CREWE - CHESTER - BANGOR - HOLYHEAD
North Wales Coast
February 2001 Part 2
CLASS 37/4 PROJECT

 90008 "The Birmingham Royal Ballet" at Stafford en route for London Euston. I was on the train to attend a meeting of the Class 37/4 Project team who have established a constitution to lift the scheme off the ground. If you have ever "bashed" the North Wales Coast and want to help stop the loss of all the 37/4's, please support the project. If you need reminding of what can happen, just think of the rapid demise of 37429!!! This team means business. 17/2/2001

 47843 "Vulcan" arrived at Crewe, at the head of the 9.19 Holyhead-London, where it detached to allow 90009 "The Economist" to propel the train to London. 16/2/2001

 The 8.38 London-Holyhead HST arrived with 43162 at the head and 43065 trailing (photo). the train left running 70 minutes down. 16/2/2001

 A Poole-Liverpool train arrived in platform 6 where it was terminated. No reason was given and the locomotive 47831 "Bolton Wanderer" was still running and nobody looked concerned. Crewe is certainly the place for class 47's these days.16/2/2001

 A warning notice was in place on platform 12 advising that all reservations for seats between Crewe and Glasgow/Edinburgh were taken and not to travel unless necessary. The Birmingham-Edinburgh train arrived behind 862121 "Preston Guild" to a packed platform. The train comprised 5 coaches including a buffet and guard's van so standing was the order of the day. Scottish rugby was the cause of the problem. 16/2/2001

 A Coastline performer from the past, 47784 "Condover Hall" with four mail vans held on the centre road at Crewe. 14/2/2001

 Hippos are now plentiful at Crewe. 175005(L) and 175009 wait for business. 14/2/2001

 The highlight(!) of the afternoon was the arrival of the 13.43 Holyhead-London Euston HST with power cars 43101 leading.....

 ...and 43184 trailing. They sound OK but they are not 37's. 14/2/2001

 I went to Crewe in hope of bidding farewell to 37429 which was reported to be making its way North to Motherwell for stripping! - how can they do that? Sadly I never saw it. 57004 "Freightliner Quality" was at the head of a Serco test train. 13/2/2001

 The train included a part MPV the body of which was loaded with iron weights! Any ideas anyone? 13/2/2001

 175105 arrived from Birmingham and left with the 11.15 for Holyhead. 13/2/2001

 47747 "Graham Farish" arrived 35 minutes late with the 09.19 Holyhead-London Euston. 87014 "Knight of the Thistle" had already left its parking spot and gone onto the Chester line siding then to attach to the rear of the train to propel it South. 13/2/2001

 The class 47 detached and ran round the train to reverse into bay platform 10 to await a new driver before heading North up the West Coast Main Line. This has become a daily ritual. 87014 is on the right. The sun was very low and strong making digital photography very difficult due to the heavy contrasts. 13/2/2001

 While all this was going on, the 08.38 London Euston-Holyhead HST arrived in platform 12 with 43162 at the head. Thus both coastal trains were in the station together as a result of the up train being late. The only thing missing now was a 37/4, life can be so cruel sometimes! 13/2/2001

 142060 arrived from Chester. 13/2/2001

 The HST left with 43065 bringing up the rear. 13/2/2001

 Parked up at Crewe IEMD were three class 86 locomotives. Nearest is 86101 "Sir William A Stanier FRS" then 86102 "Robert A Riddles" and 86210 "CIT 75th Anniversary" in RES livery. I understood that the first two were to be overhauled and reintroduced to traffic - what happened? 12/02/2001

 Tonight's "Pathfinder" tour arrived in Crewe behind 6024 "King Edward 1" which was running about 60 minutes down. Once again the digital camera found it difficult to cope with the darkness hence the grainy shots. 10/02/2001

 I had the camera set for fluorescent lighting which produced the blue effect. The train comprised circa 15 carriages and appeared to be quite full. The locomotive looked magnificent, not too dirty not too clean, just right. The King came off at Crewe and returned to the Heritage Centre where I had seen it brewing up on Thursday. 10/02/2001

 A front end shot while the cylinder cocks were opened up, no priming here! It was impossible to get the correct angle on the loco due to the detrained crowd. However, it was well worth the wait. 10/02/2001

 A "RES" liveried class 47 had left the diesel depot some 30 minutes before the train arrived and, as the GWR loco reversed onto the Chester line, 47783 "Saint Peter" backed onto the train. As the crowd boarded the train it was possible to gain the correct angles again. 10/02/2001

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