NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY :NOTICE BOARDRheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd |
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25 November 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 Saturday 30 November Pathfinder. Change of traction: now two WCRC 37s 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 Thursday 9 January Clwyd Railway Circle David Jones “Landscapes of Steam, Chester and the Welsh Borders”. Note: Change of venue and date : Hawarden Institute, 31 Glynne Way, Hawarden, Flintshire, CH5 3NS 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” Thursday 6 February Clwyd Railway Circle David Jones and Dave Southern “Annual General Meeting” followed by “Rails to Bala” 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. Thursday 6 March Clwyd Railway Circle Jeff Nicholls “A Baptism of Fire and Water-My First Wolsztyn Experience” Part One 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. Saturday 11 April Pathfinder Tours 'Cambrian Coast Express' from Swindon to Pwllheli 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 Thursday 1 May Northern Belle "Conwy Castle & Bodnant Gardens" charter from Coventry It includes other off-train options. Saturday 9 May Pathfinder Tours 'Cambrian Coast Express' from East Midlands Parkway to Pwllheli Saturday 10 May UK Railtours Llandudno and Chester. London Euston to Llandudno Junction and Penmaenmawr freight yards. Saturday 16 May Pathfinder Tours 'Cambrian Coast' Express from Bristol Temple Meads to Pwllheli 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. Saturday 21 June North West Rail and Transport Collectors Fair Crewe Alexandra Football Club 10:00 - 16:00 Thursday 26 June The Railway Industry's "Three Peaks by Rail" will be down the Coast on the evening of 26 June and heading onwards in the early hours of 27 June. July 2025 Saturday 5 July Railway Touring Company "North Wales Coast Express" from London Euston to Llandudno. Electric to Crewe, with steam along the Coast. Sunday 13 July Railway Touring Company charter from Liverpool to Holyhead on with steam throughout. Tuesday 15 July Midland Pullman Yorkshire Coast Pullman from Ruabon, Wrexham General and Chester. August 2025 September 2025 Friday 5 September Clwyd Railway Circle To be announced Saturday 5 September Pathfinder Tours 'Cambrian Coast Express' from Cardiff Central to Pwllheli Saturday 12 September Pathfinder Tours '.Cambrian Coast Express' from Bristol Temple Meads to Pwllheli Wednesday 17 September Midland Pullman Settle and Carlisle Pullman. From Ruabon, Wrexham General and Chester. Saturday 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. October 2005 Friday 3 October Clwyd Railway Circle To be Announced November 2005 Friday 7 November Clwyd Railway Circle Jeff Nicholls “A Baptism of Fire and Water-My First Wolsztyn Experience” Part Two Saturday 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 |
![]() 221 104 calls at Flint 44 minutes late with 1D92 18:02 London Euston to Holyhead, 23 November (Tim Rogers) News Pictures![]() 70 815 reverses at Penmaenmawr, after bringing in the 4D61 empties from Bradwell up sidings. Monday 25 November. This is believed to be the first time 70 185 has been 'down the coast' (Garry Stroud) ![]() The loaded train passing Sandycroft (Tim Rogers) ![]() 805 008 on 1A50 12:48 Holyhead to London Euston on 25 November (Tim Rogers) ![]() 197 030 with 197 033 became the first ETRMS 197s to work a service train, this being 1V94 08:05 Holyhead to Cardiff Central (diverted via Crewe due to adverse weather) on 19 November, 197 030 is seen at Shrewsbury with 196 104 waiting with a service to Birmingham. ![]() 67 016, recently painted into TfW black livery was hauled from Toton to Crewe Electric depot by 666 121 on 19 November. 0Z23 07:55 Toton T.M.D. to Crewe T.M.D. (E) and is seen passing through Crewe Station. 