There are some journeys which I never tire of making. No matter that I don't get to some corners of the country from year to year, or that the cost or complexity of some trips makes them a less frequent pleasure, there are still some special parts of the railway network which remind me just why I started on these strange travels well over a decade ago. One of these is the North Wales Coast line. I first came here curious about one of the last bastions of locomotive haulage and ended up returning for weekend escapes in Holyhead, perhaps one of the more unlikely resorts for such relaxation! This weekend was a return for a little unfinished business - the short branch to Llandudno.
Having planned my day around cheaper tickets wherever possible, it meant another early start for Bristol, with a change onto the 07:00 to Birmingham - which for the record didn't go via Camp Hill again, leading me to suspect that perhaps this one just doesn't in the new timetable! Here I had time to get some breakfast and shelter from the rain which had dogged most of the journey so far while awaiting the arrival of the incoming Liverpool service on the remote and somewhat exposed platform 4C. It became clear that things weren't going well on the Stour Valley line, with services meeting delay at Sandwell & Dudley due to signalling problems. However, we set off just a little down and rather surprisingly took the line to Bescot at Soho, reaching Wolverhampton by an unusual route for a service train. Nothing much to see on Bescot, disappointingly but perhaps not unsurprisingly. Despite being a little late, I had plenty of margin at Crewe so I was able to settle back and enjoy the trip - and the weather which against all odds was getting a little brighter and dryer as I headed north. Arrival in Crewe was in bright sunshine, and I wandered out to the damp platform ends to try for a long shot of 37294 which had been moved out into the open at the diesel depot to accommodate a recent arrival of Class 60s. Grabbed a coffee and wandered over to platform 12 where the Pendolino from London had arrived, and 57310 was backing onto the train for the next leg of the journey.
An inexplicable delay followed which allowed time to chat with a fellow enthusiast heading for Wrexham for the WSMR loco-hauled service. Soon moving, catching up time easily on route to Chester. Thinking back to earlier journeys, I found myself in a reflective mood as we zoomed effortlessly along the seawall in fantastic weather. A lot had changed in the intervening years - but this line remained just a little bit special. Curving into Llandudno Junction, I prepared to hit the ground running and get a shot of the locomotive as it headed west towards the end of the line at Holyhead. Half wished I was going along for the ride to my former hideout on the coast. However, there was unfinished business here, so I headed over to the bay platform to await the arrival of the unit which was shuttling back and forth to Llandudno. Surprised to see a three car 175 arriving, but figured that somehow these units fitted in an extra round trip between Manchester diagrams. The branch was short but scenic, running first along the coast and then curving inland to end in the Town Centre. I'd allowed a little time here to explore, and despite being January at the seaside, I found a busy town with a fair selection of stores. I was struck how similar towns in my own area could do so much better in this respect as I wandered, looking for a bite to eat and pricing accessories for my new 'phone. A good old fashioned wander around a new town - one I'd visited only briefly before by car. As I arrived back at the station, the sky was turning a little grey and sullen. Waited under the remains of the once proud station roof as the wind began to whip in from the coast.
Soon back at Llandudno Junction, where I sampled the coffee and cake at the fine little tea shop while awaiting the Holyhead to Birmingham train. Found a seat on the fairly busy train and spent some time people-watching and inadvertently tuning in to the rather sad recollections of a young couple in the seats behind me. I was one of the few people who seemed to be going almost all of the way on this service, as it served as a local stopper on the coast, reversed at Chester and headed into the borderlands to reach Wrexham and then on to Shrewsbury. As we headed south and west, the weather seemed to get a little wilder and wetter. Here we paused to couple to another unit which led us through Wolverhampton into Birmingham New Street. A same-platform interchange here, onto a rather quiet Voyager heading to Bristol via Gloucester - an unusual route now which I thought had finally disappeared from the timetable. Delayed for no apparent reason once again here and frequently checked once we'd left via Camp Hill. Crawled to a halt at Westerleigh and sat for some time before hearing that fallen trees had blocked the line to Bristol Parkway and we were queueing for a platform. Seems I'd outrun the weather in the west almost all day. Managed to make the connection at Bristol with a few minutes to spare, and endured a fairly wedged unit full of football fans back to Highbridge where the weather was just starting to turn ugly once again as I got into the house. A fine day out on a favourite route I very rarely get to visit, with the bonus of a little haulage along the coast.
Lost::MikeGTN
I've had a home on the web for more years than I care to remember, and a few kind souls persuade me it's worth persisting with keeping it updated. This current incarnation of the site is centred around the blog posts which began back in 1999 as 'the daylog' and continued through my travels and tribulations during the following years.
I don't get out and about nearly as much these days, but I do try to record significant events and trips for posterity. You may also have arrived here by following the trail to my former music blog Songs Heard On Fast Trains. That content is preserved here too.
