12 December 2000
The royal train, bearing Prince Charles, was due to grace Bangor station at 10:05 so I arranged to go into work late but still left home at my normal time, arriving at the station just a couple of minutes before a rather mucky 37 426 brought the 05:25 Birmingham New Street to Holyhead service into platform 2.
A few minutes later 37 421 penetrated the gloom, picked up
its passengers, emitted a mighty roar and stormed off along the coast to Crewe.
This was the 07:49 from Holyhead.
The two car 175 on the 07:06 Chester to Holyhead seemed a very weedy animal by comparison.
Tuesday normally sees the Sellafield to Valley nuclear flask train passing about ten minutes later, but when it didn't show I took the opportunity to visit Safeway, returning to discover I'd missed 20 901/3. You've missed nothing - it was way too dark to freeze any action faster than walking pace.
It's not much brighter by the time 37 426 returns on the 08:47 working
from Holyhead which will take it back to Birmingham.
The 09:19 Virgin up service was again cancelled, to the disappointment of passengers.
Police allowed free access to platform 1 east of the footbridge but sealed
off platform 2, allowing only passengers off the terminating 08:19 from Crewe.
Police and the welcoming party await the prince's arrival while the seven
men and a dog check that nothing nasty has been left between the tracks.