27 January 2025




Forthcoming events
See our Calendar Page for operator
details.
February 2025
Wednesday 5 February Merseyside, Cheshire and North
Wales Branch Liverpool: Chris Poole “Czech
Railways”
Thursday 6 February Clwyd Railway Circle David Jones
and Dave Southern “Annual General Meeting” followed by
“Rails to Bala”
Friday 14 February. Altrincham
Electric Railway Preservation Society "Macclesfield
Area Railways in the 1950s and 60s" by Martin Welch.
March 2025
Saturday 1 March - Railway Touring Company - 'The
Mancunian' from Manchester Piccadilly to Llandudno and
Holyhead via Altrincham. Steam hauled.
Thursday 6 March Clwyd Railway Circle Jeff Nicholls
“A Baptism of Fire and Water-My First Wolsztyn Experience”
Part One
Friday 14 March. Altrincham
Electric Railway Preservation Society "Navigation
Road and All That" by Ted Buckley. Local rail scenes, mainly
of steam, from the 1960s in the Altrincham and Dunham Massey
areas and elsewhere taken by Ted's father Bill Buckley.
Monday 17 March Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales
Branch: Charles Roberts “On Line Transport Archive
(OTA) Images”
April 2025
Wednesday 2 April Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales
Branch Liverpool: Paul Shackcloth “L & Y
Engines at Work, Part 3” Speaker and Subject TBC
Saturday 5 April Saphos Lakelander from
Llandudno Junction to Carlisle. Diesel to Lancaster and
return, steam from Lancaster, return via Cumbrian Coast
line.
Saturday 5 April UK Railtours - The
Snowdonian. No further information available at present.
Saturday 11 April Pathfinder Tours 'Cambrian Coast
Express' from Swindon to Pwllheli
Friday 11 April. Altrincham
Electric Railway Preservation Society "Steam,
Diesel and Electric in the Northern Fells" by Ian
Pilkington. A joint meeting with the Irish Railway Record
Society Manchester Branch.
Saturday 12 April Midland Pullman Torbay
Riviera Pullman from Chester, Wrexham General and Ruabon to
Paignton.
Saturday 19 April Northern Belle - Settle and
Carlisle Steam Special. Wrexham General and Chester to
Carlisle via the S&C. Diesel to/from Carnforth, steam
for remainder.
May 2025
Thursday 1 May Northern Belle "Conwy Castle
& Bodnant Gardens" charter from Coventry It includes
other off-train options.
Saturday 5 May - The Victorian Festival (Intercity).
Birmingham International to Llandudno and return with a pair
of LSL class 20s.
Saturday 9 May Pathfinder Tours 'Cambrian Coast
Express' from East Midlands Parkway to Pwllheli
Saturday 10 May UK Railtours Llandudno and
Chester. London Euston to Llandudno Junction and Penmaenmawr
freight yards.
Saturday 16 May Pathfinder Tours 'Cambrian Coast'
Express from Bristol Temple Meads to Pwllheli
Saturday 31 May Northern Belle Conwy Castle
& Bodnant Gardens from Cardiff
June 2025
Friday 20 June Northern Belle Spirit of
Travel Lunch. Circular tour picking up at Chester and
Wrexham General. Diesel hauled.
Friday 20 June Northern Belle Champagne
Afternoon Tea. Circular tour picking up at Chester and
Wrexham General. Diesel hauled.
Saturday 21 June North West Rail and Transport
Collectors Fair Crewe Alexandra Football Club 10:00 -
16:00
Thursday 26 June The Railway Industry's "Three Peaks by
Rail" will be down the Coast on the evening of 26 June and
heading onwards in the early hours of 27 June.
July 2025
Saturday 5 July Railway Touring Company "North Wales
Coast Express" from London Euston to Llandudno. Electric to
Crewe, with steam along the Coast.
Sunday 13 July Railway Touring Company charter from
Liverpool to Holyhead on with steam throughout.
Tuesday 15 July Midland Pullman
Yorkshire Coast Pullman from Ruabon, Wrexham General and
Chester.
August 2025
September 2025
Friday 5 September Clwyd Railway Circle To be
announced
Saturday 5 September Pathfinder Tours
'Cambrian Coast Express' from Cardiff Central to Pwllheli
Wednesday 10 September - Snowdonia Statesman.
Cardiff Central to Blaenau Ffestiniog.
Saturday 12 September Pathfinder Tours
'.Cambrian Coast Express' from Bristol Temple Meads to
Pwllheli
Wednesday 17 September Midland Pullman
Settle and Carlisle Pullman. From Ruabon, Wrexham General
and Chester.
Saturday 20 September Northern Belle
Settle and Carlisle Steam Special. Wrexham General and
Chester to Carlisle via the S&C. Diesel to/from
Carnforth, steam for remainder.
October 2005
Friday 3 October Clwyd Railway Circle To be Announced
Wednesday 8 October - Snowdonia Statesman. Durham to
Blaenau Ffestiniog.
November 2005
Friday 7 November Clwyd Railway Circle Jeff Nicholls
“A Baptism of Fire and Water-My First Wolsztyn Experience”
Part Two
Saturday 8 November Northern Belle Settle and
Carlisle Steam Special. Wrexham General and Chester to
Carlisle via the S&C. Diesel to/from Carnforth, steam
for remainder.
North Wales Coast Railway website created
and compiled by Charlie
Hulme
|

