North Wales Coast Railway Notice Board 28 October 2024

NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY :NOTICE BOARD

Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd


28 October 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

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



The Rail Head Treatment Train seen from above Llandulas on 23 October. PIcture by Greg Mape.


Talerddig accident

For the record, we should take note of the collision on the Cambrian main line at Talerddig crossing loop on the evening of Monday 21 October. The trains were the 18:31 service from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth, worked by 158 841, and 158 824 on the 19:09 Machynlleth to Shrewsbury; a head-on collision at about 15 mph ensured when one of the trains over-ran the points at the far end of the loop.  One passenger, Mr Tudor Evans died in the collision, reportedly of a heart attack, and several others were injured, including the driver and conductor of one of the trains. 

The reason for the failure to stop is being investigated; it would seem that  leaves on the track played a part. Both damaged units were hauled away by other 158s to clear the line;  Real Time Trains recorded 158 831 working 5Z58 departing from Shrewsbury at 06:24 for Talerddig on 24 October and 158 836 departing from Machynlleth at 09:44 as 5T58 as far as Talerddig. The Rail Head Treatment Train operated over the line on 24, 25, 26 and 27 October and Passenger service between Machynlleth re-started on 28 October.


Activity at Shrewsbury on 27 October - by Graham Breakwell



Abobe, 67 027 leading 3S31 past Belle Vue, the Swindon Transfer to Worcester Shrub Hill, which reverses in Shrewsbury station.



97 302 drawing the RHTT out of Coleham Depot with 97 304 on the rear, which was then detached and reversed into the Network Rail depot siding.  



56 113 drawing another RHTT set off the depot with 56 302 on the rear.....



... then reversing back into the depot, ready for the overnight service to Craven Arms and the usual circuit of the Wirral and North Wales.



3S31 heading back to Worcester Shrub Hill passing 97 303 waiting to shunt the tankers into the depot siding vacated by the second RHTT for the tanks to be replenished.



In fading light,  97 304 then moves into the headshunt to rest there overnight – 97 302 worked the RHTT to Machynlleth solo.

News pictures



56 090 with 56 113 rear, pass Penmaenmawr, with the 3S71 Coleham to Holyhead RHTT service. 28 October Luckily nobody was waiting on the Up platform! (Garry Stroud)



70 811 enters Penmaemawr yard, after arriving with the 4D61 06:16 from Bradwell Up sidings (Garry Stroud)...



.. later, 70 811 powers away from a signal check at Rhyl with the loaded working 6K33 13:56 Penmaenmawr - Bradwell Up Sidings (Ivor Bufton).



HSTs 43 301 and 43 303 on Network Rail duty seen at Bangor working from Holyhead to Cardiff Canton on 23 October, as opposed to Bangor Carriage Sidings to Cardiff Canton, said to result of a suspected 'Signal Passed at Danger' incident in Holyhead the night before (Logan Humphreys).



A Loram Rail Grinder stables in Rhyl Engineers Sidings, 27 October.  These beasts grind the surface of the rails to give a smoother ride, as well as preventing small cracks to spread. Picture by Roland High.


TfW Standard Plus - report by Mark Hambly

Travelling (in Standard) on a TfW Class 197 unit in North Wales on Wednesday 16 October I asked a member of the on-train staff what the position was regarding 'Standard Plus'. I was advised that, once introduced, a supplement of between £5 and £15 according to the length of the journey will be payable to travel in the 2+1 seating area, but until then the area may be used without restriction. 

The reason I was given for it not having yet been introduced was that there is not a wheelchair space in the Standard Plus area, and so to offer a service which was known not to be accessible to all customers would be discriminatory, and thus illegal. If this is indeed the case (I have not yet had the opportunity to verify this) then it would be seem to be a fairly significant faux pas by whoever signed-off the design for the interior fit-out of the trains.


T and A signs - answered



A high number of readers wrote to explain the meaning of the 'A' below the 'T' as seen on Ivor Bufton's picture repeated here.  The 'T' is a long-standing indication of the end of a temporary speed restriction. The normal procedure in these situations is that the driver does not increase speed until the last vehicle of the train has passed the sign.

The "A" board (A for accelerate) is a new thing, introduced with issue 1.1 of Group Standard RIS-0735-CCS (Signing of Temporary and Emergency Speed Restrictions), which was brought in in September this year. It is defined as "Termination indicator for temporary speed restriction applicable to the front of the train." The Sandy Lane crossing situation is an example: the speed restriction relates to sighting of trains by users of the crossing rather than any fault with the track. 

We are now educated as where to look for this kind of information: the website 'Railsigns.uk'. Many thanks, all.


