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20 July

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Forthcoming events

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Llandudno Museum, as part of the Rail200 celebration, has some rail related talks which may be of interest to readers. All are for approximately one hour starting at 1300, at the museum, 17-19 Gloddaeth Street Llandudno, LL30 2DD

21 July – Station Masters, Agents and Tickets – Philip Evans

4 August – Past, present and future of railway heritage in Wales – Dr Louise Moon (Transport for Wales)

11 August – Station Masters, Agents and Tickets – Philip Evans

27 August – History of British Transport Police – Bill Rogerson MBE (Secretary of BTP History Association)

August 2026

Sunday 15 August Railway Touring Company "The Slate Miner", Oxford to Blaenau Ffestiniog. WCRC 57 to Bescot, with a Colas Rail 56 to Blaenau Ffestiniog and return

Wednesday 19 August Midland Pullman "Torbay Riviera Pullman", Chester, Wrexham General, Ruabon, Chirk to Torquay and Paignton. LSL Midland Pullman HST.

22 August Retro Railways 'The Retro Cestrian Bard' Class 37s from Stalybridge to Stratford-upon-Avon and return. Pickup:

Stalybridge    07:00  
Reddish South   07:15   
Stockport    07:25   
Altrincham  07:40  
Knutsford    08:00   
Northwich    08:15   
Chester         08:50

29-31 August 2026 Bala Lake Railway Steam Gala

September 2026

19-20 September Bala Model Railway Show

Thursday 3 September Clwyd Railway Circle  "Severn Valley Steam" Highlights of 2012 and 2013  Steam Galas - Glyn Jones

Saturday 19 September Northern Belle "Settle & Carlisle Steam Special", Wrexham General and Chester to Carlisle. WCRC steam locomotive over the Settle & Carlisle line. Diesel hauled otherwise.

October 2026

Thursday 1 October Clwyd Railway Circle 'The view from a signal box window' Adrian Bodlander

November 2026

Thursday 5 November Clwyd Railway Circle "40 years of Railway in the Chester area" - Geoff Morris

December 2026

Thursday 3 December  Clwyd Railway Circle Ian Mainprize 'German Railway Development'

Friday 8th January Jeremy Nicholls "100 Years of Trains to Audlem" and "Nantwich and the Railway".

Friday 12th February Chris Davies "The AERPS and the Last Years of the 1500 volts dc Altrincham Electrics". Chris is a Vice-President of the Society and he has been involved since the early days in the early 1970s.

Friday 12th March Paul Shackcloth "People and Places 9". More images of the pre-1968 steam railway with at least one person visible.


For up-to-date North Wales information
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North Wales Coast Railway website created and compiled by Charlie Hulme 



The weed-killing train in its base, the Rhyl Engineers sidings, 15 July. Picture by Dave Sallery.
News Pictures



DCR 60 028 leads with 60 055 dead in tow passes Tattenhall Marina on 6D22 Chaddesden - Penmaenmawr on 5 July (Morgan Krább)



On 7 July 197 109 passes the village of Llanfairfechan with the 14:24 from Manchester Airport  to Holyhead. The new timetable the hourly Airport trains run to Holyhead instead of Llandudno.



Seen at 5 June the station of Glyndyfrdwy on the Llangollen Railway on the Classic Transport Weekend, the only extant example of the five class 109 units built. Two of the five were sold back to Wickham of Ware and were exported back to Trinidad. Two were scrapped in the UK. The Llangollen example was taken out of service in 1967 and converted into a saloon for use by the Eastern Region General Manager. It would remain on these duties until 1980.  It then was bought for use on the Chasewater Railway, and eventually arrived at Llangollen where it was restored to its original condition.  The two that went to the Trinidad Government Railway were dismantled when the railway closed in 1968. Maybe they were the last train to San Fernando.



47 812 passes Rhyl whilst working 1Z15 19:39 Llandudno Junction to Liverpool Lime Street top and tail with 47 804 on 12  July. The train run by Railway Touring Company 'The North Wales Coast Express'  was to have been steam-hauled, as a precaution against sparks from the loco causing a fire in the hot and dry conditions at the time. Picture by Ivor Bufton.



66 760 David Gordon Harris at the rear of 3Q98 20:21 Rhyl Civil Engineers Siding to Rhyl Civil Engineers Siding, top and tail with  passing through Rhyl station on 12 July engaged in 'vegetation management'.  How will they tackle the vegetation seen here? (Ivor Bufton).



Weeding through Deganwy.   (Geraint Williams)
Quainton update - by Paul Shannon



In a previous issue we mentioned Quainton/Calvert. At the moment the line is truncated at Quainton Railhead (attached) where stone for HS2 is unloaded. Trains are topped and tailed because there is no run round loop. In the longer term the line may be reinstated towards Calvert to allow access to Quainton Road heritage railway site and a possible waste disposal terminal.  Paul took this picture on 6 July with 56 103 in view.

New locos for the Tal-y-llyn - report by Richard Putley



Recently the Tal-y-llyn Railway acquired two Battery Electric locos that  had been used on a tunneling project in London. This was in connection withthe new Super Sewer. They were of 2’ 6” gauge but Alan Keef have converted one of them to 2’ 3” gauge.  Whilst Volunteering at the Tal-y-llyn Railway’s “Summer Outdoor Gang” week which started on Sunday 28 June 2026, I was able to photograph the new comer inside Pendre Carriage Sheds with its Batteries out.