67 016 has now entered service on the TfW loco hauled services (Ivor Bufton) ![]() The remaining voyagers still with Avanti West Coast have lost their Avanti branding, 221 101 is seen at Crewe working 1A38 12:32 Chester to London Euston with 221 102 (out of sight) on 19 November (Ivor Bufton). ![]() 66 614 Poppy passing Prestatyn with 6D14 10:50 Guide Bridge Yard to Llandudno Junction empty slate wagons on 21 November (Ivor Bufton) ![]() 67 010 passing the site of the Penrhyn sidings whilst working 5T10 13:45 Holyhead to Crewe C.S Empty stock on 21 November. The train was cancelled due to a door fault the previous morning and the Holyhead to Cardiff had to be a 197 starting at Chester (Logan Humphreys). ![]() 67 010 passing Prestatyn (Ivor Bufton). ![]() 56 090 and 56 113 on 25 November passing Sandycroft on the RHTT duty. (Tim Rogers). ![]() A close-up of the FEA wagons and the high-pressure spraying (Tim Rogers) A day with a Day Ranger - by Paul Hajdasz![]() I travelled by rail using a Cheshire Day Ranger on Wednesday 13 November, which cost £19:60 with a Senior Railcard. I began at Whitchurch, catching TfW 1W13 Swansea to Manchester Piccadilly with a 3-car unit 197 122 (above). ![]() I arrived at Manchester Piccadilly to see my next train standing in platform 11, 2B18 Northern service to Buxton with a relatively old but reliable 2-car 150 unit 150 150. Alongside this was the more recent addition to the rail network 331 028. ![]() When I got to Buxton the station was choc-a-bloc with Northern units, including 150 136 156 427 and 156 428. ![]() An hour later I returned on 150 103 which had been attached to 150 150 to form 2B29 back to Manchester Piccadilly. ![]() I then waited for TfW 1V46 service to Cardiff, which came into platform 10 with 67 013 on set HD04. ![]() I travelled to Crewe, where I decided to try out the EMR service 1N19 going to Newark Castle. I alighted 158 852 at Stoke-on-Trent where quite a few passengers got on. ![]() I returned to Crewe on another EMR service, this time with 170 516 arriving on platform 3 ![]() My final leg of the day Ranger was to board TfW 2T66 to Shrewsbury with single car 153 333. The last (almost) of the Derby Lightweights![]() A memory of the 1950s 'Derby Lightweight' units which headed the wave of diesel railcars in the late 1950s. An early user was in North Wales, replacing steam on the branches in the Amlwch and Blaenau Ffestiniog, and even the famous 'Welsh Dragon' service. They were 2-car sets; the single-car unit photograph at Loughborough on 7 November was one of two built for an experimental service between Buckingham and Banbury to save the line from closure. The experiment didn't last, and one of the units - this one, M79900 - entered departmental service, initially as a route-learner and late converted into 'Test Car Iris. Withdrawn in 1999, it has been restored more than once, and today it has returned to passenger use and wearing its original livery. Very few others of the type have lasted into preservation. Wrexham Exchange Then and Now - by Richard Snook![]() Sixty-five years separate these two photographs. The 'then' was by taken Brian Green in 1959 and shows Wrexham Rhoddu allocated standard class 3MT 82037 arriving at Wrexham Exchange wit a Seacombe - Wrexham Central train. ![]() The new photograph was taken on 1 November 2024 and shows new class 230 bi-mode 230 009 arriving at what is now platform 4 of the adjacent Wrexham General station with the 11:06 Bidston to Wrexham Central. The obvious difference is that in 1981 the line was singled and the Wrexham Central direction platform shortened and connected to the main station by a footbridge. From Dave Sallery's archive![]() 31 465 near Towyn on an up service, 12 June 1993. ![]() 37 073 with ballast empties near Mostyn, 30 May 1996. ![]() 37 686, with a characteristic drooped nose due to a mishap, leaves Penmaenmawr with a short ballast, 26 August 1994. ![]() Birkenhead 8H shed in 1966. At least five different classes on view. Looking back: Isle of Man part 9 1993 - by David PoolThe Isle of Man Government had encouraged a publicity campaign advertising 1993 as the Year of the Railways on the Island. A series of