Llanbourne North Wales in the 80s.

[Marcus 37]

there is currently loco hauled from Manchester on the north wales coast using the second WAG set.

Yeah I know, I keep meaning to go and do it. Unfortunately, like my modelling, work keeps getting in the way. Loco hauled trains refuse to die on the coast. Even after the 37s finished, EWS 47s came back for a short while hauling ex First Great Western Mk 2s.

I've even driven over the route when I was one of the drivers on the Three Peaks charter in 2011 A couple of pictures below of the stock in Holyhead carriage sidings and at Bangor with 67013 at the helm.

 

[P.C.M]

Speaking of which .....

 

..... August 1976, 06.00 Glasgow Queen St - Mallaig on a well-known viaduct.  Note the buffet car going through to Mallaig.  Not sure of the loco (26 or 27) as my notebook is stored in a box in the roof.  

 

Halina Paulette / AGFA 64 ASA/ISO slide film

 

Nice pic Rick,

[P.C.M]

Some nice pics Marcus,

I was married by the time the class 37s were common on the Coast though did manage a couple of trips. One was with the wife she wanted to see Conwy Castle. We spent the night at Conwy and I managed a few pics plus 37/4 haulage from Birmingham International to Llandudno Jct and 31/4 haulage back to Chester on the way home.

 

Cheers Peter.

Edited January 8, 2015 by P.C.M

[Jintyman]

The current weekday loco hauled workings, other than the Cardiff train on the N.Wales coast are as follows:

1D51 07:11 Crewe - Chester 07:30
1H82 07:38 Chester - Manchester Piccadilly 08:51
1D34 09:50 Manchester Piccadilly - Holyhead 12:36
1H89 13:01 Holyhead - Manchester Piccadilly 15:51
1D31 16:50 Manchester Piccadilly - Llandudno 19:03
1K96 19:34 Llandudno - Crewe 21:06
 
Info taken from : http://www.nwrail.org.uk/nwnews.htm

Jinty ;-)

[P.C.M]

The first item of stock finished for 2015 is my Inspection Saloon. 

It's a great model but I did do a few things to improve it. First I painted the interior and added some railway staff, I replaced the buffers with some slightly larger ones from the bits box. I also noticed from a pic posted on the Inspection Saloon thread  that 45029 had the raised rectangles above the doors painted blue which I thought might be a pain to do but I ended up just scraping the grey off with a knife blade leaving the blue underneath. Some weathering has finished it off.

 

Cheers Peter. 

[aussiebrfan]

Looking good mate.

No sign of the roundy roundy extension yet then!!! Lol

G

[Merfyn Jones]

The first item of stock finished for 2015 is my Inspection Saloon. 

It's a great model but I did do a few things to improve it. First I painted the interior and added some railway staff, I replaced the buffers with some slightly larger ones from the bits box. I also noticed from a pic posted on the Inspection Saloon thread  that 45029 had the raised rectangles above the doors painted blue which I thought might be a pain to do but I ended up just scraping the grey off with a knife blade leaving the blue underneath. Some weathering has finished it off.

 

Cheers Peter.

Just one little thing Peter, will only take a minute. Just need to remove the 'A' from 45029s number.

Merf.

[bescotbeast]

The first item of stock finished for 2015 is my Inspection Saloon. 

It's a great model but I did do a few things to improve it. First I painted the interior and added some railway staff, I replaced the buffers with some slightly larger ones from the bits box. I also noticed from a pic posted on the Inspection Saloon thread  that 45029 had the raised rectangles above the doors painted blue which I thought might be a pain to do but I ended up just scraping the grey off with a knife blade leaving the blue underneath. Some weathering has finished it off.

 

Cheers Peter. 

Lovely work on the Saloon Peter, it's a credit to your skill and attention to detail that makes Llanbourne a joy to read each day.

                                       Simon

[Waverley West]

Luvverly Peter. You managed to get inside it, then?! I like the figures you chose to sit at the front, especially the one on the left with his arms folded!

