NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY :NOTICE BOARD
Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd
02 September 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
September 2024
Wednesday 4 September 2024: Inter-City Sugar Loaf Stormy Push Pull, LSL 37 with push/pull stock. Crewe to Crewe circular via HoW and Cardiff. Included as it "touches" North then Mid-Wales
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
Thursday 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
Wednesday 18 September 2024: Private LSL charter, Holyhead to Cardiff Central via Heart of Wales. This looks like it is steam hauled from Holyhead to Crewe as the movements include a visit to Valley triangle
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. Please note that dogs, other than registered assistance dogs, are not allowed at the School.
Saturday 28 September 2024 (re-dated from 25 May: Railway Touring Company, Manchester Piccadilly to Holyhead and return. Hauled by Bahamas, being run in memory of Steve Peach with funds going to the Maggies Charity.)
October 2024
Friday 4 October Clwyd Railway Circle Wrexham’s Second Railway Mania - David Parry
4-6 October Ffestiniog Railway Bygones weekend
5-6 October Llangollen Railway Heritage Railcar Weekend
Friday 11 October. Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society "In Search of Steam in Japan. Six different steam locomotives in steam on different days on the LCGB tour of Japan in August 2023" by John Owen.
November 2024
Friday 1 November Clwyd Railway Circle Chinese Steam in 2001 and 2003 - Phil Thomas
Friday 8 November. Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society "The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Then and Now" by Bob Barnard.
30 November 2024: Pathfinder. 40 145 from Dorridge to Chester via Wrexham General
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
January 2025
Friday 10 January. Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society "Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Engine Sheds" by Noel Coates of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Society.
February 2025
Friday 14 February. Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society "Macclesfield Area Railways in the 1950s and 60s" by Martin Welch.
March 2025
Friday 14 March. Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society "Navigation Road and All That" by Ted Buckley. Local rail scenes, mainly of steam, from the 1960s in the Altrincham and Dunham Massey areas and elsewhere taken by Ted's father Bill Buckley.
April 2025
Friday 11 April. Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society "Steam, Diesel and Electric in the Northern Fells" by Ian Pilkington. A joint meeting with the Irish Railway Record Society Manchester Branch.
North Wales Coast Railway website created and compiled by Charlie Hulme
67 020 waits at the buffers at Manchester Piccadilly to for the 12:30 to Cardiff on 29 August.
News pictures
At Stockport on 31 August, 67 025 departs on 1V39 10:30 Manchester to Cardiff while 390 009 stands in platform 2 on the 08:27 from Euston...
... 323 228 just arrived on 2H85 09:55 Stoke-on-Trent to Manchester. These 1992-built units look to have many more years of duty; extra units are arriving from West Midlands. Each 3-car unit can seat 277 people, assuming they are willing to squash into the triple seats. They can run at 90 mph, and make good use of this on the Stoke and Crewe services. Pictures by Stuart Broome.
Llandudno Junction on 31 August was looking quite floral with the flower tubs arranged between platforms 1 and 3. Above, 158 829 departs Llandudno Jcn, with the 13-27 Holyhead to Birmingham International...
... 805 011 departs with the 13:53 Holyhead to Crewe service (Garry Stroud).
On a miserable rainy 2 September Blue Peter on a Crewe - Chester-Shrewsbury - Coton Hill test run is seen at Balderton crossing ...
... with 20 132 and 20 118 on the tail (Bob Greenhalgh).
Sir Nigel Gresley visits Blackburn in the rain on 28 August with a Saphos Trains special from Blackpool North to Carlisle (Greg Mape).
Major plans announced
From the official press release:
Transport for Wales will increase rail capacity by 40%, with 50% more timetabled services, supported by an £800m investment in brand new CAF trains and the recruitment of additional drivers and train crew. Changes at a number of level crossings are required to be able to operate these additional services on the line.Impressive indeed. What can be done by just closing four crossings! Presumably the idea is to run a additional hourly train from the Coast to Manchester, with limited stops. An obvious idea might be to extend the current Chester - Leeds service, but of course this is run by Northern.
To support this, Network Rail and Transport for Wales are jointly undertaking a programme of local consultation, planning and development work to close four level crossings along the North Wales mainline.
Proposals include a temporary footbridge, and in future a permanent, accessible footbridge near Pensarn closing two footpath crossings, with a similar approach at Prestatyn, closing two nearby crossings and removing a temporary speed restriction.
Meanwhile, Network Rail and Transport for Wales are continuing to engage with stakeholders and the local community on the permanent closure of a footpath crossing on the branch line in Deganwy.
Meanwhile, on the Marches line, Network Rail have been working to speed up the loco-hauled trains so to allow them to run to the same schedule as the 197s which work alternate services. The problem was that the ex-LNER coaches are heavier than the Mark 3 vehicles previously used.
