NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY :NOTICE BOARD
Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd
14 July 2025
Forthcoming events
See our Calendar Page for operator details.
July 2025
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,
20/21 September
This year's Bala Lake Railway Model Show 10.00 - 16.00 both days. Venue: Ysgol Godre'r Berwyn (Bala School). We will have approximately 25 layouts and 11 traders, and there will be special extra trains on the Bala Lake Railway that weekend too.
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
45 212 passes Prestatyn with the Railway Touring Company 1Z40 10:02 Liverpool Lime Street to Holyhead charter. Sunday 13 July. The Up line is just visible on the left. (Greg Mape)
Barrie Hughes
It is with sadness that we report the death of Barrie Hughes, long-time chronicler of the Welsh Highland Railway, and occasional contributor to our website. He was born and educated in Buckley, and was an expert in the lines in the local area, while in recent times he lived in the Kettering area.
Liverpool - Holyhead in the sunshine
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Llandulas viaduct (Gary Thomas)
45 212 enters Llandudno Junction.
... on the rear, 47 815 Great Western. This loco is currently owned by West Coast Railways; It has owned by Riviera Trains and Rail Operations Group before being acquired by West Coast Railways. It's 'BR original' livery makes a change from West Coast's usual dull maroon. (Garry Stroud)
On a blisteringly hot day at Valley, 45212 passes the tidal water 60 minutes late (Stuart Broome)
47 815 at Holyhead (Logan Humphreys)
Conwy Panorama (Logan Humphreys)
Cheshire Lines events - by Chris Mills
I live in Cuddington on the Mid Cheshire Manchester to Chester line via Northwich which until recently has been the diet of DMUs one each way per hour. I’m pleased to say that is now changing with a bit more variety creeping in. All freight has accessed or left the West Coast Main Line at Hartford Junction for many years now since the service to the Holyhead Aluminium Smelter ceased in 2013 I think.
Working and paths that now exist are as follows :
Later on a weekday evening there is now a Wrexham-Crewe via Middlewich empty stock working passing through east at 2148 with an Avanti Class 805 unit.
Perhaps more interesting are a number of freight paths that have appeared on Real time trains which have as yet to be used to my knowledge:
Two Penmaenmawr to Bradwell near Stoke passing east at 08:32, and 15:37, these are Colas workings - Via Middlewich
Llandudno Junction to Wellingborough passing east at 15:00, this is GBRf - Via Middlewich. This is an 'as required' path.
And finally a Hope (Earles Sidings) to Llandudno Junction passing west at 23:32, this is Freightliner Heavy Haul - Via Altrincham. This also an 'as required' path.
A shot of the 10 July timetable through Cuddington is above. I live in hope they will all actually run at some stage!
Also this week [10 July] has been what I think must be a crew training turn for a DRS loco from Crewe to Chester and back with a return run from Northwich fitted in. Attached is a picture of today’s (10 July) working with 68 002 Intrepid passing east through Cuddington at 12:23 on the 12:10 Chester - Crewe again via Middlewich. One wonders whether this may be a precursor for another freight path or a driver route refresher.
News from the internet
The Office of Rail and Road have turned down several proposals by various companies, (including Virgin) to run trains on the West Coast Main Line, their reason being that there is obviously no space in the current timetable for them.
The proposed Wrexham Shropshire Railway and Midlands Railway would run to Euston, five times each way, rather than Marylebone as used by the much-missed Wrexham and Shropshire company which ceased in 2011. Starting at Wrexham General the trains would call at Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Telford Central, Wolverhampton, Darlaston, Walsall, Coleshill Parkway, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes, on its journey to Euston. The promoters say they will make changes and try again, but it seem doubtful that ORR will relent.
On the same topic, An application has been made by the Liverpool and South Wales Railway for a 7-year operation of 8 Open Access service from Liverpool Lime Street to Cardiff International Airport services in each direction on Monday to Saturdays and 6 on Sundays, using the available capacity and Class 22X rolling stock (including first and standard class accommodation). The train services would call at Liverpool Lime Street- Liverpool South Parkway - Runcorn - Chester - Wrexham General - Shrewsbury - Ludlow - Hereford - Newport - Cardiff Parkway (when opened) - Cardiff Central - Barry - Rhoose Cardiff International Airport. The application can be read at the ORR website.
Elsewhere, the Belmond Britannic Explorer has cancelled the first two of their trains (neither involving Wales) due to 'maintenance problems' but the first 3-day Tour of Wales starting on 21 July appears to be still on although their booking website starts in September.
Errata
There was an editorial blunder in the last issue regarding the problems of the North Wales Coast Express. We wrote 'Unfortunately some problem at the London end resulted in a delay of 87 minutes before departure from London and arrival at 12:34 instead of the advertised 14:11. ' This should have read 'Unfortunately some problem at the London end resulted in a delay of 87 minutes before departure from London and arrival at 14:11 instead of the advertised 12:34. '. I blame the heat!
A Photo Assortment
On 10 July, 13:27, Llandudno Junction, the New Measurement Train 43 013 (leading) and 43 062 (Logan Humphreys)
37 099 has been running up and down the Coast line, presumably drivers' road-learning - taken of it passing Conwy station on its second run of the day en route from Holyhead to Llandudno Junction on 2 July. The image shows clearly the panelling over the former split headcode boxes. It seems the run was being filmed, looking closely you can see two hands
with a mobile phone against the window.
