NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY :NOTICE BOARD
Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd
29 July 2024
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 advice and 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, society and tour operator details.
August 2024
3-4 August Llangollen Railway 1960s Weekend
Saturday 3 August - Rail Excursion to the City of Chester. Newcastle to Chester (via York). Bishop Trains. HST to be confirmed.
Wednesday 14 August Statesman Telford Central - Carlisle
pickups Shrewsbury, Gobowen, Chirk, Wrexham General, Chester, Frodsham, Warrington BQ
24-26 August Bala Lake Railway August Steam Gala
24-25 August Model Railway Exhibition in Machynlleth in support of the Corris Railway
30 August - 1 September - Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway - Steam Gala with model railway exhibition
September 2024
Wednesday 4 September Statesman High Wycombe - Blaenau Ffestiniog
Thursday 5 September Pathfinder Tours The Cambrian Coast Express Bristol - Pwllheli
Friday 6 September Clwyd Railway Circle The Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway in the Vale of Clwyd - Fiona Gale
12 September Pathfinder Cambrian Coast Express Swindon - Pwllheli
14-15 September Welsh Highland Railway Super Power Weekend celebrating the successful restoration of the NG15 locomotive.
Sunday 15 September Steam Dreams 'Welsh Dragon' steam-hauled London Paddington - Shrewsbury, then diesel through to Pwllheli. For more on this and this and the next two entries see the Steam Dreams website.
Wednesday 18 September Steam Dreams 'Welsh Dragon' steam hauled Bangor - Crewe, then diesel to Cardiff via the Heart of Wales line
Thursday 19 September - Steam Dreams 'Welsh Dragon' steam hauled Cardiff to London Paddington via Gloucester and the Golden Valley line
Saturday 21 September - Northern Belle Telford - Carlisle pickups Shrewsbury, Wrexham General, Chester.
21-22 September Bala Model Railway Show Ysgol Godre’r Berwyn Secondary School, Ffrydan Road, Bala, Gwynedd LL23 7RU. 10:00 - 16:00 (Bus link to Bala Lake Railway station)
Opening times: 10.00-16.00 on both Saturday and Sunday.10.00-16.00 on both Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday 28 September UK Railtours London - Chester 'Our tour takes an interesting route from London to Chester and Llandudno Junction where we plan to access the Glan Conwy freight sidings.'
October 2024
Friday 4 October Clwyd Railway Circle Wrexham’s Second Railway Mania - David Parry
4-6 October Ffestiniog Railway Bygoneds weekend
5-6 October Llangollen Railway Heritage Railcar Weekend
November 2024
Friday 1 November Clwyd Railway Circle Chinese Steam in 2001 and 2003 - Phil Thomas
December 2024
Tuesday 10 December Midland Pullman from Holyhead to Edinburgh Waverley - Edinburgh Christmas Pullman
14-15 December Manchester Model Railway Society - The Christmas Model Railway Show. The Sugden Centre, Sidney Street, Manchester
North Wales Coast Railway website created and compiled by Charlie Hulme
A sunny day for a change: 197 102 passes Conwy Castle on the 05:12 Holyhead - Cardiff on 29 July. Picture by Gary Thomas.
A class 67 collection
Sutton Bridge Junction on the evening of 22 July. The 16:49 from
Cardiff to Manchester passes, powered from the rear by 67 025...
.. 67 008 and (failed?) 67 024, working 0Z67 the 15:40 from Cardiff Canton to Crewe TMD, were diverted into the loop for the express to pass. (Graham Breakwelll)
On 24 July, with 197 049 waiting to depart Llandudno Junction with the 12:54 service to Manchester Airport, 67 013 runs through light engine with the 0Z67 11:31 Crewe Carriage Sidings to Holyhead (Garry Stroud).
On 25 July, 67 010 with a rake of empty coaches, running as 14:05 Holyhead depot to Crewe carriage sidings, seen above at Talybont near Bangor (Logan Humphreys).
The same train passing Rhyl Marine Lake (Ivor Bufton). These empty stock or transfer workings offeer the only chance to photograph the Class 67s other than the early-morning and late-evening 'Geoffrey of Wales' service. Or are there still occasional 'rugby trains'?
Roof refurbishment at Manchester Piccadilly taken platforms out of service moving as the work makes its way across the station; on 18 July 67 008 waits to work the 12:30 to Cardiff, with a Northern class 323 at the buffers.
67 013 propels the 12:30 Manchester - Cardiff out of Stockport station on 17 July.
