NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY :NOTICE BOARD
Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru: Hysbysfwrdd
12 May 2025
Forthcoming events
See our Calendar Page for operator details.
May 2025
Saturday 16 May Pathfinder Tours 'Cambrian Coast' Express from Bristol Temple Meads to Pwllheli
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 2005
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 2005
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 2005
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
'At the blocks' at Manchester PIccadilly on 8 May: fly-splattered 67 014 awaits the time to propel the 16:30 to Cardiff. 323 212 is one of the units recently transferred to Northern from West Midlands; From the timetable change, 323s will replace modern 331s on the Blackpool - Manchester service (Charlie Hulme).
We are away next week, so I'll prepared the 19 May issue in advance, using heritage items and others which might normally appear here. - I won't be able to correct immediately any errors - Charlie
News Pictures
5 May saw 1Q41, 13:11 Derby to Derby Ultrasonic Test Train worked by a pair of Class 37s: former passenger loco 37 402 Oor Wullie, and 37 610, briefly a Eurostar loco and later owned by DRS. Both locos are owned by Harry Needle / Swietelsky working for Colas on Network Rail duty. Above, 37 610 in the Gatley area at 16:20 in an early part of the long itinerary (Greg Mape),
Some time later, the train near Buckley on the outward trip, 37 402 leading.
Reaching the crest of Shotton Bank past Buckley station at 20:27 (Alastair Graham). The train was actually cancelled at Chester due to lack of staff.
Dave Sallery visited the Ffestiniog Railway on 7 May; due to the dry weather, trains were operated by diesel locos. Seen at Tan-y-Bwlch: Criccieth Castle ...
... and Upnor Castle.
Llandudno - Rail 200 Exhibition
An exhibition as part of the national celebration of Rail200 will open to the public at Llandudno Museum on Tuesday 3 June. A selection of items from the Museum's own collection of North Wales interest is their contribution to this event. The exhibition comprises deposits made by the Llandudno & Conwy Valley Railway Society some years ago; nameplates and shed plates bequeathed by the late Larry Davies whose photos have featured on this site in the past. Larry was a former Vice Chairman of the Museum. Museum Trustee Philip Evans has also provided some items from his own collection. The exhibition, which is supported by Transport for Wales, will run until the end of November at Llandudno Museum, 17/19 Gloddaeth Street, Llandudno.
Rule Britannia
Beeston Castle (Anthony Thomas)
Approaching Tattenhall, (Dave Jepson)
Crewe 18:10: 47 593 Galloway Princess works the return leg
Scrapped at Crump's
We have had a query from a team that are working on a project called ‘What Really Happened To Steam ‘, who are attempting to determine where withdrawn steam locomotives went on their final journeys to the scrapyard.
They have been informed that some locomotives, including 40048/58/95 and 43378. were sold to ‘ Crump, Dentith Sidings, Connahs Quay, Mostyn’ during the period 1960 to 1962.
Has anyone got information or photographs (with details of locomotive and the date) of withdrawn locomotives seen in their scrapyard or in the area around?
If you can help, or know someone who would help, let me know at the website address and I'll pass it on.
A day out
On 24 April Joanna and I decided on a train trip, and the chosen destination was Nantwich, on the line from Crewe to Shrewsbury. A very interesting town with old buildings and an excellent museum, focused on the town's salt industry. A pleasing ride on a Northern class 323 unit to Crewe was followed by a distinctly un-pleasing in 197 116 with passengers standing in the vestibules of the 11:30 Manchester - Milford Haven service.
Nantwich is at the centre of the Manchester - Cardiff line, with hourly long-distance services meeting at approximately xx:17 past the hour , in addition to a stopping service between Crewe and Shrewsbury worked by a class 150. The LNWR footbridge seems to be in pour condition, but there is a plan to restore it.
After a look round the town we took to the River Weaver riverside path, which passes across the to the lake which was created a few years ago. The path runs parallel to the railway for a time, so we sat on a convenient bench waiting to photograph the loco-hauled trains expected at 15:17. The first train to arrive was propelled by 67 016, with its dull black livery rather spoiling the view.
The Cardiff-bound train was a little late, but made a better picture. We walked to the station, to discover that there was chaos in the Shrewsbury area due to the collapse of a culvert, but we got to Crewe only half an hour late, and transferred to a Northern train which was travelling via Styal, so we alighted at Wilmslow to get some more pictures.
In particular, I wanted a picture of the Tesco service which has been introduced running between Daventry and Manchester Trafford Park, hauled by one of DRS's class 88 bi-modes, 88 008 Ariadne.
We eschewed the TfW train propelled by 67 025 to 11:00 Milford Haven - Manchester to take this picture of its loco, 67 025, and then on to Stockport in a Northern 331.
Curiosities
Over the Bank Holiday weekend the West Coast Main Line is blocked for engineering works in the Wigan area so services London trains were diverting through Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly. The Avanti services were starting at Milton Keynes & finishing at Preston; the picture taken by Greg Mape from the Metrolink footbridge shows the 12:57 from Milton Keynes about to pass through Deansgate station on 5 May.
Network Rail G-NTWK AS355 Eurocopter, a Twin Squirrel, making use of historic Barton Aerodrome, opened in 1930. As a twin-engined machine, the Squirrel is allowed to operate over cities where a lot of its work is carried out. The instrument pod hung under its nose contains three cameras: one is a TV camera with a standard zoom, the second has a super telephoto zoom to pick out smaller details, whilst the third benefits from an infrared imaging unit and three levels of zoom. Picture by Greg Mape.
Former Penrhyn Slate Quarry Avonside built 0-4-0T Works No. 2066 Ogwen was in action at the Apedale Valley Light Railway in Staffordshire on 27 April (Greg Mape).
A sad sight amongst the collection of forlorn locos at Carnforth is 47 555, once the favourite of Coast line as The Commonwealth Spirit. named at St Pancras in 1979 to mark the return to Britain of a Commonwealth Expedition of 12-week rail trip across India. It was kept in good condition by Crewe Depot, and used for trains conveying VIPs. All very interesting, but this loco is not the actual 47 555 which was scrapped in 2000. It is believed to be 47 768.
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Tynal Tywyll, also known as Pendinas Tunnel or Tregarth tunnel, on the Bangor - Bethesda branch (closed in 1951 for passengers, and completely in 1963) was built in 1884. The tunnel now forms a part of the Lôn Las Ogwen cycle path after it was paved and installed with drainage and lighting in 2017...
.... Inside the tunnel (Logan Humphreys)
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