 

It was a real masterstroke on Bachmann's part to produce that model I think and they did a lovely job of it. I can see me adding ScotRail and InterCity versions to WW at some point in the future.

 

Cheers

Dave

[Waverley West]

Wow! That looks like it will be a real beast when you put the body back on. I'd love to hear it if you can get a recording of it in action, Dave.

 

 

Sorry for the hijack Peter but hopefully this will interest you too. 

 

SRMan - here's a video of the 56 starting up and setting off...

[media]

I have a couple more to post which I'll put on my WW thread.

Cheers

Dave

Edited January 8, 2015 by Waverley West

[Marcus 37]

Some nice pics Marcus,

I was married by the time the class 37s were common on the Coast though did manage a couple of trips. One was with the wife she wanted to see Conwy Castle. We spent the night at Conwy and I managed a few pics plus 37/4 haulage from Birmingham International to Llandudno Jct and 31/4 haulage back to Chester on the way home.

 

Cheers Peter.

Nice photos Peter. Used to do that Birmingham Int regularly as I lived near Leamington at the time. Used to just jump onto one of the 47 hauled Cross Country trains to connect into it. Never really did that many 31 hauled trains unless they were out on a 37 diagram. Although I did manage 31423 one night all the way from Holyhead to New Street.

Lovely job on the Inspection saloon by the way. Looks good with the figures in the front.

Cheers

Marcus

[Gwiwer]

Oooooohhh ..... 31/4s on the cross-country routes remind me .......

 

Back when I worked on the railway in London I was seeing a lass from Leicester and was heading back to the Big Smoke one Sunday night as her folks didn't approve of sleepovers.  The St. Pancras HST and the Norwich - Birmingham were due in side by side and I was hoping the HST might be a bit late.  

 

It wasn't, and I was forced to offer a very weak excuse for not taking the direct London train and travelling behind the 31 to Birmingham instead.

 

I think it was at that point she realised I had more than an average interest in trains .............. and it turned out to be the last "social" visit I made to Leicester  

[Marcus 37]

On yes. Always best to break it to them gently that there's the slightest interest. You could always have told her you didn't like the first train as it goes to fast and gives you a nose bleed. You'll never get that problem with a 31!! HaHaHa

Did those Norwich's on a few occasions. 31 with load 6 was a bit of a stagger but the noise was entertaining.

As for letting the love of your life know you've got an interest in trains, I got let off lightly as I met my wife on the same Train drivers course. Job was a goodun!!!

[P.C.M]

Looking good mate.

No sign of the roundy roundy extension yet then!!! Lol

G

Hi Mate,

I did work out how it could be done a few years back but decided to keep it as a Terminus.

 

Cheers Peter.

[P.C.M]

Just one little thing Peter, will only take a minute. Just need to remove the 'A' from 45029s number.

Merf.

Thanks Merf,

I will do that, Do you have any idea what the letters mean?

 

Cheers Peter.

[P.C.M]

Lovely work on the Saloon Peter, it's a credit to your skill and attention to detail that makes Llanbourne a joy to read each day.

                                       Simon

Thanks Simon,

It's comments like yours that make it even more worth while.

 

Cheers Peter.

[P.C.M]

Luvverly Peter. You managed to get inside it, then?! I like the figures you chose to sit at the front, especially the one on the left with his arms folded!

 

It was a real masterstroke on Bachmann's part to produce that model I think and they did a lovely job of it. I can see me adding ScotRail and InterCity versions to WW at some point in the future.

 

Cheers

Dave

Thanks Dave,

I did manage to bend one handrail while taking the body off, it's a pretty tight fit. The bloke on the left is a Bachmann figure, I have another on at the table and one standing up but you can't really see them. It is a nice model.

 

Thanks for posting up the video too, That's a real beast.

 

Cheers Peter.

[P.C.M]

Nice photos Peter. Used to do that Birmingham Int regularly as I lived near Leamington at the time. Used to just jump onto one of the 47 hauled Cross Country trains to connect into it. Never really did that many 31 hauled trains unless they were out on a 37 diagram. Although I did manage 31423 one night all the way from Holyhead to New Street.

