05 September 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.
September 2022
Friday 9 September Pathfinder
Tours Cambrian Coast Express. Oxford -
Pwllheli
24 September Trailffest Half
Marathon : An Event Train will be provided by the
Ffestiniog Railway 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.
24-25 September Bala
Model Railway Show (organised by the Bala Lake
Railway). Venue: Ysgol Godre'r Berwyn, Ffrydan
Rd, Bala. Open
10.00 – 16.00 both days.
At least
twenty layouts will be on display in a range of standard
and narrow gauges. There will also be at least nine
trade stands. A vintage bus will be running between the
show venue and the Bala Lake Railway.
October 2022
Friday 7 October Clwyd
Railway Circle: 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
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A rare visitor: 37 901 Mirrlees Pioneer
passes Beeches Farm on 1 September. The working was by Rail
Operations Group who lease the loco from Europhoenix; could
it be route leaning for delivery of the ex-Great Central
coaches for the Cardiff - South Wales service? See the 25
June 2020 issue for a short history of this loco and its
37/9 brothers. Picture by Bob Greenhalgh.
Rather
overwhelmed this week: I'll save some items for next
time, but I can't guarantee to use every image in the
current 'bonanza'. - Charlie
Passenger locos in action
67 012 in Chiltern livery brings 1V96 the loco-hauled
Holyhead to Cardiff Central past Beeches Farm, 30 August (Stephen
Dennett ).
67 015 calls at Flint station with 1V96 loco-hauled
Holyhead to Cardiff Central. 2 September (Stephen Dennett).
Flask visitor
68 016 Fearless leading 68 002 Intrepid
through Rhosneigr with one flask wagon on 1 September. They
formed 6K41 Valley Nuclear Electric to Crewe Coal Sidings (Gary
Thomas).
Passing Flint (Stephen Dennett). These trains run
infrequently for staff to retain the path and the routine.
Wylfa power station has been close down for some time now,
but trains may be needed when dismantling begins.
Mirrlees Pioneer
37 901 Mirrlees Pioneer passes light engine
through Beeches Farm with OB23 Holyhead to Crewe South Yard.
Taken at Beeches Farm on 2 September (Stephen
Dennett).
Resting at Llandudno Junction, 2 September (Garry Stroud).
Continuing to Holyhead, passing Conwy station (Gary
Thomas).
This loco has had a varied career: it spent some time in
preservation after being withdrawn by EWS in
1998. Garry Stroud photographed it at Carrog
station as a visiting loco for the Llangollen Railway diesel
day on 7 October 2007.
Resting between duties (Garry Stroud). The livery is
'railfreight grey' - before the scheme was modified to have
a red band along the bottom of the body.
37 901 at Godfrey Rd sidings at Newport, 24 February
1987 (Garry Stroud). Iy had previously been 37 150
before fitting with a Mirrlees MB275T engine to test its
suitability for railway use, perhaps in a new class of locos
to replaced the 37s. There's a tale of its chequered career
on Adrian
Nicholls' Flickr site.
The Cheshireman - pictures by Roland High
6233 Duchess of Sutherland arriving in Chester ...
... from Norwich via Crewe on the 'Cheshireman excursion', 3
September.
Not only the Red Arrows can get a bird strike.
Pen Stone
66 769 League Managers Association with
special livery featuring Prostate Cancer UK
passes Llandulas early on 2 September with empties from
Hunslet to Penmaemawr.
The train returned loaded as 6F22 Penmaenmawr Quarry to
Tuebrook Sidings loaded aggregate seen passing Llandudno
Junction on 2 September (Garry Stroud).
The same train passing Flint (Stephen Dennett).
On the slate
66 777 Annette worked the 4Z58 02:45
Wellingborough yard to Llandudno Junction slate waste
service on 2 September, seen above on arrival (Greg Mape)
The train arrived with 18 wagons, 4 short from
previous runs and having split the wagons in Llandudno Jcn
yard in two sets of nine, Above, 66 777 departs the compound
at Llandudno Junction with the first load of nine full
wagons ...
... before returning with the remaining empties
(Garry Stroud).
Annette passes the foot crossing west of Flint with
6Z59 Llandudno Junction to Wellingborough. Taken at Flint on
2 September (Stephen Dennett). The 'Z' headcodes tell
us that these trains are yet to have a regular path.
The train, still with 66 777 (slightly cleaned up), returned
for more on 5 September (Gary Thomas).
Margam Coils
66 709 Sorrento works the empty Margam coils
on 1 September through Rhosymedre between Ruabon and Chirk
on the 'North and West' line (Martin Evans).
Llangollen diesel weekend - report by Ken Robinson
I went to the first day of The Llangollen Railway's
'Diesel Weekend' on Saturday. The weather wasn't too good
but it was great to see all the diesels out, including 08
195, working a driver-for-a-fiver experience at Llangollen -
much hard work had gone into organizing the event. Here are
four photos out of many I took that day:
Class 47 1566 departing Llangollen with the first
train of the day, the 10:30 to Carrog. The stock comprised
of Mk1 carriages.
31 271, with the 'suburbans' and the GWR Observation
Saloon just out of view at the back, gets ready to depart
Llangollen with the 11:08 to Carrog.
3. An interesting working was the class 26, 5310, with a
fully loaded ballast train and a brake van at each end. A
passenger carrying vehicle was also in the consist, where
passengers could travel, at no extra cost, on a 'first come,
first served' basis. The ensemble is seen after arrival at
Carrog, with the 11:50 from Llangollen, on which I had
travelled.
