Trip to Holyhead (Part 1: Crewe to Llandudno)

It had been some years since I'd been to Holyhead so on Saturday, 25th January 2014 I made a trip by train to see how the place had changed. When I left home, it was cold and dry but we'd had heavy rain during the night. The first bus of the day into Wolverhampton was on time so I was able to catch the 08:37 Virgin 'Voyager'. For the first part of the journey, I was re-tracing the route I described in the post A Trip to the Seaside (Part 2), when I visited Llandudno. The Virgin 'Voyager' delivered me to Crewe 'right time' and there was a connection to Chester within a few minutes. At Chester, I had over half an hour to wait for the Arriva service onward to Holyhead so I decided to explore the area around the station.

Chester

The station has an impressive range of elegant buildings in brick and stone built by the Chester and Holyhead Railway. Despite some modern depredations, I find the result pleasing.

Chester station buildings.

Immediately opposite the station is the large Queen Hotel (unusually, lacking the possessive in the name) which hints at a more gracious age. The long, straight road connecting the station to the city is called, logically enough, City Road and it has a multitude of hotels and boarding houses. Even on a cold and rather dull January morning, there seemed to be quite a few tourists emerging from their accommodation for a day sight-seeing. When I reached the bridge over the Shropshire Union Canal, I stopped and recorded the view looking east before returning to the station.

Chester: View of Shropshire Union Canal looking east. Left: Inevitable apartment development with Shot Tower behind, right: former Steam Mill.

I was a bit downhearted at "Mee Too" design of the apartment buildings on the left which could have been anywhere. I didn't realise until later that they formed part of the 'regeneration' of the old leadworks site, although I correctly identified the Shot Tower visible in the background.

I'd first learnt about Shot Towers (which manufacture lead shot for cartridges) in 1951 when I'd seen the Lambeth Shot Tower which was retained as part of the Festival of Britain South Bank site and converted to bounce radio signals off the Moon! After the Festival the Lambeth Shot Tower was demolished to make way for the concrete bunker of the Queen Elizabeth Hall which still disfigures the South Bank. The Chester Shot Tower is Grade II listed so may have better luck, although the appearance is rather spoilt by a 1971 lift shaft attached to the outside.

The Steam Mill is also Grade II listed and has been expensively converted into the Steam Mill Business Centre. There's an informative website on the Steam Mill Business Centre here.

I made my way back to the station in time for the 10:23 to Holyhead which was on time. This modest 2-coach train had started from Cardiff a little after six and, although it batted along between stations, because it stopped apparently at all stations it was a little after noon by the time we finally reached Holyhead.

Airbus UK, Broughton

Travelling on the 'seaward' side, I didn't see much of the Airbus UK plant at Broughton, next to Hawarden Airport. This plant produces wings for Airbus products. They were originally shipped by 'Super Guppy' aircraft to Toulouse for final assembly and I spotted one here some years ago. However, as the 'Super Guppy' aged and became uneconomical, Airbus introduced the Airbus Beluga. However, even the 'Beluga' cannot cope with the massive wings for the Airbus A380 and these (I discovered later) are shipped from the Port of Mostyn. Incidentally, I've described A380 flights in the posts Big Jet to Johannesburg and East Again!.

Connah's Quay Power Station

We followed the River Dee towards the sea, passing Connah's Quay Gas Power Station. Being more used to seeing coal or oil fired plants, with their attendant large cooling towers, the gas-powered version with Hybrid Cooling Towers looks rather strange. This time, when I returned home, I found out a bit more.

Connah's Quay Gas Power Station

This power station is operated by E-ON, who publish some information here. There's also a Wikipedia article here. The site runs on natural gas from the Liverpool Bay Field, generating electricity using Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGT). Hybrid Cooling Towers are used at Connah's_Quay. These reduce visible plume and need less water. The SPX site here has more information about Hybrid Cooling Towers.

Holywell Junction

The station here closed years ago but the imposing station building on the Down side survives and the signal box of the same name is still in use.

TSS 'Duke of Lancaster'

Since 1979, passengers between Holywell Jn. and Mostyn have had the curious sight of a large passenger ferry beached in a small creek in the grassy foreshore. The ship is getting rather scruffy now but has an interesting story which is told on the 'Duke of Lancaster' website. In 1956, TSS 'Duke of Lancaster' replaced an earlier ferry on the Heysham - Belfast route. On a recent visit to Heysham (described here), I was reminded that I'd seen the ferry at Heysham years ago, although I never sailed on her.

TSS 'Duke of Lancaster'.

Mostyn

Mostyn is recognisable by its port, but I can remember a time when there was also an iron and steel industry here, complete with one or two mechanised blast furnaces. Originally, 'Mostyn Quay', as it was then known, was operated by the Mostyn Coal and Iron Company. There's a short history in Wikipedia here. The colliery closed in 1884 after serious flooding but iron and steel making continued until 1965.

Mostyn Iron Works, around 1908, showing two hand-charged blast furnaces (Photo: Flintshire Record Office)

A quick search has not found much about the modernisation of the blast furnaces to the form I remember, but there's an interesting historical survey in the Flintshire Historical Society Publications which appears on the internet (in a slightly garbled form) here.

The Port of Mostyn has survived, and prospered, by adapting its services to modern needs. There's an informative website here.

It supports Offshore Windfarm construction and Operation & Maintenance projects. After initially serving as the base for the North Hoyle and Rhyl Flats schemes, it has gone on to cater for a number of other, larger, schemes. There's more information here.

The Port of Mostyn viewed from Mostyn Sea Wall, showing pre-assembly of towers for Wind Turbines.

The Port of Mostyn is also involved in delivering wings for the Airbus A380, which are too large to be flown by Airbus Beluga. The process is described here.

