NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY:NOTICE BOARD

Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd

13 December 2021










 



Contributions to the Notice Board are welcome, although they may not always be used, due to time constraints, especially if they don't follow the file name convention given on the  Contributions Page.



Forthcoming events

Charter trains may be subject to cancellation or postponement.

December 2021

Monday 20 December RCTS Chester Dave Southern Chester To Pwllheli
This meeting has been cancelled because of the un-availabilty of the speaker.


January 2022


Wednesday 5 January   
RCTS Liverpool    AGM    followed by: Paul Chancellor    ColourRail - 9th Journey   (Non M,C&NW Members and Non-RCTS Members will not be able to take an active part in the AGM) 

Monday 17 January    RCTS online Zoom    Professor Stuart Cole    Rail Policy in Wales

February 2022 Monday 21 February RCTS Chester Martyn Hilbert Network North West



March 2022
Wednesday  2 March RCTS Liverpool Paul Shackcloth L & Y Engines At Work, Part 1

Monday 21 March RCTS online Zoom Geoff Plumb The Wrexham & Shropshire Railway

April 2022 Monday 25 April RCTS Chester David Powell Merseyrail Fleet Replacement


(see  our Calendar page for venues)









2-8-0 3802 after working the Santa special of the day at Llangollen, 11 December. Picture by Martin Evans.


A visit to Chester - by Chris Taylor



Some scenes from 25 November. Above: Ex-LNER DVT 82216 on the 1W93 11:22 Cardiff Central to Holyhead,  with a Merseyrail 507 waiting to go back to Liverpool.



1V96 11:33 Holyhead to Cardiff Central with DB-liveried 67 015 arriving.



197 004 on a test run from Holyhead and going back to bed at Crewe.



507 015 and the Autumn colours at Chester station Platform 7 awaiting its return to Liverpool.


Mid-Cheshire 60s - pictures by Greg Mape



A loaded GBRf Liverpool -  Drax biomass train hauled by 60 076 Dunbar , still in the colours of former owner Colas,  approaching Northenden Junction on 10 January ...



... and taking the route towards Stockport, passing the domestic refuse terminal.



On Sunday 12 December, 60 021, still carrying its 'unofficial' name Bustler,  passes Navigation Road station with biomass empties from Doncaster Decoy sidings to LIverpool biomass terminal.

This is a Sunday-only routing via Altrincham instead of the weekday routing through Manchester Victoria (The loaded 25 wagon Drax train always goes via Altrincham to avoid the steep Miles Platting bank) .


From Dave Sallery's archive



Newly painted into EW&S livery - the first 37/4 to be so treated, and unnamed, a spotless 37 418 heads west through Rhyl on an Empty stock train, 9 February 1997.



'Celebrity' 37 408 leaves Penmaenbach tunnel on 14 July 1994. Unusually the train is a matching rake of 7 Mark 1 coaches.



37 678 arrives at St Blazey while working a Parkandillack - Fowey china clay train, 6th October 1997. 37 678 met its end at EMR, Kingsbury, June 2007.



507 010 heads down the ramp to the Liverpool link line on a Southport - Hunts Cross working, 23 March 1993.


Looking back - Steam and Diesel 1999 part 2 - by David Pool



This view of the line under Warrington Bank Quay station was taken on 5 March 1999, and shows 56 048 in “Dutch” livery with 4Z55, the 09:32 Ditton to Immingham, which was conveying bromine tanks.  The Government’s recent proposal to use this line for passenger trains from Liverpool – building a new low level station here, presumably with overhead electrification - looks to be facing a few construction difficulties.  The vehicle in the siding is one of the 'Independent Snowplough" vehicles built in the 1960s.



6 March 1999 was the day 6024 King Edward I visited North Wales again, this time with the “North Wales Venturer” Railtour.  The King had come off at Llandudno Junction, and 47 785 Fiona Castle had taken over for the leg to Holyhead.  37 401 is probably working the 11:00 Crewe to Holyhead. 



The closure of the footpath in Westminster Road, Chester, has been a blow to the many photographers who regularly came here.  On 15 March 1999 a Load Haul liveried 56 083 is on the 6S72 12:22 Dee Marsh Junction to Mossend, having taken the long way round via Wrexham now that the direct line to Mickle Trafford had been closed.



Before the days of drones, you needed some convenient hills to get shots like this one at Helsby.  Yet another  Load Haul locomotive, on this occasion 37 710, was photographed on 14 April 1999 with 6E05, the15:24 Stanlow to Humber oil tanks. 



In 1999, much of the ballast from Penmaenmawr quarry was conveyed in the new high capacity box wagons, which I think were designated JNA, although this may be incorrect.  37 426 and 37 713 are approaching the footbridge at Dwygyfylchi on 16 April 1999 with 6C10, the 1009 Penmaenmawr to Carnforth.



A little while later there was a train heading for Penmaenmawr, which I recorded as 37 692 with Tiphook wagons.  Over 20 years later I have realised that this was a particularly interesting photo.  37 692 had been named The Lass O’Ballochmyle, after a song by Robert Burns, when in was in the Trainload Coal sector and based at Motherwell. 

Looking at its history, it seems to have worked throughout the British Isles, yet this was the only day I ever saw it.  A year or so later, it was stored, then occasionally returned to traffic until it was finally cut up in 2009. 

Identification of the wagons has been another challenge.  I think the set of ten wagons had been rebuilt from KPA wagons owned by Tiphook Rail, and were the forerunners of the JJA Autoballaster wagons with which we are all familiar.  The branding GTRM is on all the wagons.  There is a photograph of similar wagons at Bridgnorth on the Severn Valley Railway, also in 1999. 



I moved on to Llandudno Junction, and waited for 37 692 to return from Penmaenmawr, noting that Trainload Metals sector 37 711 was in the siding.  Eventually 37 692 appeared, and it was possible to see what may have been generators on the wagon in front of the ten Tiphook Rail ballast wagons.  I should be most interested if anyone could provide an explanation for this arrangement, and details of this working. 



Returning to Penmaenmawr on 23 April 1999 the pair of 37s on 6C10 were 37 430 and 37 412, in matching Transrail livery, passing the crossover which gives access to the loading facility. 


Llangollen Railway news



Project Leader Richard Dixon-Gough has provided two images of recent progress at Corwen. Above, the exterior of the Corwen East signalbox with all the wooden cladding on the locking room walls; the Class 08  shunter is in attendance in the siding with a works train.



The class 26 5310 also on a works train occasion; the ground frame stands ready for connection to the points when the final levelling up of the track has been completed.



A daytime view of 3802 running round a Santa Special at Llangollen (Martin Evans).


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