CREWE - CHESTER -- BANGOR - HOLYHEAD  MONTHLY REPORTS MARCH 2005 - PAGE ONE

Class 50 charter day so a visit to Crewe to maybe see some locomotives. The first one was Thunderbird 57303 "Alan Tracy" sat quietly ticking in the Winter sunshine. 4/3/2005

At the South end of the station there is quite a dramatic change to the skyline as the disused bay canopies are being demolished. The stumps of the vertical roof supports can be seen as 221129 enters platform 12 as the 09.00 London-Holyhead. 4/3/2005

Because it is a demolition site, access is now restricted but a lens poke through the fence shows the work in progress. What will become of the bays? One theory is that the area will become car parking space whereas another is that the roofs are simply unsafe and have to go. Resurfacing of what was the depot access road tends to support the car park version. 4/3/2005

92043 arrived in platform 6 from Manchester before departing for the IEMD. 4/3/2005

The wind was blowing at about 35 degrees to the vertical! 4/3/2005

170505 in Birmingham Bull Ring livery departed for Liverpool. 4/3/2005

86614 came off the IEMD and ran through the station before returning a few minutes later - out on test? 4/3/2005

150280 in its coat of many colours arrived off the Chester line. A class 158 was on shuttle duty so I don't know where this had come from, certainly there wasn't a 175 to be seen. 4/3/2005

The two "Hoovers", arrived and departed on time and what a colourful sight they were with 50049 "Defiance", owned by "Project Defiance Ltd" leading....

.....followed by 50031 "Hood", owned by "The Fifty Fund", on the Monarch of the Glen charter to Scotland, organised by Pathfinder Tours. 4/3/2005

Heading North onto the West Coast Main Line as in days of yesteryear, the two class 50's made sweet music once they gained the down fast. 4/3/2005