Point of Ayr Gas Terminal

The gas for Connah's_Quay comes ashore at Point of Ayr, and reaches the power station via a pipeline around 17 miles long. Wikipedia also have an article here on the Point of Ayr Gas Terminal. So, my ignorance is exposed (once again). What I though was a 'chemical plant' at Point of Ayr is actually the Gas Terminal where, I discover, the delightfully-named process called "gas sweetening" is carried out (see Amine gas treating). The Gas Terminal was built in 1994 near the site of the Point of Ayr Colliery. This deep mine was finally closed in 1996 but I remember seeing it on previous trips.

A hasty picture showing Point of Ayr Gas Terminal, partly obscured by trees.

The Holiday Resorts

We now passed through the string of holiday resorts which were so well-served by the railway in the days when few people had cars and foreign holidays for ordinary people were unheard of. We made brief stops at Prestatyn, Rhyl, Abergele (which I remember having railway Camping Coaches, almost on the beach) and Colwyn Bay. My favourite resort, Llandudno, remains served by a short branch line from Llandudno Junction.

Offshore Wind Farms

The sea off the North Wales Coast is becoming home to an increasing number of wind turbines. The North Hoyle and Rhyl Flats wind farms are clearly visible from the train.

Part of the Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm viewed from the train near Colwyn Bay.

Until I checked, I'd no idea just how many windmills are being built.


Click for larger view
Map of the Celtic Array Wind Farms.

The description of this journey beyond Llandudno Junction is continued in Trip to Holyhead (Part 2: Llandudno to Holyhead)

Related articles on other sites

Chester Shot Tower (Wikipedia).
Steam Mill Business Centre.
Connah's Quay Power Station (E-ON).
Connah's Quay Power Station (Wikipedia).
Point of Ayr Gas Terminal.

Related posts in this blog

A Trip to the Seaside (Part 2 (Describes a trip in 2011 along the North Wales Coast line to Llandudno)
Trip to Holyhead (Part 2: Llandudno to Holyhead) (Describes the second part of this trip).

My pictures

Chester.
North Wales Views.
North Wales Line (Crewe - Llandudno).

Stationery distribution to students in Bagan School

On 1st November 2013, Guests from the 'Road to Mandalay' river cruise ship accompanied Dr. Hla Tun to Bagan School, to distribute stationery to the 347 students in Grades 1 to 8. The Government originally provided a school covering Grades 1 to 5 only. In 2000, the 'Road to Mandalay' Social Contribution donated a building which catered for Grades 6, 7 and 8. The school is still supported by 'Road to Mandalay' and on the 1st November, the students received exercise books, rulers and pencils. Students also performed dances for their visitors.

On the 15th December, a similar visit was made with, of course, different Guests. On this occasion, the students received exercise books, pencils, sharpeners and erasers and, again, dances were performed for the visitors.

On the 1st November, the students received exercise books, rulers and pencils.

On the 15th November, students wearing Shan costume performed a Shan dance.

On 15th November, students in Myanmar costume perform a Myanmar dance.

There are a number of posts in this Blog on education support in Myanmar provided by the RTM Social Contribution with help from donors around the world. You can find them all here.

Bagan Medical Clinic: November 2013

This report is based on information from Doctor Hla Tun, who also supplied the photographs.

The Bagan Clinic treated 4,465 patients in November 2013, bringing the total number of treatments since the Clinic opened on 6th August 2011 to 88,167.

Treatment Summary

The table below summarises the number of treatments per month in 2013 and the total number of treatments since the clinic opened on August 6, 2011.

Month	Patients treated	Total treatments
February 2013	2,713	49,850
March 2013	2,713	49,850
April 2013	2,061	54,924
May 2013	3,303	58,227
June 2013	5,586	63,813
July 2013	6,079	69,892
August 2013	5,337	75,229
September 2013	4,826	80,055
October 2013	3,647	83,702
November 2013	4,465	88,167

Monthly notes

The 23 year old lady pictured below travelled from TaungTwinGyi (about 140 to 150 km from Bagan) by train, being unable to afford the fee using a truck. She suffered from anaemic heart failure and was treated by Dr. Hla Tun and then referred her to the Hospital for packed cell transfusion because of her pallor. She had brought her 7 month old daughter who was also sick with her but had left her 4 year old son at home. Her husband had left home to seek work one year previously and had not returned so she was accompanied by her elder brother to Bagan Clinic. Whilst in Bagan, she and her borther had offered her daughter to other patients for adoption. The Clinic made a donation for transportation and accommodation for hospitalization.

23 year old mother with her 7 month old daughter.

An 18 year old boy from ThaMinChan Village had had two previous operations to treat a fibrous growth of tissue on his right calf and foot but it was still growing larger. The patient's father explained that they had borrowed money with interest to make the journey to the Clinic. Doctor Hla Tun referred the patient to Hospital for further management and made a donation.

18 year old boy with a fibrous growth.

A 79 year old lady from SeikPhyu suffering from muscular weakness was the last but one patient seen by Dr. Hla Tun on December 6th (at twenty minutes before midnight). She was given tablets intended for chewing but she then explained that she'd had no teeth for over 12 years.

79 year old lady with muscular weakness.

The picture below shows the new clinic building under construction. There are plates for lunch on the tables and five drinking water pots filled on each clinic day by a donation from a local hotel.

The new clinic building under construction.

There are a number of posts in this Blog on medical support in Myanmar provided by the RTM Social Contribution with help from donors around the world. You can find them all here.

Review of the Year - 2013

Here we go with my eighth 'Review'. At the beginning of the year, we had snow which deterred me from being too adventurous so I was able to catch up with various posts - Preparing the locomotive 'Sapper', Working in India, Railway Signalling in Burma (included in the series of posts labelled Myanma-Railways).

OVERSEAS TRAVEL

Trip to Vietnam, Western Australia and Burma

On the 31st January, I set off on another Far East Trip. The complete set of trip reports can be found here.

