NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY:NOTICE BOARD

Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd

20 August 2018
















Contributions and comments are encouraged: see the Contributions Page


Forthcoming events

September 2018

Friday 7 September Clwyd Railway Circle “North Wales, the Future”. With Arriva's withdrawal from the next Wales and Borders franchise, what will this mean for passengers and staff? Our speaker will be able to bring us up to date with the latest news; Ben Davies - Arriva Trains Wales, Stakeholder Liaison Manager

Saturday 8 September Steam at Chester Railway Touring Company Norwich - Chester. 60009: Norwich -Peterborough - Nuneaton - Chester - Peterborough

29 September Llangollen Railway Diesel gala

29 September  Steam on the Coast  UK Railtours Leicester to Holyhead with 60163 Tornado

October 2018

Friday 5 October Clwyd Railway Circle “Snowdon Mountain Railway”A presentation given by Mike Robertshaw  Msc IEng MIED, Senior Engineering Manager of the railway. Mike Robertshaw

12-14 October Llangollen Railway Autumn Steam gala

Friday 19 October Steam on the Coast Golden Eagle Luxury Tour (Day 5 of 12) (Provisional)  Chester - Blaenau Ffestiniog 46100: Llandudno Junction - Blaenau Ffestiniog, Holyhead - Crewe

November 2018

Friday 2 November Clwyd Railway Circle “The Development of Railways in the UK”A look at rail development from Trevithick through to the 23,000 miles of railway in the UK by 1921.  Mike Blackburn

December 2018

Friday 7 December Clwyd Railway Circle “Members Night & Christmas Celebrations”Members are invited to give a 15 minute presentation of their choice (any format). FREE tea/coffee & festive treats during the interval. Contact David Jones 01244 537440 to book a slot.

January 2019

Friday 4 January Clwyd Railway Circle “West Country Memories” An illustrated talk which includes all the branch lines of Devon and Cornwall. Dave Southern

February 2019

Friday 1 February Clwyd Railway Circle “The Glorious Steam Railways of India” The images were taken when it was a fully steam worked system, with a variety of steam across four different gauges. John Sloane

March 2019

Friday 1 March Clwyd Railway Circle  “Annual General Meeting” followed by “Chairman’s Choice” A night of self indulgence from the retiring chairman, David Jones

April 2019

Friday 5 April Clwyd Railway Circle  "Scotland in the 1960s" The talk covers the whole of Scotland - going up the west side to Wick and Thurso and returning down the east side from/to Carlisle.
John Cashen




The first appearance of a pair of DRS electro-diesels on the flasks? 88 002 Prometheus and 88 009 Diana pass Bangor with the 6D43 Crewe to Valley flasks on 20 August. Picture by Rowan Crawshaw.


Tim Rogers' view



Some views from 13 August at Hargrave, with Beeston Hill on the skyline. Above, 150 253 passes with 1D60 16:23 Crewe to Chester.



221 111 Roald Amundsen and 221 101 Louis Bleriot are 1A53 16:35 Chester to London Euston.



6K41, the 14:58 Valley to Crewe flasks with 68 018 Vigilant and 68 034 hauling FNA wagons 11 70 9229 015-6, 550058 and 11 70 9229 016-4.



Loco close-ups:  68 018 will be remaining on DRS freight work for the time being ...




... whilst 68 034, which along with 68 034 is owned by DRS, unlike the others which are leased from Beacon Rail, is equipped for use on the forthcoming TransPennine passenger services why a dedicated TPE loco is not available, so wears full DRS livery. Interesting news is that DRS is asking for tenders for a further ten mixed-traffic diesels. It will surely be a surprise if they are not 68s.



14 August, and a walk around the Chirk area. 66 513 crosses Chirk viaduct with 6M86 10:29 Margam to Dee Marsh Sidings with steel for coating at the Shotton plant. In the background, Chirk aqueduct on the Llangollen Canal, with 10 arches, 710 feet long carrying the canal 70 feet above the Ceiriog river. It was completed in 1801.



The Chirk railway viaduct, completed in 1848, has 16 arches and is 850 feet long and 100 feet above the river.



Chirk station, with its new accessible footbridge, perhaps less obtrusive than some of its kind, welcomes 158 829, working 1G60 15:47 Holyhead to Birmingham International.


Class 70 action



70 813 has been the regular performer on the Carlisle - Chirk freights recently, since Colas have sold their Class 60 locos to GB Railfreight. Above, on 10 August the train joins the single-track section towards Wrexham at Rossett (Tim Rogers).



On 16 August, the train stands at Chirk station before reversing into the Kronospan works (Gareth & Rose Hopwood).



Freightliner's Class 70s, originally intended for the Heavy Haul division, are now most likely to be seen (if at all) on intermodal trains. On 16 August, 70 003 is about to enter the sidings at Trafford Park with the afternoon working from Crewe. At Pomona Metrolink station, in the background, work progresses on the viaduct which will bring the new Trafford Park line, which down to ground levelm from a junction at Pomona station..


From  Dave Sallery's archive



Readers will recall images by Greg Mape in recent issues taken at the point where the Styal loop line crosses the Cheadle Junction to Northenden line. In 1966 captures the same bridge with an unidentifiably dirty 8F 2-8-0, a view full of interest. The loco is carrying the headlamp code for an express freight train, with the top headlamp bracket moved down as required to avoid overhead wires, as well as a modern-style headcode, 7X58. Class 7 was an express freight train, and X indicates a train requiring special treatment such as an out-of-gauge load. The fifth wagon looks like a special container carrier of some kind. Any ideas?



37 026 Shapfell near Penmaenmawr with a load of railway ballast from the quarry seen in the background on 14 July 1994. The loco carries the symbol for the Speedlink wagonload sector, and the depot plaque for Tinsley depot, but actually appears to have been allocated to the Crewe Trainload fleet at the time.

Many more like this on Dave's Flickr site.


Cycle-ride views, 14 August - pictures by Greg Mape



A Holyhead-bound Virgin class 221 emerges from Conwy tunnel which takes the line out of the historic walled town.



West of Llandudno Junction, 175 116 runs alongside the A55 road, which passes Conwy town by means of a tunnel which lies on the bed of the Conwy river ...



.. and heads into Penmaenbach Tunnel. The cycleway bridge the line at this point, and crosses back again on the bridge seen in the distance to make its way around the headland.

A fatal accident occurred here one dark night in January 1899 when a storm, the effects of which were  felt over a wide area, caused collapse of the sea wall, breaching the line, and a freight train emerging from the tunnel derailed; the locomotive fell into the water, killing driver Edward Evans and fireman William Jones. A platelayer, William Edwards. on patrol duty as was the routine on stormy nights, had seen the damage and walked into the tunnel, where he met the approaching train, waved a red lamp and shouted, but the loco crew did not see him.


Miscellany



Pendolino with moustache, Acton Bridge, 2 August. A leftover from 'Movember' or some other reason? (Greg Mape).



150 230 at Chester with all its Arriva branding removed. Preparation for the change of franchise has begun, it seems (Greg Mape).


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