CREWE - CHESTER -- BANGOR - HOLYHEAD
 MONTHLY REPORTS
SEPTEMBER 2004 - PART TWO		  

 I arrived at Crewe just in time to see 47830 heading West with the 0835 London-Holyhead. 23/9/2004

 The train had been brought in by 87001 "Stephenson" which was resting before taking the reverse working from Holyhead, back to London. 23/9/2004

 20306(L) and 20314 entered bay platform 8, reversed and headed off towards Basford Hall. 23/9/2004

 45112 "The Royal Army Ordnance Corps" entered platform 2 and then left for the Stoke line. 23/9/2004

 This one caught me by surprise. 57307 was dragging 87033 "Thane of Fife" Southbound at a rate of knots. 23/9/2004

 Nice to see an 86 again albeit in Freightliner livery as 86632 dragged 90048 through the station and round to the IEMD. 23/9/2004

 It's not often I manage to catch anything using the "independent Lines" (the muckhole), the goods lines that pass under the station to keep it clear for passenger use.
92005 heads for Basford Hall in this shot. 23/9/2004

 Class 57 Thunderbirds 57301 "Scott Tracy" and 57309 "Brains" had been knocking about the station for a while and eventually reversed into platform 11. I heard them couple up to something but what was hidden behind the LNWR train shed? 23/9/2004

 There was no time to cross over to platform 6 for a better shot so I lined up to catch both locomotives plus train. Unfortunately the yellow peril arrived and parked itself in just the wrong spot! As the 57's set off a Pendolino emerged from the shed - WCML job? 23/9/2004

 No! - it was off onto the Coast - a practice drag to Holyhead behind 309 which I assume has been converted but with proven 301 in support. Very wise I think. The Pendolino was 390032 "City of Birmingham" (Thanks to Deiniol Williams for that info). 23/9/2004

 Well it's almost time for another farewell on the North Wales Coast as the class 47 hauled Virgin services commence the rundown to handing over to DMU's and (maybe) diesel/electric hybrids. In similar keeping with other "last" trains, the end never actually seems to come and thus we are lucky to retain the 47's by way of the Arriva Wales Holyhead-Manchester services. I will spend the final week putting as much as I can on tape and on disk, not just on the Coast but also at Crewe where the seemingly indestructible class 87's perform their swan song albeit that one or two will remain on standby.
Today I was at Colwyn Bay to record a couple of the star performers, the first being 47830 on the 13.01 Crewe-Holyhead. 19/9/2004

The second was, quite aptly, 47841 "Spirit of Chester" here waiting to leave for its journey to the East with the 13.45 Holyhead-London Euston. 19/9/2004

As the train left I noticed a flashing battery lamp attached to the DVT even though the red lights appeared to be operational? 19/9/2004