Vietnam

I flew by Thai from Heathrow to Bangkok, then changed for a second Thai flight to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. I'd been to Ho Chi Minh City once before, in 2005, so I was happy to catch a Vietnam Airlines flight on to Da Nang, where a taxi met me and took me to Hoi An. I explored Hoi An in the evening and, the following day, toured the town with a guide, Than. We returned to Da Nang by car, making various visits, and then took the mountain road to Hue. I was invited to join a simple celebratory meal at a coffee shop up in the mountains - a delightful experience. That night, I stayed at the Hotel Saigon Morin in Hue. I went out exploring in the evening, returning by motor cycle taxi. Hue is very historic - we visited The Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda and returned by a 'Dragon Boat' on the Perfume River. After lunch at a small, popular cafe we visited two tombs of former kings at Khai Dinh and Tu Doc. Than invited me to his home where preparations for the New Year were in progress, then I had to leave to catch the evening flight to Hanoi where I was taken to my hotel, the Metropole. Then next day, my guide Joe showed me the teeming city. After an interesting visit to the 'Hanoi Hilton' prison (now a museum), we saw the outside of Ho Chi Mihn's mausoleum and the simple country-style house where he chose to live. We saw the 'Temple of Literature' and similar sights. In the afternoon, I went off on my own to look at the railway station (surprise!) and more of the city. In the evening, I was taken to see a Water Puppet Theatre show (no, I'd not heard of water puppets either, but the show was good). The following day, we drove to Halong Bay where I was to join one of the 200 hotel boats. There are also 300 day boats. Halong Bay was as interesting as the films I'd seen, but it's quite hard to get away from crowds of tourists. Fortunately, with the 2-night tour I was on, the second day was spent on a dayboat able to seek out quieter locations (and do some canoeing). On the final day, the Hotel Boat returned me to the mainland for the drive back to Hanoi and the Metropole Hotel. After a couple of hours, it was off to Hanoi airport for the evening flight to Bangkok.

Halong Bay, Vietnam.

Western Australia

Thai provided the night flight from Bangkok to Perth, arriving about 7.30 a.m. My last visit to Perth had been in 2007. My friend Keith met me and we went to his home, where I was staying. Later in the day, we went into Fremantle and I was glad that the pace was a little more relaxed than Vietnam. The next day, I went with Keith walking his dog, Sasha, quite early. Later, we went shopping. In the afternoon, we visited my friend Captain Myo Lwin and his wife, who are staying with their daughter and her husband at their home in Perth, following the arrival of their first grandchild, Wyatt. Next day, after dog walking, Keith took me to Cohunu Koala Park which is now open to the public. I drove one circuit of the 7.25-inch gauge railway, with the petrol-hydraulic locomotive 'Joan'. The following day, we were able to visit the Steam Museum in Fremantle, followed by the Shipwreck Museum. In the evening, we went to a Chinese restaurant. The next day was very hot so, after dog walking and a bit of shopping, Keith left me at a railway station so that I could explore by train. I took the train to Perth then made a journey to Midland and back, then a train to Fremantle. I visited the Matime Museum, watched the cruise ship 'Silversea Whisper' disgorge its tourists for a brief view of Fremantle and finally caught the train to Perth, changed and returned to my starting station where Keith picked me up. On my last day in Perth, there was time to look at Keith's latest locomotive in his well-equipped workshop before heading to the airport for the Thai flight to Bangkok. I'd been booked into the Novotel at Bangkok Airport. I only managed about 3 hours sleep before getting ready for the morning Thai flight to Yangon.

Jan and Kangaroo in Cohunu Koala Park, Western Australia.

Burma

On arrival at Yangon, I was met by my guide but the journey into the city took 90 minutes because of congestion. My hotel room was not ready so I walked to the station and caught the train to Da Nyn Gone. By the time I arrived back at the hotel, I was happy to relax for the rest of the day. The next day required an early start - I was to catch a domestic flight to Nyaung Oo. At Nyaung Oo I met another guide and we drove to Bagan and the Medical Centre. I met up with my friend Mr. Hla Tun then checked in at my nearby hotel whilst the Doctor was completing his work. After lunch in the Monastery, we loaded stationery into the car and set off for the school at Nga-Minn-May. After a tour of the school buildings, the Doctor and I presented stationery to all the pupils. We repeated the process at Chauk-Kan School. The following day, I explored the Pagodas of Bagan with my guide and driver. Next morning, I was taken by car to Nyaung Oo airport for the morning flight to Mandalay. At Mandalay, I was met by a new guide and driver and transferred to the Sedona Hotel where I'd stayed before.Low water on the Ayeyarwaddy meant that 'Road to Mandalay' would not reach Mandalay, but would anchor downstream at Myin Mu. After a good night's sleep I went with my guide and driver to Myin Mu, where we arrived a little before 'Road to Mandalay'. After spending a little time with the Doctor and other friends from the ship, the car took me to nearby Bodhi Tataung, home of 10,000 Buddha images. Then we went to the 167 metre tall standing Buddha, climbing to the 10th floor (higher floors had been closed temporarily). Next stop was the Thanboddhay Temple, boasting over half a million small Buddha images! Then back to Mandalay with a very early start the next day in order to catch the 4.00 a.m. train to Maymyo (which actually left at 6.17 a.m.). My guide and driver met up with me at Maymyo station and we made a visit to the Shwe Sin Minn girls' orphanage. We visited Pwe Kauk Waterfalls - 'touristy' but aimed at Burmese, not foreign tourists. We visited the impressive, modern Aung Htu Kan Tha shrine, returned to Maymyo and descended from the hills to Mandalay. The following morning, we went into the Sagaing Hills, with a short detour to look at the railway station at Ywa Taung. Returning to Mandalay, we met the 'Road to Mandalay' guests taking lunch at the Sedona Hotel, and I was able to spend a little more time with Doctor Hla Tun. The next morning, I was met by a young lady guide who had travelled from Yangon with a car and driver the previous day. We set off on the Highway going south (with a slight detour to look at Paleik station) and arrived at the new capital city, Naypyidaw. I was determined to find the railway museum but, after some delay, we arrived to find the museum closed. However, the guide found some people to open the museum for me. After photographing all I could in the museum, we found my hotel - the Aureum Palace Hotel where I had a pleasant semi-detached 'cottage'. Despite being tired, I agreed to go with my guide that evening to see the Uppatasanti Pagoda, which proved a fascinating visit, marred only by seeing the 'White Elephants' of Naypyidaw. The following morning, we continued south on the Highway to Yangon. When we arrived at the city, we diverted to the Tab Book Centre before checking into my hotel. I'd not intended to go out again but, being my last evening in Burma, couldn't resist going back to the station and walking east, eventually arriving at Pazundaung station. Tired and hot, I bought a ticket to travel back to Yangon Central station by rail. The next morning, I returned home via Bangkok.


