European Railroad Discussion > The North Wales Coast 1995

I have only ever spent one day shooting trains along the scenic North Wales Coastline, and that was way back in August 1995 when both the infrastructure and motive power was more interesting. There was a roughly hourly Regional Railway's operated loco hauled passenger service between Crewe and Bangor or Holyhead, plus a number of through London to Holyhead services which were HSTs and a Birmingham International to Holyhead and Stockport to Holyhead via Manchester, run in connection with sailings from Holyhead to Ireland.

1: To get a full day in I had left home in North London at around 04:00, arriving at Mostyn on the estuary of the River Dee, which the line follows from Chester to Prestatyn, just in time for a 31 hauled 07:39 Holyhead to Crewe. Mostyn signalbox was a fine example of London & North Western railway architecture, like many railway companies LNWR boxes were unmistakably LNWR!
2: At one time much of the line between Chester and Llandudno Junction was four tracked, quite obvious from this shot of Rhyl, a famous resort town.  37414 Cathays C&W Works 1846-1993 is leaving on the 09:13 Bangor to Crewe
3: And here is one of the through London trains the 09:06 Holyhead to Euston, leaving Prestatyn, another resort town. With the growth of overseas package holidays in the 1960s, the indifferent weather of North Wales had a negative impact on the seaside towns along the coast, which they have never really overcome. 

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/20 09:44 by 86235.

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Three shots from Abergele & Pensarn, the next resort west of Rhyl
4: The 10:23 Bangor to Crewe leaving town, the town of Colwyn Bay is in the background.
5: 37429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol approaching Abergele on a Bangor bound train, it's won't be stopping.
6: Penmaenmawr, west of Conwy, was the location of a major quarry from which ballast was shipped out. This Transrail branded 37 has a small slug of ballast hoppers and a couple of brake vans in tow.

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Final three from around Penmaenmawr
7: The Irish Mancunian, a lash up of class 158, 156 and 153 DMUs from Stockport to Holyhead via Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road. The land mass in the background is the Great Orme and the town is Llandudno, probably the most up market of the North Wales coast resorts.
8: With the quarry in the background 37429 Eisteddfod Genedlaethol passing Penmaenmawr on the Holyhead to Birmingham International
9: That 31 we saw at Mostyn is returning on the 13:24 Crewe to Holyhead.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/20 10:41 by 86235.

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Thanks for posting this excellent series.  
Definitely liked each and every one.
ALLEN 

krm152 Wrote:
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> Thanks for posting this excellent series.  
> Definitely liked each and every one.
> ALLEN 

Thanks Allen

Great shots!  LIke the look of the Great Orme land mass in the background in #7.

dwatry Wrote:
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> Great shots!  LIke the look of the Great Orme
> land mass in the background in #7.

Thanks Duncan, at the beginning of lockdown the feral goats which live on the Great Orme were filmed wandering through the empty streets of Llandudno eating anything they could find, it was even featured in the New York Times.

Another great collection, Nik. I too had some great Saturdays along there for the 37 era.  chris uk

55002 Wrote:
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> Another great collection, Nik. I too had some
> great Saturdays along there for the 37 era. 
> chris uk

Thanks Chris, that was my one and only visit, and even then it was a diversion on my way from home in London to my parents in North Yorkshire.

A great moment in time that was captured...Thank you !!! :):):)