North Wales Coast Railway Notice Board 21 October 2024

NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY :NOTICE BOARD

Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd


21 October 2024












 

Stoneblower DR80211 At Llandygai, 18 October


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

See our Calendar Page for operator details.

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.

Wednesday 13 November  Welsh Highland Railway North Wales Group Humph Davies  ‘An historical look at the route of the Lynton andBarnstaple Railway, 1898-1935.’

Monday 18 November Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales Branch Bromborough: Ted Buckley “Navigation Road and all that”

Sunday 30 November : Pathfinder. 40 145 from Dorridge to Chester via Wrexham General

December 2024

Wednesday 4 December Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales Branch Liverpool Brian Roberts “Merseyside Area Connections in the 1970s”

Tuesday 10 December  Midland Pullman from Holyhead to Edinburgh Waverley - Edinburgh Christmas Pullman

Wednesday 11 December  Welsh Highland Railway North Wales Group Fred Howes - “From Train Spotter to Civil Engineering Manager”.

Saturday 14 December Intercity Y Cracyr Nadolig” (The Christmas Cracker) Wolverhampton to Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog with class 40 and class 45 locos.

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.

Monday 20 January Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales Branch Bromborough: AGM followed by: Jon Penn “A Miscellany of Railways”  (Non M,C&NW members and Non-RCTS members will not be able to take an active part in the AGM)

February 2025

Wednesday 5 February Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales Branch Liverpool: Chris Poole   “Czech Railways”

Friday 14 February. Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society "Macclesfield Area Railways in the 1950s and 60s" by Martin Welch.

March 2025

Saturday 1 March - Railway Touring Company - 'The Mancunian' from Manchester Piccadilly to Llandudno and Holyhead via Altrincham. Steam hauled.

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.

Monday 17 March Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales Branch: Charles Roberts “On Line Transport Archive (OTA) Images”

April 2025

Wednesday 2 April Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales Branch Liverpool:  Paul Shackcloth “L & Y Engines at Work, Part 3” Speaker and Subject TBC

Saturday 5 April  Saphos  Lakelander from Llandudno Junction to Carlisle. Diesel to Lancaster and return, steam from Lancaster, return via Cumbrian Coast line.

Saturday 5 April  UK Railtours - The Snowdonian. No further information available at present.

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.

Saturday 12 April  Midland Pullman  Torbay Riviera Pullman from Chester, Wrexham General and Ruabon to Paignton.

Saturday 19 April   Northern Belle - Settle and Carlisle Steam Special. Wrexham General and Chester to Carlisle via the S&C. Diesel to/from Carnforth, steam for remainder.

May 2025

Saturday 10 May  UK Railtours Llandudno and Chester. London Euston to Llandudno Junction and Penmaenmawr freight yards.

Saturday 31 May  Northern Belle Conwy Castle & Bodnant Gardens from Cardiff

June 2025

Friday 20 June   Northern Belle  Spirit of Travel Lunch. Circular tour picking up at Chester and Wrexham General. Diesel hauled.

Friday 20 June  Northern Belle  Champagne Afternoon Tea. Circular tour picking up at Chester and Wrexham General. Diesel hauled.

July 2025

Tuesday 15 July   Midland Pullman  Yorkshire Coast Pullman from Ruabon, Wrexham General and Chester.

August 2025

September 2025

Wednesday 17 September  Midland Pullman  Settle and Carlisle Pullman. From Ruabon, Wrexham General and Chester.

20 September   Northern Belle   Settle and Carlisle Steam Special. Wrexham General and Chester to Carlisle via the S&C. Diesel to/from Carnforth, steam for remainder.

8 November Northern Belle  Settle and Carlisle Steam Special. Wrexham General and Chester to Carlisle via the S&C. Diesel to/from Carnforth, steam for remainder.








North Wales Coast Railway website created and compiled by Charlie Hulme Hulme



70 814 heads 6J37 Carlisle - Chirk logs near Crosby Garrett on Saturday 19 October. Picture by Ian Pilkington.

Collaboration



On loan to Colas due to a loco shortage, GBRf 66 792 Collaboration worked the 4D61 Bradwell up sidings to Penmaenmawr quarry sidings. Monday 21 October. Above, passing Llandudno Junction (Greg Mape)



Seen here  at the quarry sidings ...



... 66 792 reverses the empty wagons after running round (Garry Stroud).



The return leg - see item below (Ivor Bufton)


Sandy Lane Crossing - report by Ivor Bufton



Sandy Lane foot crossing in Prestatyn is, I believe, the subject of a proposal to be replaced with a footbridge.  There is now a speed restriction at this point and a camera which is monitored by control in Cardiff.  I decided to photograph the stone train there on 14 October to try and record these additions.



First, we see 197 004 working 1W93 14:25 Chester to Holyhead (with a friendly wave from the driver) passing the camera that is now used to monitor the crossing, in the distance can be seen the speed restriction sign.



Then we see 70 814 working 6K33 13:56 Penmaenmawr Quarry Colas to Bradwell Up Sidings Colas passing the end of speed restriction sign, I am familiar with the 'T' but can anyone enlighten me what the 'A' represents?


Snippets

Loco 67 016 is back in service, now in the TfW preferred black livery. Any pictures?

North Llanrwst station is to return to its older name 'Llanrwst and Trefriw' after pressure from locals to publicise their village which is accessed by a bridge over the river Crafnant.  But will fun-seekers from England be able to pronounce it?

Request stop signals have been installed at Llanfair PG and Ty Croes stations; the idea is that the prospective passenger presses a button which tells the driver to stop. This removes the need to slow down and look for the legendary arm-raise. Has any reader try this, and photograph it?


