NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY :NOTICE BOARD
Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd
06 August 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
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
Passing the derelict station at Talacre, 70 809 heads for Longport - remarkably the second run of the day. Picture by Gary Thomas.
More Pen stone
Another working on 5 August seen at 12:35 : 70 803 heads for Penmaenmawr (Greg Mape)
Reversing the empty wagons under the loader at the Penmaenmawr quarry sidings shortly after arrival (Garry Stroud).
Ivor Bufton writes: 70 803 approaches Sandy Lane Crossing, Prestatyn whilst working 6K33 13:56 Penmaenmawr Quarry to Bradwell Up Sidings, Longport on 5August, unless anyone know different I believe this was the first visit to the coast by 70 803.
Sandy Lane Crossing now has bilingual signs warning people crossing to make sure they have a clear view of both lines, also CCTV has been installed at the crossing.
HST on Tour
The route was: 1Z43 Newcastle (07:01) - York - Sheffield - Stockport - Manchester Victoria - Warrington Bank Quay - Chester (12:11). Chester (16:11) - Northwich - Altrincham - Stockport - Manchester Piccadilly - Orsall Chord Manchester Victoria - Stockport - Sheffield - York - Newcastle (22:15)
The tour was operated by the Hanson and Hall company (whose RTT code YG doesn't work), using traction and stock from The 125 Group, and marketed by 'Bishop Trains', a new name to us - they run the booking office at Bishop Auckland station.
Helsby (Greg Mape)
The tour used using a preserved HST 2+8 set that comprised 7 coaches in their previous EMR livery with the brake vehicle in Great Western green livery (Geoff Morris).
The power cars carried different liveries with 43 159 Rio Warrior in that of the old Midland Main Line company and, at the other end , 43 089 in East Midlands livery but branded with a logo for the 125 Group in place of that for EMR. The train stabled on one of the goods lines at Chester and I photographed it at Hoole Lane while it shunted (via the Crewe line) to Platform 3 and then departing via the Helsby line.
Stabled at Chester (Logan Humphreys).
Replica LNWR 'running in' nameboards are popping up everywhere these days, including this recent addition at Chester (Logan Humphreys)
Leaving Chester for the Cheshire Lines route (Bob Greenhalgh).
Making its way through the forest, past the site of Baguley station, closed 1964 (Les Burton)
Altrincham (Greg Mape). Note: the pictures may not be in the correct sequence.
The name theme harks back to the time around 2003 when there were many engineering works along the normal Manchester - Euston route, so a service from Manchester to London St Pancras on the Midland Line. A footballer called Rio moved from one team to another. The Rio trains, some in Virgin livery, ran through Charlie's local station, Davenport: here's one.
Austin no.1 at Oswestry - report by George Jones
I went to Cambrian heritage Railways on Saturday 3 August to support the steam option and see Austin 1 in pastures new.
Arriving by T12 bus I was in time for the 12:30 departure and greeted with the scene of class 73 E6036 acting as station pilot; seen above. Austin 1 came on the train of Mark 1 stock and I joined the BSK for a quick get away.
The journey south with various speed restrictions hardly allows steam to show its mettle but once at Weston Wharf ...
... the run round was smartly undertaken as the loco needed water.
Viewing the station scene found the Class 101 DMU 51205/51512 previously ay Llynclys awaiting a repainting alongside the platform ...
... and 144 007 in the headshunt.
Departing at 13:13 the return journey is against the grade and certainly made Austin 1 Chuff up the grade at a steady pace for the one mile and a quarter trip Alone in a BCK compartment, the landscape drifted past with steam up front resonant of a different era!
Approaching Oswestry south the public path crossing the yard requires controlled access for the gates, especially when the coaches have to be shunted out to release the loco and E6036 came on the back as Austin 1 stopped the north end,
Completion of the run round loop would ease Operations but seems some way off. With HMG casting doubt on the 'Restoring Railways' policy the reopening back to Gobowen is in the debating chamber again.
A pleasant interlude but the steam option had hardly attracted the crowds at the time of my visit.
A Visit to Penrhyn Castle - pictures by Greg Mape
A visit to the Castle (near Bangor) reveals that their railway collection has been much reduced.p In early 2024, the museum announced that most of the locomotives would be relocated to new homes, and the museum would become a new 'Industrial Penrhyn' experience. The ancient loco ancient loco 'Fire Queen' has been lent to the museum at the Vale of Rheidol railway, whilst the LNWR 'Coal Tank', which was saved from scrapping thanks to an initiative by North Wales railwayman J.M Dunn, has been revived and works on heritage railways.
RH 327904 Acorn a Ruston Class 20DL diesel which has been at Penrhyn Castle Museum since 2007. Built in 1951 , its previous owners included Wenlock Stone & Concrete Products Ltd, Much Wenlock, Shropshire.
