NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY :NOTICE BOARD
Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd
27 May 2025
Forthcoming events
See our Calendar Page for operator details.
May 2025
Saturday 24 May UK Railtours 'The Soul Exchanger' from London Euston to Aberystwyth. Various off-train options including the Vale of Rheidol Railway.
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.
Saturday 5 July Pathfinder Tours 'The Ffestiniog Slater' from Swindon to Blaenau Ffestiniog. Various off-train options including the Ffestiniog Railway.
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.
Saturday 21 July Belmond Britannic Explorer 3-day Tour of Wales
August 2025
4 August Belmond Britannic Explorer 3-day Tour of Wales
11 August Belmond Britannic Explorer Six day tour of Lake District & Wales
25 August Belmond Britannic Explorer 3-day Tour of Wales
22 August Belmond Britannic Six day tour of Cornwall & Wales,
September 2025
Thursday 4 September Clwyd Railway Circle 'The Steelworks Railways at Home and Abroad' Adrian Bodlander
Saturday 5 September Pathfinder Tours 'Cambrian Coast Express' from Cardiff Central to Pwllheli
11 September Belmond Britannic Explorer Six day tour of Lake District & Wales
Saturday 12 September Pathfinder Tours '.Cambrian Coast Express' from Bristol Temple Meads to Pwllheli
15 September Belmond Britannic Explorer Britannic Explorer Six day tour of Cornwall & Wales,
26 September Belmond Britannic Explorer Six day tour of Lake District & Wales
29 September Belmond Britannic Explorer Britannic Explorer 3-day Tour of Wales
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 2025
Thursday 2 October Clwyd Railway Circle 'Memories of railway operations at Llangollen from my childhood days growing up in the town during the BR era of the 1950’s and mid 60s.' Gareth Jones
20 October, Belmond Britannic Explorer 3-day Tour of Wales
17 October Belmond Britannic Explorer Six day tour of Cornwall & Wales,
10 November; Belmond Britannic Explorer 3-day Tour of Wales
November 2025
Thursday 4 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.
December 2025
Thursday 4 December Clwyd Railway Circle 'Railways & Tramways of the Isle of Man' Geoff Morris.
North Wales Coast Railway website created and compiled by Charlie Hulme
22 May saw a load of stone dispatched from Penmaenmawr by DC Rail, not as we expected, to London, but north to Leyland on the West Coast line, with 60 055 Thomas Barnardo. Photograph by Logan Humphreys.
News Pictures
66 414 enters Llandudno Junction, with the 4D14 from Crewe Basford Hall yard with slate waste empties on 16 May (Garry Stroud).
In the sidings (Logan Humphreys).
57 313 and 57 601 pass Conwy on a Northern Belle 'Spirit of Travel Lunch', 16 May (Logan Humphreys)
68 008 Avenger and 88 003 Genesis pass Cadnant cutting, Conwy on 19 May as the outward run 6D43 Crewe to Valley flasks ...
... The return run was not top-and-tailed as expected as was the outward run but double-headed with 88 003 pass through Conwy station with the 6K41 return Valley to Crewe flasks. These runs are made every few months to secure DRS's paths in case of any further work on the Coast line. (Garry Stroud)
Entering Llandudno Junction on 21 May, DCRail 60 055 heads for Penmaenmawr, with the 6D90 13:13 Chaddesden sidings, Derby to Penmaenmawr quarry, empty for stone (Garry Stroud).
UK Railtours ran an excursion on 24 May called 'The Soul Arranger' departing from London Euston at 07:26 to Aberystwyth as 1Z47. Above, 97 303 which had attached at Shrewsbury station with 37 685 inside, passing Meole Village with both locos on full power.
The explanation for the excursion name is relevant to the optional trip on the Vale of Rheidol Railway to Devil’s Bridge where legend has it that the Devil constructed the bridge for a lady and her cow in exchange for her soul!
On 25 May the New Measurement Train visited the Coast, seen here at Gypsy Corner near Bangor with 43 062 leading, with the driver apparently trying to clear the windscreen of dust and insects ...
... 43277 on the rear (Peter Basterfield). Little effort seems to made at present to clear trees from the lineside.
