NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY :NOTICE BOARD
Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd
23 June 2025
Forthcoming events
See our Calendar Page for operator details.
June 2025
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
The Ffestiniog Railway's observation coach on a the rear train passing Tanygrisiau on rainy 21 June. Picture by Greg Mape.
Note: The next issue will be on the evening of Tuesday 8 July due to holiday. - Charlie
67s in Action
Following a trip from Cardiff Canton depot on 16 June, on 17 June 67 016 was sent by light engine to Holyhead to collect 67 025 and take it back to Crewe carriage sidings. Seen here 67 016 with 67 025 in tow, forming the OZ25 15:00 Holyhead to Crewe carriage sidings as it passes Conwy station (Garry Stroud).
Stockport on 18 June, watched by the mysterious device at the end of platforms 1/2, 67 012 heads north with 1W57 10:52 Cardiff Central - Manchester Piccadilly. Sadly, this loco has lost its elegant grey-and-silver livery created for the much-missed Wrexham and Shropshire company. Now we have awful black. Why does the loco have to be the same colour as the coaches? (incidentally something like the W&S service, but running to Euston not Marylebone and with different stops, is currently proposed. It won't be loco-worked. though.)
Gary Thomas writes: with the longer days I've been able to get a couple of different shots of the "WAG" just before the sun set. Above, on 18 June passes Dywgyfylchi with the 1W96 17:14 Cardiff Central - Holyhead, 67 010 in charge ...
... The same service on 19 June, with 67 029 on Pen-y-Clip (Gary Thomas).
On Crewe 21 June 67 010 on the rear on 1W57 10:53 Cardiff to Manchester (Stuart Broome)
At Crewe on 21 July 67 008 waits with 1V42 12:30 Manchester Piccadilly to Cardiff (Stuart Broome)
At Manchester Piccadilly on 21 June 67 010 waits with the 14:30 departure to Cardiff (Stuart Broome).
Miscellany
On 21 June 197 012 calls at North Llanrwst working the 06:18 from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Llandudno ...
... and passing the signalbox. Later in the day there was a problem leading to the cancellation the 10:46 from Llandudno and 12:13 return service, attributed to 'a problem with the on-board safety systems'. Bad news for anyone travelling to the 'Platinum Jubilee Gala' on the Ffestiniog Railway. The rest of the day's trains were worked by 197 047.
Twenty Years Ago: a photo by Ivor Bufton of 90 039 that made it as far as Llandudno Junction on 25 June 2005 - doesn't time fly! For some reason it was left on the train train from London at Crewe when the diesel was attached, but taken off at Llandudno Junction because of the Conwy tubular bridge. The loco is standing on what is now used - in a different layout - by slate waste trains. These are rare at present; The flow to the cement works at Hope in Derbyshire still has not managed to start.
On 22 June, A visit to the preserved ship Daniel Adamson, 197 109 passing Frodsham Junction with the 14:41 Manchester Airport - Chester (Greg Mape).
Ffestiniog Gala: impressions by Greg Mape
Lyd at Minffordd.
Taliesin and Vale of Clwyd at Tanygrisiau.
Demonstration freight at Tanygrisiau.
The famous 'gravity train' at Minffordd - not too many passengers due to the weather.
Greg writes: A recreation of the trains that brought slate from the quarries/mines around Blaenau Ffestiniog down to Porthmadog. All done by gravity! Pictures taken at Minffordd. The gravity train stopped in the station, and with the staff on the wagons using their legs to push and shove between the wagons the train started to roll again, it looked like a slurry was being poured on the track to reduce friction. Also the train was hauled by a steam loco first before the wagons started their trip by gravity.
From Dave Sallery's Archive
37 098 and 37377 near Tal-y-Cafn on 18 April 1998. They were on the rear of the "Roman Nose" railtour to Trawsfynydd. 59 205 was on the front.
37 403 Ben Cruachan makes a rare appearance on the coast. Seen on a Down train near Prestatyn, 22 July 1999. Note the extra coach hired for the summer.
47 476 and 47 736 return to Crewe near Mostyn, 23 June 1994. 47736 was on test. In the background, Duke of Lancaster, a former British Railways ferry that has been grounded on the shore since 1979.
