CREWE - CHESTER -- BANGOR - HOLYHEAD
 MONTHLY REPORTS
SEPTEMBER 2004 - PART ONE		  

 A quick visit to Crewe station and just in time to see 57308 "Tin Tin" (!) arrive off the Manchester line with a set of Virgin coaches in tow. 17/9/2004

 The Thunderbird carried on straight through the station and entered the LNWR carriage works with the ecs, 17/9/2004

 A very welcome sight was 37689 which came off the Chester line and ran through onto Basford Hall. 17/9/2004

 I was very surprised to see 4 Midland Mainline "Rio" HST power cars parked near to Crewe Works. They were 43159/43087/43196/43XXX. 17/9/2004

 The ghostly form of 87016 "Willesden InterCity Depot" glides through Kidsgrove on a diverted London-Liverpool service. 016 is reported by Ian Furness, on his brilliant and highly informative
"END OF THE LINE" web site, as being taken away for scrap.
This is the second of the Class 87 (AL7) AC electrics to be chopped, the first being the unique sub-class 87101. Thanks to Stephen Nicholls for pointing out that 016 was not the first to go.
To paraphrase Ian - RIP

 Not as good as most of the shots on this site but this one is different - it's a "grab" from a digital video recording. The shot was actually grabbed while the camera was playing back the sequence - amazing. The loco is 47810 "Porterbrook" and it's about to enter Penmeanhead tunnel with the 13.45 from Holyhead. 5/9/2004

 An unidentified 175/1 crossing Old Colwyn viaduct en route East. 3/9/2004

 The Penmaenmawr-Crewe stone train weaving its way through Colwyn Bay station - how quiet these wagons are! 3/9/2004

 The 0920 Holyhead-Stafford pausing at Colwyn Bay with 47826 "Springburn" in charge. 3/9/2004

 Fragonset's 47832 still on duty at Colwyn with the 10.00 Manchester-Holyhead. 832 still has its FGW "go-faster" stripes. 3/9/2004

 Next in was 47851/D1648 "Traction Magazine" with the 08.35 Stafford-Holyhead. 3/9/2004

 37826 "Springburn" makes a fine sight as it approaches Llanfair P.G. with the 08.35 London-Holyhead. 1/9/2004

  Rhosneigr - the Station

 Rhosneigr - the switchback! 47826 tops the hill in the distance, with the picture heavily distorted by the heat haze, (yes the heat haze). The train is the 13.23 Holyhead-London and is just about passing the RAF station in this shot. Note the driver's eye view of the track as it undulates across the marshes - well it's a golf course actually but still wet enough to support quite a few Herons. 1/9/2004

 826 entering the station. 01/09/2004

 What are the chances of the shutter firing twice at exactly the same spot and hand held at that (see above shot of 47826)? Fragonset's 47632 passes that spot with the 13.39 Arriva Trains Wales' Holyhead-Manchester service. This locomotive was drafted in after the failure of 47853. 1/9/2004