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

A very quiet day at Crewe with the first locomotive to appear for almost an hour - 92012 "Thomas Hardy", which sat for a while before heading South. 14/12/2004

A second 92 appeared heading South before returning to enter the (former) diesel depot yard to run through to park behind the platforms. 92024 is "J.S.Bach". 14/12/2004

Work has been carried out on the awning over the South end of platform 12 and the adjacent disused bays and platform. The glass has been removed, presumably to prevent a recurrence of last Winter's episode when glass was falling from the roof! There was much surveying of the derelict buildings and huts at the end of the platforms by orange jackets. Is this the prelude to removal of the platform 12/disused bay roof covers in favour of the mooted car parks? 14/12/2004

I assume that this is an empty Penmaenmawr stone en route for North Wales with 66511 in charge. 14/12/2004

57310 appeared from the South, ran into platform 2 before heading back and into the LNWR carriage sidings. Later, a rake of Virgin stock was attached but I left before the 57 did! 14/12/2004

A class 37 was held outside the station for a while to allow several Pendolino/Voyager services to clear and it was annoyingly clear that it had a class 87 in tow. Eventually it appeared in the form of DRS liveried 37218 with similarly clad 87022 plus one bogie flat. The pair headed South. 14/12/2004

The entourage was worth a parting shot! 14/12/2004

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An unplanned visit to Crewe turned out to be well worth the visit. It started with 57308 "Tin Tin" sat on Thunderbird duty. Sneaking up behind it came 57314 "Firefly" and coupled behind it was the recently released 57316 "The Mole", together with a set of Virgin coaches. The three class 57's can be seen together with 92036 "Bertolt Brecht". 3/12/2004.

315 had been out on test with 314 taken along for insurance. The two locomotives uncoupled from the stock and ran round to reconnect. 3/12/2004

After a short wait the consist headed out of the station to deposit the stock into the LNWR sheds before returning to the station where they were parked when I left. 3/12/2004

At the North end of the station was a Network Rail test train with 31233 at one end.....

.....and 31285 at the other. 3/12/2004

A quite remarkable sight was 92027 "George Eliot" hauling a rake of Arriva stock out of the station....

...and onto the North Wales line - if only! 3/12/2004

A total surprise was the appearance of a steam locomotive heading South down the West Coast Main Line. 3/12/2004

It was 71000 "Duke of Gloucester" which I had last seen on the East Lancashire Railway being towed away after a collision incident. I didn't expect to see it again so soon after reading the pessimistic reports in the railway press. It transpired that the Duke was entering Crewe Works for weighing before heading down to London to haul a special the following day. 3/12/2004

I was just ready to leave when 47839 arrived with the 12.41 Arriva service from Holyhead. An interesting 90 minutes at Crewe. 3/12/2004