25-Nov-2023: Wolverhampton-Birmingham International (return)
The 'Lion' supporters group 'The Old Locomotive Committee' (OLCO) took a stand at the Warley National Model Railway Exhibition on 25th and 26th November held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC). There are a few random pictures of the event here which may trigger a post at some point. To reach the Exhibition on Saturday 25th November, I travelled with John H. and Geoff H. from Wolverhampton to Birmingham International to man the OLCO Stand. The outward journey was by TfW Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU), rather noisy and crowded but at least fairly fast. The connection from International station to to the NEC by a long, covered footbridge is quite convenient, particularly compared with access by road which I'd undertaken on the previous day (when we'd been setting up) and the following day (when we'd stripped down after the event). Road transport scores when you're transporting all the materials for a small stand (including a 7.25 inch gauge live-steam model!). On Saturday evening, the tired trio walked back to international and caught an Avanti 'Pendolino' service back to Wolverhampton.
28-Nov-2023: Wolverhampton-London Euston
On Tuesday 28th November, I had a Trustee meeting in London so I had booked on-line to travel on the 09:45 Avanti service from Wolverhamton to London (Euston). Sadly, on arrival at Wolverhampton station, I learnt that the train was cancelled at short notice. As far as I could gather from a barely-audible platform announcement this was due to 'equipment failure' and travel to Birmingham by the next available service was recommended. This was the inevitable TfW DMU, noisy and fairly crowded. Birmingham New Street seemed to be fairly disorganised that morning and, failing to find any clear guidance, I reluctantly boarded a West Midland Trains Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) bound for Euston but via the Northampton Loop and stopping everywhere. When the lady train manager came round on ticket inspection, she suggested changing at Coventry as she'd already confirmed that the following Avanti service from Birmingham was running. For some reason, I'd failed to find mention of this at New Street, although I'd expected to find it. This meant about 45 minutes waiting on a rather cold Coventry station but, eventually, I was able to board First Class on a warmer Avanti 'Pendolino'. Of course, I was too late to take breakfast which, in any case, is a very diminished experience compared with a few years ago but with tea and a nicely-presented cheese platter, the day rapidly improved.
A nicely-presented cheese platter, Coventry-Euston by Avanti
Being used to the unreliability of British trains, I'd fortunately allowed a margin in my timings so my later arrival at London still allowed me time to walk the one mile to Victoria House in Bloomsbury Square where the Trustee meeting took place and arrive on time. Following the meeting, I retraced my walking route to Euston.
28-Nov-2023: London Euston-Bangor (Gwynedd)
I had some time to wait before my next booking - the 19:02 Avanti service to Holyhead, alighting at Bangor. I was able to wait in the Avanti First Class Lounge on the Mezzanine Floor, with views of the busy Concourse. It was the first time I'd seen the new Passenger Information System, white-glowing electronic screens arrayed in two banks in the centre of the concourse, at right engles to the north west wall which gives access to the 16 platforms. Previously, that north-west wall hosted a long array of yellow-glowing electronic screens (the black area on the right in the picture below).
Euston Station Concourse following introduction of new Passenger Information system, viewed from Avanti First Class Lounge on 28-Nov-2023. Note Christmas tree
Modest refreshments were available in the lounge and the staff were helpful so I was content to wait to be joined by Steve M. Late arrival of the incoming train to form our departure and the need for staff to perform some cleaning/servicing before passenger loading meant that no early announcement of departure platform had been made. With a clue from the lounge receptionist and the Railcam.UK 'app' on my mobile phone (there's a brief explanation of Railcam.UK here), I'd worked out the platform number and our train's reporting number (1D93). Steve and I were already en route when the announcement of platform was finally made, only a few minutes before scheduled departure. Steve and I became swept up in the all-too-common rush to join the train. As expected, the train was formed of two Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) 5-car 'Voyagers' where one end carriage of each unit provides First Accommodation and a Kitchenette. We found our reserved seats fairly readily. I was sure departure would be late but, in fact, we were not more than one or two minutes adrift setting off up Camden Bank on a cold, dark evening. I remembered that, in 2008, I wrote a brief review of King's Cross, St. Pancras and Euston stations (here which was rather scathing about Euston. Over the following years many changes have occurred at Euston but I'm afraid a more up-to-date review would be no kinder.