Penmaenmawr arises - report by Gary Thomas
29 July saw a recently rare appearance of a train (06:18 from Longport at Penmaenmawr quarry, hauled by 70 809 seen crossing the Conwy bridge. The destination for the stone is Longport (Bradwell sidings) for the Land Recovery company.
The return train got into trouble at Abergele. Having already left Penmaenmawr 47 minutes late due to loading issues it came to a halt at Abergele. The driver was able to restart the locomotive after a further 15-20 minutes delay. The train was then looped at Mostyn (indeed) a rare use of the loop to allow two delayed eastbound passenger trains to overtake. Departure from the was 112 minutes late.
Class 197 notes - take 2...
The Class 197 notes in the last issue 'somehow' got mangled, and were still wrong after a kind reader told me. Below is an corrected and enhanced version.
The 21 units intended for the Cambrian lines are being moved from storage at Donnington to storage at Long Marston. The plan is to fit them with the necessary equipment for the ECTS / ERTMS signalling in time to begin operation in 2015.
However, some of the 'Cambrian' 197s (022-041) have been completing mileage accumulation runs along the coast. 197 033, one of the units earmarked for ECTS, was coupled to 197 031 at Rhyl working 3Q75 18.04 Holyhead to Crewe on on 23 July. Picture by Ivor Bufton.
Most of the 3-car units have been seen in traffic; still to emerge are 197 119, 121, 123, 124 and 126, awaited since May; they seem to be waiting for something, or maybe some decision? . It's not known when (if ever) the supplement for sitting in the section of the coach with more comfortable seats, and a strange window lamp, will be applied.
Miscellany
A very clean (probably recently repainted) 66 177 at Hereford on Tuesday 16 July 2024 on 6V75 Dee Marsh to Margam (John Oates).
805 009 and 805 012 on 26 July approaching Abergele & Pensarn on the 08:53 Holyhead to London Euston (Greg Mape),
A busy scene at Betws-y-Coed on 25 July as 197 013 calls with the 11:37 Blaenau Ffestiniog - Llandudno (Greg Mape)
News from Cambrian Heritage Railways
Cambrian Heritage Railways (CHR) are proud to announce the arrival of steam engine ‘Austin 1’ - normally kept at Llangollen - for the remainder of it’s 2024 running season. ‘Austin 1’ is hauling weekend train services between Oswestry & Weston Wharf from Saturday 27 July 2024.
Steam-hauled trains will depart Oswestry Station at 11:00, 12:30, 14:00 and 15:30 each weekend until early-September. On Saturdays these departures are supplemented by our diesel-operated 'Brewery Evening Service', which can be used for those wishing to extend their visit or for people wishing to travel to Stonehouse Brewery for a meal or drink.
Tickets can be purchased from our Oswestry Station on the day.
Adults - £8, Child - £5, Concession - £7 for unlimited travel (Family Tickets also available)
For more information on CHR and our operating calendar please visit our website.
From Dave Sallery's archive
31 273 leaves Prestatyn on a Crewe train, 28 May 1991.
A pair of 47s head up near Prestatyn on a rare snowy day in February 1996.
47 547 and 47 565 pass Bangor with a return test train to Crewe, 12 June 1995.
Loadhaul's 56 034 with OTA timber wagons from Shotton Paper at Shotton high level, 23 May 1997.
From Richard Snook's archive
Sandycroft, 9 January 1986: 37 423 with the 'test train' of old coaches on test from Crewe works.
Another way to test locos was to attach them to the Bangor- ardiff service. 16 April 1986 at Flint 14:17 Bangor - Cardiff. 37 431 (ex-37 272) on test from Crewe workds with 33 048 train loco
19 March 1986: train 1D27 11:15 Crewe - Bangor. 47 701 on test from Crewe Works attached to 33 035.
Rhyl on 13 September 1986: 45 115 on 15:16 Llandudno to York.
Looking Back: Railways in Ireland 1970 - by David Pool
In 1970 Northern Ireland Railways were using diesel multiple units on all their lines. Some units existed in steam days, but in 1952 the Ulster Transport Authority decided to build 14 three car units, primarily for use on the branch from Belfast to Bangor. These were designated Multi Engined Units, since the normal formation would be power cars front and rear with a central trailer car. The car bodies were generally converted from steam era coaching stock. On 29 August 1970 the 09:30 Belfast Queens Quay to Bangor was a MED unit with power cars 14 and 27 plus trailer 504, photographed arriving at Bangor West Halt. Note the central driving position with a single windscreen wiper, and the power operated doors on the power unit.