The nuns who founded the Shwe Sin Minn girls' orphanage in Maymyo, Burma.

Trip to China and Tibet

On the 9th July, I set off on another trip East. The complete set of trip reports can be found here.

Tibet is now administered by China as the 'Tibetan Autonomous Region'. British Airways took me to Beijing, arriving on 10th July. Here, I was met and transferred by car to a Domestic Terminal, where I caught a flight to Xining. Once again, I was met and taken by road into the city, where I stayed one night. The following morning, there were various alarms in connection with my booking on the train to Lhasa but, eventually, everything was resolved. The journey to Lhasa is remarkable, not least because, at its highest point, the railway is some 15,000 feet above sea level (oxygen is available on the train). On arrival in Lhasa, I was met and taken to the very comfortable St. Regis Lhasa Resort. Next day, the 13th, I visited the famous Potala Palace and the Sera Monastery in Lhasa. On the Sunday, we went to Drepung Monastery, then onto Norbulingka - gardens and palace intended as a summer residence for the Dalai Lama. After lunch, we visited the revered Jokhang Temple. Next morning, we left Lhasa by road for Shigatse. The Chinese are currently extending the railway from Lhasa, the present terminus, to Shigatse - a major engineering task. Following lunch at the Songtsen Tibetan Restaurant, we visited the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. I was impressed by a hand-knotted carpet factory which is run on profit-sharing lines then it was on to the Shigatse Hotel to overnight. Next morning, we set off east, on a lesser-road to Gyangtse. It was hot by the time we arrived at Pelkor Chode Monastery. After touring the monastery itself, it took some time to explore the myriad chapels of the Great Stupa Kubum. We overnighted in the Gyangtse Hotel and next morning continued back towards Lhasa. the road passed adjacent to snow-capped mountains and there were prayer flags everywhere. We took lunch in the town of Nangartse before taking the road past Yamdrok Yumtso lake. This is a popular tourist stop but the majority of tourists were Chinese. I was booked in the St. Regis Lhasa Resort for my last night in Tibet, allowing me to explore the city on my own. I was picked up at 11.00 a.m. on Thursday 18th and taken to the modest airport which serves Lhasa. China Eastern flight MU2260 took me in comfort to Shanghai, where I was met and taken to my city-centre hotel. The contrast with Tibet could hardly have been greater. Shanghai is a huge, modern, confident city embracing the ways of the western world. On Friday, 19th, I'd arranged to visit the Railway Museum first then we visited the Jade Buddha Temple and a major showroom selling cultured pearls. There were more western tourists in that one showroom than I'd seen in the whole of my time in Tibet!

The Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet.

TRAVEL IN THE UK

During the year I made various trips (mainly by rail) to London, Manchester and other destinations. The trip to Ely described here was to see Ann receive her Degree. A trip to Morecambe and Heysham described here was to see how the places had changed since my previous visits.


Ann with Members of the 'Sealed Knot' in Ely Cathedral.

RAILWAYS

Railways, General

On 12th March 2013, volunteers from MOSI (the Museum in Manchester) had a fascinating visit 'Behind the Scenes' at Manchester Piccadilly Station arranged by Adrian. The full report is here.

On 11th April, through the courtesy of Orient Express, I was able to visit Stewarts Lane and walk through the luxurious 'British Pullman'. The full report is here.

On 17th June, there was another meeting at Brewood of the informal group of enthusiasts with particular interest in railways in the West Midlands. There's a report on the meeting here. During the year, the group shared many questions and responses by e-mail, encouraging me to post:-

Catchem's Corner Signal Box.
Life in the Signal Box.

Railways in the UK

I still use what remains of our national railway network for getting around and this will often prompt me to write about the network as it is or as I remember it:-

Liverpool Lime Street Station.
Clapham Junction Station.
Victoria Station, London.
Waterloo Station, London.
Edge Hill, Liverpool.
The Liverpool Overhead Railway.
'Black 5' to Birmingham.
Day Trip to Ely.
'Flying Scotsman'.
Railways around Edge Hill in 2013
A Busy Week.
The Mersey Docks and Harbour Board.
Early Days of the Mersey Railway.
Crewe South Junction Signal Box ('Crewe' All Electric System).
Crewe North Junction ('Crewe' All Electric System).
The Buxton Branch.
Railways around Morecambe.

Clapham Junction.

Railways in China and Tibet

The set of 17 trip reports here includes some 'railway technical' content and links to my railway pictures. The two posts below describe my journey on the QingHai - Tibet Railway:-

The Train to Lhasa – Part 1.
The Train to Lhasa – Part 1.

On the QingHai - Tibet Railway.

Railways in Burma

During my trip to Burma described above, I used the railway from Mandalay to Pyin-Oo-Lwin and made more journeys on Yangon's Circle Line. In addition, I visited Myanma Railway Museum and various stations by road. You can find all my posts on railways in Burma here.

Bo-Bo-Bo locomotive DF2048 at Mandalay Station, prior to hauling my train to Maymyo.

RAILWAY PRESERVATION

During 2013, I remained Secretary of the Old Locomotive Committee and an active volunteer at MOSI, The Battlefield Line and Peak Rail. I also met the Trustees of the Ashover Light Railway Society, described here.

The Old Locomotive Committee

Once again, the OLCO Annual General Meeting was held in Liverpool Museum. There's a report here. Other commitments meant that I was unable to attend the 'Lionsmeet' gathering in 2013. You can find all my posts about OLCO here.

The 'Lion', now 'caged' in Liverpool Museum.

