46233 The Welsh Dragon

Anyone else on this tomorrow? I'm joining at Birmingham, seats 3 and 4 in coach H

 

I'm getting on at Crewe after an 04:40 start from Swansea. Carriage H, seat 29 (Facing).

 

46233 sitting at Llandudno Junction for water stop. Observed the safety's lightly blowing from Conwy

 

46233 away from Llandudno right time 11:30, with what just sounded like a slip

 

The green Duchess heads for Wales 19 May 2012

It was a cold damp grey morning at Crewe but the distant plume of steam from the Heritage Centre warmed the heart, and the occasional bursts from the safety valves assured us that the Duchess was good and ready for the task ahead.

The WCRC 47 brought the train from Bristol into Platform 12, and when service trains from and to Chester had passed, Stanier Pacific No 46233 Duchess of Sutherland, still an arresting sight in Brunswick green, backed down onto the train. On time, she pulled away amid a cloud of steam from the cylinder draincocks and a little slipping, but she soon found her feet and headed off confidently towards North Wales, with a long train and the diesel on the rear.

12 photos at Zenfolio | Peter Hewitt's Transport Pictures | The green Duchess heads for Wales 19 May 2012

Peter, on a still grey cool Manchester day
Zenfolio | Peter Hewitt's Transport Pictures

 

Three shots of the Duchess today (Holywell Jtn and Tal-y-bont on the outward leg and Ffynnongroyw on the return):

46233 Duchess of Sutherland on The Welsh Dragon - 19/05/2012 - YouTube

Chris

 

Here's my footage of yesterday's action. First time I've seen the "green" Duchess in the flesh

46233 The Welsh Dragon 19 May 2012 - YouTube

 

I have to report that the exhaust got a bit dirty on the return leg, but all in all a good run that enables me to tick off another route, with fast dashes across Anglesey in both directions. The crew didn't seem to be work it particularly hard, either; the locomotive was allowed to take everything in its stride, which probably accounts for the cleaner exhaust. She looks particularly good in green, too. Maybe the late crest for the second year of running in this colour?

 

Definately didn't seem to have been overworked on the exit from Llandudno Junction heading for Holyhead, nice crisp exhaust beat however, lovely engine! Always impresses me!

Sadly, not so impressed with the photo....10/10 for dull! :


The Welsh Dragon by JonathonAG, on Flickr

 

Is that a fact?!!
مشاهدة المرفق 4722

 

A good trip behind the Duchess, shame the same couldn't be said about the destination. A pic before departure on the return IMG_4342.jpg

 

Yes, I agree. Despite living in Wales, I had never been to Anglesey, but after what I experienced on Saturday, I'm not really in a hurry to return to Holyhead... If I do the route again, I may go to Holyhead, return to Bangor on a service train, then catch the steam again there. The thing is, the higher speeds of the trip tend to be on Anglesey, so its a question of what one feels like doing on the day. One thing's for sure, I'm not going to stay in a town with only one (readily available elsewhere) cask ale on pump for three hours again if I can help it! I did enjoy the steam element, though.

 

I have to agree with the comments about Holyhead. We have a daughter at university in Bangor and we venture onto Anglesey now and again. We did go to Holyhead once and decided it's not a place we'd go back to again.
After all it is a ferry port not a holiday destination and is geared up to support that. I suppose that the trip recreated past times when many people would travel by steam train to Holyhead to get the ferry to Ireland.
Anyway apart from Holyhead and the Wylfa Power Station I quite like Anglesey.

 

Say why doesent this tour let people off at Llandudno Jc? Sureley there should be the option to get a bus or service train into Llandudno to explore this beautiful town. Or to get off at Bangor and get a Bus to the Welsh Highland Line at Caernarfon. 6 hours exploring Llandudno was an option we (me and my Dad) took when we went behind Rood Ashton Hall (probably my only time behind it) from Crewe about 4/5 years ago.

 

I suspect you probably could have got off at Llandudno as it stopped both ways for water. It also stopped at Bangor where I saw 2 people get on the return

 

If I had done the route before, it might have been three people getting off... The agony of being a track-basher!