25 January saw the Aberystwyth to Chirk logs operate, seen
at Balderton crossing as the train heads for the Chester
run-round and reversal. 37 405 has Swietelsky
branding on the bodyside. Lead was 97 304. (Bob
Greenhalgh).
Concrete Bob

An old friend from the days of Class 37-hauled trains in
North Wales, 37 425 Concrete Bob / Sir
Robert McAlpine appeared on the Coast in the last
week, working for Network Rail on the Ultrasonic Test
Unit. Here are a random selection of images from the
occasion, accompanied by a sketchy history of the
loco. Above, passing Rhyl (Ivor Bufton).

Saltney Morrisons (Bob Greenhalgh). 425 was one of 31
Class 37s chosen for a rebuild to work passenger trains,
mostly in Scotland. The work was done at Crewe Works,
and its first appearance on the coast on a test run in early
1986, before being despatched north to Eastfield
depot. Soon afterwards it gained its names, Sir
Robert Alpine on one side, and on the other his
nickname Concrete Bob referring to his liking for
concrete in construction, including Glenfinnan Viaduct. The
naming ceremony took place on the Viaduct.

Bangor (Logan Humphreys). When the Scottish
Region received some Class 158s, in 1989, 425 was sent
down to England and used on various actvities until 1993
when it transferred to Crewe, for the 'club train'
work from Manchester to Southport, and on the North Wales
service.

Blaenau Ffestiniog (Ken Robinson). When the use of
37s on the Coast after 2000 it worked in South Wales for a
while, then in East Anglia, also Cumbria and when that
passenger work ceased, eventually purchased by DRS who in
2013 restored the names, which had been replaced with Pride
of the Valleys while in Wales, and the Regional
Railways livery. Most recently it was sold to the
Harry Needle company to work for Network Rail.
The DRS plates apparently sold the plates in a charity
auction for £3400 each, so the current ones must be
replicas. Meanwhile there is a pair in the Glenfinnan
station museum, are these the real original?
Goodbye Standard Plus

Having labelled-up the windows of some of the Class 3-car
197 coaches, TfW are now taking the labels off again -
unsurprisingly the 'Standard Plus' concept is being
abandoned, although the section of 2+1 seats will remain.
(Notice that this TfW document, still online, suggests that
the seats would be First Class). The reason given is
'risk' - the risk seems to be the risk of complaints that
there is no 'standard plus' facility for disabled
passengers. Couldn't that have been
avoided by putting the 'plus' seats in the centre of the
coach next to the wheelchair area? The premium passengers
would also have been saved from the rough ride experience
over the bogies. We wonder, will the large area
for a refreshment trolley might be the next 're-think'?
Looking back in time, there was an idea for Class 175
units to have some kind of 'standard plus' in the centre
coaches, and they were fitted with an 'entertainment system'
at the seats, However, the idea didn't get as far as TfW's
before it was dropped.
From Dave Sallery's archive: doubles

20 154 and 20 186 are backing an empty
Merry-go-Round train into Point of Ayr colliery, 9 July
1991.

