NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY :NOTICE BOARD
Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd
26 January 2024
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 advice and 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, society and tour operator details.
February 2024
Friday 2 February Clwyd Railway Circle Annual General Meeting followed by Chairman’s Choice. David Jones
Friday 9 February. Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society John Hooley. "Euston and Destinations: the Potteries and the North West". Steam in action on passengers and freight.
March 2024
Friday 1 March Clwyd Railway Circle The Dockers Umbrella The History of The Liverpool Overhead Railway. - Ken Pye FLHU
Friday 1 March (note the first Friday of the month). Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society Dennis Flood. "Edge Hill Motive Power Depot". Dennis will entertain us with tales from his career on the footplate in the 1960s.
Saturday 2 March Railway Touring Company The Cheshireman loco 45596 London Euston - Chester
21 March Statesman Chester - Windsor and Eton Central. Pickups in North Wales borders.
April 2024
Thursday 4 April Pathfinder Reading - Pwllheli via Crewe
Friday 5 April Midland Pullman Plymouth to Llandudno
Friday 12 April. Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society David Beilby. "Transport around the World by GEC and its predecessors". A joint meeting with the Irish Railway Record Society Manchester branch.
Thursday 18 April Pathfinder Tours The Cambrian Coast Express East Midlands Parkway - Shrewsbury - Pwllheli
Thursday 18 April Midland Pullman Wolverhampton - Chester - Carlisle
Tuesday 23 April Midland Pullman Chester - Lockerbie
May 2024
6 May Statesman Woking - Llandudno via Bath Spa and Crewe for Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza
Thursday 16 May Pathfinder Tours The Cambrian Coast Express Cardiff - Pwllheli
Saturday 25 May Railway Touring Company Manchester Piccadilly - Llandudno and Holyhead Steam: 5596 Bahamas
June 2024
8 June Vintage Trains Dorridge - Blaenau Ffestiniog Steam and 47 773 via Crewe. Diesel on Blaenau branch
21 June Northern Belle - Crewe Two tours - lunch and afternoon tea. Round trip from Crewe via pickups at Chester and Wrexham.
Saturday 22 June Midland Pullman Holyhead - Carlisle
Thurday 27 June Midland Pullman Crewe - Chester - Wrexham - Paignton
July 2014
Tuesday 16 July Midland Pullman Holyhead - Paignton
27 July Midland Pullman Crewe - Paignton
August 2024
14 August Statesman Telford Central - Carlisle
pickups Shrewsbury, Gobowen, Chirk, Wrexham General, Chester, Frodsham, Warrington BQ
September 2024
4 September Statesman High Wycombe - Blaenau Ffestiniog
Thursday 5 September Pathfinder Tours The Cambrian Coast Express Bristol - Pwllheli
Friday 6 September Clwyd Railway Circle The Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway in the Vale of Clwyd - Fiona Gale
12 September Pathfinder Cambrian Coast Express Cardiff Central - Pwllheli
21 September - Northern Belle Telford - Carlisle pickups Shrewsbury, Wrexham General, Chester.
October 2024
Friday 4 October Clwyd Railway Circle Wrexham’s Second Railway Mania - David Parry
November 2024
Friday 1 November Clwyd Railway Circle Chinese Steam in 2001 and 2003 - Phil Thomas
(see our Calendar page for meeting venues)
North Wales Coast Railway website created and compiled by Charlie Hulme
Useful links:
For up-to-the moment news, join the North Wales Train News email Group
DH Trains - North Wales videos
A selection of other sites to visit:
Dave Sallery's North Wales
Ian Bowland's Rail37
Geoff Poole's Llandudno Junction
Darren Durrant's Picture site
The Class 47 List by Shaun C
Alan Crawshaw's North Wales coast line
Railway pictures by Mark Barber
Alan Roberts's Photostream
North Wales Coast Railway website created and compiled by Charlie Hulme
8th January 2000 at Sandycroft: 37 415 with 1K61 10:22 Bangor to Crewe
This is a 'Looking Back special': I hope it raises some nostalgia. The normal issue will appear on the evening of Tuesday 30 January.- Charlie
From the 1990s - by Barrie Hughes
28 June 1993: Merseyrail electrics had extended to Hooton in 1985 but the electrification was being extended to Chester by October 1993. Here in the last few months of changing trains at Hooton Class 101 No.656 in provincial livery operates the Chester service while the new 507/508 EMUs in the bay on the left were sporting blue and grey at the time.
