NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY :NOTICE BOARD
Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd
03 March 2025
Forthcoming events
See our Calendar Page for operator details.
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
Thursday 3 April Clwyd Railway Circle 'Landscapes of Steam, Chester and the Welsh Borders' David Jones present archive film by Michael Worrad
Saturday 5 April Saphos Lakelander from Llandudno Junction to Carlisle. Diesel to Lancaster and return, steam from Lancaster, return via Cumbrian Coast line. This is stopping at Llandudno Junction, Bangor and Holyhead for off train options or to visit the relevant towns.
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 3 May Vintage Trains The North Wales Coast Express. Birmingham New Street to Llandudno for the Victorian Extravaganza. Diesel and steam top and tail (steam likely to be 5043 or 7209).
Sunday 5 May Inter-City Yr Wyl Fictoriadd (The Victorian Festival) Bermingham Internation - Llandudno. Traction: two Class 20s
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.
Saturday 21 July Belmond Britannic Explorer 3-day Tour of Wales
August 2025
4 August Belmond Britannic Explorer 3-day Tour of Wales
11 August Belmond Britannic Explorer Six day tour of Lake District & Wales
25 August Belmond Britannic Explorer 3-day Tour of Wales
22 August Belmond Britannic Six day tour of Cornwall & Wales,
September 2025
Thursday 4 September Clwyd Railway Circle 'The Steelworks Railways at Home and Abroad' Adrian Bodlander
Saturday 5 September Pathfinder Tours 'Cambrian Coast Express' from Cardiff Central to Pwllheli
11 September Belmond Britannic Explorer Six day tour of Lake District & Wales
Saturday 12 September Pathfinder Tours '.Cambrian Coast Express' from Bristol Temple Meads to Pwllheli
15 September Belmond Britannic Explorer Britannic Explorer Six day tour of Cornwall & Wales,
26 September Belmond Britannic Explorer Six day tour of Lake District & Wales
29 September Belmond Britannic Explorer Britannic Explorer 3-day Tour of Wales
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
Thursday 2 October Clwyd Railway Circle 'Memories of railway operations at Llangollen from my childhood days growing up in the town during the BR era of the 1950’s and mid 60s.' Gareth Jones
20 October, Belmond Britannic Explorer 3-day Tour of Wales
17 October Belmond Britannic Explorer Six day tour of Cornwall & Wales,
10 November; Belmond Britannic Explorer 3-day Tour of Wales
November 2005
Thursday 4 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.
December 2005
Thursday 4 December Clwyd Railway Circle 'Railways & Tramways of the Isle of Man'
Geoff Morris.
North Wales Coast Railway website created and compiled by Charlie Hulme
197 119 seen near Penmaenmawr working the 16:29 Holyhead to Cardiff, a journey of 234 miles, arriving Cardiff at 21:20. Picture by Greg Mape.
News pictures
The Aberystwyth - Chirk logs on 2 March departed Aberystwyth around two hours late but arrived on time at Chester by omitting the booked layover at Coleham, which ensured that the class 37s worked the train throughout. They were photographed from the City Walls approaching Chester ...
... and later at Chester Northgate heading for Chirk after the locos ran around at Chester station. 97 302 and 37 405 were again in charge (Geoff Morris).
A Landslide of images
This week brought two events for contributors' reasons to send their pictures - the steam excursion on 1 March and the surprising use of 37 405 on a freight train on 3 March; the weather played its part also. Below is a selection of the images received.
To go straight to steam click this. For the heritage items click this.
Some other items are 'held over' to next issue due to lack of time.
37 405 to Penmaenmawr
The event on 3 March seems to have occurred when the 'booked' loco for a train of 22 empty stone-carrying wagons (6K33 13:56 Penmaenmawr to Bradwell Up Sidings) was temporarily unavailable, and the loading of the stone at Penmaenmawr Quarry had to be at an agreed time. 37 405 was found to be available, so it took the train. It did not return with the heavy loaded wagons, however, it returned light-engine and 70 803 was sent to work the train, as is normal.
Rhyl (Ivor Bufton).
Dwygyfylchi (Gary Thomas).
Penmaenmawr (Ken Robinson).
At the quarry yard (Gary Thomas).
Prestatyn (Ivor Bufton).
Conwy with 70 803 heading west (Logan Humphreys).
Ready for the 'swap' (Garry Stroud)
Dwygyfylchi on the return (Gary Thomas).
37 405. A look back - by Garry Stroud
A flashback of 37 years ago, when in large logo livery complete with 'scottie dog' 37 405, then named Strathclyde Region was a regular on the far North Line from Inverness and the Mallaig line from Fort William. Seen here it waits its next duty outside Fort William depot on Thursday 28 July 1988.
[As D6982, this loco originally entered service in South Wales on 13 May 1965, 60 years ago]
The Mancunian
This was an excursion organised by the Railway Touring Company on 1 March, from Manchester Victoria to Holyhead and back powered by steam loco 45212. This loco has been preserved in working order since it was withdrawn in 1968. It had the honour of working the very last 'normal' fare-paying steam -powered journey, from Preston to Blackpool on 4 August 1968, not counting the Vale of Rheidol narrow-gauge line. Unfortunately, the train suffered delay; on the outbound leg there were problems with the pressure of the booked water supply at Denton station.
Climbing Miles Platting bank on departure from Manchester Victoria. New construction is rapidly changing the background to this shot (Dave Jepson).
Stockport outbound ...
