NORTH
WALES COAST etc. CREWE - CHESTER - BANGOR
- HOLYHEAD APRIL 2003 - PART ONE
This page is the
only one to be updated until early May 2003. The damage is now
repaired and the site is being rebuilt. Thank you for your patience.
Word had it that
the 09.21 Holyhead-London had failed at Valley and was to be
moved to Crewe behind two Class 20's normally employed on the
nuclear flasks. It sounded far fetched but too good to miss if
it was correct. So, off to Colwyn Bay to await the coastal event
of the year but to no avail, if it did happen I missed it! I
took the opportunity to photograph a couple of the non-unit happenings
of the morning. the first was the 08.40 London-Holyhead which
was running late in the guise of 43084 "County of
Derbyshire" leading 43153 "The English
Riviera". 28/4/2003
The second was
the 10.21 Birmingham-Holyhead which was again in the charge of
47770 "Reserved" seen here charging through
Colwyn Bay as a non-stopper. All the trains were running late
due to the disruption caused by the failure at Valley. 28/4/2003
47770 "Reserved"
races along the North Wales coast with the 14.00 Holyhead-Birmingham
service. 26/4/2003
47787 "Windsor
Castle" passing through Conwy station in a downpour
en route for Holyhead with the 12.21 ex Birmingham. 24/4/2003
Steam days return
to Crewe as one of Sir William A's finest, 6233 "Duchess
of Sutherland", leaves for Blackpool. 19/4/2003
Stranger in the
camp! 61039 "Steinbok" enters Crewe en
route for Carnforth in readiness for the Scottish Summer Jacobite
workings. 9/4/2003
The day we went
to, well, Holyhead actually. Out on the 11.24 from Crewe and
return on the 14.00 from Holyhead. The locomotive was 47732 "Restormel",
seen here leaving Llandudno Junction and heading for Conwy and
that beautiful castle. 2/4/2003
Bangor and the
tunnel........
Running onto the
Menai Bridge to gain access to Ynys Mon.
Holyhead and the
run round at the headshunt. The shunter is waiting for the points
to be unlocked from the signal box to allow the locomotive to
leave the station......
.......to return...........
......to reattach
to the stock. Note the Cockney Sparra logo!
On the way out
from Holyhead I managed to photograph two class 20's messing
around with nuclear flasks, their identity is not known. 2/4/2003
Back at Crewe and
the driver waits for the signal to head off for Birmingham. A
great day out and all on time.