Lovely job on the Inspection saloon by the way. Looks good with the figures in the front.

Cheers

Marcus

Thanks Marcus,

That class 31 was the last haulage I had. At the time I think there was only the one booked 31 on the coast so thought I would get it in. 

 

Cheers Peter.

[St Enodoc]

Thanks Merf,

I will do that, Do you have any idea what the letters mean?

 

Cheers Peter.

Peter, starting from the end:

 

M = LMR or ex-LMS (other regions accordingly)

 

D = Departmental, i.e. not revenue-earning stock

 

No prefix = Civil Engineers

A = Mechanical and Electrical Engineers

C = BREL (e.g. works test trains)

K = Signalling & Telecommunications Engineers

L = M&EE Electrification Construction

R = Research

T = Traffic (Operations)

X = Stores

Z = Public Relations (e.g. exhibition trains)

 

No, I didn't do this from memory - they are from the TOPS/POIS Code Guide for Operating Staff, April 1986 (BR2489/51).

[P.C.M]

Peter, starting from the end:

 

M = LMR or ex-LMS (other regions accordingly)

 

D = Departmental, i.e. not revenue-earning stock

 

No prefix = Civil Engineers

A = Mechanical and Electrical Engineers

C = BREL (e.g. works test trains)

K = Signalling & Telecommunications Engineers

L = M&EE Electrification Construction

R = Research

T = Traffic (Operations)

X = Stores

Z = Public Relations (e.g. exhibition trains)

 

No, I didn't do this from memory - they are from the TOPS/POIS Code Guide for Operating Staff, April 1986 (BR2489/51).

Thanks John, If you had told me you had remembered it all I would have believed you.lol

 

Cheers Peter.

[P.C.M]

I have removed the A from the Inspection Saloon and pretty much finished 56070 today, I need to crack on the the MGRs now. 

 

Off out to a BBQ tonight so hopefully some pics tomorrow.

 

Cheers Peter.

[Gwiwer]

Nice work on the inspection saloon Peter.  You're a braver man than I am cracking into a fifty-quid coach that doesn't yield easily at first attempt!

 

ADB = as advised with the B being (as I was always told) simply "British" from British Railways.

[60091]

Hi Alan, You were probably like me in that you would try and buy what was cheaper.

 

Cheers Peter.

Hi Peter

.... Correct!  As a student, at that time, it was probably all down to price.We once worked out that it was over 20p per slide with Kodachrome - expensive.

Nice photos - as has been mentioned, interesting to see the 20 running with nose leading. They were never common while I was there regularly between 1979-85.

 

Jintymans' memory of the Deltic shunting parcels at 3am reminded me of them under the overall roof in Platform 3, on dark winter evenings, when they were working the semi fasts to Kings X.... a beautiful sound. 

 

Cheers

Alan

[60091]

Hi Jinty

 

I think me & my mates used the same B&B for 1983 class 40 Silver Jubilee tour York to Euston with pair of 40's.

Hi DIRTY DIESEL

The Silver Jubilee to Euston 1983.....

 

I was there...! A very early start IIRC...

Had many late nights on York... several times in the cab of the York-Shrewsbury TPO - keeping the driver company while the loco heated the stock for the PO staff.

For several years accomodation at York was never a problem - Haxby Road Nurses Home   ... The girlfriend was a trainee nurse in York at that time.

Sadly, by 1983 it was all over - so it was the last train from Hull via Selby and a few hours on the platform and in the buffet before the Silver Jubilee departed.    

 

Cheers

Alan

[Gwiwer]

 

 

We once worked out that it was over 20p per slide with Kodachrome - expensive.

 

Currently it's £1.50 a slide here (Australia, converting Dollars to Sterling) when you add the cost of film, developing and mounting together.  That's with Fuji Provia as Kodachrome is no longer available.  Using measuringworthcom to calculate the value of money over time that 20p in the early 1980s would now be worth around 80p.  So allowing for an upgrade to the film quality there is still a decent jump in real cost as well probably matching the reduction in market volume for slide photography.