The train is seen again, nearing Glyndyfrdwy, this time on
the 14:10 from Llangollen.
Report from the North York Moors - by Kevin Melia
Following a handful of quite decent days out at the North Yorkshire Moors
Railway, here are pictures of both 47 077
(also known as former Cross Country Celebrity 47 840 North
Star (with its electric heating isolated currently)
plus the former "Daisy" the DMU 101 685 - both old
regulars in North Wales, the North West and beyond.
It's worth noting that for most of the summer the line
between Pickering and Grosmont, plus the extension onto the
Network Rail through to Whitby has been predominantly
awash with diesel power in lieu of the normal 75% or so peak
time steam service. With their own diesel locomotives in
short supply (just the somewhat worn out looking and
sounding 37 264) three have been hired in over this
season.
There's the 47 from the West Somerset (for a couple of
years reportedly), 37 403 from the SRPS diesel group
at the Bo’ness and Kinneil railway and 31 128 from Nemisis
at Burton (the latter 2 locomotives are cleared for use
to Whitby).
The 37s and 31 are intensively used, and although the 47 was
in regular use for about three weeks it now only comes
out more sparingly and will often be only be used "as
required" and swapped to be left spare with the use of a
repaired DMU on internal steam services reducing traction
requirements. It's like a daily diesel gala with
frequent loco swaps at Grosmont and the need to take the
late notice daily rosters with a pinch of salt.
Despite its issues recently the line is still worth a visit
for the hill climbs and scenery alone.
The railway has certainly suffered financially from
various events, as with all heritage railways in recent
years, and the loss of steam most of the summer has
potentially wiped out its usually very healthy loadings on
many trains. Sources suggest by early September steam
is to be phased back in prior to the bumper 4 day steam gala
at the end of September.
From Dave Sallery's archive
31 119 at Mold Junction after depositing
wagons of used ballast for tipping, 15 April 1991.
47 145 on Frodsham viaduct hauling a diverted West
Coast service, 26 August 1989. Some years later the
loco was smartened up and given the name "Myrddin
Emrys". Built as D1738 it was cut up in Stockton in
August 2009.
31 159 passes the long demolished Sandycroft box with
a short engineers train, 21 February 1992
47 479 arrives at Llandudno Junction past the freight
terminal - Today's slate waste loading terminal. 13
August 1984 .
Looking back: Diesels 2007 part 1 - by
David Pool
“Thunderbird” 57 311 Parker is hauling
Pendolino 390 050 past Abergele and Pensarn box on
21 March 2007, with the 0900 Euston to
Holyhead. This locomotive was originally D
1611, then 47 023, 47 662 and finally 47 817 before it was
modified to a Class 57/3.
In 1994 47 817 was in InterCity livery, being used
for cross country trains. On 14 August it was on the
10:25 Derby to York, and was photographed at Templeborough,
near Rotherham. The M1 on Tinsley viaduct is in the
distance. This line is now used by the Sheffield Tram
Trains, but since 1994 the area has undergone massive
changes, with overhead electrification and the growth of
trees making photography here almost impossible.
Two green Class 47s were rostered for the North Wales leg of
the Carlisle to Holyhead excursion run by Compass Trains on
24 March 2007. From Crewe the train was hauled by D
1916 and D 1748 Great Western,
photographed on the return journey at Bagillt.
The leading locomotive had been built as D 1916, then
renumbered 47 240, 47 657 and finally 47 812, before
regaining its original number and colour as a
“celebrity”. When it was 47 812 in InterCity livery it
was also used on cross country trains, and was working the
1544 Plymouth to Derby on 11 August 1993, being photographed
at Narroways Junction in Bristol. The line to Severn
Beach is visible on the right.
D 1748 had been renumbered 47 155, 47 760 and 47 815, and in
2000 was in First Great Western green livery. At that
time it carried the name Abertawe Landore – the Welsh name
for Swansea and the English name for the Glandwr locomotive
depot! It was photographed at Dawlish Warren on 23
September 2000 with a Motorail service, the 0933 Paddington
to Penzance. Note the two Motorail NVA vans. Today in
2022 47 815 is now carrying its Great Western name. in the
maroon livery of West Coast Railways, together with 47
812.
The Chirk logs were sometimes hauled by “Thunderbirds” in
2007. On 26 March 2007 the 6Z59 1329 Carlisle to Chirk
was seen at Helsby with 57 306 Jeff Tracy.
The history of 57 306 before it became a 57/3 is not unlike
that of the other “Thunderbirds”, in that it started as D
1919, then became 47 242, 47 659 and finally 47
814. On 27 October 1994 it was in InterCity
livery as 47 814, working the 11:44 Plymouth to Lime
Street. It was photographed at Cam and Dursley
station, which had been opened in May 1994, a short distance
from the site of Coaley Junction station, which had closed
in 1965. This was on a line operated by the London
Midland Region up to 1958, then becoming part of the Western
Region.
Coaley Junction was the start of the branch to Dursley,
which closed in 1962. When I first visited
Coaley Junction in 1958, the branch train was being worked
by an elderly ex Midland Railway 0-6-0T 58165. By 1959
the GWR locomotives had taken over, and on 2 September 1960
the 4.40pm Coaley Junction to Dursley was a single coach and
a van, hauled by one of the short-lived Hawksworth panniers,
1630.
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