31 235 and 31 119 with empty ballast
hoppers for Penmaenmawr are passing Rhyl on 2 March 1995.

31 308 and 31 252 are leaving the Up loop at
Holywell Junction with a loaded ballast train. In the
background 47 471 Norman Tunna GC is passing
on a Crewe - Holyhead train, 3 April 1991.

37 429 and 37 415 with a Crewe - Holyhead
train at Prestatyn on 17 July 1998. This train will
return as the celebrated Sunday evening double -
header. Such was life before Ryanair.

Addendum: For anyone searching for the 'mystery sticker' in
the last issue, attached is the correct photo of 37
131 showing the 'Welcome Aboard' sticker below the lights.
Looking back: Steam, diesels and electrics
1962 - by David Pool

Electrification of the line from Crewe to Liverpool was
completed by the end of 1961, and the Class AM4 electric
multiple unit (later to become Class 304) was the BR design
for suburban services to be used on lines in the North West.
Three batches were built at Wolverton works, and unit 041
from the third batch was photographed at Mossley Hill on 31
March 1962. The 3K85 headcode and the destination of
Allerton suggests it was returning from Lime Street to the
Depot. The orange stripes on the front of M75873 are
interesting - could they be the first version of the
electrification warning stripes which appeared at roof level
on locomotives and rolling stock in later years?

Even though the electrification wires and masts made
photography more difficult, the high lineside fencing was
not generally to be found, and it was still possible to get
good shots over the fences. My first roll of
Kodachrome II film enabled me to use exposures of 1/300
second at less than full aperture on my Vito B, and the
10:15 Lime Street to Birmingham on that day was headed by
Royal Scot 46110 Grenadier Guardsman as it
accelerated through Mossley Hill.

No problem with lineside fencing on 11 May 1962, as Patriot
45525 Colwyn Bay had left Llandudno Junction with
the 10:15 from Lime Street to Llandudno. This had been
an 8A (Edge Hill) locomotive, but was now showing a 6G plate
(Llandudno Junction), the shed from which it was eventually
withdrawn in May 1963.

I often like to get station names in the shots whenever
possible, but some present a challenge! The 10:45 from
Amlwch to Bangor on 12 May 1962 was formed by Class 104
units M56175 plus M50532, and the location needs no
explanation.

The Derby Lightweight units had been introduced on the
Blaenau Ffestiniog branch in 1956, each car of the two car
units being powered, and were often used on shuttle services
between Llandudno Junction and Llandudno. The 17:55
from the Junction on 12 May 1962 was M79184 plus M79189, and
is leaving Deganwy station.

There was sunshine on 13 May 1962 when Standard 5MT 73133
was approaching Deganwy with the 17:10 Llandudno to
Manchester. This was a Patricroft (26F) locomotive,
and it appears to be in lined black livery, although some of
the 5MT class were in green.

The Royal Scots were certainly in green in 1962, although 46131
The Royal Warwickshire Regiment in the usual BR grime
could not confirm this. The train was the 16:30 Lime
Street to Llandudno on 30 May 1962, again photographed near
what is now the Deganwy Quay area. 46131 was carrying
a 6B (Mold Junction) shedplate, and was withdrawn six months
later.