Accident near Leominster
Around 10:40 on 22 May at a User Controlled Crossing near Nordan Farm, just north of Leominster train 1V37, the 08:30 from Manchester Piccadilly to Cardiff Central struck a loaded trailer being towed by a tractor. The driving trailer took the brunt of the collision, and the train came to rest with the rear coach straddling the crossing, suggesting that the train driver had seen the obstruction from a distance, on what was a straight section of track. Also, the train would have been slowing for the stop at Leominster. There was no derailment, and only a small number of serious injuries. The tractor was detached from the tractor and appears undamaged. Fortunately it was possible to stop a northbound train at Leominster. There were two people in the cab, a Trainee Driver and a Trainer, we understand that neither was seriously injured. The tractor driver has been arrested and released on bail, and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch will have been notified.
Trains were terminated at Shrewsbury and Hereford with bus replacements in between with train services gradually restored late the following afternoon.
The train was towed back to Crewe depot as 5Z02, the 16:15 from Woofferton, where there was once a station, closed in 1961, but the signalbox remains, controlling a loop and crossovers.
Below are some images as it passed Shrewsbury Golf Course, taken by Graham Breakwell.
67 007 towing 67 029 Royal Diamond and its five coaches with DVT 82229 on the rear. 67 007 was recently purchased to act as a 'Thunderbird' to rescue stranded trains. It is not fitted for the equipment needed to work 'push-pull a normal passenger train.
Damaged 82229.
Coach roofs covered in grass from the trailer. Fortunately it was carrying grass for silage and not a more unpleasant material.
The procedure with such crossings is that the gates on both sides must be kept closed when not in use, and if a person wishes to cross the with a vehicle, they must contact the signaller on the telephone provided for permission. When the signaller estimates that there is time between train movement this is granted, and the person in charge of the vehicle should promptly open both gates, then take the vehicle across, then close both gates. This procedure with the gates also applies to walkers, with no requirement to contact the signaller.
A weak link in this procedure is that if for some reason a vehicle comes to a stand on the crossing, or moves too slowly, a collision or near-collision can occur. Another is that the signaller might wrongly estimate the time available.
In the six miles between Leominster and Woofferton, there are nine user-worked crossings. An ORR document from 2019 is worth a look.
At Crewe en route to the Electric depot (Lee Stanford).
Miscellany
The view from Colwyn Bay's truncated pier, with 197 109 passing with the 12:52 Llandudno - Manchester Airport. Dominating the view up towards the well-known photo spot is the block of 29 apartments which replaced the Hotel Seven Degrees, so named because of the angles used in its construction. It made for an unusual concept, but from the builder's point of view, proved 'a terrible waste of material'. (Greg Mape).
Bob Greenhalgh writes: 'On Saturday 24 May I had the honour of being Llanuwchllyn signalman at the Bala Lake railway. Here is a photo of Hunslet 779 Holy War, passing diesel Meirionnydd, as she steams into Llanuwchllyn station.'
Weekend work - seen by Ivor Bufton
Weekend engineering work often gives the opportunity for something different photographic wise, and the weekend of 17th / 18th May offered just that. Engineering work was taking place in the Llandulas - Colwyn Bay area which necessitated a line possession from Rhyl to Llandudno Junction, The works trains crossed from the Down to the Up at Rhyl and entered the possession working wrong line toward Colwyn Bay, Below I have tried to capture the scene at Rhyl on 17th May.
70 803 hauling 6C21 05:50 Basford Hall Yard to Rhyl slows on the approach to Rhyl in preparation for traversing the crossover from the Down line to the Up line,
66 846 hauling 6C22 09:51 Basford Hall Yard to Rhyl traverses the crossover and enters Rhyl Station 'wrong line' (56 090 was on the rear)
70 803 hauling 6C21 05:50 Basford Hall Yard to Rhyl enters the possession after passing the starter signal at the west end of Platform 1.
66 846 hauling 6C22 09:51 Basford Hall Yard to Rhyl leaves Rhyl 'wrong line' as it approaches Marine Lake (56090 was on the rear).
56 090 on the rear of 6C22 09:51 Basford Hall Yard to Rhyl passes Marine Lake 'wrong line'.
