RAIL37 MONTHLY REPORTS
NORTH WALES COAST etc.
CREWE - CHESTER - BANGOR - HOLYHEAD
FEBRUARY 2004 - PART ONE

February 2

 47841 "Spirit of Chester" was on standby duty at Crewe, catch 'em while you can, the 47's are on their way out! 10/2/2004

 Another one! 47776 "Respected" arrives from Holyhead to form the 10.30 Crewe-Holyhead. 10/2/2004

 776 ran round and waited to depart, here, the shunter is connecting the locomotive to the stock. 10/2/2004

 The 08.40 London-Holyhead HST arrived with 43121 leading 43067. 10/2/2004

 Retro painted 87001 "Stephenson" pushed its way South with DVT 82116 leading. 10/2/2004

 One of the few class 87's that still looks smart is 87008 "City of Liverpool" complete with red background nameplate. 10/2/2004

 008 entering platform 11. 10/2/2004

 The morning Bangor-Manchester ecs working had unnamed 47790 at the head and passed through platform 6 today, en route for the LNWR carriage sheds. 10/2/2004

 The reverse Holyhead-London HST comprised 43098 leading 43065. 10/2/2004

 Well you normally find Hippo's near water don't you! An unidentified class 175 moves along the cob at Conwy towards Llandudno Junction. This shot was taken from the Llanrwst road. 7/2/2004

 Sandbach Station and a row of track animals wait in the darkness to commence work on the upgrading of the Crewe-Manchester line, currently closed to traffic. 8/2/2004

 A day of oceanic violence on the coast - heavy seas pound the promenade at Old Colwyn with water being cascaded up onto the railway! 8/2/2004

 February 3rd, "The Day The Music Died!" and 47760 "Ribblehead Viaduct" has returned to the coast, seen here at Crewe waiting to leave with the 10.30 to Holyhead. 3/2/2004

 Crewe Diesel depot yard is systematically being cleared of redundant stock with 37420 "The Scottish Hosteller" just to the right of the catenery post in RR livery. Will it run again? 3/2/2004

 37893 was parked with 47778 "Duke of Edinburgh's Award". 3/2/2004

 The 08.40 London-Holyhead arrived some 44 minutes late after being diverted via Stoke-on-Trent due to a power failure at Stafford. The leading locomotive was 43068 with 43094 trailing. It was a heavy day for coastal HST's, for the story click the link for Charlie Hulme's staggeringly informative North Wales Coast Railway site. 3/2/2004

 The empty stock from the morning Bangor-Manchester, loco hauled working, currently travels via Altrincham to Chester and then to Crewe. Today, 47776 "Respected" was at the head as it crept onto the platform 12 loop to await a pathway to the LNWR carriage sidings. 3/2/2004

 It would appear that the Virgin Class 90's are to be transferred to work for Anglia Railways which means that some of the recently withdrawn Class 87's will return to work. 90010 heads South for London. 3/2/2004

 Meanwhile the 87's plod on with a very uncertain future. 87032 "Richard Fearn" pushes South towards Stoke-on-Trent and London. 3/2/2004

 92002 "H.G.Wells" arrived with a train of mail vans. It unhooked and ran round to head North but which way I know not. The third rail pick-up shoes are clearly visible in this shot. 3/2/2004

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Link to February 2