North Wales Coast Railway: Railfan's Traffic Guide

THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY: TRAFFIC

Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru Traffic

For latest news, visit the Notice Board

Last update 20 January 2010

This page is mainly intended for railfans and others interested in trains: for general timetable information please see our Travel Information section.

Passenger | Freight | Rail Head Treatment Trains

For information: National Rail Guidelines for Railway Enthusiasts

PASSENGER TRAINS

1. Chester - Holyhead and branches

Arriva Trains Wales operate most passenger services along the North Wales coast line. Almost their services are worked by railcars, usually of Class 158 or 175, with mostly single-car 153 units or two-car 150s on the Llandudno - Blaenau Ffestiniog and Wrexham - Bidston branches.

The only exception is the new 'One Wales Express' or 'Y Gerallt Gymro' ('Gerald of Wales') which runs from Holyhead to Cardiff Central and back once each day Mondays - Fridays. This is formed of four coaches, including a buffet / restaurant car, with a Class 57/3 locomotive each end. Here is Arriva's leaflet about the train (PDF). Here are the timings at all station stops:

Holyhead 05:32, Bangor 06:02, Llandudno Junction 06:19, Rhyl 06:36, Flint 06:52, Chester 07:07, Crewe 07:35, Shrewsbury 08:09, Newport 09:41, Cardiff Central 09:58.
Cardiff Central 16:15, Newport 16:31, Cwmbran 16:41, Abergavenny 16:55, Shrewsbury 18:08, Crewe 18:46, Chester 19:09, Flint 19:23, Rhyl 19:40, Llandudno Junction 19:55, Bangor 20:12, Holyhead 20:49.

Virgin Trains

From 15 December 2008, almost Virgin services in North Wales are worked by Class 221 'Voyager' diesel railcars. The operation of Class 57/3s hauling Class 390 'Pendolino' units on the Crewe - Holyhead - Crewe part of the journey between London and Holyhead, now has a single Saturday diagram as follows:

Saturdays:

1D83 08:50 London Euston - Crewe (add loco 10:35-10:50) Holyhead 12:56
1A55 14:36 Holyhead - Crewe (detach loco 16:43-16:57) - London Euston 18:36

2. The Cambrian lines and Shrewsbury - Wrexham - Chester

The lines west of Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli currently have no freight service, and the routine passenger trains are always Arriva Trains Wales Class 158s, maintained at Machynlleth depot and equipped with the Radio Electronic Token Block signalling in use on the Cambrian system. There are, however, special trains from time to time, including steam-hauled trains: watch our Calendar page for details.

The Shrewsbury - Chester via Wrexham line sees greater variety, Arriva Trains Wales services being a mixture of Classes 175 and 158 with the occasional 150 or even 153.

Virgin Trains serve Wrexham General with one through train to London on Monday-Friday mornings and one return in the evenings. The Class 221 Voyager attaches to another from Holyhead at Chester, and detaches at Chester in the evening.

The great passenger interest, from May 2008, however, has been the Wrexham & Shropshire company's service between Wrexham and London Marylebone via Shrewsbury, which uses Class 67 locomotives and Mk 3 coaching stock. Their trains are serviced and stabled overnight at Wrexham General station. See their website for full train times.

The Wrexham & Shropshire services require three stock diagrams: each night one train is stabled in London at Wembley depot, one at Wrexham station in the secure area created from two disused bay platforms, and one usually runs from Wrexham via Chester to Crewe (LNWR) for maintenance.

See the links on our Travel Information page for more about passenger timetables.

FREIGHT TRAINS

These are very few and far-between at present: the usual workings along the Coast are listed below. December 2008 has seen the end of the long-standing railway ballast stone traffic from Hanson’s Penmaenmawr quarry, due to the loss of the Network Rail contract; in fact the quarry itself has been 'mothballed.' This train has latterly been run by Freightliner, whose locos are therefore no longer seen in North Wales.

Photopraphers should bear in mind that freight trains often run very early, sometimes very late and on occasions not at all...