The other one is dumped at Tywyn Wharf and will probably be a parts donor. I assume the new loco will be Talyllyn Railway No 13. As yet no name has been chosen. But I just hope it’s luckier than North Eastern Railway No 13!



Also that week I had Wednesday 1st July off from the Gang and was able to photograph 97304 Tal-y-llyn Railway and classmate 97302 Ffestiniog and West Highland Railways with the return leg of the Britannic Explorer Land Cruise train on the Dysynni Viaduct near Tonfanau.



Also on the Cambrian  week, there was been a test run every day of a 197 DMU between Machynlleth and Pwllheli. The outward leg sets off from Machynlleth at 16:02 and passed Tywyn about 16:30. The return comes back about 4 hours later. On Friday 26th June I was able to photograph 197 024 at Tywyn on the return leg.

(I would like to thank my brother Derek for his hospitality during the week, also my fellow TR volunteers for putting up with me. Last but not least,Harley, Derek’s Border Collie who enjoyed his walk on Wednesday to see the class 37s. )

Weeding on the Branch

Steve Edwards writes: The weekend beginning 11.07.26 I was staying  in Betws-y-Coed and on the 13th i intended to travel to Llandudno  (by train) and meet up with some old school friends.  However up on checking Real Times Trains, all trains on the Conwy Valley line were cancelled except for one train north to Blaenau at 05:42 and one south to Llandudno  at 06:48 so I used the  car!



However I checked Real Time Trains at 16:00 and found a train from Rhyl Engineer's siding to  Blaenau  and return. It was the weed killing train,  passing through Betws y Coed over 60 minutes early at 21:30 with 66 753 and 66 760 top and tailed.  Much needed,  the railway is like a jungle.

From Dave Sallery's Archive



37 503 with an up ballast at Holywell Junction, 8 August 1993



37 429 passes Llanfairfechan on 22 March 1993.  this was the period when the train crews were being trained on loco hauled stock.



47 219 at Frodsham Jct with a short trip freight from Arpley to Dee Marsh, 31 March 1988. This loop was only used when a train was in section from Dee Marsh to Mickle Trafford.



08 742  busies itself with shunting duties at Holyhead, 13 March 1991.



33 042 leaves Prestatyn on a Crewe - Holyhead train, 28 May 1985.



56 025 is a rare sight on an empty ballast to  Penmaenmawr.  Prestatyn 29 May 1986.

Looking Back: 1971 part 3 - by David Pool



The Middleton Refinery near Heysham had been built in 1941 to produce high octane aviation fuel, then later adapted to refine crude oil.  Fireless locomotives were used on the railway system, and Bagnall 3019 (1952) had been acquired for preservation, being on display at Carnforth on 31 October 1971. 



The main attraction to visitors to Carnforth was the Black 5 44871, which was in steam and giving short rides for brake van passengers.  The white painted hoses and “Carnforth” on the buffer beam were a reminder of the last time I had photographed 44871 on the last BR “Fifteen Guinea Special” three years earlier. 



My shot at Ribblehead on 11 August 1968 had been expected to be the end of my main line BR steam photography, with 44871 and 44781 double heading the train between Carlisle and Manchester Victoria. It wasn’t quite my last shot, which was of 45110 at Rainhill on the last leg of the journey, but it is the one I like best. 



Another Industrial locomotive in steam at Carnforth was a Barclay 2230 (1947), from the Vale Paper Mills of Cooke and Nuttall at Horwich.  It had been delivered new to the Mills, and remained the sole locomotive at the Mills until they were closed. The quality of its restoration at Carnforth was impressive.



On 6 November 1971 I was at Llanfair P.G., which had become the terminus of trains from Holyhead while the Britannia Bridge was being reconstructed after the fire in 1970. The 13:45 from Holyhead had arrived at Llanfair station, and the locomotive had come off the train.  My understanding is that Class 24s 5034 and 5083 were used between Holyhead and the Bridge, having been at Holyhead when the fire severed the line, but I did not identify the locomotive. 



The next shot shows the Class 24 heading towards a single coach, the latter’s corridor connection door being open and the brake hoses dangling.  I didn’t wait to see what happened next, but perhaps someone could suggest an explanation for the situation. 



The view of the Britannia Bridge shows the first stages of the reconstruction.  The steel structure is taking shape, but the tubular structure had not been removed.  Rail traffic resumed the following year, but it was 1980 before the road was opened above the rail tracks.  



While the Bridge was closed Bangor was the terminus for trains which would have been going to Holyhead.  The 14:57 to Euston was headed by 315, an English Electric type 4, and was about to enter the tunnel at the East end of the platforms. 



The line from Southport to Preston via Crossens and Hesketh Bank had been closed in 1964, and the electric car shed in the triangle at Meols Cop was closed in 1970.  On 14 November 1971 the 1135 Southport to Manchester Victoria was approaching Meols Cop station.  It appears to be two 2-car Class 105 Cravens units, but I did not record the numbers.  The line on the East side of the triangle had been lifted, as had the line on the North side behind the shed.   The direct line from St Lukes station to Blowick Junction had been closed in 1965, so from that date all trains from Southport towards Wigan have used the line through Meols Cop. 



Eleven years earlier on 5 January 1960 I had photographed 42153 on the 1320 from Preston to Southport at Hesketh Park, approaching the junction at the North end of the triangle.
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