Cambrian Coast Trip
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| Merddin Emrys on the 16:00 Porthmadog - Blaenau Ffestiniog service on Cei Mawr embankment. Geoff Morris |
On Tuesday June 23rd, 7 members gathered at Chester for a circular trip taking in the Cambrian line from Shrewsbury to Porthmadog returning via the Ffestiniog Railway to Blaenau Ffestiniog and then the Conwy Valley line to Llandudno Junction. It was quite an early start which might explain why one of our members arrived at the station and then realised that he had left his bag (which contained his camera, sandwiches, flask etc.) on the kitchen table ! Fortunately “Bagless Bob” (as was referred to for the rest of the day) had remembered his wallet !
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| You don't get brass much shinier than this (Yeo's dome).. Geoff Morris |
Our first leg took us to Shrewsbury (via Wrexham) in a class 158 on a Holyhead - Maesteg service. The air conditioning on this unit was not working and we had to ask the guard to open the emergency ventilators - it as already hot and would turn into one of the hottest days of the year so far. At Shrewsbury we had a very short wait before fighting our way into a packed class 158 on a Birmingham - Aberystwyth service. Again the air conditioning was not working but at least the ventilators were already open. Just after leaving Shrewsbury one of Network Rail's ERTMS-fitted Class 37s (now renumbered 97301) was noted parked outside the small servicing shed at Coleham (opposite the site of the old steam depot).
The Cambrian line is no longer a rural byway and we often ran at higher speeds than we had between Chester & Shrewsbury. For example we stopped in Welshpool just 20 minutes after leaving Shrewsbury (a 19¾ miles journey) . There was evidence of some double track being reinstated west of Welshpool. After crossing a slightly late-running eastbound service at Talerddig we alighted at Machynlleth only a few minutes late. Once the unit had departed for Aberystwyth another class 158 shunted into the platform to form the Pwllheli connection and so there was no time to inspect the new servicing shed for the class 158s (which run all scheduled services on the line) that has been built at the west end of the yard behind the station building.
A substantial crowd had joined the class 158 (again we had to ask for the emergency ventilators to be opened ) at Machynlleth and by the time we reached Towyn just about every seat was occupied. We crossed another 158 here before the spectacular run along the cliffs that precede the descent to the Mawddach estuary. The weather was superb giving clear views across Cardigan Bay to the Lleyn Peninsula. Around this point Chris commented that the superb weather was making up for the deluge we had suffered on our October trip to Porthmadog. I told him not to speak too soon ......
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| Crowds prepare to join the 11:00 to Pwllheli at Machynlleth. Gordon Davies |
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| Some of the RCTS party enjoy the sunny weather in the open coach on the Fairbourne. Geoff Morris |
We alighted at Fairbourne and crossed the road to the Fairbourne Railway. This is a 12¼“ line whose steam locos resemble engines based on other narrow gauge locos. Train services were being operated by Yeo (a Lynton & Barnstaple tank loco) and diesel loco Gwril was standing in the station area. We were allowed into the loco shed where Beddgelert (a NWNGR loco) and Sherpa (a Darjeeling loco) were stabled. Russell (a WHR loco), which had recently completed an overhaul, was in the Paint Shop and could not be viewed.
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| Yeo shunts on to the 12:30 departure from Fairbourne. Geoff Morris |
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| Fairbourne station with Lynton & Barnstaple outline loco . Geoff Morris |
The line is 2 miles long and runs from Fairbourne to Penrhyn Point. The one-way journey takes nearly 20 minutes and a ferry operates from here across the estuary to Barmouth. There is a balloon loop at Penrhyn although the loco runs around the train here and returns along the same (southern) half of the balloon - drifting sand made it difficult to keep the northern half of the balloon clear and so it has effectively been abandoned although the track is still in situ. Just after we arrived at Penrhyn we had a big (unexpected) bonus in the shape of 97301 heading slowly north (light engine) across Barmouth Bridge !!.
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| 158826 arrives at Fairbourne on the 13:00 Machynlleth - Pwllheli. Geoff Morris |
Back at Fairbourne we joined the next service to Pwllheli and met the eighth member of our party who had opted out of the Fairbourne in favour of a later start (from Crewe). This time we struck lucky with a unit with functioning air conditioning ! This was the least crowded unit of the day so far although we knew that at Harlech we would provide a service for the local Comprehensive School. When we left here the train was full and the noise level had increased substantially ! However everyone was pretty well behaved. Most of the children left at Penrhyndeudraeth and it was a lot quieter on the section from Minffordd to Porthmadog. A Double Fairlie could be seen in the distance crossing the Cob on the last stage of its journey to Porthmadog. However storm clouds had gathered and just before we stopped at Porthmadog (where we had to alight) the heavens opened - I‘d told Chris not to speak too soon !!
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| 97301 departs Porthmadog (for Shrewsbury) in a downpour. Geoff Morris |
97301 was waiting to cross our service at Porthmadog but most of us were far more concerned about getting into the platform shelter to escape the downpour . Fortunately the worst of the rain passed fairly quickly and so we still had about an hour to get to Harbour station for the Ffestiniog train to Blaenau. Some of us visited the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway (as it is now known to distinguish it from the railway operating from Caernarfon) where both the cafe and bookshop are well worth a visit. We then made our way across to Harbour station where Double Fairlie Merddin Emrys was waiting on a 9 coach train for Blaenau which was quite well-filled when we left. Blanche was in steam in the yard at Boston Lodge and we crossed Double Fairlie David Lloyd George at Minffordd. The Purple Moose Snowdonia Ale served from the buffet car went down very nicely !
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| Merddin Emrys at the Ffestiniog Railway terminus at Porthmadog, shunting on to the 16:00 departure for Blaenau Ffestiniog. Gordon Davies |
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| Merddin Emrys takes water after arrival at Blaenau: the storm clouds gather in the background. Geoff Morris |
At Blaenau we (along with about 20 other passengers) crossed to the Network Rail platform to await the Conwy Valley service. It was dry when we arrived but storm clouds were gathering over the mountains and a few minutes before a class 150 arrived the heavens opened once more. An uneventful journey got us to Llandudno Junction where we had about a 15 minutes wait for a 3-car class 175 (whose air conditioning was functioning splendidly - as it normally does with this class) which took us back to Chester, where we had caught up with the tail of yet another storm. Despite the occasional downpour, and despite the fact that we had not seen that many trains, everyone had a good time. Hopefully we will get a completely dry day the next time we venture into North Wales !
Geoff Morris
30/6/09
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| 97301 crosses the Mawddach estuary at Barmouth on a light engine run from Shrewsbury to Pwllheli. Gordon Davies |
26/07/09