by Gary Thomas
A classic view at Llanfairfechan on 17 May, with 68 001 Evolution and 68 016 Fearless returning to Crewe with one of the annual 'dummy runs' of the Wylfa flask train.
70 806 passes Dwygyfylchi on 17 May with a load of dolerite from Penmaenmawr Quarry to Longport.
Passing Knightly's Fun Fair, 43 277 leading a measurement train on 18 May.
Remarkably, 70 806 made a second loaded run on 18 May, seen passing the Fun Fair site.
Loco-worked changes
The TfW loco-hauled services are altered from the 21 May timetable change.
A Railway Forum contributor offers the Monday-Friday below:
04:54 Crewe to Cardiff
08:49 Cardiff-Manchester
12:30 Manchester - Cardiff
16:49 Cardiff - Manchester
Empty to Crewe
Empty to Manchester
06:27 Manchester to Cardiff
12:49 Cardiff - Manchester
16:30 Manchester to Swansea
Empty to Canton
04:35 Cardiff Central - Manchester Picc
08:30 Manchester - Cardiff
17:14 Cardiff -Holyhead
05:33 Holyhead - Cardiff
10:52 Cardiff - Manchester
14:30 Manchester - Cardiff
18:55 Cardiff Central - Manchester
Empty to Crewe
In other words, loco provision on the Coast line reverts to the original morning and evening, and more runs on the Manchester axis. So, what happened on Monday 22 May? Shambles: 16 Trains on the Manchester - Cardiff service either cancelled, or turned round at Wilmslow.
News pictures
70 813 approaches Aisgill Summit with 6K37 Carlisle - Chirk logs on Wednesday 17th May. The train resumed regular working over the Settle-Carlisle on Monday 8 May after a protracted absence, initially due the Petteril Bridge derailment on 31 October (Ian Pilkington).
Working the 1Q30 Derby to Holyhead test on Thursday 18 May, were HST power cars 43 277 in Colas branding together with 43 290 at the rear in old East Coast livery. Seen here on their outward run to Holyhead approaching
Llandudno Junction (Garry Stroud).
Also the same afternoon, Thursday 18 May, celebrity livery 67 029 Royal Diamond at the rear of the 1W93, 11:25am Cardiff to Holyhead service entering Llandudno Junction station. This train is no longer worked by a locomotive, since 21 May.
At 20:50 on Sunday 21 May, 66 550 passes Altrincham with a stone train from Tunstead to Wembley (Greg Mape)
After the two-week suspension of Shrewsbury to Machynlleth services for engineering works, passenger trains began running again on 22 May. On the night of 21 May, 56 105 worked 6C71, 2201 Sutton Bridge Junction to Crewe Basford Hall, with a second service, 6C70, scheduled at 23:59, probably headed by 56 049. Both services ran early. (Graham Breakwell).
Peter Basterfield's view
On 17 May, the 6D43 DRS's occasional run from Crewe to Valley going to Holyhead to reverse and run back to Valley, problem with crossover points from Down to Up at Valley.
The 11: 33 Holyhead - Cardiff Central at Valley seen from the foot crossing - 67 025 in charge. 17 May.
The 6D43 passes through Penmaenmawr with half of 70 806 and the 6M33 13:25 departure from Penmaenmawr Quarry Gbrf to Longport in view.
Bangor Station with on Friday 19 May's 1V96, 67 029 in charge while failed 67 022 awaits removal The word is by road! ... although access to the car park for a suitable crane and lowloader seems impossible with the tight 90' access from Caernarfon Road. So we await developments, (with much interest! )
From Dave Sallery's archive
37 422 Robert F Fairlie, by then in EWS livery, and 37 710 lead two lines of stabled locos at Warrington stabling point in 2005. There wasn't much work left for the EWS 37s by then.
37 411 arrives at Appleby, 10 September 2004. On the rear was 37 408. This was an odd York to Carlisle working brought about by a shortage of DMU's.
37 694 and 37 698 pass Wandsworth Road on an aggregates train, 31 March 1998.
37 901 near Gwersyllt on steel coil empties to Margam in 1992. It was one of two 37s which received Mirrlees engines, and is now with Europhoenix after a spell in preservation and a a recently-completed overhaul.
Looking back: The Rylstone branch part 2, Freight - by David Pool
The shunting locomotives at Swinden Quarry in the 80s were ex British Railways locomotives. On 12 June 1983 08 054 was marshalling a train of around 30 Tilcon hoppers, all covered by a coating of Limestone dust as usual.
A few years later, on 27 June 1985, the shunter was the ex LMS designed 12083. The chevrons on the cab are rather strange, and certainly not to a BR specification. The tank on the cab rear is another oddity – can anyone confirm its purpose? This locomotive is currently preserved on the Battlefield Line.
Many of the freights from Rylstone would be going to Hull, and a returning train was photographed at Armley, Leeds, on 15 November 1986. Two Class 31s were the usual motive power, on this occasion 31 289 and 31 147. The spectators were not interested in photographing diesels, since 6201 Princess Elizabeth was due shortly on the SLOA Railtour “The Golden Jubilee” to Carnforth, celebrating a non- stop run by 6201 from Euston to Glasgow in 1936.
The Rylstone trains would reverse at Skipton, and on 27 October 1990 31 327 and 31 294 had come off the train and were running round. Unit 156 455 is working the 09:48 Carlisle to Leeds, and a Class 144 unit is heading for Morecambe from Leeds. This location is now the site of Broughton Road Carriage Sidings, the stabling point for the electric trains from Leeds and Braford.
The line leaving Skipton is not particularly good for photographs, and the possibilities are probably best near Rylstone village. I managed to get a shot of the same Class 31s on 13 November 1990 in the siding at Swinden Quarry, as they waited for the train to be loaded by the resident shunter. (dp23750).
The view from the minor road off the B6265 at Cracoe was about the best location, with the plant at Swinden Quarry visible over the trees and typical North Yorkshire scenery. 31 294 and 31 327 are returning to Skipton with a loaded train.
Just beyond Rylstone the line snakes around a hill, and it was possible to get a shot of the train from the B6265 with a telephoto lens, although the sun was not in the best position.
The arrival at Skipton was fortunately before the sun had dipped too low (it was of course mid November) and although you can’t see all the wagons I was very happy with the shot. Although the track is still used today by the trains from Rylstone, the high parapets on the road bridge and the usual forest of masts and wires on the electrified lines provide a challenge for photographers at Skipton.
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