Cambrian Coast Express
After two cancellations, Pathfinder's 16 May excursion from Bristol to Pwllheli went ahead at as planned. Richard Putley captured the train arriving empty stock on the previous day, 15 May, It had set out that morning from Carnforth and ran via Chester, Shrewsbury, Hereford and the Severn Tunnel. It was top and tailed by 37 685 Loch Arkaig and 38 518 Fort William. Richard writes: 'I only just managed to see it as arrival at Bristol Temple Meads was 15 minutes early at 17:20. It was due to wait on the Down Through Line between Platforms 11 and 13 for half an hour but almost immediately it reversed into Kingsland Road sidings.'
On the day: 37 685 led the 10-coach train seen at Shrewsbury station where it paused on platform 7 before continuing via Hereford with 37 518 ticking over on the tail.
ETCS fitted 97 302 now leads 37 685 as they leave the main line at Sutton Bridge Junction onto the single track into Wales. Possibly a first for a WCRC 37 on the route? (Graham Breakwell)
Approaching Barmouth Bridge ...
.. and crossing (Kate Jones).
The empty stock from the Cambrian Coast Express returned as 5Z68, the 09:34 from Bristol Kingsland Road to Carnforth Steamtown, seen passing Shrewsbury (Graham Breakwell)
The return train negotiates the shelter built in 1936 designed to save trains from falling rocks, following an incident in 1933 when ex-Cambrian Railways loco 874 fell down the cliff, killing the driver and guard. A similar fall had occurred in 1883 with the same fatal result. Picture by Peter Basterfield.
From Dave Sallery's archive
08 735 and 09 023 take a rest from shunting at Immingham sorting sidings in 2014.
47 509 with a "Brush Farewell, Chester - Holyhead" headboard at Prestatyn on 29 September 1991. This was before the HSTs took over although 47s did return for a few years before the Voyagers arrived.
The wonderful signal gantry at Worcester Shrub Hill, which is still in use.
97 303 and 97 304 head a rail head treatment train past the new and old signals near Prestatyn, 10 November 2017.
Looking Back: Diesels in Scotland 1966 - by David Pool
Having travelled on the 08:50 Newton-le-Willows Motorail on 20 August 1966, I photographed D1850 at Stirling as the cars were waiting to be offloaded. At that time the cars were not protected by windscreen covers, but my car was safely conveyed on that occasion. D1850 was later re-numbered 47 200, and was scrapped in 2008.
Located at the South end of Loch Lomond, Balloch was the terminus of the electrified line for Glasgow, on which the Blue Trains had been introduced. Class 303 units 024 and 062 were arriving with the 15:00 from Bridgeton.
The 07:55 to Glasgow was departing from Oban on 22 August 1966 behind D6123. This was the first of the Class 21 locomotives with the troublesome MAN engines to have a Paxman Ventura V12 engine fitted in 1963, becoming a Class 29. D6123 retained the original front and rear ends with doors and no route indicator panel, unlike those other Class 21 locomotives rebuilt with Paxman engines and designated Class 29.
The majority of the West Highland trains in 1966 were worked by the Birmingham Class 27 locomotives. D5367 (later 27 021) was leaving Oban later that day with the 17:40 to Glasgow.
On 24 August 1966 at Fort William, the 10:28 to Mallaig was headed by D5347. This was the first of the Class 27 locomotives, becoming 27 001 and now preserved at Bo’ness. Note the MacBraynes bus by the pier. The station was subsequently rebuilt about 700 yards further North in 1975.
The most Westerly station on the line to Mallaig is actually Arisaig, where D5347 was returning with the 14:05 from Mallaig to Fort William. The sidings were used for Camping Coaches in the 1960s, and the station had a significant role in the Second World War, being the railhead for the Special Operations Executive’s training activities.
At Mallaig the next train to Fort William was leaving at 17:35, headed by D5350. The rear coach seems to be a “Beaver Tail” observation car, probably SC1719E.
Two days later at Kyle of Lochalsh the 17:50 to Inverness had a different observation car, this being one of the Devon Belle cars based at Inverness. The locomotive was D5340, later 26 040 and now preserved on the Waverley route at Whitrope.
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