While the MED units were successful for the short distance branches which had no freight or express traffic, a development of the MED was needed for the longer routes such as between Belfast and Londonderry. This was the Multi Purpose Diesel unit, which had larger engines and was able to run at 75mph in comparison with 70mph for the MED units.
The MPD units could often be seen hauling a few vans as an alternative to a freight train. The MPD units first arrived in 1957, eventually comprising two five car units and 10 three car. Most of the power cars had single cabs, but three had two cabs. Working the 14:10 Larne Harbour to Belfast York Road on 29 August 1970, MPD unit 62/52/537 was leaving Whitehead, the base for the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland being adjacent to the station. I don’t know why Rab deserved good luck!
The intention of my visit to Ireland in 1970 was to see more of the North West, such as Mayo and Donegal, so the line to Ballina was on my itinerary. This had a reasonably frequent passenger service, plus developing freight traffic. Trains were being worked by Class 121 diesels with single cabs, which needed to be turned to run cab first on all trains.
A small loco shed and turntable was available at Ballina, as at most terminal stations on Irish Railways at that time. The 09:50 Ballina to Limerick on 31 August 1970 headed by B131 would be travelling via Manulla Junction, Claremorris, Athenry and Ennis to Limerick. Services between Claremorris and Limerick would be withdrawn in 1976, but from 1984 are progressively being reinstated under the Western Rail Corridor project, although currently facing serious flooding problems on parts of the route.
North of Claremorris, a line went via Tobercurry to Collooney on the Sligo main line. Perhaps due to the construction being challenging, through rocky terrain and peatland, it became known as the Burma Road, after the World War II road built between Burma and China. Passenger traffic between Sligo and Claremorris was always sparse, and before the service was withdrawn in 1963 there was only one train in each direction on weekdays. The line remained open for a daily freight working, so this was another item on my list. I had learned that there was a freight leaving Sligo at 10:30 for Claremorris, so leaving Ballina after photographing B131 I drove to Tobercurry to find a suitable location for a shot. I decided I had sufficient time to head North towards Collooney, and took a minor road which ran close to the line. Eventually I found a suitable spot for a photo, and did not have to wait long until A28R appeared with a couple of vans and a brakevan. Mission accomplished!
The warning sign at the crossing intrigued me. It wasn’t just the “cumbersome vehicles” classification, but particularly the requirement to contact the nearest stationmaster to get permission for an abnormal load to cross the line. My guess was that he was probably in Sligo – about 10 miles away. With mobile phones not yet invented, and no contact phone numbers shown, this would have presented problems.
The gates of course were permanently open. I had recorded the location as near Collooney, and have tried to find it today on Google Maps, but the vegetation has mostly buried the track, which was closed in 1975, although the rails were not lifted. I think it must have been near Coolaney. Recently there has been a proposal to convert the route of the Burma Road to a Greenway for cyclists and walkers, but Irish Rail are determined to keep the trackbed for future use as a freight link between Claremorris and Sligo.
The next generation of Northern Ireland diesel units was the 70 Class. Eight power cars and eventually eighteen trailers were built by the UTA from 1966, primarily for Intercity workings. A single English Electric diesel engine was in each power car, with the drive via electric motors instead of the mechanical transmissions used on the MED and MPD units.
Six-car Class 70 sets were introduced on the Belfast to Dublin service in 1969. and also to Londonderry. On 3 September 1970 a six-car unit with power cars 77 and 78 was passing through Downhill on the picturesque Antrim Coast, with the 11:45 Belfast to Londonderry. Power car 78 was the target of an IRA bomb in 1984, and the remaining power cars were withdrawn by 1986, the engines being used in new units. The power car bodies contained blue asbestos, so were sunk in a flooded quarry.
There must have been some signalling work taking place at Larne on 5 September 1970, since the 11:05 from Belfast to Larne Harbour was getting permission to proceed from Larne Town by means of a green flag! The MED unit comprised power cars 10 and 11, with trailer 523.
Major changes to the signalling at Larne Harbour had taken place in 1932 and 1933, when a number of signals were acquired from the LMS. Semaphore signals in Ireland were almost always lower quadrant types, and the LMS upper quadrant signals at Larne Harbour were survivors for many years. On 5 September 1970 the 13:50 Belfast to Larne Harbour was arriving at its destination, comprising power cars 59 and 45 with trailer 538 on the rear. The unit bodies, rebuilt from withdrawn coaching stock, illustrate the variations in the appearance of MPD units.
Home page | Archive | Previous Notice Board