RAIL37 MONTHLY REPORTS NORTH WALES COAST etc. CREWE - CHESTER - BANGOR - HOLYHEAD DECEMBER 2003 - PART ONE

December 2	December 3

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47786 "Roy Castle OBE" arrived from Holyhead and detached from its stock, ran to the signal at the South end of platform 12 and waited for a while. The driver swapped cabs and then drove the locomotive back to the stock. The train then disappeared South instead of forming the 10.30 for Holyhead. 9/12/2003

The 47 + stock was quickly replaced by 158831 which subsequently left for Holyhead at 10.45. This performance could be linked in some way to the non-appearance of the morning Bangor-Manchester ecs working. 9/12/2003

67024 took Northern Belle stock onto the Manchester line. 9/12/2003

Work was continuing on the lines South of Crewe. Here, in the distance, a track maintenance train stands with T&T 66's while the twisted complex of tracks weaves in the foreground. 9/12/2003

Not in blue livery but with ARRIVA branding, 158824 heads North with a South Wales-Manchester working. 9/12/2003

The loco "hauled" stock continues for the time being but for how long. Crewe was crawling with Pendolino's today as DVT 82107 head for London propelled by 90015 "The International Brigades Spain 1936-1939". 9/12/2003

The Sandbach Acid train appeared with 37886 "Sir Dyfed/County of Dyfed" and one fuel tanker with a distinct wheel flat. 9/12/2003

886 soon returned without its tanker and headed North up the West Coast Main Line. 9/12/2003

What on Earth this is I do not know. Someone said it was a GPS guided rail grinding unit but what an ugly beast. 9/12/2003

87002, in Porterbrook purple, headed North in the bright sunshine. 9/12/2003

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47750, with EWS "branding", arriving at Crewe with the 12.45 from Holyhead. 2/12/2003

87009, formerly "City of Birmingham", is back in service but without nameplates. The degree of fading of the paintwork can be identified by the unaffected patch that was behind the nameplate. 2/12/2003

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