NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY :NOTICE BOARD
Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd
Home | Notice Board | Contributions | Travel Info | Calendar | History | Route Guide | Trains and Traffic
08 September 2025
Forthcoming events
See our Calendar Page for operator details.
September 2025
1 September Belmond Britannic Explorer 3-day Tour of Wales
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
Saturday 6 September UK Railtours The 'Industria Ditat' from Watford Junction to Alstom Widnes and Llandudno Junction slate yard with GBRf 57 and 60
Wednesday 10 September Statesman Rail Snowdonia Statesman from Cardiff Central to Blaenau Ffestiniog with LSL 47 and/or 57
Saturday 12 September Pathfinder Tours 'Cambrian Coast Express' from Bristol Temple Meads to Pwllheli
Monday 15 September Saphos Trains Edinburgh Summer Explorer Chester to Edinburgh with LSL 47 and/or 57 to Carlisle for steam to Edinburgh and back to Carlisle
Saturday 20 September Northern Belle Settle & Carlisle Steam Special Telford, Shrewsbury, Wrexham and Chester to Carlisle with steam WCRC diesel to Carlisle, steam over S&C, diesel back
Saturday 20 September Vintage Trains The Cambrian Coast Explorer Dorridge to Aberystwyth with 37 240 and a Network Rail 97/3
Saturday 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.
20/21 September
This year's Bala Lane Railway Model Show 10.00 - 16.00 both days. Venue: Ysgol Godre'r Berwyn (Bala School). Approximately 25 layouts and 11 traders, and there will be special extra trains on the Bala Lake Railway that weekend too.
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
Wednesday 8 October Statesman Rail Snowdonia Statesman from Durham to Blaenau Ffestiniog with LSL 47 and/or 57
20 October, 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 remainde
Saturday 10 November; Belmond Britannic Explorer 3-day Tour of Wales
Saturday 22 November Pathfinder Railtours The Chester Christmas Explorer Oxford Parkway, Golden Valley and Marches line to Chester
December 2025
Monday 1 December Midland Pullman Edinburgh Christmas Pullman from Bangor to Edinburgh
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
.jpg)
97 302 and 37 668 pass Llanbedr on the return 'Cambrian Coast Express' on 5 September Picture by Gary Thomas.
Some items have been held over to the next issue.
The Industria Ditat
On 6 September UK Railtours ran a train with the name shown above, which is the motto of the town of Widnes; translated from the Latin means 'Indistry Enriches'. The aim of the day was to travel on as many section of line which normally does not see passengers. Extracting from the organiser's text:
The month of September marks the 200th anniversary of the modern railway age, a time when the Industrial Revolution was firmly underway, creating a period of great change in Britain. To celebrate these events which had an impact on every aspect of life, we were inspired to arrange a September freight line tour.The Railtour visited several sections of non passenger track in the North West and North Wales, departing from Watford Junction behind 57 303, the tour was routed via the Crewe Independents before reaching Ditton Reception Sidings where 60 087 Ingleborough was attached and the tour then visited Alstom Widnes Train Care Centre. From here the tour headed to Warrington via the Ditton to Latchford freight only line, then heading for North Wales via the Hartford Chord and a reversal at Northwich, in North Wales the tour traversed the Mostyn Up Goods Loop (from the down main - this allowed both crossovers to be traversed) and the slate loading sidings at Llandudno Junction.
We are delighted that what has been created superbly demonstrates the passage of time in the industrial North West and North Wales by the combination of visiting a freight line possibly coming to the end of its life, a freight facility that has been brought back to life and a visit to the biggest and most sophisticated centre for train modernisation ever in the UK. Of course, we also fully expect the odd goods loop here, and bobbin there, to feature along the way!
A selection of the many pictures received follows. Hopefully everyone is represented!
Greg Mape writes: Parked in Runcorn I saw 57 303 pulling out of the station ...
...and rode my bike via the Runcorn-Widnes old bridge & then along the side of the Sankey Canal to get pictures of the Watford Junction to Llandudno Junction railtour. passing the remaining part of the former Power Station at Fiddlers Ferry (Greg Mape).
A sooty approach to Chester...
... and the two locos together (Logan Humphreys)
57 303 at Chester (Geraint Williams)
The Indistria Ditat Railtour heads for Llandudno, 6 September. Picture by Bob Greenhalgh.
60 087 Ingleborough is seen approaching Rhyl with 1Z16 11:45 Widnes to Llandudno Junction ...
... with 57 303 on the tail.
The train has crossed to the to the Up line to enter the Goods Loop the Mostyn Goods Loop, 57 303 on the rear (Roland High).
