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.

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