Bangor (6H) shed had four Ivatt Class 2MT tanks in the early
1960s, although by then diesel units had taken over the
passenger services on the Amlwch branch. The prototype
Ivatt tank 41200 was being used on 1 June 1962 to
work the 17:52 Llandudno Junction to Bangor, and is leaving
Conwy, possibly photographed from the footbridge off Bangor
Road, although the scenery here has changed greatly over the
years.
THE 'ACCIDENTAL TRACTION FESTIVAL'
[Restored from our archive]
MAY 1999 - PART 1
Supplement to the North Wales Coast Railway website
Compiled by Charlie Hulme.
The chain of events related here begins on Wednesday 19 May
1999, when we received a report from Nick Gurney that
"something had fallen off" a Class 37/4 locomotive while
hauling a First North Western train to Holyhead across the
Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait. (Later reports
suggested that the locomotive concerned was 37 421
and that it was part of the suspension of one of the bogies
which fell off.)
As a result, several of Crewe depot's fleet of eight
locos normally used on the North Wales services were
immediately 'grounded' and replacements drafted in from
other depots, Toton (Nottinghamshire) at first and later
Motherwell in Scotland.
The same evening we received our first pictures taken in
Holyhead on Wednesday evening by John Lewis: the
heading picture shows 37 216 (formerly Great
Eastern) in the Aircraft Blue livery of the former
Mainline Freight company, a colour which was to feature
strongly in subsequent events.
Also pictured in Holyhead on Wednesday by Dave Jackson
was 37 077, one of the older Class 37s with split
headcode boxes. It is shown running round its train after
arriving with the 10.07 train from Birmingham. None of these
Class 37/0 locomotives have facilities for heating a train,
but in May this is perhaps not too serious.
Thursday 20 May dawned bright and sunny, and Alan Crawshaw
was able to visit Bangor station in the morning, to capture
37 216 again, by now working the 08.10 Birmingham -
Holyhead ....
... and 37 402 Bont Y Bermo, once a stalwart
of the coast line fleet and still carrying faded British
Rail freight sector colours, calling with the 10.48 Holyhead
to Birmingham. Alan records that about 25 enthusiasts
alighted from the westbound train at Bangor and returned
immediately on the eastbound one - all good revenue for
First North Western, one might think.
Later in the day Bont Y Bermo worked the 14.23
Birmingham - Holyhead, pictured here at Chester by Tony
Kirkham.
The situation continued on Friday 21 May; in an attempt to
supply more heating-fitted 37/4 locos, 37 413 The
Scottish Railway Preservation Society had been
fetched by EWS from Motherwell Depot: John Lewis' picture
shows it at Holyhead awaiting the 16.50 departure. It had
arrived in Holyhead at 15.10 on train 1D71, the 11.58 from
Birmingham, as shown in the listing from the TOPS
computer database which was obtained for us during the
afternoon. The offending 37 421 is shown as having
fault no. 614, which is a 'frame, centre casting or safety
bracket' problem, and date expected back in service of 25
May.
Of the rest of the normal fleet of 8 locos, shown in
italics, 401 was suffering from 'Loss of Power', 408, 415
and 420 were being 'examined', 422 was reported as 'Engine
shut down.' 418 and 426 were working trains 1D75 (14.23
Birmingham - Holyhead) and 1K71 (14.39 Holyhead -
Crewe) respectively.
401 CD A/LOP ok 0600 22/5 (40)
402 1G11 (38)
403 6E16 (20)
405 1B01 (30)
406 CF N/612 ok 30/5 (28)
407 EH N/680 ok 1400 (41)
408 CDAX ok 0900 21/5 (18)
409 1M89 (35)
410 7D97/MLAX (8)
411 CD N/LOP ok 0/0 (54)
412 CF assd CFBX 26/5 (55)
413 1D71 (38)
414 CF (42)
415 CDBX ok 30/5 (49)
416 FW 7D60 with 023 (38)
417 6L31 (17)
418 1D75 assd CDBX 0600 22/5 (31)
419 Mossend assd MLBX 20/5 (27)
420 CDBX ok 2200 24/5 (59)
421 CD B/614 ok 2200 25/5 (9)
422 CD N/ESD ok 2200 25/5 assd CDBX 0600 29/5 (21)
423 7L90 (13)
424 Mossend (21)
425 ML (8)
426 1K71 assd CDBX 2200 25/5 (48)
427 Mossend (19)
428 Carstairs (34)
429 CD N/LOP ok 0/0 (54) [loss of power]
430 ML (34)
077 Warrington (23)
178 CD assd BSBX 2200 21/5 (60)
203 CD N/523 ok 1800 (36) [reverser fault]
216 CDBX ok 2200 24/5 (14)
Here again is 37 402 Bont Y Bermo, still on
duty on Friday morning in this picture by Nick Gurney
of 1D62, 08.10 Birmingham - Holyhead. As shown in the
listing, this loco returned with 1G11, 13.54 Holyhead to
Birmingham. Note that by now a train headboard has appeared,
reading "English Electric Veterans" - to complete the
festival atmosphere.
Part 2
The next morning, John Lewis reached Bangor
station in time to see freight-liveried 37/0 37 178
standing in Platform 2. The loco has run round after
arriving at 09.57 with the 08.19 from Crewe, and will
set back into the tunnel beyond the station before
running into Platform 1 to form the 10.22 back to Crewe,
with John aboard.