Modest refreshments were provided during our journey. I was very tired so I was inattentive on the journey. We lost six or seven minutes to Tring but I couldn't work out why - we didn't seem to be following a slower train, as often happens. The lady Train Manager made an apology over the public address but without a full explanation. But, as we approached Milton Keynes, Railcam.UK revealed that we were now closing up to an earlier Euston-Manchester train We were about thirteen minutes 'down' passing Milton Keynes without a scheduled stop and I expected slow progress onwards to Rugby but the Manchester train scooted ahead and showed us a clean pair of heels (or, more accurately, a series of green signals). We didn't stop at Rugby either and picked up some lost time along the Trent Valley line. The train then made a series of scheduled stops at Tamworth, Lichfield and Stafford, arriving at Crewe's platform 12 only about five minutes late. Our diesel-powered train had just come 158 miles 'under the wires' of the 25kV a.c. electrification system. Whereas in some parts of the world even minor lines received some form of electrification following World War II, the particularly blinkered politics of the U.K. have resulted in vast deserts of non-electrified lines, including the whole of the North Wales route. I don't find the appearance of Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) attractive but the extensive use of diesel power when we are supposedly committed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions seems, at the very least, odd. The 'wheeze' of going 'bi-mode', providing trains which are both overhead electric and diesel power as in Class 800 does not appeal either, saddling designs with extra weight, complexity and costs.
Soon, we were off on the Chester line (non-electrified, except in the vicinity of Crewe) for the short 'hop' to Chester. The North Wales line is a fairly 'easy' route, as shown by the gradient diagram below.
Click for larger view
Historical Gradient Diagram: Crewe-Holyhead
With stops at Flint, Prestatyn, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay and Llandudno Junction, the train picked up and then lost occasional minutes along the way but was very close to right time when Steve and I left the train at Bangor after our 239 mile journey from London in reasonable comfort at an average speed of around seventy miles an hour.
Background to the TfW 'Premier Service'
At the end of 2008, Arriva Trains (Wales) introduced a locomotive-hauled 'Premier Service' from Cardiff to Holyhead funded by the Welsh Government. Originally, this operated via Crewe with a pair of Class 57 locomotives top-and-tailing four Mark 2 coaches. Later, a single 57 was used, replaced in 2012 by DB Schenker Class 67s when the coaches were upgraded to Mark 3.
Arriva Trains (Wales) Class 67 002 in between platforms 11 and 12 at the North end of Crewe on 11-Apr-2012
The addition of a Driving Van Trailer (DVT) to the formation later in 2012 allowed push-pull operation and the routing was changed to use the former Great Western route between Shrewsbury and Chester, introducing a reversal at Chester. The Covid pandemic caused suspension of the service between March 2020 and June 2021 when the service was re-introduced using Mark 4 coaches and DVT. A similar service between Cardiff and Manchester, operating via Crewe was also inaugurated.
I'd not managed to plan a journey on the Premier Service but, as explained in the post here, on 27-Jan-2022 I unexpectedly found myself a passenger from Rhyl to Shrewsbury on one of the trains.
30-Nov-2023: Bangor (Gwynedd) - Wolverhampton
Both Steve and I were keen to sample the TfW 'Premier Service' so, when our business was concluded on 30th November, a taxi took us the Bangor station to see what was possible.
It's many years since I passed through the main entrance to Bangor station on the North side of the line and I was delighted to see that the original features in the booking hall are largely intact, including two large, round L.M.S. monograms on the walls. Travel, however, remained rather problematic. Although the Holyhead-Cardiff service is nominally three 'Premier Service' trains a day each way, this does not always happen. The suggestion the lady booking clerk made was to travel First Class on the Avanti Holyhead-Euston service departing at 13:15 as far as Crewe where we could join a TfW 'Premier Service' from Manchester to Cardiff, in my case just for the short 'leg' to Shrewsbury, in Steve's case to Newport.
Tickets were booked and we made our way to the Up platform (now No.1). This involved leaving the booking office on the railway side at ground level, crossing the access road to station car parking via a zebra crossing markings and ascending a ramp to the platform itself. This really 'spooked' me because I'd known and been impressed by Bangor station from childhood. Then, the station had two island plaforms giving four main platform faces. Two through lines were provided for non-stop trains with loops serving the inner faces of the island platforms whilst additional tracks served the outer faces of the island platforms. Originally, the booking hall led to a footbridge across the additional track on the up side leading to steps down to the Up island platform or to a further footbridge across the through and platform loop lines with steps descending to the Down island platform. What confronted me was a mere ghost of what I remember. I get this sense of loss in many places on our emasculated railway system, I'm afraid.
Bangor station, showing Up platform. Cars now park in the area where an additional track formerly served the outer face of the Up island platform
I think the booking hall and footbridges date from the 1927 expansion of facilities (hence the 'LMS' monograms). I'd assumed the remaining station building on the Up platform was earlier but I'd not realised that, although modified over the years, it is the original 1848 Chester and Holyhead railway building designed by architect Francis Thompson of Derby in Italianate style with a hipped, slate roof. I'm pleased to report that the building is now listed Grade II: there are more details here. It was completed to serve the opening of the railway from Chester to Bangor in 1848. Two years later, with the opening of the Britannia Tubular Bridge, Bangor became a through station and facilities were expanded in 1852. I'm afraid I'd not spotted the various Chester and Holyhead monograms set in the outside walls of the building (although four are just visible in my 2014 picture below, snatched from a Down train).