News Pictures



The RHTT passing Llandudno Junction on 21 October, with unusually a single loco, 56 302 (Greg Mape).



Old meets new at Llandudno Junction on 21 October. 197 110 is on the 10:42 from Llandudno to Manchester Airport, and 158 827 and 158 729 form the 08:25 Manchester Airport - Holyhead (Greg Mape). Soon after this the service collapsed, reportedly due to a power cut in the Bangor area; several trains were cancelled and others ran half an hour late.



Bob Greenhalgh writes: 'after a tip-off from the Wrexham Gen news group I visited Chester station at 12:30 on 19 October. From platform 7 I was able to photograph a snowplough:  ADB 965206, 37 405, 56 090, ADB965421.



66 419 -  recently named in honour of a football team, Lionesses Roar  at Llandudno Junction, after arrival with the 6D14 13;34 Ashburys, Manchester to Junction slate waste empties on 18 October (Garry Stroud).



Flint (Stephen Dennett). Apparently this is a working that appears once a year.

From Dave Sallery's archive



37 423 Sir Murray Morrison leaves Prestatyn on an up service to Crewe, 15 July 1999.



47 295 near Abergele with the afternoon Speedlink to Warrington Arpley, 12 June 1987. The train is mostly comprised of wagons containing bricks made in Caernarfon and loaded at Bangor.



507 006 leaves Sandhills on an Ormskirk service, 24 March 1984.  The three chimneys were for Clarence Dock power station which had closed in the 70s.



66 030 with a diverted Margam to Dee Marsh steel train near Saltney Junction, 15 May 2000.  Uncontrolled vegetation is nothing new.


From Richard Snook's archive : The Peak Days



Prestatyn: 45 118 08:20 Newcastle - Llandudno, 26 May 1986.



Rhyl: 45 121 08:17 Holyhead - Newcastle 29 May 1986




Prestatyn: 45 146 08:20 Newcastle - Llandudno



Rhyl: 45 115 15:16 Llandudno - York 13 September 1986


Looking Back:  Isle of Man part 4 - by David Pool



Ready for the day’s work, Snaefell Mountain Railway car Nos. 1, 3 and 4 are in the depot at Laxey on 29 June 1973.  On the left is a Wickham railcar used to convey Civil Aviation Authority staff to the Summit to maintain the masts there.  It was probably CAA No.2, built in 1957, and there appears to be a second railcar behind, which might be No.1.  SMR No.3 was destroyed in 2016 when it ran away from the Summit and derailed, fortunately being without passengers or SMR staff on board. 



Steamers had ceased to use Ramsey Queen’s Pier in 1970, but the 3ft gauge Pier Tramway was still open on 29 June 1973.  A Wickham railcar was sufficient for the small number of passengers.  Three years later it had been replaced by a Planet diesel and coach, the tramway eventually closing in 1981.  By the early 1990s the Pier had deteriorated to the extent that closure was inevitable, and the costs of renewal or demolition were both excessive. 

A campaign to renew the Pier was launched, but there was little progress until 2009, when the Pier was recognised as having Heritage significance.  At first the proposal was to restore the structure but not allow public access, but in 2012 it was agreed that full restoration should start.  Nine years later the first phase was completed, allowing public access to part of the Pier, and by 2024 the Queen’s Pier train (as it was now called) was back in operation. 



The railway station at Ramsey in 1973 had changed little since closure five years earlier.  The signal shown in part 1 of my IOM Railway photographs in the Notice Board was still standing.  It is not clear to me what its purpose was, being a lower quadrant signal at the entrance to the sidings and station.  I assume it was a Home signal, converted from a Distant arm, but why was it needed?  In my 1968 shot it had been in the “off” position for the arriving train.



There was a little more activity at the Manx Electric Railway station in Ramsey in 1973, and Nos. 12, 14 and 4 provided an interesting selection of vans.  All had been built by G.F.Milnes (Birkenhead) in 1898, 1904 and 1894 respectively.  No.12 was for goods and parcels, and later converted to a Tower wagon.  No.14 was the last van delivered, designated a luggage van, and No.4 became the “TPO van” in 1993, acquiring a Post Office Red livery. 



As part of the IOMR 100 years celebrations, there was a display of locomotives in Douglas on 30 June 1973.  No.14 Thornhill and No.3 Pender were in the IOMR red, while No.1 Sutherland and No.4 Loch were in the apple green of the Ailsa era.  The name on No.4 commemorates Lord Loch, who was the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man from 1863 to 1882.  



Also on display at Douglas was No.15 Caledonia, the 0-6-0T locomotive built by Dübs & Co. of Glasgow for the Manx Northern Railway in 1885, and used on the construction of the Snaefell Mountain Railway.  It had Manx Northern branding and number (No.4), but No.15 on the chimney.  Since the IOMR is 3ft gauge, and the SMR is 3ft 6in, temporary dual gauge track was laid for the SMR construction.  At the SMR centenary celebrations in 1995, a short length of dual gauge track was provided to enable Caledonia to revisit the line. 



The IOMR 100 years celebrations in 1973 featured an special working, namely a ten coach train from Douglas to Port Erin and back on 1 July 1973, to be top and tailed.  After a few shots in dull weather at Port Soderick and Castletown, the light had improved near Port St Mary, and I was able to get the whole train in the shot.  No.10 G.H.Wood and No.13 Kissack were the motive power, and an extra coach had been added. 



Port Erin station had on display a 1928 Thornycroft bus, a Rolls Royce, a Bentley and an Austin 7, and a crowd of spectators had gathered.  Tickets for the return journey to Douglas, advertised as being non stop, were £1 each.  The reporter from the local Press was interviewing one of the suitably attired passengers, who was perhaps more photogenic than the locomotive crew.   

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