On 30 June 1993 staff were fitting third rail electrification materials on the Hooton line at Chester. (The electric service was opened in platform 7 in October 1993.) The depot is looking strangely empty.
On 29 June 1996: 37 422 Robert F Fairlie in Regional Railways livery shunts a six-coach Mk2a/b rake in the yard at Llandudno Junction. There is a grey liveried 47 on a Bromine/Diesel Tanker train in the far end of the yard complete with barrier wagons. The other brake van in the yard is probably for use with the nuclear flask traffic.
Earlier 37 422 had worked 1D61 Birmingham International - Llandudno before an empty stock move to Llandudno Junction. The photo catches the train just emerging from the yard to run as 1D46 the 13:36 Llandudno Junction - Holyhead showing how the 37s were intensively used instead of DMUs! TfW's North Wales Transport Commission has recommended new through platforms at Chester, Llandudno Junction and Bangor so the nearby disused platform could be reinstated in the near future.
37 422 now ready to depart Llandudno Junction with 1D46 the 13:36 Llandudno Junction-Holyhead showing how the 37s were intensively used instead of DMUs! These locos ran very reliably with intensive diagrams. After arriving at Holyhead the train returned to Stafford then empty stock to Birmingham International before a late evening jaunt to Holyhead where it repeated the diagram all over again with a 03:30 trip to Birmingham International!
Later, sister loco 37 429, temporarily - missing its name Eisteddfod Genedlaethol - in Regional Railways livery passes Penmaenmawr Beach Road with a stone train in the yard. This loco is currently named Victorious and was allocated to RHTT duties at York during the Autumn of 2003. The future of the DRS class 37s is in doubt as it seeks to 'decarbonise' its fleet. There have been attempts to sell and rehire the locos but no takers. Some heritage lines are still seeking Class 37s.
37 422 heads for Holyhead.
An InterCity livery HST passes Beach Road (since 2016 known as Ffordd Darbishire after the long-time owners of the quarry) with a London - Holyhead service.
At this time the somewhat overgrown carriage shed at Llandudno Junction was being used to store Merseyrail EMUs 508 106 and 508 109. Also, in the open, were the experimental Class 151 DMUs Nos. 151 001 and 151 002. These had been a Met-Camm alternative to the Class 150 which BR had chosen instead. After a series of projects failed to restore them they were scrapped in 2004 at LNWR Crewe following vandalism.
1997 - by Stuart Broome
On 16 April 1997 Mainline Freight 37 293 hurries through Llandudno Junction with empty ballast hoppers for Penmaenmawr Quarry. Mainline was created in 1994 and disappeared again in 1996 when sold to Wisconsin Central railroad; in the short time they managed to re-livery many locos.
37 417 Highland Region arrives at Bangor on the 13:54 Holyhead - Crewe.
16 April: Aboard 37 408 Loch Rannoch arriving at Prestatyn on the 15:22 Bangor to Crewe as 37 429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol wais to depart on 15:18 Crewe to Bangor.
Our old favourite 37 408 again, arriving at Rhyl on the 12:18 Crewe to Bangor, passing 'super sprinter' 158 753.
On May 1 1997, 37 414 Cathays C &W Works passing Abergele and Pensarn with the 11:22 Bangor to Crewe.
On 1 May, 31 407 (Mainline again!) and 31 308 come past Llandudno Junction with hoppers for Penmaenmawr.
1964 - recalled by Bevan Price
1964 was the last summer when the Cambrian Coast & related lines were entirely operated by steam, and I was on a family holiday in the area. Above, 75004 enters Dovey Junction with a service from Pwllheli on Monday 6 July.
On the same day, at Dovey Junction (Left) 80 131 was almost certainly heading an eastbound train over the Cambrian mainline towards Machynlleth and Welshpool, whilst 82009, having arrived from Pwllheli, would probably have proceeded empty stock to Machynlleth for servicing after 80131's train had cleared the single-line Dovey Junction-Machynlleth section.
46516 arrives at Llynclys with an Oswestry to Llanfyllin service on 8 July. Today this is one of the bases of the Cambrian Heritage Railways, although their station is located on the site of the former goods yard.
At Llanfyllin 46516 runs round the train...
... and then waits to depart from Llanfyllin.
82021 arrives at Afon Wen from Pwllheli on 14 July.
42489 enters Menai Bridge with a short freight from Caernarfon to Bangor on 14 July 1964.
75006 at Bala Junction with a Wrexham to Barmouth service on 15 July.
46443 runs round the branch shuttle service at Bala on 15 July 1964.
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