MOSI

During the year, I had various operating 'turns' at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, some of which resulted in a blog post:-

Saturday Steam
Easter Week at MOSI.
A Saturday in Manchester.
Manchester Mini Maker Faire 2013.
Another Saturday in Manchester.

'Agecroft No. 1' with the visiting 'North London' coach at MOSI.

The 'Planet' replica celebrated 21 years of service in 2013. That prompted a few posts:-

The Planet Replica.
'Planet' at MOSI - The First 21 Years.
'Planet' in Perspective.
Loco-profile 6: 'Planet' replica.
Happy Birthday 'Planet'!.

The Battlefield Line

During the year, I had a number of turns on the diesel railcar and a couple of steam turns:-

Sunday Diesel
Easter at Shackerstone
Battlefield Line 1940s Weekend
Midweek at the Battlefield Line.
Santa at Shackerstone.

At Easter, two visiting engines were in traffic - the Drummond 'T9' and a Beattie 'Well Tank'.

Peak Rail

I was a fairly regular driver at Peak Rail during the year. In March, the 'Blazing Saddles' event featured two-train working and no less than five 'Austerity' tank locomotives in steam. In April, the 'Peak Forester' steam charter visited, hauled by 'Tangmere'. The popular '1940s Weekend' took place in August and, of course, there was heavy demand for the 'Santa' Trains in December. In addition to these highlights, trains were operated throughout the year, top-and-tailed between Rowsley and Matlock Town until the introduction of the Winter Timetable when 'Lord Phil' worked the service unaided between Rowsley and Matlock Riverside, running round at each end.

Blazing saddles.
Easter at Peak Rail.
The 'Peak Forester'.
A Sunday in the Peak District.
Peak Rail 1940s Weekend.
A Heavy Load.
Vintage Commercial Vehicles at Peak Rail.
Winter Timetable at Peak Rail.
Peak Rail 'Santa' Trains 2013.

The Down 'Peak Forester' approaching Church Lane Signal Box.

BREWOOD HALL

While the snow was on the ground in January, Brewood Scouts visited for a traditional snowball event which I called 'The Battle of Brewood'. August saw a very successful Vintage Garden Party in the gardens at Brewood Hall which is set to be repeated in 2014. In September, groups of visitors people were taken on a conducted tour of the principal rooms at Brewood Hall. During the year, a new set of aerial views of Brewood Hall were produced commercially.

The Battle of Brewood.
Brewood Vintage Garden Party 2013.
Conducted Tours of Brewood Hall.
Aerial Photography showing Brewood Hall.

Fun in the Snow at Brewood Hall.

'ROAD TO MANDALAY' SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION

For a number of years, I've tried to support the charitable initiatives operated under the above name in Burma. When I visit Burma, I try to see as much as possible of the work in hand. When I'm in the U.K., I receive regular e-mails about the work which (with permission) I report in my blog. The work is principally Educational Support and Medical Relief (centred on the wonderful Bagan Medical Clinic). You can find my posts on Educational Support here and those on Medical Relief here.

Distributing stationery at Nga-Minn-May School, Burma.

PREVIOUS ANNUAL REVIEWS

2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006

Walsall by Rail

When I was young, there was a steam-hauled 'Push-Pull' service directly between Wolverhampton and Walsall. With dieselisation, the service progressively deteriorated in frequency until direct services were withdrawn altogether. A few years ago, a limited direct service from Wolverhampton to Walsall using Class 323 EMU was introduced but passenger numbers were disappointing and this, too, was withdrawn.

The railway route was always in competition with road transport for passengers. In the 1950s, both Wolverhampton and Walsall operated electric trolley buses. Wolverhampton's green and yellow buses alternated with Walsall's pale blue buses on the Wolverhampton to Walsall route. Of course, the "trollies" were eliminated in favour of diesel buses.

Development of the railways around Walsall

The South Staffordshire Railway was formed in 1846 to connect Walsall with Lichfield and construct associated branches. The Grand Junction Railway line, opened in 1837, had been built to link Birmingham (at one end of the London and Birmingham Railway) with Earlestown (at the midpoint of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway). This was the start of Britain's railway network. By 1847, Walsall was linked to the Grand Junction at Bescot. Two years later, the line to Lichfield and Wychnor Junction came into operation, followed by a branch to Cannock ultimately extended to Rugeley where it made a connection with the L&NWR Trent Valley Line. In 1879, the Midland Railway opened a line from Castle Bromwich (on the Birmingham - Derby line) to Wolverhampton and triangular junctions accessed the South Stafford Line at Ryecroft Junction, just north of Walsall station.

Railways to Walsall in the 1950s

The railways around Walsall always impressed me - between Pleck Junction and Ryecroft Junction there were four running lines and extensive sidings. Pleck Junction controlled three diverging routes (Bescot on the Grand Junction, the South Stafford line to Dudley and Darlaston on the Grand Junction). Ryecroft Junction controlled no less than four diverging routes (Wolverhampton via the Midland line, the line to Cannock and Rugeley, the line to Lichfield and Wychnor Junction and Sutton Park and Castle Bromwich via the Midland Line). At a Railway Group Session at Brewood in June 2013, Keith had shown his presentation 'Black Country Railways from the Air' which included the picture below showing Walsall station in steam days.

A screenshot from Keith's presentation showing Walsall station, with its round booking hall.

I'm old enough to remember the distinctive large, round booking hall at Walsall station which is clearly visible in the above picture. It had become very shabby in its latter days (like most of our railway system post-war) and was demolished to create the Saddlers Shopping Centre which opened in 1980. I particularly remember the mechanical signalling and the impressive signal gantries that were needed to control the many routes through Walsall. There were two routes regularly used by trains between Birmingham New Street and Walsall (via the Soho Road line and via Aston) and I've listed the signal boxes which controlled these routes below.