Arriving at Llandudno Junction (Garry Stroud).
(14:29) 60 087 taking the train out of the station so that it could access the yard and the slate waste loading facility. This was an unusual move, thanks to co-operation from Breedon, the company who own the quarry at Bethesda (Ken Robinson).
(14:34) Reversing towards the siding, with 57 303 now leading. 197 124 is seen on the right coming off the Llandudno branch with the 15:04 from Llandudno to Llandudno Junction (Ken Robinson).
.jpg)
197 043 coming off the Conwy Valley line, passing 60 087 in the siding (Gary Thomas)
More 'clag' from 60 087 (Greg Mape)
.jpg)
57 303 starts the return train to Watford Junction (Gary Thomas).
Cambrian Coast Express
Pathfinder's 'Cambrian Coast Express' from Cardiff to Pwllheli on 5 September at Barmouth (Kate Jones)
97 302 and 37 668 taken near Black Rock at Criccieth on 5 September
.jpg)
Penchain (Gary Thomas)
From Dave Sallery's archive
Class 25 No. 25 191 in Rhyl yard after permanent way duties, 12 October 1986. Where the loco is standing is now part of the Home Bargains car park. The rest of the once extensive goods and carriage sidings area is a Morrisons supermarket.
31 201 + 31 163, Tal y Cafn, 1 July 1994. On the Conwy Valley line with nuclear flasks from Trawsfynydd.
33 039, Llandulas, 17 August 1985. Working a Crewe to Bangor train during that tragically short period when 33s were daily visitors to the coast.
Knottingley depot, 5 September 1993. Classes 08, 09, 56, 58 and 60 are in view. Railfreight Coal at its finest.
Looking Back: Steam, Diesel and Electric 1969 part 3 - by David Pool
In 1969 the Kent and East Sussex Railway preservation activities were mostly concerned with the acquisition of rolling stock, since there were difficulties in getting permission to operate a passenger service, initially between Tenterden and Rolvenden. Passenger services on the whole line between Headcorn and Robertsbridge had ended in 1954, but some freight workings continued. The final train was a railtour in 1961. At the time of my visit to Rolvenden on 25 June 1969 there was an interesting collection of locomotives, some recently painted, but few signs of any movements. The ex GWR Railcar W20W was a surprise, and has been on the line ever since.
Several steam locomotives had come from the Sproxton Ironstone Quarry in Leicestershire, such as Hastings, Hunslet No.469 (1938).
A rather small (10 ton) Peckett No.1631 (1233) was now K&ESR No.12. This locomotive originally worked in Scotland. but ended its working life at Pendleton, near Manchester. in the works of the chemical manufacturers Hardman & Holden. It had been named Marcia after the wife of the Managing Director. In 2024 it was purchased by a driver from the K&ESR and the model manufacturer Rapido. and its future on the K&ESR now looks to be secure.
Another locomotive from Sproxton was Charwelton, Manning Wardle No.1955 (1917). Although the Manning Wardle company ceased trading in 1927, the name has lived on, the property rights for the designs being held by Hunslet and the trademark name by a company
wishing to preserve it for the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway. Visible in my shot is Gervase, another locomotive built by Manning Wardle, but later rebuilt by Sentinel. This locomotive was more recently based at the Elsecar Heritage Railway, but its present location and condition are unclear.
The Bluebell Railway in 1969 was by contrast a thriving attraction, with steam trains operating from Sheffield Park with a Stroudley “Terrier”, as illustrated in the NWCR News of 26 February 2024. On 28 June 1969 Class P tank 323 Bluebell (in BR days 31323) was outside the shed, being in a more subdued blue livery than when it was visiting the Severn Valley Railway in 2017.
Also at Sheffield Park was the sole surviving “Dukedog” 3217 (later 9017) in GWR livery. The renumbering had taken place in 1946 in order to free the 3200 series numbers for the final batch of Collett 2251 Class locomotives.
Looking through my 1969 slides, I noticed two of particular interest featuring passenger stock of London Transport. While much of the network was then operated by modern stock, there was an exception in the case of the East London section. This was then considered to be part of the Metropolitan Lines, and ran between Whitechapel and New Cross, via a tunnel under the Thames. The four car units on the section comprised a variety of what was classified as Q Stock, which had previously been on the District Line. On 28 June 1969 near Rotherhithe the first two coaches appear to be “Streamlined” stock of the Q38 type, the figure referring to the build date.
An older variety was heading the next train, being the Clerestory roof stock, some of which dated from 1923 and so this might have been the Q23 type. If anyone can confirm my identification, I should be most grateful.
Home page | Archive | Previous Notice Board