197 038 passes Conwy, with the return 5N71 11:09 Holyhead to Crewe test run on 2 July (Garry Stroud)
60 046 William Wilberforce in Penmaenmawr yard, 25 June (Gary Thomas).
97 302 and 37 405 leave Aberystwyth with another load of logs for Chirk, 11 July ..
... and pass Ynyslas. (Gary Thomas).
Holyhead Doings on 10 July - by Stuart Broome
43 062 has arrived on 1Q30 10:54 Derby RTC to Derby RTC New Measurement Train. It arrived 39 minutes late, I thought it had been cancelled but hung on I am glad to say. But as it was late arrived Real-time Trains had it departing at 1645, but no, it departed one minute late at 16:08 and as we were shopping I missed it by five minutes!ut the train was a wonderful sight just about ex works and gleaming.
158 840 and 158 829 depart with 1L26 15:36 to Birmingham International from platform 2. These services will 'soon' be handed over to Class 197 units.
Doyen of the class, Evero 805 001 waits on 1A62 14:48 to Euston as the crew enjoy the sunny weather. [The dead flies on the front are less visible than a yellow front.]
From Dave Sallery's archive
31 422 at Chester on a Crewe service, 16 August 1995.
31 427 makes for Holyhead with the Bodorgan tunnels in the background, 9 May 1994.
A Class 442 passes Vauxhall on a service to Weymouth. These units were later used by South Central on Gatwick Airport services. They later returned to South West where after an extensive rebuilding programme they were all summarily scrapped.
47 302 is seen in the container terminal in Liverpool docks in September 2002.
Feedback: that ground signal - by Mark Hambly
The ground signal depicted at Pitlochry in David Pool's recent contribution (repeated here) is a "flap" ground signal, as supplied by signalling manufacturers Stevens & Sons. Available, as it happens, in kit form. Rather than a rotating disc or arm, when the signal is cleared (pulled "off") the counterweight is lifted, causing the flap to drop from the vertical "on" position in which it displays the red plate and lens to the horizontal.
A disadvantage of the design (although nevertheless examples survived around the country at least into the 1960s, as David's photograph and others elsewhere depict) is that in the "off" position the flap is horizontal, projecting from the hinge point on the post, and thus a tripping hazard for railway staff working on the ground, hence presumably the protective structure provided at Pitlochry. Incidentally, it may well have still been in use at the time, as there appears to be a rodding connection to the signal.
Looking back: Steam in 1967 - by David Pool
Birkenhead Woodside Station was due to close in early November 1967, the remaining services being provided by diesel multiple units, so it was a surprise to see steam there on 7 October 1967, presumably on a parcels working. Black 5 45292 was once a Holyhead locomotive, and was also withdrawn in November 1967.
Photographing locomotives in colour in 1967 was sometimes an expensive luxury, since a grimy black locomotive would look little different on black and white film. Class 9F 92094 was leaving Bidston Dock sidings on 8 October 1967 with the Shotton iron ore hoppers, one of the few remaining steam workings on the Wirral.
The highlight for me in 1967 was The Border Limited, the RCTS Railtour to Carlisle with 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley on 28 October. The train had started diesel hauled from Nottingham, with 4498 coming on at Crewe. I boarded it at Warrington Bank Quay, and apparently missed an exciting sprint which had reached 95 mph at Hartford. The 11 coach train was no problem for 4498 on Shap, and we arrived at Carlisle around 15 minutes early. 4498 was then replaced by a Black 5 44767 for the short journey to Longtown, on the Waverley route. Here we got another Black 5 45295 to take us to Kingmoor shed. By then it was after 3pm, giving us an hour to see 4498 being prepared for the return journey and enjoy the variety of locomotives to be seen at Kingmoor. The low afternoon sun was welcome, and 48077, 48267 and Britannia 70011 had made a pleasing shot as we arrived.
45295 came off the train, and backed down towards the shed. Note the clean lamps and the snowplough!
The other Black 5 44767 was particularly interesting, being the only Black 5 fitted with Stephenson link motion. This also returned to Kingmoor. 44767 was previously based on Merseside at Southport and Bank Hall, and after withdrawal at the end of 1967 was happily preserved. Since then I have photographed it on the Settle and Carlisle and West Highland lines, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and the Churnet Valley Railway. Today it carries the name George Stephenson, and is based at Carnforth with the West Coast Railway Company. (dp BW2163).
Meanwhile 4498 was on the Kingmoor turntable. The fireman seems to be dealing with the rather generous supply of new coal it had just received.
Eventually 4498 rejoined its coaches, and its crew and the Kingmoor staff were no doubt pleased with the day’s arrangements. We left on time, and after a brief stop of ten minutes at Carlisle Citadel we set off for Skipton as daylight was fading. The noise of the exhaust from 4498 as it stormed up the gradients was unforgettable, and we had gained 15 minutes on the schedule by Blea Moor, reaching Skipton 10 minutes early. There were problems on the next leg to Accrington behind a pair of Black 5s, but an hour’s delay could not spoil the success of the day. 4498 came back on at Accrington, and we had an uneventful journey back to Warrington, where I left the train.
Speke Junction on a snowy and cold 9 December 1967 nevertheless enjoyed some Winter sunshine, as yet another Black 5 45290 was taking on water. The Shed was closed shortly before the end of steam in 1968, and soon demolished.
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