| Class 150 Class 153 Class 158 Class 175 Class 221 'Super Voyager' Class 67Class 57 locomotive & Class 390 Pendolino |
The aim of these pages is to inform
railfans and passengers about the types of train to be found running in
North Wales. Two operators work passenger trains along the North
Wales Coast route:
trains to and from London Euston (occasionally Birmingham) are the
responsibility of Virgin Trains, whilst all other scheduled passenger
trains are worked by Arriva Trains Wales. The Chester - Shrewsbury (via Wrexham) line sees Arriva Trains Wales units on the basic service, with the added spice south of Wrexham of Wrexham & Shropshire's Wrexham - London trains with their silver Class 67 locos. Arriva also operate the branch lines to Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog, and the 'Borderlands' line from Wrexham to Bidston which crosses over the Coast line at Shotton. Classes 150 and 153 can be found on these lines. The old Cambrian Railways routes west of Shrewsbury are exclusively Class 158-worked except for the occasional charter or special. The Alstom Class 175 units work on the North Wales Coast line, and the Llandudno branch, to and from Crewe, Manchester and South Wales; they are never used on trains taking the Shrewsbury - Telford - Wolverhampton route. Once each way on Mondays - Fridays, a Class 57-hauled express runs between Holyhead and Cardiff, and once a week on Saturdays, a London express formed of Class 390 'Pendolino' electric unit is hauled by a Class 57/3 loco from Crewe to Holyhead and back. Rail freight traffic is rather sparse on the lines covered by our site; we have not included details of freight locos here, as there are many sites with this information. Direct Rail Services (DRS) haul the fuel flasks to and from Valley for Wylfa power station, which itself is scheduled to close in 2010; these very short trains can also produce a variety of power, from Class 20s through 37s to 66s, always in pairs as insurance against failure. An occasional train collects stone from Penmaenmawr Quarry, usually hauled by a Freightliner Class 66, and DB Schenker trains run through Wrexham to and from the steel coating plant at Shotton, usually with Class 66 traction. |