European Railroad Discussion > Trains in South Wales on Wednesday 18th January

Double Rickshaws, Tin Rockets, Flirts, Unicorns, Skips and Sheds, Wednesday afternoon in South Wales.
1: A pair of commuter class 150s (Rickshaws) on one of Transport for Wales (TfW) long distance services, the 1V37 from Manchester to Cardiff.
2: Two class 153 single units (Tin Rockets) arriving in Ystrad Mynach (YM) on a Rhymney Line service, the 11:31 Cardiff Central to Bargoed. Originally two car class 155 units built by Leyland bus and used on cross country provincial routes. They are very versatile units used by TfW on all kinds of services.
3: Yesterday saw the introduction of TfW's new class 231 Flirt DEMUs built by Stadler. Approaching YM is 231 007 on the 2P47 12:00 Bargoed to Penarth via Cardiff. I rode it to Lisvane, a very nice train indeed.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/23 10:23 by 86235.

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4: The Flirts were not supposed to be introduced on Rhymney Line services, but the appalling performance of TfW's class 769 DEMUs (unicorns) has meant TfW are looking to return them to their owner, Porterbrook, as soon as enough 231s are in service. Here's a 769, which are class 319 dual voltage EMUs converted to DEMUs, approaching Lisvane in the Cardiff suburbs.
5: 66050 (shed) on 6B83 carrying coal from Cwmbargoed to Port Talbot steelworks. 66050 has just emerged from DBC's paint shop at Toton. The nick name shed comes from the peak on the cab roof.
6: Back in Abergavenny one of TfW's loco hauled services, 1V96 Holyhead to Cardiff with DVT 82200 leading.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/23 10:21 by 86235.

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7: 67013 (Skip) was the power pushing 1V96.
8: Finally shot and another shed, 66603 on 6V37 East Usk to Moreton on Lugg.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to post these!  You're one of my favorite non-US photographers to follow here on TO.  I really enjoy checking out on Google Maps each location you mention in your posts to see where in Great Britain you are at.

Jerry
ATSF5669

ATSF5669 Wrote:
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> Thank you so much for taking the time to post
> these!  You're one of my favorite non-US
> photographers to follow here on TO.  I really
> enjoy checking out on Google Maps each location
> you mention in your posts to see where in Great
> Britain you are at.
>
> Jerry
> ATSF5669

Thanks Jerry, that's very kind of you.

Nick - great photos!  I like the layout in #7 and #8 - semaphores still living on!

Thank you for posting your excellent photo scenes from the land of my ancestors (some of them).
Really like Class 66 locomotives so I especially like those photos.
ALLEN
 

dwatry Wrote:
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> Nick - great photos!  I like the layout in #7 and
> #8 - semaphores still living on!

Yep, much of the Marches Line between Newport and Shrewsbury is controlled by semaphores. We've lost a few in recent years, the boxes at Tram Inn and Moreton on Lugg have been converted to colour lights but Abergavenny, Pontrilas, Leominster, Woofferton, Bromfield, Craven Arms (some), Marshbrook, Dorrington, Sutton Bridge Junction and Severn Bridge are all mainly semaphores.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/23 12:42 by 86235.

Nice shots Nick, I always thought the nickname Shed for class 66s came from the corrugated sides.... happy to be proved wrong though!

Nice set Nick. So is the Signal Box at Morton on Lugg no longer in operation? I didn't get up in the Signal Box there but the Signaller took pictures of the interior for me with my camera when I visited nine year ago.

Jim 

tq-07fan Wrote:
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> Nice set Nick. So is the Signal Box at Morton on
> Lugg no longer in operation? I didn't get up in
> the Signal Box there but the Signaller took
> pictures of the interior for me with my camera
> when I visited nine year ago.
>
> Jim 

No, the boxes at both Tram Inn and Moreton on Lugg are still there, just the semaphores have been replaced.

exhaustED Wrote:
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> Nice shots Nick, I always thought the nickname
> Shed for class 66s came from the corrugated
> sides.... happy to be proved wrong though!

I think you'll find its because of the roof shape

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I always thought it was both shape and commonality - ie 'as common as garden sheds', being that EWS went from a varied fleet to primarily 66s hence they became the most common locomotive.

One of the UK railway enthusiast magazines did a list of all the common-use nicknames, along with the reasoning behind them. Under Shed it says - 'Class 66 - shape/commonality'.

Posted from Android

Love these pictures from Wales! Thanks for sharing.

Posted from Android

Hexagon789 Wrote:
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> I always thought it was both shape and commonality
> - ie 'as common as garden sheds', being that EWS
> went from a varied fleet to primarily 66s hence
> they became the most common locomotive.
>
> One of the UK railway enthusiast magazines did a
> list of all the common-use nicknames, along with
> the reasoning behind them. Under Shed it says -
> 'Class 66 - shape/commonality'.
>
> Posted from Android

Also called Minx’s by the lads that bash ‘em!

Posted from iPhone

Peak45068 Wrote:
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>
> Also called Minx’s by the lads that bash ‘em!
>
> Posted from iPhone

Is that a local nickname as it's not one that's familiar in South Wales either among the railfan community or the staff that use them.