Staying will be Charles, a sister of Blanche and Linda who worl on the Ffestiniog Railway, worked on the Penryn Railway, part of the slate quarry fleet owned by Edward Douglas-Pennant, 1st Baron Penrhyn, who created the castle. It has a workmen's carriage as a partner.
From Dave Sallery's archive
31 124 leaves Prestatyn on an up service, 9 September 1989.
A pair of 101s on the Conwy Valley line near Roman Bridge, 12 May 1993.
20 032 + 20 063 approach Prestatyn with the Derby - Llandudno train, 7 July 1989.
37 407 Loch Long, at Holywell Junction with the Cardiff - Rhyl service, 2 May 1989. This loco, later named Blackpool Tower is still with us, recently sold by DRS to Europhoenix.
Irish Railways - notes by readers
The final Bord na Mona train ran in March 2023, reported with no ceremony. It's reported that there was no driver available, so the train was
driven by a long-time enthusiast.
The locomotives have been offered for sale, but the 3-foot gauge reduces the possible market. Statfold, which has some 3ft track are said to be having three, the Crowle Peatland Railway, in Lincolnshire, which is 3ft gauge has LM336. It's also been reported that one of the Glyn Valley Tramway groups are interested, although neither are 4ft gauge and coversion would be difficult.
The Downpatrick and County Down Railway, mentioned by David Pool, closed to the public in November 2023, after excessive rainfall during Storm Ciarán submerged the entire site under 3 - 6ft of floodwater for nearly a week. The railway remains closed until further notice whilst volunteers assess and repair the damage caused by the flood to rolling stock and infrastructure.
David Pool's photo in the 15 July issue of LM77 at the Fintown railway in County Donegal taken in 1996 (repeated above)...
... this is all that remains on the 4 July as seen taken on a trip with the Shropshire Railway Society. (Roger Thomas).
Looking back: Ireland 1991 part 1 - by David Pool
In 1969 the railway along the coast North of Bray provided some nice locations for photographs. The 07:30 from Rosslare Harbour to Dublin was passing Killiney, hauled by B132.
Twenty five years later, the Dublin Area Rapid Transit system had reached Bray, and on 13 May 1995 the view from the same location shows DART unit 8113 heading for Dublin. I suppose those living in Bray will appreciate the frequency and convenience of the new service, and the views from the train will not have changed much, but overhead electrification does not improve the scenery.
Rathdrum is an attractive village in County Wicklow, on the line from Dublin to Wexford and Rosslare. On 14 May 1995 the 09:25 from Rosslare Harbour to Dublin was calling at the well kept station. Irish Rail 071 was the first of the class of newer GM diesels with 2250hp engines, considerably more powerful than the 141 or 121 classes. The coaches are “AC stock”, with air conditioning and a design similar to the Mk2D coaches in Britain.
The railway at Wexford is well known for running alongside the quay, although it is very different from the quayside railway at Weymouth. It is a straight main line at Wexford, whereas the Weymouth system was more a branch line running on local roads. The problems of inconsiderate parking of cars on the quayside road at Weymouth does not arise at Wexford, where ballasted track with sleepers provides a clear indication of the right of way for trains. There was possibly a 5mph speed restriction, but the approach of a large GM diesel will no doubt deter jaywalkers! Irish rail 082 was on the 09:35 Dublin to Rosslare Harbour on 15 May 1995.
Built by Tokyu Car Corporation in Japan, the Class 2600 diesel multiple units entered service on the Dublin to Kildare route in 1994, and soon were to be seen on suburban services from Cork. On 16 May 1995 the 15:25 Cork to Cobh comprised 2607 and 2608, and was arriving at Cobh. The odd numbered cars conveyed a toilet. With a 70mph capability, the Class 2600 units were sometimes used on the Dublin to Cork main line if the usual loco hauled sets were not required.
The 15:15 Cork to Tralee was arriving at its destination on 18 May 1995, with GM 152, three Cravens coaches and a generator van. In a previous NWCR News there was an image of beer kegs in open wagons at Limerick in 1969, but in 1995 the “Kegliner” bogie wagons were used, and two of these wagons are visible on the left, loaded with cages of Guinness kegs.
Since my visit in 1969, Limerick station had not changed much, but on 19 May 1995 the container terminal was now a prominent feature. The prototype GM Class 141 diesel (No.141) with two coaches and a generator van was departing on the 14:30 to Limerick Junction – a distance of 21 miles. The volume of passenger traffic between Dublin and Limerick does not justify many through trains, so Limerick Junction on the Dublin to Cork main line is the interchange for most Limerick passengers.
In 1995 the trains between Limerick and Limerick Junction were often shuttle services, using Driving Trailers and push/pull operation. This provided useful work for the single ended Class 121 diesels, since they would not need to be turned to run cab first in each direction. Working the 16:55 from Limerick Junction on that day, a Mk3 set of coaches headed by Driving Trailer 6105 with GM 128 on the rear was passing the site of Pallas Green station, closed in 1963. 128 was one of the four Class 121 locomotives in which the 960hp engine had been replaced by one of 1100hp.
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