Bangor station buildings on Up platform.
Steve introduced me to the Refreshment Room on the Up platform, with its magnificent wooden counter and fittings. Sadly, the various modernisations render the overall effect rather nondescript.
Bangor Station: Counter and fittings in Refreshment Room on Up platform
Bangor Station: View looking west from Up platform (No. 1) with signal box in background
My view looking east from the Up platform does gives a poor view of the imposing West Portal of Bangor Tunnel. The Resident Engineer for this section of the line, Mr. Forster, adopted an Egyptian style portal using coursed stone forming a square headed opening with tapered sides, a wide swept entablature and cornice. Happily this,too, is listed and you can find brief details here.
Bangor Station viewed from Up Platform (No. 1) looking east showing West Portal of Bangor Tunnel
Our train arrived, a 5-car 'Voyager', and we found accommodation in the leading First Class coach. Modest refreshments were provided during the journey. I tried the cheese and onion 'toastie' which I found excellent. Once east of Abergele, I was able to track our progress on Railcam.UK (our reporting number was 1A50). We made the usual stops and approached platform 3 at Chester very cautiously, which did not surprise me, but the final stop was very firm with a metallic 'clang' which suggested that we'd coupled to another set standing on front of us, using the Dellner autocouplers. This seemed to be confirmed as, on Railcam.UK, our reporting number flickered on and off for a few seconds, presumably as the driving cab next to us was closed and the driving cab now at the head of the train was opened. A brief 'sprint' took us to Crewe, where we arrived at platform 6.
The platform was very busy with people getting off, getting on and trying to work out their next train but I was able to confirm that we'd acquired another 'Voyager' trainset in front of us at Chester. We determined from the passenger displays that the Manchester - Cardiff 'Premier Service' was expected at platform 5, departing at 15:10, so we headed for the lift and made our way to the indicated platform. Before long, the headlights of a class 67 appeared, heading a short train of Mark 4 coaches looking quite smart in black livery. Railcam.UK gave the reporting number as 1V46 and arrival at Shrewsbury at 15:44. The last vehicle was the Driving Van Trailer (DVT) with the First Class/Kitchen car last but one. We were welcomed on board by a young, enthusiastic Chief Steward and settled into the comfortable seats as our train set off from Crewe on the Shrewsbury line. I didn't see much of the unfamiliar route as it was already dusk but mainly because, as I enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate, I chatted to the Chief Steward about the 'Premier Service' of which he was clearly proud. He agreed that the original Holyhead-Cardiff service had been affected by poor availability of trainsets but said that the Manchester-Cardiff service was establishing a strong following. TfW have eight trainsets to cover both routes with two trainsets out of service awaiting repairs on that date, he said.
All too soon, we arrived at Shrewsbury, ending my sampling of the 'Premier Service'. I said goodbye to Steve, who was continuing to Newport, and the Chief Steward, descending onto a cold, dark, windswept platform. I took a few pictures of the train as it left and then faced a wait until 16:34 when a West Midland Trains service from Crewe to Birmingham International (reporting number 1I22) would complete my journey back to Wolverhampton after an interesting, if exhausting, odyssey.
Shrewbury: 'Premier Service' 1V46 in platform 7 on 30-Nov-2023
TfW 'Premier Service' from Manchester to Cardiff at Shrewsbury: 1V46 in platform 7 on 30-Nov-2023
TfW 'Premier Service' from Manchester to Cardiff leaving Shrewsbury showing DVT at rear
Related posts on other websites
TfW Premier Service (Wikipedia)
Bangor Station Building (British Listed Buildings)
Bangor Tunnel Portal (British Listed Buildings)
Usual disclaimer: the above links worked when this post was published but may cease to work in the future if the site owner makes changes.
Related posts on this website
Rail Travel in January 2022
Historical Gradient Diagram, North Wales Line
BR Gradient Diagrams published by Ian Allen
My pictures
Whilst I added very few pictures on the journeys described above, there are a number of earlier pictures in albums covering areas passed through which are linked below:-
Crewe Area Rail
London & Birmingham Railway
London: Euston Station
North Wales Line (Llandudno-Holyhead)
North Wales Line (Crewe-Llandudno)
Nuneaton Station
Rugby Station
Shrewsbury Area Railways
Stafford area rail
Wellington, ex-Great Western Railway
West Midland Railways
Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line