Signal boxes between New Street and Walsall, via Soho Road line:

Birmingham New Street No. 5
Sheepcote Lane
Monument Lane
Harborne Jn.
Winson Green Jn.
Soho East Jn.
Soho Road
Handsworth Jn.
Perry Barr North Jn.
Great Barr
Newton Road
Newton Jn.
Bescot No. 1
Bescot No. 2
Bescot No. 3
Pleck Jn.
Walsall No. 1
Walsall No. 2
Walsall No. 3

Signal boxes between Perry Barr North and New Street, via Aston:

Perry Barr Station Junction
Witton Goods
Aston No. 2
Aston No. 1
Vauxhall
Proof House Jn.
Birmingham New Street No. 1

You can find detailed signal box diagrams of all the above signal boxes in the Signalling Record Society publication 'British Railways Layout Plans of the 1950's - Volume 11: LNW Lines in the West Midlands (excluding Trent Valley Line)' (ISBN: 1 873228 13 9).

I'd become familiar with the line through Bescot and Aston in the 1950s, briefly described in the post 9:17 a.m. to Birmingham. In the post My First Steam Special, I summarised a trip from New Street to Walsall via the Soho Road Line in 1960 behind the preserved Midland Compound '1000', on our way to Stoke. By July 1962, modernisation was well in hand and I described a roundabout trip to Stafford via Walsall in the post A Sunday Stroll to Stafford.

Railways to Walsall in recent times

In the 1960s, all the above signal boxes were abolished, first with the introduction of Walsall Power Box at Pleck Junction (provided with 'Westpac' modular interlocking and an 'NX' signalling panel) in 1965, then, the following year, with the commissioning of the Birmingham New Street Power Signal Box (similarly equipped with Westinghouse equipment). The striking architectural design of the New Street signal box has led to the building being Listed Grade II in 1995 (listing details).

Birmingham New Street Signal Box

During 2013, Walsall Power Box was, in turn, made redundant and control is now from the West Midlands Signalling Centre at Saltley.

The part-commissioned West Midlands Signalling Centre, Saltley, Birmingham now controls Walsall area.

To see what remains in 2013, refer to 'Railway Track Diagrams Book 4: Midlands & North West', Third Edition, published by Trackmaps (ISBN: 978-0-9549866-7-4).

A trip to Walsall in January 2014

Provided you're in no hurry, it's still possible to go from Wolverhampton to Walsall by train, using the Stour Valley Line from Wolverhampton to Birmingham New Street, changing there to a Walsall train. On Saturday, 11th January 2014, I decided to do just that.

I arrived at Wolverhampton station in time to see an Arriva Trains Wales DMU depart for Birmingham. A few minutes later, I boarded the following well-loaded Cross-Country 'Voyager' from Manchester which would take the Bristol line after Birmingham New Street. Following on the heels of the earlier DMU, we suffered a signal check on the way and then stood for a couple of minutes in New Street North Tunnel.

The 'Way out' signs at Birmingham's 'half-rebuilt' station were very confusing but I made my way to the concourse and decided that platform 5 offered a DMU to Rugeley via Walsall.

The rebuilt concourse at the 'half-rebuilt' Birmingham New Street Station.

There was already a Wolverhampton EMU in one end of platform 5 and, after a few minutes, a train arrived from New Street South Tunnel and stopped behind the EMU, discharging a heavy load of passengers. This train claimed to be from Rugeley but the waiting passengers were warned not to board - I don't know why - because, a few minutes later, the Passenger Information Display screens decided we were to board for Rugeley. I noticed that there are now two public address systems giving passenger announcements, one with a female voice, one with a male. I didn't find the two message streams easy to follow, I'm afraid.

The arriving train had clearly been routed via Aston but the unit did not reverse so as to retrace the same route. Rather, once the Wolverhampton EMU had left, we followed in the same direction, receiving a number of single yellow and double yellow signals before branching right at Winson Green to take the Soho Road line to Perry Barr.

At Perry Barr, we joined the Grand Junction line, always called 'The Old Road' once the Stour Valley Line was opened. This is the limit of New Street Power Box control area - beyond here, control is now from the West Midlands Signalling Centre at Saltley. A tall aqueduct leads the Tame Valley Canal over the railway. The canal was not built until 1844 so the railway got here first! We stopped at Tame Bridge Parkway - a modern invention dating from 1990 described by Wikipedia here.

We passed the large marshalling sidings at Bescot with both Down and Up sides provided with Hump Yards for dealing with the formation of single wagon loads into complete trains. The Down Hump Yard was fully automated in the 1960s, around the time British Railways abandoned the idea of being a 'full service' freight operator accepting single wagon loads and concentrated on 'block loads'. The line to Walsall diverges to the right and plunges under the elevated M6 motorway, where the remains of the abandoned route to Bescot Curve Junction and the South Stafford Line are visible. At Pleck Junction, the truncated South Stafford line to Dudley is now arranged as a siding with run-round. The line from Darlaston Junction joined on our left, we passed the Network Rail Training Centre and came to a stand in platform 1 at Walsall, where I alighted. Looking north, the short Park Street Tunnel was as gloomy as I remember but, of course, Walsall No. 3 signal box which was sited in the tunnel is long gone.

Park Street Tunnel viewed from platform 1. Note the new signal, controlled from the West Midlands Signalling Centre. The control code 'DR' stands for 'Droitwich - Ryecroft'!

After a brief stop, my DMU departed for Rugeley on what is now marketed as 'The Chase Line'. Within a few minutes, a Class 70 on a container train followed.

Bescot end of Walsall station showing a Class 70 with a container train. Note the new signals on the Up Fast, Platform 3 and Platform 2 (showing double yellow for a DMU which will shortly depart for Birmingham).

I wandered around Walsall town for a while. Although it retains a fairly traditional open market, the actual shopping areas feature the usual high street names which make one town indistinguishable from any other. I found the Saddler Shopping Centre as depressing as I expected so I hurried back to the station to catch the next EMU to Birmingham, so as to return to Birmingham by a different route.

