CREWE
- CHESTER - BANGOR - HOLYHEAD North Wales
Coast February 2001 Part 1
The 9.19 Holyhead-London
arrived at Crewe 5 minutes early behind Intercity liveried 47826
sporting odd numerals. 7/2/2001
The diesel locomotive is
detached at Crewe to be replaced by an AC electric. Today the
class 47 ran round the train and went off up the Chester line.
7/2/2001
Waiting out on the Chester
line siding was 87020 "North Briton" which was
attached to the rear to propel the train to London. 7/2/2001
Was this
my last shot of 37429 on active service? It was taken outside
Conwy Castle on 20th January 2001 and was too close for my digital
camera to cope. The locomotive was sidelined after this run before
appearing in Crewe Diesel Depot yard on 23rd January 2001 parked on the scrapline. It moved to Cardiff later in the day where it
was reported to be running with two traction motors isolated.
It is now reported as on decision at Cardiff with an unlikely
future. This was the last operational unit running in Regional
Railways livery. Thanks to "Matt" for the information
Crewe station Saturday 3rd
February 2001 and another rugby special is ready to depart for
Cardiff. This time the locomotive is 33108 hauling stock I have
not seen before - 5365, 5307, 5350, 17086, 5364 and 5275 (Wendy).
33108 reversed the stock
from the LNWR carriage sheds into bay platform 7 where a good
crowd boarded but how many were bashers is anybody's guess! 3/2/2001
The locomotive was shining
like a new pin and you could positively smell the paint as it
ticked over in the bay. There were those on the platform that
doubted it's ability to survive the journey but, nonetheless,
it left at 10.30 for South Wales. (apparently the fears were
justified, it failed at Hereford and was dragged to Cardiff and
then back to Crewe by 37428) 3/2/2001
February started with a bit
of activity at the Grand Junction with Sister Dora making an
appearance on a maintenance train. Sadly 37415 was still lying
dead on the diesel Depot and more coastal 37's look ever more
remote.
Celebrity 37 number 37116
"Sister Dora" standing at Crewe with a train
of concrete sleepers. I since found out that this locomotive
worked 4 North Wales Coast trains on 8th June 1996. Thanks to
the Class 37 Group
website for the information. 02/02/2001
The train later left on the
West Coast Main Line. 02/02/2001
DRS locomotives 37611 and
37610 headed South through the station LE and stopped outside
the LNWR carriage sheds before one of them(?) attached to a rake
of NW Coast coaches including one RR vehicle. All were later
pushed into the sheds by an 08 shunter. 02/02/2001
43121 brought the 08.38 London-Holyhead
into platform 11 running 40 minutes down. 43093 "Lady
in Red" brought up the rear of the train consisting
of just 5 coaches plus a buffet car. 02/02/2001
A few seconds after the HST
had left 47841 "Spirit of Chester" hauled the
09.19 Holyhead-London into the same platform. The loco detached
here while AC electric 87027 "Wolf of Badenoch"
attached itself to the rear for the push to London.
"Wolf of Badenoch"
was a victim of the Winsford crash when it hit the rear of, I
think, a class 142, detaching the body from the frame and pushing
it forward a few metres. Fortunately the 142 was empty at the
time otherwise there may have been more serious consequences.
The locomotive was repaired at Crewe. 02/02/2001
142044 waits in bay platform
9 to depart for Chester. 02/02/2001
37521 "English China
Clays", a former runner on the North wales Coast, appeared
off the Manchester line with the Middlewich - Arpley Enterprise.
Strangely the train crossed over to run through platform 6 while
passengers were asked to stand clear of the platform edge. This
train runs through to Basford Hall sidings to reverse before
heading back North up the WCML for Warrington. 02/02/2001
The train was held at the
South end of platform 6 while several trains passed through which
gave me the opportunity to photograph it again. 02/02/2001
