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

August 2

August 3

Summer Saturday at Crewe and 175/1 "Mum" leads 175106 as the 11.31 Crewe-Holyhead service. 6 coaches is quite good - we only got 5 in the days of 37 haulage. 7/8/2004

T'Bird 826. 7/8/2004

Unusually, there was a 323 unit parked in bay platform 3. 7/8/2004

Meanwhile, at the North end, 47828 "Severn Valley Railway etc", was patiently waiting for the AC hauled London-Holyhead. 7/8/2004

Severn Valley Railway etc. 7/8/2004

The AC duly arrived in the form of 87022 "Lew Adams the Black Prince" which stopped alongside 828. 7/8/2004

Then began a seemingly nonsensical performance, bear in mind that the train from London had arrived on time and the shunter was waiting at the head of platform 12. The 87 was disconnected from the train and pulled forward to the signal - no green here! The driver waited a few minutes before climbing down to phone in for clearance. The points changed and the driver returned to his cab to get a green. The locomotive then came off 12 and ran out onto the WCML headshunt. 7/8/2004

Now normally the 47 would have run out onto the Chester line headshunt to wait for the AC to clear before reversing onto the train. Not today however, the 47 was taken out onto the Chester line after the 87 had been removed. Now surely the 87 would be held while the 47 ran back onto the train? No! - the 47 was left out in the wilds while the 87 was brought back and parked up. 7/8/2004

Eventually 828 was allowed back and it came in snorting. 7/8/2004

The train finally left about 15 down but surely this could have left on time or is this all part of a dastardly plan to make the September Voyager/Pendolino services look wonderful? 7/8/2004

The 09.20 Holyhead-London was brought in to Crewe by 47840 "North Star", arriving some 15 minutes down. 7/8/2004

The train was swapped into platform 11 when 87022 took it South. 7/8/2004 (Apologies for the woolly shots)

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In a severe bout of August weather, 47828 "Severn Valley Railway" lifts the 08.40 London-Holyhead out of Crewe as a track gang fight the elements in the background. 04/08/04

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Link to August 2

Link to August 3