NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY:NOTICE BOARD
Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd
27 June 2022
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, and meetings, may be subject to cancellation or postponement. See our Calendar Page for Club and Society details.
July 2022
Saturday 2 July Midland Pullman North Wales Coast Pullman Perth - Llandudno and return (sold out).
2 -3 July Llangollen Railway Classic Transport Weekend
Sunday 17 July 2022 Railway Touring Company. Steam The North Wales Coast Express Liverpool -Holyhead and return.
Tuesday 19 July Railway Touring Company. The Welsh Mountaineer Steam Preston Blaenau Ffestiniog and return.
30-31 July : Welsh Highland Railway Centenary and Celebrations:
A weekend of heritage trains operating between Dinas and Rhyd Ddu (as South Snowdon is now known) to celebrate the reopening of this section of line.
August 2022
Friday 12 August Pathfinder Tours Cambrian Coast Express Cardiff - Pwllheli
September 2022
Friday 2 September Clwyd Railway Circle: “The Greatest Railway Builder in the World” A 60 Minute Talk on the Life and Times of Thomas Brassey by Peter Bolt
3-4 September Llangollen Railway Diesel Weekend
Saturday 3 September The Cheshireman steam (6233) Norwich - Chester and return (diesel Peterborough - Norwich)
Friday 9 September Pathfinder Tours Cambrian Coast Express. Oxford - Pwllheli
24 September Trailffest Half Marathon : An Event Train will be provided to take the competitors from the event centre at Porthmadog to the start of the race in Tanygrisiau, the cost of which is included in the entry fee.
Friday 7 October “Fond Memories” A look back over 70 years of Railway interest by Larry Davies
7-9 October: Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways: Vintage weekend.
8-9 October Llangollen Railway DMU railcar weekend
November 2022
Friday 4 November Clwyd Railway Circle: “A trip by Norwegian Railways to Hell (and back).” Geoff Morris
Saturday 5 November Llangollen Railway Ride the Rocket Firework Train
December 2022
Friday 2 December Clwyd Railway Circle: “Members Selections & Christmas Celebrations” Members are invited to give a 15-minute presentation of their choice (Any format). Contact David Jones 01244 537440 to book a slot.
(see our Calendar page for meeting venues)
North Wales Coast Railway website created and compiled by Charlie Hulme
Locked gates and two strike bound 158s at Pwllheli on Thursday, 23 June (Eryl Crump).
All quiet on the Coast
Gary Thomas writes: 'The strike by Network Rail had a massive impact on the coast line on the week beginning 20 June. On the days between the strike days services were also disrupted, with late starts and cancellations. On the evening before the first strike a signaller in Anglesey area called in sick resulting in premature cancellations. We really have had it bad.
'Above is the only photo I took in the week, an unusual combination of 150 256 and a Class 175 at rest at Llandudno Junction (not coupled together) on the first strike day on Tuesday 28 June 2022.'
With most services running late on Wednesday 22 June after the day's strike on Tuesday, the Blaenau branch was no exception. 150 231 is seen entering
Betws-y-Coed at 11:34 ( 34 minutes late) with the 10:34 Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog service as it makes its way down the branch.
Picture by Garry Stroud - a sort of Little and Large image with the Conwy Valley Railway Museum diesel in view also.
All quiet at Pwllheli: 158 833 and another (possibly 158 819) wait on 23 June to work early services on the 24th.
Seen on 24 June - by Tim Rogers
67 015 near with Abergele with 1V96 11:33 Holyhead to Cardiff Central ...
... Driving Trailer 82229 on the rear.
Also near Abergele, 175 106 on 1D35 10:35 Manchester Airport to Llandudno.
175 111 crosses Conwy Cob with 1H89 13:07 Holyhead to Manchester Airport,
158 820 and 158 827 are 1D13 11:06 Birmingham International to Holyhead.
Steam Dreams
David Buck’s LNER B1 loco 61306 Mayflower and the 'Steam Dreams' charter operation, mainly operating in the South of England, have been added to the folio of Jeremy Hosking's Locomotive Services Group, to sit alongside its other brands – Saphos Trains, Midland Pullman, Statesman Rail and Intercity. 61306 will join the Locomotive Services Group fleet. The 2022 Steam Dreams programme remains the same, as do the staff operating the trains.
One change is that trains will be of air-conditioned coaches. We hear that a 10% discount is being offered to passengers who had booked on the understanding that there would be opening windows. The stock previously used has been returned to store at Carnforth.
Tuebrook sidings - report by Andrew Ellis
The article on the new freight train from Penmaenmawr to Tuebrook sidings caught my eye as I travel daily into Liverpool city centre, to reach the construction site I run there.
I have taken pictures of both the trains at the unloading area and also the unloading area itself, its been a little bit of a challenge given the time of day and the weather conditions. The fact that the sidings are also used for storing the Drax biomass trains when they are not in use does not help getting good pictures.