After re-tracing my outward route as far as Perry Barr North Junction (noting with delight that the station building on the Up platform at Hamstead is still the L&NWR standard pattern wooden building), we continued on the Grand Junction Route. The line from Lichfield joined on our left at Aston (this line, also electrified, forms one end of the 'Cross-City Line').

Aston North Junction, showing converging line from Lichfield. Note the elevated M6 motorway in the background.

The four-track section from Aston towards Birmingham is now two track (with the remains of the former Goods Lines). After pausing at Duddeston Station (which used to be called Vauxhall and Duddeston), we passed the Aston Signalling Control Centre which controls the Lichfield Line beyond Aston. The building is a composite B.R. signal box design which used to be Vauxhall Signal Box and, more recently, Vauxhall Shunt Frame. At Proof House Junctions, we croseds to the Down Stour and were soon running into platform 6 at New Street. Although my train would continue All-stations to Wolverhampton, it was booked to stand for about 15 minutes first, so I found an earlier departure to complete my journey back to Wolverhampton.

Related articles on other sites

Grand Junction Railway (Wikipedia).
South Staffordshire Line Website.
Walsall Railway Station (Wikipedia).
Trolleybuses in Wolverhampton (Wikipedia).
Trolleybuses in Walsall (Wikipedia).

Related posts in this blog

9:17 a.m. to Birmingham.
My First Steam Special.
A Sunday Stroll to Stafford.

My pictures

West Midland Railways

Railways around Blackpool

I've always been fond of Blackpool. Whilst it lacks the elegance of some British seaside resorts, it has an energy that appeals to me. It also has a tramway system and, when I was young, two large terminal stations both with excursion platforms to handle heavy railway traffic in the season.

There's a brief description of a trip I made by train in 1957 in the post Halfex to Blackpool, when the return fare was 14 shillings (70p) and the journey took 2 hours 40 minutes.

Over the years, I've been back to Blackpool a number of times and my latest trip was on Friday, 3rd January 2014, described briefly in the post A Trip to the Seaside. In 2014, the return fare was £52.00 and, despite a change at Preston each way and with some station stops because I was travelling on normal service trains, the journey was around 20 minutes faster than in 1957.

In 2014, a DMU leaves Blackpool North, with Blackpool North No. 2 signal box in the background.

Development of Railways from the Fylde Peninsula to Preston

The first railway from Preston to the Fylde Peninsula was opened by the Preston and Wyre Railway in 1840. It went to Fleetwood, via Kirkham and Poulton-le-Fylde. This aided the development of Fleetwood as a resort, as a ferry port and as a fishing port. In 1846 a branch was constructed from Poulton to a station which became known as Blackpool Talbot Road (renamed Blackpool North in 1932). The Blackpool line joined the Fleetwood line via a severe curve and, following a serious derailment in 1693, the layout at Poulton was completely re-designed to improve the alignment of the Blackpool route. Also in 1846, another branch opened from Kirkham to Lytham. By 1874, the separate railway from Lytham to Blackpool had been joined to the Kirkham to Lytham branch, providing a roundabout route to Blackpool following the coast which ended at a well-situated terminus appropriately called Blackpool (Central).

The growth of tourist traffic led to four running lines being provided from Kirkham North Junction to Preston, paired by use, in 1889. Even on the four track sections, congestion was a problem and additional signal boxes were installed with running signals and either no points or just emergency trailing crossovers as a means of 'shortening the block', allowing trains to follow one another more closely. The circuitous route from Kirkham North Junction to Blackpool Central limited capacity, so a 'New Line' was built in 1903, running in a virtually straight line from Kirkham North Junction to a junction at Blackpool South No. 3 from where four running lines were provided to Blackpool Central. Four running lines were also provided through Poulton-le-Fylde station.

Approach to Blackpool Central Station in 1921 (Photo: N.R.M.)

Blackpool (and Fleetwood) to Preston in the 1950s

In the 1950s, the routes were controlled by semaphore signals, manual signal boxes (of Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway pattern) and Absolute Block working. The signal boxes on the various lines are listed below.

Fleetwood Branch:

Fleetwood
Wyre Dock Station
Wyre Dock Jn.
Wyre Power Station
Burn Naze North
Burn Naze South
Thornton Cleveleys
Tarn Gates L.C.
Poulton No. 5

Blackpool North to Preston:

Blackpool North No. 3
Blackpool North No. 2
Blackpool North No. 1
Layton
Carleton L.C.
Poulton No. 4
Poulton No. 3
Poulton No. 2
Poulton No. 1
Singleton
Singleton Bank
Weeton
Bradkirk
Kirkham North Junction
Kirkham
Kirkham South Junction
Treals
Spen Lane
Salwick No 2
Salwick No 1
Constable Lane
Lea Road
Ashton
Maudland Viaduct

Blackpool Central to Kirkham (via Lytham):

Blackpool Central
Spen Dyke
Bloomfield Road
Blackpool South No. 3
Blackpool South No. 1
Squires Gate
St. Annes
Lighthouse Intermediate Block Signals
Ansdell
Lytham
Lytham Goods Yard
Warton
Moss Side
Wrea Green

Blackpool South No. 3 to Kirkham (via New Line):

Blackpool South No. 2
Watsons Lane Bridge
Marton
Plumpton
Bradkirk

You can find detailed diagrams for these signal boxes in the 1950s in the excellent series of publications from the Signalling Record Society 'British Railways Layout Plans of the 1950's' - 'Volume 5: ex-Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Lines in West Lancashire' (ISBN: 1 873228 04 X).

Blackpool to Preston in recent times

As car and coach travel grew, the demand for trains reduced. The impressive railway infrastructure which had allowed large numbers of passengers to be transported was either reduced or abandoned. The direct line from Kirkham North Junction to Blackpool Central was abandoned (apart from around one mile at the Kirkham end which was retained as a Tip Siding). The M55 motorway was built on the rest of the trackbed. At Blackpool, destruction of Blackpool Central station and its extensive sidings in 1964 released significant real estate for commercial redevelopment or (the ultimate irony) road vehicle parking.

