A day in Cheshire

10th June 2000

The weather forecast was good so we grabbed a quick breakfast, cycled to Bangor station and hopped on the 08:25. This is one of the intriguing loco-hauled trains that stop at some of the small halts west of Llandudno Junction and this one calls at Conwy. I understood that slam door trains that were too long for the platform weren't allowed to stop here as there are no "grandfather rights" owing to its having been closed and re-opened. Anyway this photo proves that we did - the conductor oversees passengers leaving and joining then off we go.

Having safely delivered us to Crewe, 37 428 prepares to run round before returning to Bangor with the 10:19. This is now the only train in the week to feature a run-round at Bangor, once a common sight.

A few minutes later, 87 024 Lord of the Isles drew up into platform 11 with the Euston to Holyhead, which is currently loco-hauled on Saturdays.


The 87 was replaced by 47 786 Roy Castle OBE for the run along the coast

Then we made our way out of Crewe into the Cheshire countryside, taking quiet country lanes through some lovely villages. We stopped to look at the remains at Calveley - there's no sign of the station building, just an overgrown platform, beyond which is a coal yard. This would have been served by the local pick up goods trains before road transport took over.