Flood at Gobowen - report by Chris Scott

Following severe flooding at Gobowen earlier this week as a result of which all trains were cancelled and roads closed, suspicion fell on a culvert south of Gobowen Station that went under the track which  was blocked. 



On 22 October I went to Gobowen to catch a Chester train and noted that the ex coal yard that is now occupied by the Cambrian  Railway  Society had been opened up to allow access to a road/rail unit and associated flat bed trucks.



From conversation with the workers it transpired that they had been brought in to carry out repairs to said culvert which entailed replacing the overbridge and the grills which had become blocked.



The new overbridge which will span the culvert.


Keeping the Customer Informed - comment by Mark Hambly

Wednesday 16 October was undoubtedly a challenging day for railway personnel in the Marches, with line blockages due to flooding and consequential service cancellations and displacement of both trains and crews. However, none of that excuses a failure by TfW, as the operator of Chester station, to communicate with affected travellers.

I happened to be there in the early afternoon while en-route between the North Wales Coast and the West Midlands, and in the entire 40 minutes I was on the station (before resorting to a "Plan B" via Runcorn) there were no announcements over the PA system, nor any in-person input from platform staff, despite Platform 3A becoming increasingly crowded as anyone hoping to travel south accumulated to await the 14:32 Avanti service to Crewe, Stafford and London Euston, the Holyhead - Chester leg of which had already been cancelled. Incidentally, Real Time Trains advises that this eventually departed at 15:21, lost further time to Crewe and was eventually terminated at Stafford.


From Dave Sallery's archive



101 669 forms the connection to Chester off 508 116 from Liverpool, Hooton, 25 September 1993.



37 073 brings a heavy loaded up ballast through Rhyl, 13 February 1997.

 

37 408 Loch Rannoch with a Birmingham to Holyhead train nears Penmaenmawr, 27 June 1994.



Birkenhead shed, 8H in 1966 with an 8F taking water.  The locos on the left are all stored and few, if any, will ever run again.


Looking back: Isle of Man Part 5 - by David Pool



IOMR No.4 Loch is slowing for the crossing at Mount Gawne Road, between Colby and Port St. Mary.  The train is the 1000 from Douglas to Port Erin on 2 July 1973. 



No.4 was also on the afternoon train, 14:10 from Douglas, and was photographed at Port Soderick station, which had changed very little over many years.  The station house looks to have survived well, but the track has probably suffered from the lack of funds in the years of IOMR ownership.



I spent later that afternoon enjoying the Horse Trams in Douglas.  Getting a Driver’s eye view photograph was tricky, as I needed to get a good depth of focus as well as a fast shutter speed.  I was on an Open Toastrack car No.40, with a similar car No.41 approaching.  I regret that I forgot to ask for the names of the horses.



Two Manx Electric Railway Crossbench cars were approaching the Derby Castle terminus.  No.25 had been built by Milnes in 1898, and trailer No.55 entered service in 1904. 



Each horse would have three or four return trips along the Promenade each day, apart from one day off each week.  There was a water trough in the stables, but some additional refreshment was appreciated in hot weather.  The car was No.35. 



Douglas Promenade was as clean as any other seaside resort, but anyone familiar with horse drawn transport systems will know that it is necessary to deal with any unwanted deposits.  A Bedford street cleaner might not have attracted much attention, but it was providing a very useful service.  Apparently in 2009 there were trials with Poop Scoops, but attempting to attach them in the right place proved to be too difficult, and I assume the street cleaners have continued.  Perhaps not surprisingly there seem to be little information about them on transport websites. 



Another overlooked feature of Douglas was the Falcon Cliff Lift.  The Falcon Cliff Hotel had been one of the best hotels in the Island, and a Funicular railway had been built in 1887 when the hotel opened.  After less than ten years in use the Funicular was moved to Port Soderick, and it was not until 1927 that a new Lift was provided.  This was on a single five foot gauge track, with one car and a counterbalance weight, and not the two car Funicular type.  On 3 July 1973 it was still in use, but the Lift closed in 1990 and the Hotel is now private offices.



The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company always had a few vessels for coastal cargo duties.  The MV Ramsey was built by Ailsa Shipbuilding Company (Troon) in 1964.  At the time it was suitable for the cargo handled, but the advent of containers was unfortunate for the Ramsey, whose hold had not been designed for such items, and it was eventually sold at the end of 1973.  My shot off Douglas Head on 3 July 1973 was not planned, but I am glad I had some film left in the camera!  The Ramsey moved to the South of England, then later went to the Cape Verde Islands, where it was used as a fuel tanker, after several name changes.  It may still be there, as I could find no record of it having been scrapped.  

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