The branch from Kirkham to Lytham and Blackpool was cut back to Blackpool South in 1970 and, from 1982, a single uninviting windswept platform has terminated a singled line from Kirkham operated as a 'long siding'.

In 1966, Fleetwood station was closed but a passenger service continued to operate to Wyre Dock until 1970. The branch from Poulton was then used by freight trains as far as the chemical works at Burn Naze. Today, the whole branch is 'Out Of Use'.

The L&Y island platform, canopy and brick station buildings at Poulton-le-Fylde have been triumphantly restored (apologies for the reflections).

Double track remains from Blackpool North through Poulton and Kirkham (which retains a short section of four-track line) to Preston. The remaining signal boxes are listed below.

Blackpool North No. 2
Carleton L.C.
Poulton No. 3
Kirkham North Junction
Salwick

I visited Salwick box some years ago. It served as a 'fringe' box to Preston Power Signal Box with Track Circuit Block working to Preston and (I think) to Kirkham. I believe the signal boxes further north still use Absolute Block working - they certainly retain upper-quadrant semaphore signals. However, this line is being electrified at 25 kV a.c. and by 2016 these few signal boxes will be abolished. On my trip in 2014, work was in hand raising a number of overbridges to provide clearance for the overhead lines.

The L&Y signal box at Kirkham North Jn. is just recognisable despite significant alteration but the heavy-duty landing allowing access to the windows seems rather over-kill.

To see what remained on my visit in 2014, refer to 'Railway Track Diagrams Book 4: Midlands & North West', Third Edition, published by Trackmaps (ISBN: 978-0-9549866-7-4).

Book References

[1] 'A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume 10 The North West by Geoffrey O. Holt, published by David & Charles (ISBN 0-946537-34-8).
[2] 'Rails to the Lancashire Coast' by Richard Kirkman and Peter van Zeller, published by Dalesman Books (ISBN: 1 85568 027 0).
[3] 'Railways to the Coast' by Michael H. C. Baker, published by Patrick Stephens (ISBN 1-85260-058-6).
[4] 'Lost Railways of Lancashire' by Gordon Suggitt, published by Countryside Books (ISBN 1 85306 801 2).
[5] 'Railways of the Fylde' by Barry McLoughlin, published by Carnegie Publishing,1992 (ISBN 0-948789-84-0).

Related articles on other sites

Preston and Wyre Joint Railway (Wikipedia).
Blackpool North Railway Station (Wikipedia).
Blackpool North (National Rail.
Blackpool tramway (Wikipedia).

Related posts in this blog

Halfex to Blackpool.
A Trip to the Seaside.
Track Sketch: Fleetwood.

My pictures

Blackpool Trams.
Blackpool's Railways.
Railways around Preston.

[Reference [5] added 12-Feb-2014]

A Trip to the Seaside

High tides and high winds, particularly affecting the west coast of England - what better time to choose for a quick trip to Blackpool by rail? On Friday, 3rd January 2014 I decided to visit Blackpool again, using the Virgin 'Pendolino' service from Wolverhampton to Preston, changing to a Diesel Multiple Unit for the onward leg to Blackpool (North).

On arrival in Blackpool, there was certainly strong wind and occasional rain squalls but the sun came out and it was quite pleasant. I walked towards the promenade along Talbot Road, pausing in Talbot Square to look at the Town Hall, built in 1900. I joined the promenade near the North Pier (Blackpool still retains its three piers) and the sea was rougher than I've seen before at Blackpool.



One of the modern trams built by Bombardier passed me and, spotting the 'Fleetwood' destination, I chased after it to the nearby tram stop and boarded for the 8-mile journey to Fleetwood. It was my first trip on the re-furbished tram system which re-opened in 2012 and I was impressed by the new trams. The older trams which I remember still operate in the season from special 'Heritage Tram' stops.

The weather was a bit wild in Fleetwood but I still enjoyed wandering around the town, taking a few photographs. The aerial picture below (taken a few years ago) gives a good impression of the town. The Stena Line ferry service to Northern Ireland (visible at the bottom of the picture) was withdrawn in 2010.


Fleetwood: The Stena Line service to Northern Ireland was withdrawn in 2010. (Photo: 'Life in Fleetwood'/Urbed).
Click for larger image

The elegant designs of the architect Decimus Burton still grace the town but more modern developments have not been helpful. Fleetwood enjoyed a period of prosperity as a seaside resort and ferry port. The first railway from Preston served Fleetwood but when additional branches to Blackpool were built, Fleetwood became overshadowed by its southern neighbour as a holiday resort.

Queen's Terrace, Fleetwood. Designed by Decimus Burton and completed in 1844.

With the development of the Wyre Dock, Fleetwood became home to the third largest fishing fleet in the country. With membership of the EEC and as countries like Iceland extended their fishing limits, the Fleetwood fishing fleet was decimated. The history of fishing in Fleetwood is described passionately here in an article forming part of the excellent Fleetwood Maritime Heritage Trust site. In 1970 the railway to Fleetwood was closed and nothing now remains of the railway station. The station area was eventually re-developed as the Stena Line ferry port but that, too, was lost in 2010.

I returned to Blackpool by tram. We passed lots of people walking on the cliff top and they all seemed to be taking pictures of the angry seas. Approaching North Pier, the line descends to a lower promenade level and water was breaking over the promenade as the waves pounded the sea wall. Trams had stopped running further south to Starr Gate, presumably because of conditions along the front.

Once away from the sea front, the weather wasn't bad and I spent some time exploring Talbot Road and recording the existing mechanical railway signalling at Blackpool (North), as this will be replaced under a project in hand to electrify the line from Preston.

Then I joined a Diesel Multiple Unit heading to Manchester Airport as far as Preston, where I changed for a through service back to Wolverhampton.

Related articles on other sites

Blackpool (Wikipedia).
Fleetwood (Wikipedia).
'Life in Fleetwood'.
Fleetwood Think Piece (Urbed).

My pictures

Blackpool and Fleetwood.
Blackpool Trams.
Blackpool's Railways.
Railways around Preston.