From Dave Sallery's archive
40 135 with empty hoppers from Salford Hope Street to Penmaenmawr passes Prestatyn, 12 September 1984. This loco still exists in the care of The Class 40 Preservation Society, based at The East Lancashire Railway, although at present not in traffic due to a defective crankshaft.
47 832 approaches Abergele, past the much-missed semaphores, with a Holyhead service, 6 September 2004. The unusual bar betwen the posts tells drivers that this is a junction signal; the lowest arm is for the platform line and the higher one for the through line which this train is taking as it does not calling at Abergele. Since then the platform line has been removed and the platform rebuilt to be against the through line.
The service is the 10:00 Arriva Trains Wales Manchester - Holyhead. The loco carries First Great Western livery, although owned by Fragonset, and the ex-Virgin coaches were hired to Arriva.
56 010 with steel coils for Shotton Works nears Penyffordd, 3 June 1997. This Romanian-built loco was withdrawn and scrapped in 2004.
Pete Waterman's preserved Class 46 Ixion had its first trial run on the coast. D172, one time 46 035, is seen here passing Shotton on the return journey. It is said that it was the first preserved diesel to run on the main line. Today it is store at the Peak Rail site at Rowsley, where it is waiting for volunteers have the time and money to return to use.
Dinmor explained - by Mark Lamb
With regard to David Pool's trip to Ireland in 26 August noticeboard, he asks for information about a Fowler diesel (3900011) at the Cavan & Leitrim's site at Dromod. The loco in question - Dinmor, or is it Dinmore - is in fact from Anglesey. The details are in the Industrial Railway Society's book: Industrial Locomotives of North Wales.
Though it didn't carry a name there - was delivered new to Dinmor Park Limestone Quarry, Penmon in March 1947, and was in use there until the system closed in 1966. It remained there until September 1972 when it left, via Alan Keef, for use on his Cotswold Light Railway in Gloucestershire until 1978. In 1989 it was sold to the Irish Narrow Gauge Trust.
The image and more information is from the Cavan and Leitrim Railway's Facebook, with thanks.
Looking back: Ireland 1996 part 2 - by David Pool
Castlebar is on the main line between Manulla Junction and Westport. On 13 May 1996 the 13:00 Dublin to Westport, headed by 201 Class No. 225 was entering the station. The disused platform and signal cabin had been kept in excellent condition, and the flowers and shrubs were a credit to all concerned.
Westport is the end of the line, but the track continued through the station to a goods yard and loco shed. Timber was being loaded, and I assume the 071 Class No. 082 would eventually be used on the train, perhaps to Waterford.
After the withdrawal of passenger services between Limerick and Athenry, there was pressure to restore services, at least as far as Ennis, which would provide a commuter service for a growing population. On 17 May 1996 the first stage of the reopening had been achieved, with a passenger service from Limerick to Ennis, where there was also a freight terminal. 141 Class No.167 had arrived form Limerick Junction, and would be departing at 14:00 when it had run round the two coaches and a van.
A short branch from Sligo station led down to Sligo Quay. On 18 May 1996 181 Class No.182 was about to leave the branch with empty tank wagons. The booked departure from the Quay was 11:55, and I assume these were Esso oil tanks returning to Dublin. The barrier wagon suggests they might have been conveying light oil, and it is possible that it was diesel fuel oil. Any confirmation of this working would be welcome.
The oil tank train was awaiting the arrival of the 08:40 Dublin to Sligo, which was headed by 071 Class No. 075. The absence of a roof spanning the tracks has avoided the usual darkness in many terminal stations. Note the extent of the ballast between the tracks, which adds to the clean appearance of the station.
Returning to the Belfast district on 20 May, I found the Northern Ireland Railway had changed greatly since my visit in 1970, with new fleets of diesel units. Bangor West was busy with commuters waiting for the 08:15 Bangor to Portadown, headed by 450 Class 454 Carrickfergus Castle, with intermediate coach 794 and driving trailer 784. These units had been built by BREL ten years earlier, and known as the “Castle” Class.
The next departure from Bangor was the 08:35 to Great Victoria Street. This was a three car set headed by NIR 92, one of the second batch of the successful 70 Class, originally ordered by the UTA, this unit being built for NIR in 1978 by BREL at Derby. These were generally known as “Thumpers” by Irish Railway enthusiasts, but this nickname seems to have been given to the 450 Class also. I have been trying to identify the Track Machine in the shot – it seems like Plasser 741 of Irish Railways, but I cannot find any images of anything similar on the NIR.
I travelled South towards the ferry at Dun Laoghaire, and found some interesting railway activity at Dundalk. 071 Class No.085 was in a Distribution centre siding with Bell Line containers – soon to disappear when Bell Lines ceased in 1997. Some Kegliner wagons were visible on the right, but the Plasser & Theurer Tamper and trailer was my main focus. Again, I have been unable to verify its number. There are similarities with Irish Rail Tamper No.743, but the roof and front window details are different. Can anyone identify this one?
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