events was scheduled throughout the year, but I decided to visit in Enthusiasts Week, the first week of May 1993. Having sailed on the previous day from Heysham for a change, I was in Douglas early on 1 May and headed for the Manx Electric Railway at Derby Castle, where a variety of tramcars were to be seen. Car No.9 (The Illuminated Tram) was carrying 100 years branding to celebrate the centenary of the Manx Electric Railway, although this was not strictly accurate. The first section of what is now the MER was indeed opened in 1893 between Douglas and Groudle, reaching Laxey in 1894 and Ramsey in 1899. The collapse of a Bank in Douglas in 1900 led to the bankruptcy of the several tramway operators, and the Manx Electric Railway was incorporated in 1902, taking responsibility for the line to Ramsey. ![]() Car No.9 (The Illuminated Tram) was carrying 100 years branding to celebrate the centenary of the Manx Electric Railway, although this was not strictly accurate. The first section of what is now the MER was indeed opened in 1893 between Douglas and Groudle, reaching Laxey in 1894 and Ramsey in 1899. The collapse of a Bank in Douglas in 1900 led to the bankruptcy of the several tramway operators, and the Manx Electric Railway was incorporated in 1902, taking responsibility for the line to Ramsey. ![]() MER No. 23 “The Freight Locomotive” was built at Derby Castle in 1900, being a Steeple Cab design powered by borrowed trucks from tramcars as needed. After a major collision in 1914 it was stored until 1926, emerging with a new body and bogie underframe, but again with borrowed trucks. It was well used during the War, then back to storage in 1944. No.23’s next life started when it was purchased by the IOM Railway and Tramway Preservation Society for £100 in 1976, and was operating again by 1983. The website of the MER “Manx Electric Railway Online” is an excellent source of reference. ![]() In the afternoon of 1 May 1993 the two earliest MER cars Nos.1 and 2 gave a demonstration of parallel running from Derby Castle. The pair are photographed at Onchan, No.2 being nicely a little ahead of No.1 to make a better picture! ![]() The MER cars in 1993 were displaying a variety of liveries. Winter Saloon No.21 was delivered in 1900, at that time being owned by the Douglas, Laxey and Ramsey Electric Railway. The trailer was No.41, one of the youngest in the fleet, having been built in 1930, and the photograph was taken at Groudle. ![]() The highlight of the 1993 events was surely the steam hauled trains on the Manx Electric Railway. IOMR No.4 Loch now had a highly polished Beyer Peacock type dome and a number on the front buffer beam. The passenger coaches were two MER trailers Nos.57 and 58, and the train was preparing to depart from Laxey to The Dhoon on 2 May 1993. ![]() As the line climbs out of Laxey Glen, the gradient is 1 in 24 – not too difficult for MER power cars, but a challenge for steam. Having found a suitable location, with Snaefell in the distance, a telephoto lens provided an impressive shot of No.4 Loch working hard under the wires. ![]() My next destination was the Groudle Glen Railway. The main station in the woods at Lhen Coan, accessible by footpath, was where I found the Bagnall locomotive Sea Lion in 1964, buried in the undergrowth. (See part 1 of my IOM images in the NWCR News of 23 September 2024). Thanks to the efforts of the IOM Steam Railway Supporters Association, the line was now a successful tourist attraction, and I was delighted to find Sea Lion in service again. ![]() The line is claimed to go “uphill to the sea”, since it ends at Sea Lion Rocks on the top of the cliff, where there is a Tea Room and a Visitor Centre, overlooking the site of the Zoo which existed in the pre-war years. There is a passing loop used when two trains are running, and a request stop at Lime Kiln Halt, where my photograph was taken. The activities on the Isle of Man Railway in 1993 will be in the final part 10 of my IOM images due next week. Home page | Archive | Previous Notice Board |