DRS (Flask Traffic)

These short, but heavy, trains are the most interesting for variety of motive power – usually double-headed two Class 20s, a 20+37 combination or two 37s. 66s, and even 47s, make very occasional appearances. The service runs on one or two days a week on an irregular basis, sometimes ceasing for weeks at a time. The nuclear flasks originate from Wylfa power station on the north coast of Anglesey, which uses Valley as railhead (the flasks are moved by road to and from Valley). Loads vary from one to three or four Flasks (and locos can even run light engine in one direction). Trains run as:

6D41 05.35 Crewe – Valley (arrive 08.15)
6K40 15.14 Valley – Crewe

6K40 is booked to follow the 14.32 passenger train from Holyhead, so can leave just before 15.00 – once the 14.32 has cleared the section to Gaerwen. Sometimes it can leave early, although it generally sticks to the booked slot. The locos use the Valley triangle to run round the wagons, the result being that the loco which headed the train westwards also leads it on the way back. When the train is ready to leave it sets back into Valley station, alongside the signal box, before leaving for Crewe.

A public footpath runs close to the triangle of lines, offering good photo-opportunities; the triangle is also used to turn round any steam locos which reach Holyhead on excursions.

DB Schenker (ex-EWS)

From 2005 to 2009 DB Schenker ran a weekly train of aluminium products in 'Cargowaggon' ferry vans, destined for Braunau am Inn, Austria, from Anglesey Aluminium Metal’s Aluminium Smelter Works at Holyhead to Warrington Arpley Yard.

This path remains in the timetable, on an 'as required' basis but in Autumn 2009 smelting at the plant ceased, leaving only a 're-melt' operation which may generate some further trains:

6D19 06:40 Warrington - Holyhead (Runs Round) - Anglesey Aluminium

[-The wagons are loaded while the train waits-]

6F18 14:50 Anglesey Aluminium - Warrington Arpley. Note: this usually up to two hours early.

More to see at Chester

Chester sees more freight traffic than the North Wales Coast route as some trains take the Wrexham line here. Trains bring timber from the Carlisle area to the timber products factory at Chirk on the Chester - Wrexham - Shrewsbury line: these are now run by Colas Rail using Class 57/3 locos hired from Virgin Trains, and run via Warrington Bank Quay, Helsby and Chester.

6J37 13:27 Carlisle - Chirk : passes Chester c.18:35 Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
6C37 23:07 Chirk - Carlisle

There is no crossover at Chirk: after unloading, trains continue to Gobowen for the locomotive to run round.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, EWS run coal in MEA box wagons from Warrington to Penyffordd Cement Works (on the southern section of the Wrexham–Bidston line – the loco runs round the train at Croes Newydd, Wrexham) in the early morning. The return is 6E41 14:57 Penyffordd–Healey Mills, passing Chester at around 18:10.

Over the Top

In addition to the above, steel traffic from South Wales to Dee Marsh Junction (one mile north of Shotton) can be seen using the 'top line' (Wrexham–Bidston) which crosses the Coast line at Shotton station. The normal daytime trains are listed below, but it should be noted that in 2009 they have all been running on an 'as required' basis, no doubt due to market conditions in the industry,

Mondays - Fridays:

6V75 09:30 Dee Marsh - Margam (passes Wrexham 10:00)
6M86 13:13 Llanwern - Dee Marsh (passes Wrexham 17:35)

Saturdays:

6V75 09:30 Dee Marsh - Margam (passes Wrexham 10:00)
6M88 07:04 Llanwern - Dee Marsh (passes Wrexham 13:35 - runs when required)
6V90 15:34 Dee Marsh - Margam (passes Wrexham 16:05 - runs when required)

Sundays:

10:08 6M24 Llanwern - Dee Marsh (Passes Wrexham 14:05)
15:35 6V47 Dee Maesh - Llanwern (passes Wrexham 16:15)
11:02 6M30 Margam - Dee Marsh (passes Wrexham 17:05)

Rail Head Treatment Trains

The operation of Rail-Head Treatment trains each autumn usually begins in early-October and ends at the mid-December timetable change. The 2009 trains were being worked by DB Schenker locos.