70 002 is in Latchford sidings after running around an empty coal train from Fiddlers Ferry, 17 February 2012. The line here, past the closed power station at Fidler's Ferry is suggested as part of the proposed new line between Liverpool and Manchester.
Feedback: Torquay loco
Mark Hambly writes: Torquay gas works loco referred to in the last issue (and reprised here)is a Ruston & Hornsby 88DS, works number 402809 of 1956. It was new to Torquay and then, when the works closed, it was transferred to Exeter gas works in August 1968. It was subsequently sold to Small & Lewis, scrap merchants, of Gloucester in June 1971.(From the Industrial Railway Society's South Western England Handbook compiled by Roger Hateley).
Looking Back: West Country Steam and Diesels 1967 part 3 - David Pool
The Great Western Railway Society had been acquiring locomotives withdrawn from BR, and had been storing them at Totnes while negotiations were in progress for a move to Didcot. I was fortunate to see them on 13 June 1967, shortly before they were moved. 1363 was a 1361 Class docks shunter from Plymouth, and 6998 Burton Agnes Hall last worked from Oxford shed, being withdrawn in 1962.
Further up the Ashburton branch at Buckfastleigh the newly formed Dart Valley Railway had obtained some locomotives when they had been withdrawn a few years earlier. 14XX Class 1420 had been repainted and would be in use when the DVR was able to operate passenger services. These commenced in 1969, after the line between Buckfastleigh and Ashburton had been severed by reconstruction of the A38.
Another 14xx Class at Buckfastleigh on 13 June 1967 was 1450, which had been an Exeter locomotive used on the Dulverton and Tiverton branches until withdrawal in 1965. I was very happy to see 1450 again, which since 1967 has had a remarkable life in preservation. I saw it on the East Lancs Railway in 1998, Llangollen in 2007 and 2015, and it was the star of the “Return to Cheltenham Racecourse Station” in 1998, as featured in my photograph the Notice Board News of 1 March 2021.
Two other locomotives at Buckfastleigh were 4500 Class 4555 and 64XX Class 6412. After use on the Dart Valley Railway 4555 is currently based at Chinnor, while 6412 is still in Devon, having moved to the Torbay Steam Railway in 1975. The latter is now marketed as the Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company – I find it strange that Dartmouth Station has existed for many years, but in the absence of any railway there passengers to and from Dartmouth have always had to use the ferry from Kingswear Station on the opposite bank of the River Dart.
Passengers would have to wait until 1969 before being able to travel on the GWR Super Saloon 9116 Duchess of York, which had just arrived at Buckfastleigh in 1967. Built at Swindon in 1932, there are today three other Super Saloons at Didcot and another at Buckfastleigh, while 9116 is on the Dartmouth Steam Railway.
The branch from Liskeard to Looe had been due to close in the Beeching Report, but was eventually reprieved, possibly helped by the income from the Moorswater rail freight, which used part of the branch. The reversal necessary at Coombe Junction, the 1 in 40 gradient with 8-chain radius curves on the climb to the main line at Liskeard and the need for passengers to change platforms at Liskeard present particular difficulties for passenger train operations.
The line to Moorswater Cement Works from Coombe Junction has been mothballed since 2020, but passenger services to Looe have continued. On 14 June 1967 the 14:20 Looe to Liskeard was formed by two DMBS Class 116 units W50849 and W50868 – each having two 150hp engines. The line beyond the buffer stops at Looe once went to Looe Quay but closed in 1916.
The main line from Penzance was not under any threat of closure in 1967, and the Warships were in charge of many of the trains. On 15 June the 07:55 Penzance to Paddington was passing through Lostwithiel behind Class 43 D845 Sprightly.
China Clay freight on the Goonbarrow branch had ended in 1965, and there was little activity at Carbis Wharf, so the scene at Bugle on the Newquay branch on 16 June 1967 was one of some dereliction. The 11:30 service from Newquay to Par had just set down a solitary passenger. and comprised a Class 122 single unit W55017 plus a Class 118 trailer W59475 and a Class 118 power car W51308. The rear power car seems to be doing all the work, so I assume the multiple working arrangement allowed the single unit’s engine to be shut down.
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