Above, the unloading area, the bins store single sized stone used in the laying of underground drainage pipes and the wagon is on the ground used to store stone classified as Type 1 sub-base (or MOT type 1)
Another angle with a train sitting in the unloading siding with the high reach excavator parked up in one of the stone bins
60 026 marshalled at the front of the wagons ready for the next run out to collect more aggregates.
ae220517 shows the main type 1 sub-base stone pile after a recent
delivery of more type 1 sub-base
60 021 sitting in the siding area awaiting its next duty. The class 60 locos are also used on the Drax trains, with one HS2-liveried class 66 also doing its share, they are very long trains. The stone trains heading for Penmaenmawr have to run via Earlestown and Warrington as they cannot access the line running through to Runcorn and the Halton curve.
The stone is loaded onto the delivery wagons using a large wheeled loader, the site also has staff accommodation and a weighbridge. The sidings' previous use was for running around the coal trains from the docks to Fiddlers Ferry power station, its now closed; the coal came from Columbia (I worked on an extension to the storage area a good while ago).
The two class 50s in 2004 explained
Deferred from the last issue is the feedback from the arrival in North Wales on 25 July 2004 of a pair of Class 50 locos. When photographed by David Pool and mentioned in the last issue were on their way to Llandudno Junction. The pair of 50s, were 'proving runs' of their their TPWS, Train Protection & Warning System, installation which used 'grids' between the rails to send an electric message to a train approaching a signal at the speed allowed, and apply the brakes should the train pass the signal. It had been decreed that privately-owned and preserved locos must be fitted with the equipment if they were to be used on the main line.
When they arrived at Llandudno Junction, they were signalled down the Quay Sidings. to set back into the down siding where 50 049 was un-hooked and went into Llandudno, and then Bangor. It returned to Junction Yard to pick up EWS loco 47 750 Atlas that had been languishing in the yard since it failed on one of Virgin's loco-hauled services a few weeks earlier. The HSTs previously used had gone off-lease that Spring, replaced by some not so healthy Class 47 'Duffs' which had a tendency to unreliability. One observer of the period recalls that one week saw three failures.
47 750 never worked again and went for scrap in May 2008.
Video producer John Wilkinson , who has kindly sent the three pictures here, recalls: 'By a shear fluke I was filming at Llandudno Junction that day. They arrived at 12:37 and went into the yard at 12:45 where failed 47 750 was parked. 50 049 was filmed at Deganwy heading for Llandudno at 13:05. 50 031 and 50 049 top and tailed 47 750 in the yard and left Llandudno Junction at 15:25. I then filmed them going through Helsby at 16.28, destination Warrington Arpley [probably en route to the Component Recovery operation in Wigan]. I have plenty of footage of the movements which will appear in a future DVD of British Rail Motive Power series. '
We reported the event in great detail at the time, dedicating a whole issue to it. This now lies in our pre-2010 off-line archive; an extract reads: 'The event was well-publicised in advance with its full timings by various 'gen lists' and the ever-topical Railhead website [what happened to that?], resulting in a large turnout of railfan spectators, especially at Llandudno Junction. It is very pleasing to hear, however, that everyone behaved well and there was no friction between rail staff and photographers'.
Spraying the Weeds - with driver Jim Scott
On 17 July I brought 66 771 Amanda from Bescot light engine where it was moved across to the run-round road in Coton Hill to await the arrival of 3Q98 which was travelling along the Heart of Wales line from Margam with the weed sprayer .
97 304 then dropped in with the train where it was detached and the 66 put .on the rear while it ran up the yard to come back down the run-round road/ The 97 set off to Coleham light loco while we waited departure time back to Bescot with the 66.
Ready to roll ...
... and eventually arriving back into Bescot at 02:00 following a delay accepting us into the yard due to congestion.
From Dave Sallery's archive
67 012, 31 452, 47 145, 47 601 and 31 468 stabled at Derby, 5 August 2005.
37 422 passing Bagillt with the six ex-Network South East six-coach 15:06 Crewe - Llandudno, 11 July 1993. The photo taken during the early days of regular class 37 workings; later, shorter trains were the norm.
09 005 and plenty of coal sector 56's on Knottingley depot, 21 March 1992. We make it 14.
08 635 gets ready for another soaking at Holyhead, 24 July 1987.
Looking back: Steam and Diesel 2005 part 1 - by David Pool
47 843 Vulcan has lost its Virgin branding on a sunny 28 January 2005, passing Malltraeth with the 10:03 Manchester Piccadilly to Holyhead. After several ownership changes, 47 843 is currently stored at Leicester awaiting a return to the main line, probably with West Coast Railways.
Recently acquired from Scotrail, 150 262 is approaching Neston on 7 February 2005 with the 13:32 Bidston to Wrexham working. This particular unit is still to be seen in the district, now owned by Transport for Wales but still retaining an Arriva blue livery.
Another Class 47 now stored at Leicester with 47 843 is 47 847, the latter still in large logo blue livery. On 19 February 2005 it was leaving Chester with 1H52, the 13:35 Holyhead to Manchester train. It was carrying nameplates Railway World Magazine and Brian Morrison, one on each side of the locomotive.
