CREWE
- CHESTER - BANGOR - HOLYHEAD North Wales
Coast September 2001 Part 2
MANCHESTER
INTERLUDE
- I had to visit
offices near to Oxford Road station, Manchester, and, in travelling
by rail, decided to briefly stop off at Piccadilly to see what
was about.
First was a rather elderly
looking 101680, one of the remaining few. 101676 was departing
as I was arriving and it was sad to see the withdrawn members
dumped at Longsight depot. 20/9/2001
There is generally an array
of units in various guises, this is 142051. 20/9/2001
The big stuff arrived by
way of 90007 "Lord Stamp" with a Virgin
train from London. When the station was known as London Road
this service may have been hauled by a "Britannia"
pacific or perhaps a "Royal Scot" and the empty
train, including loco, would have been dragged by a "Jinty"
to Longsight depot for servicing. Happy days. 20/9/2001
While waiting for my return
Class 323, Class 47 number 47770 "Reserved"
passed through Oxford Road station running light. 20/9/2001
There are reports that 37402
"Bont-y-Bermo" (Barmouth Bridge) is to
be reinstated. I last saw it a year ago in September 2000 when
the Crewe diesel depot was opened to the public. Other photos
are on our Archive
section.
An hour at Crewe that turned
out to be quite active. 56095 was looking smart as it delivered
a tanker of fuel to the diesel depot. 18/9/2001
60082 "Mam Tor"
towed 60089 "Arcuil" and 66029 South
out of the depot and onto the running lines. The entourage then
returned behind the "shed" through platform 12 and
headed North with 60082 still running. Apparently 60082 carries
only one nameplate. 18/9/2001
47847 arrived in platform
11 with the 9.19 Holyhead-London and was detached to run round
and park up in bay platform 10. 18/9/2001
The train was then propelled
South by 90146 in "Railfreight" livery. 18/9/2001
150215
was on the Crewe-Chester shuttle. 18/9/2001
175115 arrived to form the
12.22 for Holyhead. 18/9/2001
It is currently quite common
to see two AC electrics at the rear of a train, presumably for
positioning purposes. This one caught my eye because it is the
inside loco, 87021 "Robert the Bruce"
that is pushing with 87010 "King Arthur"
dead at the rear. 18/9/2001
47812 arrived on the 11.45
for Liverpool ex Poole - but for how much longer will this train
be 47 hauled? 18/9/2001
Having
seen 37707 on the diesel depot yard at the pumps I was pleased
to later record it running light through the station to leave
on the Manchester line. Also on the depot were 37203 in a very
funny looking "Mainline" livery and 37672 which
is, I believe, listed as WNXX having run in France before being
stored in November 2000. Thanks to The
Class 37 Locomotive Group for that information 18/9/2001
67027 was in charge of the
Hertfordshire Railtours charter from Finsbury Park to Holyhead.
The train comprised 13 bogies and left Crewe 3 minutes down.
15/9/2001
The train only paused for
a couple of minutes before departing for North Wales - will it
return without incident this time?
After weeks of the new car
park ticket machines sitting under wraps, notices have been erected
advising of another increase in charges - this time a mere 25%
rise to £5 per day "or any part thereof". Loose
your ticket and you pay £25 - customers, who needs 'em?
