CREWE - CHESTER -- BANGOR - HOLYHEAD  MONTHLY REPORTS JUNE 2005 - PAGE TWO

6233 "Duchess of Sutherland" back on the coast bursting out of Penmaenrhos tunnel en route for Holyhead. 18/6/2005

Crossing the A55. 18/6/2005

Apparently there was a diesel on the back end!. 18/6/2005

The day was very humid which I guess was responsible for so much steam. 18/6/2005

The train was being worked hard and soon disappeared through Colwyn Bay station leaving a trail as it went. 18/6/2005

Old Colwyn benefited from the smell of Coronation Pacific for some time. 18/6/2005

Long after the train had disappeared the smoke and steam was still pouring out of the tunnel. 18/6/2005

---

The new 2005 Summer time table includes a daytime "Pendo" drag to Holyhead so it's off to Crewe to see it happen. No class 57 in the siding at Platform 12 but a flash of red reveals 57304 in bay platform 3 which turned out to be 57304 "Gordon Tracy" all fired up and ready to go. 17/6/2005

Switched off in platform 2 was classmate 57314 "Firefly". 17/6/2005

304 soon ran off South to return and enter platform 12 in readiness for the arrival of the Pendolino from London Euston. 17/6/2005

A few minutes later 390017 "Virgin Prince" crept slowly over the pointwork into platform 12 to meet the 57. 17/6/2005

The 57 reversed onto the Pendolino and was duly coupled. 17/6/2005

The entourage waited for a green in the wasteland that once was Crewe station - depressing. 17/6/2005

Leaving Crewe around 10 minutes down, the 57 pulled quickly away with surprisingly little noise. 17/6/2005

I don't know the weight of a loaded Pendolino but the drag looked absolutely effortless. 17/6/2005

The acceleration seemed much more rapid than the 47+Virgin MkIII sets. 17/6/2005

Desiro sets abound as they run back and forth on trial, this is 350120 trailing behind 350115. 17/6/2005

Surprise of the day (well 90 minutes actually) was the arrival of Fragonset's 47703 "Hermes" with an ecs working. The headboard and coach stickers read "The Lincolnshire Fisherman"...

....and on the rear was 47832. The latter locomotive carried out a brief stint on the North Wales Coast towards the end of 47 hauled Arriva Trains Wales' services. 17/6/2005

---

The last day (probably!) of Class 87 hauled Virgin passenger operations on the West Coast Main Line. The train was double headed by 87010 "Driver Tommy Farr" (formerly "King Arthur") piloting purple 87002 "The AC Locomotive Group" seen here entering Crewe's platform 1. Note the gold buffers. The full chain of events is here. 10/6/2005

Having been to Manchester on the 87 "special" I didn't have any time to hang around Crewe but did manage to see a couple of AC electrics traversing the independent lines. This is 92023...

and 90042. 10/6/2005