The Pathfinder Railtours “High Peak Hustler” on 26 February 2005 had started from Birmingham International as 1Z36, 0716 to Liverpool Lime Street, top and tailed with 37 427 and 37 669. It had come from Crewe, and perhaps surprisingly had turned on the triangle at Chester rather than reversing at the platform. 37 427 was leading towards Liverpool, and later the train would reach Buxton in snowy conditions.
A month later the weather at Ribblehead was not ideal for photography, but the occasion of a steam hauled Royal Train over the Settle & Carlisle was a highlight of 2005. On 22 March 6233 Duchess of Sutherland was again on Royal duties, and it was later reported that the Prince of Wales had enjoyed a footplate ride. The fireman must have been working hard at it passed Blea Moor, and no doubt it was a memorable journey.
On 21 April 2005 two track machines were conveniently parked at Llandudno Junction. DR 73429 is a Plasser and Theurer 07-32 Duomatic Tamper, and DR 77318 is a Plasser and Theurer USP 4000C Ballast Regulator.
Minffordd station on the Ffestiniog Railway had been temporarily renamed Sukna on 1 May 2005, the occasion marking the visit of Adrian Shooter’s Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Class “B” locomotive No.19. Sukna is at the end of the plains section of the DHR from Siliguri, at the start of the tortuous climb to Ghum and thence to Darjeeling. The two Sukna stations would be similar in size and layout.
Penrhyndeudraeth level crossing is not where you would expect to photograph a DHR train, but all is UK built. The locomotive was built by Sharp, Stewart & Co. Ltd, a Manchester company in the process of moving to Glasgow. DHR 19 was completed in 1889 (Works No. 3518), and the Works plate shows Glasgow, but it is unclear whether any work was carried out in Manchester. The locomotive was allocated an Indian State Railways number 778, but carried the number 19 during its life on the DHR.
In 1962 it was bought by Elliott Donnelley, and shipped to the USA to run on his private railway. On his death in 1975 it went to the Hesston Steam Museum in Indiana, where it ran for a while before becoming a static exhibit. The Museum agreed to sell the locomotive in 2002, so it was purchased by Adrian Shooter and moved to Tyseley, where it was restored in 2003. Since then it has appeared on both the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways. By comparison, the coaches 73 and 154 had just been built a few miles down the road at Boston Lodge, to provide replica rolling stock for No.19 on Mr Shooter’s own private railway.
Llangollen Classic Transport Weekend
Over 300 vintage and classic cars, buses and other vehicles will herald the
return of a much-loved event to Glyndyfrdwy Station on the Llangollen Railway on 2 and 3 July. Classic Transport Weekend last took place pre-pandemic in 2019 and in returns in fine style for 2022 with a record number of vehicles in attendance.
A busy timetable of steam, diesel and railcar trains will operate on the railway, centred around the idyllic village station of Glyndyfrdwy, where the tearoom and station bar will be open all weekend for exhibitors and visitors. A large vintage vehicle rally is held in a large field right next to the
station. With trains currently running to Carrog and the new station at Corwen not-quite ready to receive trains, a free vintage bus service will operate between Corwen and Glyndyfrdwy to allow visitors to visit the rally from the western end of the Dee Valley.
Tickets for the event are available in advance from the railway's website or on the day from station ticket offices.
Diesel and Steam in Worcester - report by Richard Putley
While spending a weekend with the family in Malvern, I found out belatedly that a London - Worcester Steam hauled tour on Saturday 18 June was being hauled by LMS Jubilee Class 4-6-0 45596 Bahamas.
By the time I got to Worcester Shrub Hill the passengers had disembarked and the train had backed into the "Long Siding" - all that remains of a once extensive group of carriage sidings.
After the loco and support coach uncoupled from the carriages in the Long Siding, they crossed over to the Up Line then ran "Wrong Line" through Platform 2 to Tunnel Junction.
Bahamas then propelled the Support Coach down the Shrub Hill avoiding
line, through Platform 2 at Foregate Street station and into the Turnback Siding at the far end of the viaduct. This is where the two Single Line sections through Foregate Street end and it becomes Double Track onwards to Malvern. This junction is controlled by Henwick Signal Box.
On her return from Henwick, she hauled the coaches back into Platform 1.
Then with the Support Coach she backed out onto the Hereford Line. After running through Platform 2 she coupled back on to the coaches ready for departure.
The next day, Sunday 19 June, I returned to Shrub Hill to photograph 66 002 on a Margam to Round Oak Steel Train ...
... 50 007 Hercules returning to the Severn Valley Railway after hauling a
London to Exeter tour the previous day ...
... and Network Rail Linsinger SF06-UK rail milling train DR97105 on its way to Long Marston for the 'Rail Live Show' the following week.
I also noted 172 104, a former Chiltern unit, now with West Midlands Railways but still sporting Chiltern livery. It arrived with two classmates on a service from Birmingham Snow Hill, Stabled on the depot to the far left was one of the West Midlands 170s that have been repainted in East Midlands Railway livery as they are due to transfer when the new Class 196 DMUs enter service.
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