... Departure (Stuart Broome). Stuart writes: 'To get this picture I ran from platform 2, through the subway, and along platform 3! I must remember I am not eighteen anymore, but still chasing steam.'
Ashley Road bridge, Hale (Greg Mape)
Northwich viaduct (Ian Pilkington)
Chester Northgate (Geoff Morris).
Beeches Farm (Stephen Dennett).
'Portrait of a Black 5' at Beeches Farm (Bob Greenhalgh)
Beeches Farm (Gareth Prestidge)
Passing the inlet at Bagillt (Dave Jepson)
Abergele (Ian Pilkington)
Llandudno Junction (Jim Ikin).
Conwy (Ian Pilkington)
Rhosneigr (Gary Thomas).
Rhosneigr (Logan Humphreys).
Holyhead (Jim Ikin)
Llandudno Junction (Jim Ikin). 'One at a time, please'.
Altrincham on the return (Dave Jepson).
Stockport (Jim Ikin).
From Dave Sallery's archive
20 082 and 20 049 cross the Weaver Navigation at Frodsham Junction on a freight for Ellesmere Port, 22 December 1986. The pipeline has since been removed.
31 125 passes the disused Connahs Quay power station with empty ballast wagons for Penmaenmawr, 4 July 1991.
37 421 The Kingsman is between Mold Jct and Sandycroft with a down service to Holyhead, 31 May 1994.
47 767 and 47 627 are returning to Crewe with a loco test train at Prestatyn, 28 June 1995.
Looking Back: Isle of Wight steam 1953-1963 by David Pool
My first visit to the Isle of Wight was in 1953, by which time the Ventnor West branch had been closed, while the Freshwater branch was in its final year. The Freshwater line trailed into the Cowes line just North of Newport station, so trains from Newport to Freshwater had to reverse out of the station to beyond the junction. In August 1953 W34 Newport had arrived from Cowes, making a connection with the Freshwater train on the left, which was headed by W25 Godshill.
The line from Newport to Shanklin via Merstone was closed in 1956, leaving just the line from Ryde to Cowes via Newport and the busiest line from Ryde to Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor. All the passenger services in 1958 were being worked by the Adams Class O2 tanks, while a few of the Stroudley Class E1 tanks survived on freight services. The Stroudley Terriers, which used to work the Ventnor West and Bembridge branches, had been repatriated to the mainland as 32646 and 32677, being replaced by Class O2 locomotives numbered W35 and W36 in 1949. Class E1 W4 Wroxall was photographed at Cowes on 17 July 1958.
Lake is a village near Sandown which gained a station in 1987 after the line between Ryde and Shanklin had been electrified. On 9 September 1963 the 09:27 Ryde to Ventnor was passing Lake headed by W35 Freshwater.
Most of the Isle of Wight railway was single track, but the lines at Ryde were double track in view of the frequent trains needed at peak times. The 1420 Ryde to Ventnor on the 9 September 1963 was apparently a Special working. with W18 Ningwood and four of the usual pre-Grouping design coaches, photographed on the approach to Smallbrook Junction.
Later that day on Ryde Railway Pier, W26 Whitwell was leaving with the 15:27 Ryde to Ventnor. the Pier Tram being visible in the left of the image. The Pier Tramway was closed in 1969, and since then there has been much rebuilding of the Piers. There is now pedestrian and vehicle access on the Promenade Pier adjacent to the old Pier Tramway, one track of which survives. In 2018 Network Rail stated that necessary repairs to the Railway Pier were unaffordable, and the current railway operators Island Line then agreed to provide funds which will enable the electric trains to continue to use the Pierhead station.
The station at Ashey on the line between Ryde and Newport was once the location of a passing loop. By 1963 the line had been singled, the station building was now in private hands, and the station comprised a very short platform and a small shelter. The 17:22 Ryde to Cowes was passing through on 9 September 1963, headed by W31 Chale. The Isle of Wight Steam Railway today operates on this section of line, and Ashey looks much the same as it did in 1963.
This classic view of Ventnor station was taken from St Boniface Down. Many Railway Modellers will have replicated this scene, as W24 Calbourne emerges from the 1,312 yards long tunnel with the 09:27 Ryde to Ventnor. Ventnor once was busy as a coal depot, and there seems to be evidence of coal traffic on 12 September 1963. Calbourne is now the sole Class O2 survivor, working on the IOW Steam Railway, and Ventnor station closed shortly before the end of IOW steam in 1966. Passenger numbers were judged to be insufficient to justify electrification beyond Shanklin – Ventnor station was 294ft above sea level, and the steep hill between the station and the centre of the town was probably only liked by local taxi owners. The other station in Ventnor was closed in 1952. This had been about one mile from the town centre, and was originally called Ventnor Town. It had provided a connecting service to Merstone, where the few passengers for Newport would have had to change. Rather confusingly, the Southern Railway renamed this lower station Ventnor West, transferring the name Ventnor Town to the upper station, which in later years became plain Ventnor.
There are not many photographs taken at Cowes station in comparison with other IOW locations. Following the closure of the Merstone branch in 1956 and the earlier removal of the turntable at Bembridge, all the steam locomotives generally ran chimney first from Ryde to both Ventnor and Cowes. The buffer stops at Cowes station were in shade, and bunker first shots of trains leaving Cowes were not popular. W21 Sandown was departing on 12 September 1963 with the 15:21 to Ryde. The nearby Mill Hill station was no better for photography, and I was never tempted to try to get a good shot there.
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