NORTH WALES COAST etc.
CREWE - CHESTER - BANGOR - HOLYHEAD
SEPTEMBER 2003 - PART TWO

 4F 44422

Churnet Valley 

Link to September 1

 Navy Destroyer passes the Douglas Field rig! Nothing to do with railways I know but just a point of interest. The Navy vessel had been attending a tall ships event at Liverpool and was lazily passing across the bay so I "shot" it. A bit hazy I know but it is over 20 miles away. The Navy bit is the grey shape in front of the rig - the red boat to the right is the service tender.

 ....and finally. Parallel Lines - the last day for Virgin loco hauled trains on the North wales Coast? The 13.35 Holyhead-London left the port with 47830 in charge - complete with remnant FGW livery, a sort of boring green! Here the train is running alongside the eastern end of Colwyn Bay promenade, favourite haunt of the fishermen of England! 27/9/2003

 Getting closer, the shots were taken from what is now left of the Colwyn Bay Hotel. 27/9/2003

 Crossing the A55 "Expressway" and away into history? 27/9/2003

 Wet day at Crewe as 56070 brings the Sandbach-Arpley acid train through the station en route North. Acid is probably the wrong description now because, on most runs, hoppers are included and todays were some of the ex-N Power vehicles. 26/9/2003

 47732 "Restormel" was on the 10.21 Birmingham-Holyhead, running only slightly late despite the mess on the WCML. My primary reason for going to Crewe was to see the Duchess en route to Carnforth but, by 13.00hrs, it had not arrived so I had to leave. 26/9/2003

 153362 arrived from South Wales and I was surprised to see it was carrying a nameplate depicting "Dylan Thomas 1914-1953". 26/9/2003

 66717 is on hire to Freightliner and passed through the station with a rake of hoppers. 26/9/2003

 There are some strange formations around at the moment and, today, 87030 "Black Douglas" with 87032 "Richard Fearn" dead in tow, arrived with a Liverpool train which was promptly terminated because it was so late. At the rear were DVT's 82123 and 82111. Strange.... 26/9/2003

 Leaving Crewe - join me on a last trip to Birmingham on the coastal FNW services as the through Holyhead-Birmingham trains bow out to Wales and Borders and the engineering upgrades to the West Coast Main Line. Click the photograph to continue....

 Also at Crewe...... "Gronk" 08397 had been let loose on the main line and is seen here passing 43153 leading 43080 to form the 09.26 Holyhead-London, another train soon to disappear. 24/9/2003

 Interloper 47816, in what's left of its FGW livery, rested in bay platform 8 after hauling the early morning Holyhead-London. 24/9/2003

 Colwyn Bay and 47810 "Porterbrook" leans heavily as it enters the station with the 16.13 Holyhead - London service. This is probably the beginning of the end of Virgin loco hauled services on the coast as the Winter timetable approaches - until the Pendolino stock is used that is! 21/09/2003

 "Porterbrook" storms away with its DVT in tow. 21/09/2003

 Crewe Diesel Depot with a colourful array of locomotives on display. From the left are 92019 "Wagner", 57001 "Freightliner Pioneer", 47773 "The Queen Mother", 37675 "Margam TMD", 47734 "Crewe Diesel Depot Quality Assured", 47772 and 47727 "Castel Caerffilli/Caerphilly Castle". 17/9/2003

 It might be the season of mellow mists and fruitfulness but the sun was an absolute beast - low and powerful and facing along the main line. In ex First Great Western livery, 47816 brought 90017 from the IEMD and round on to the Diesel Depot where it was "played with" by 37675! 17/9/2003

 Still running, but for how much longer, is 86247 "Abraham Darby" here heading South with a Virgin service. 17/9/2003

 Crewe Station 2003 and a Stanier pacific returns to its birthplace. What a pleasant surprise to see 6201 "Princess Elizabeth" in steam and looking good. 17/9/2003

 After a brief wait for a pathway the locomotive headed South for the Severn Valley Railway. 17/9/2003

 37675 "Margam TMD" before its antics with 90017! 17/9/2003

 DRS locomotives 20315 and 37259 came off the LNWR depot and ran into bay platform 8 - and then ran back again! 17/9/2003

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Link to September 1