Meanwhile, Alan Crawshaw had set out with his
camera seeking some more unusual locations,
and captured this action shot of the 10.22 Bangor
- Crewe at Talybont, east of Bangor.

37 413 The Scottish Railway Preservation
Society appeared again on 1G79, 11.16 Bangor -
Birmingham, pictured by Alan in Bangor station.

Arriving at Chester at 11.32, John discovered 37
429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol and 37
411 Ty Hafan stabled in the sidings
opposite platform 7. The railfan's apartments are coming
along nicely!

By 11.40, John was in position to photograph the 10.07
Birmingham - Holyhead departing from Chester, with
Mainline blue 37 203 in charge.

The same train pictured by Alan Crawshaw hurrying
through the first station on Anglesey, Llanfair PG....

... and John Lewis' last picture of the day showing 37
402 Bont Y Bermo after arrival at Holyhead
with the 12.07 from Birmingham. No headboard in evidence
today!

A Sunday afternoon panorama of Holyhead station by
John Lewis: 47 818 stands in platform 1
with the Virgin Trains service to London, while 37
203 and a Class 156 unit wait in the adjacent
sidings for the call to duty.

For what happened next, I can do no better than
reproduce the following report from Alan and Rowan
Crawshaw:
"We jumped aboard
the 15:43 Crewe-Holyhead from Bangor for an early
evening thrash, a double-header for 4 coaches with 37
411 Ty Hafan leading 37 429. (Eisteddfod
Genedlaethol). At Holyhead 411 was detached
and ran round, then 429 was detached and stood
alongside. 411 was attached to the front and the
large throng of very well-behaved bashers stood
around wondering what would happen. After a while
37 203, which had been loitering in the station,
made a move to the east but didn't return. At 18:27, the
time of the train's departure, 203 suddenly
reappeared and was coupled to the front of 411. There
followed a lot of hissing of air and rail staff
jumping in and out of cabs of both locomotives before we
finally departed 20 minutes late.

[John Lewis was on hand as the duo climbed the bank
out of Holyhead]
"429 was still alongside next
to the 156 which would presumably form the 19:30
to Crewe. The picture below shows the duo departing
from Bangor after I sprinted over the bridge and
along the full length of platform 2. So we left 429
and 4 coaches at Holyhead. It seems they take 8
coaches back east if the ferry from Ireland is on time
but if the ferry is late the 18:27 returns with
the 4 coaches."
So that's the status up to
Sunday evening. Accidental as all this might be, it's a fine
way to celebrate the last days before 31 May when the Summer
timetable comes into force with a considerable reduction in
the number of locomotives planned for use on the Coast. We
hope FNW are pleased with all the extra money, and maybe
take the cue to stage a few more similar events in the
coming summer!
Created Sunday 23 May 1999, revised Tuesday 22 May.
Contributors: John Dawson, Nick Gurney, Dave Jackson, Alan
and Rowan Crawshaw, John Lewis, Tony Kirkham, and "D5233."
Thanks also to the remaining rail-lovers on the uk.railway
newsgroup and the recently-revived Rail-Gen mailing list.
[Part 3 will appear in the next issue]
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