NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY :NOTICE BOARD

Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd

16 November 2025

Forthcoming events

See our Calendar Page for operator details.

November 2025

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.

January 2026

Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society Friday 9 January John Hooley "A Midlands Miscellany".

February 2026

Friday 13 February Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society Paul Shackcloth "People and Places 8".

Other useful sites:

For up-to-date North Wales information
join the North Wales Trains News group

North Wales Coast Railway website created and compiled by Charlie Hulme

Inspiration: picture by Logan Humphries

Inspiration Tour 2025/2026 - Celebrating 200 years of the railways

The tour began its 12-month journey on 26th June at a London Paddington with a Press launch, since then it has travelled around England and Scotland, Llandudno is so far he only location the train has visited in Wales, from Llandudno it moves to Bristol ready for a visit to the West Somerset Railway.

The train comprises Five Mk3 carriages, sandwiched between (on most occasions) GBRF 66 710 Karen Harrison and 66 719 Michael Portillo in a special Rail 200 red livery.

Now I guess everyone knows who Michael Portillo is, but do you know who Karen Harrison was, well she was the first woman in Great Britain to be appointed as a train driver, on her application she just put K Harrison and it was not until she attended for interview that it was discovered K Harrison was female.

The Coaches

96371 – Inspiration

This former EPS (European Passenger Services Ltd) generator coach was originally planned to be positioned between 2 EPS class 37’s for the EPS night trains that unfortunately did not materialise, Now owned by Eastern Rail Services this provides the electrical power for the train using hydrogenated vegetable oil and is not open to the public.

The remaining four carriages are former Rail Engineering Services charter coaches now owned by Network Rail which were re-engineered at Derby for use in the Inspiration Tour.

11092 – Past: Here there are displays of Railway Firsts, highlighting landmark moments in rail’s development.

11093 – Present: In what is described as a ‘Wonder lab on Wheels’, visitors are invited to test their engineering skills with hands-on exhibits.

11101 – Future: This coach is dedicated to showcasing some of the more hidden roles in rail and encouraging people to join the railway family

10406 – Together: The final coach is a ‘Partner Zone’, which offers flexible exhibition space. This was also not open to the public at Llandudno.

News Pictures

Black 5 44871 passing through Handforth station on 13 November on route from Bury ELR to Southall. 323 243 getting in the way! (Greg Mape)

Greg notes: Whilst I was waiting two TfW trains passed, both powered by Class 67s. 67 025
appeared to be very late and was shown as cancelled on RTT ...

... 67 017 was on the 04:32 Cardiff - Manchester (Greg Mape)

Warrington Bank Quay on a wet 15 November: 60 055 leading 6D23 toward Penmaenmawr following a run up to Preston where 60029 came off and returned to Chaddesden light (Logan Humphreys).

From Dave Sallery's archive

37 422 passes Shotton low level on a Crewe - Bangor service, May 1st 1997.

37 605 and 37 609 near Prestatyn on the annual 'Three Peaks by Rail' charter, 15 June 2017

47 102 leaves Prestatyn on a Trans Pennine service to Newcastle. A chilly day for a no heat 47. 15 November 1984.

Colas 60 002, formerly named High Peak, is on permanent way duties at Rhyl, 19 November 2017.

Looking back: East Anglian Transport and Museums 1970 - by David Pool

The East Anglia Transport Museum at Carlton Colville (near Lowestoft) was established in 1965. By 1970 it had an interesting selection of trolleybuses and trams, but the power supplies had not been completed, so all the exhibits were static. The photograph from my visit on 31 May 1970 illustrates the variety and the condition of the trolleybuses. From left to right, the single decker No.5 is the oldest working trolleybus. Built by Garrett in 1926, it operated in Copenhagen, then was repatriated by the London Trolleybus Preservation Society. The other trolleybuses are Newcastle No.628, Ashton under Lyne Nos.80 and 87, Brighton & Hove No.6340 and Maidstone No.52. Carlton Colville today has operating tram and trolleybus systems and a 2ft gauge railway.

I moved on to the transport museum at Bressingham, another location in East Anglia well worth a visit. In the collection of locomotives, the London Tilbury and Southend Railway No.80 Thundersley was particularly interesting. It was built in 1909 for the LTSR, which became part of the Midland Railway, then the LMSR and finally British Railways (Eastern Region) 41966. Withdrawn in 1956, it was restored in Norfolk, and is one of the National Collection.

The BR Standard Class 7 “Britannia” locomotives were introduced on the East Anglian main line in the early 1950s, so it was appropriate that 70013 Oliver Cromwell was in steam at Bressingham. It was at first a Norwich (32A) locomotive, although it ended its BR days at Carlisle, being best known for its working of the “Fifteen Guinea Special” in 1968. It is also in the National Collection.

My final railway photograph on that day was at Harwich Town Station. In 1970 there were Train Ferries to and from Harwich, but the main Cross Channel port for passengers was from Parkeston Quay, two stations before Harwich. A Cravens Class 105 DMU had arrived with the 17:45 from Manningtree, and there was a train carrying vehicles for export on the adjacent siding. Today the line is electrified, with off peak local trains shuttling between Harwich Town and Manningtree, and a few peak hour trains to and from Liverpool Street and Ipswich. Freight trains terminate at Parkeston Quay, the passenger platforms there being now known as Harwich International.

On the following day I visited more Great Eastern lines in Essex, many of which had been electrified. The 08:00 “Clacton Express” from Liverpool Steet would have been a Class 309 ten car train to Thorpe le Soken, where the leading four car set would go to Walton on the Naze, followed by another four car set plus one two car set to Clacton. The Walton set was leaving Thorpe le Soken, the leading car being E75975, one of the earlier versions with “wrap around” front windows which would later be replaced by cheaper flat windows.

At Marks Tey the branch from Sudbury joined the electrified main line. The 09:57 from Sudbury to Colchester coming off the branch was a hybrid two car set, being a Cravens Class 105 E56122 with Metropolitan Cammell Class 101 E50153.

Another Essex branch was from Witham to Braintree. A Cravens Class 105 set headed by E50366 was about to leave Witham with the 1052 to Braintree. For the record, Witham is pronounced Wit-am and not With-am!

My final shot on 1 June 1970 was on the line from Shoeburyness and Southend Central to Fenchurch Street. The 16:50 from Shoeburyness had just left Westcliff on Sea, and was a Class 302 unit, set number 310. The reporting number 2279 seems strange, but I assume the London Tilbury and Southend line had its own system for identifying trains.

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