merlodlliw
Established Member
This may interest a few of you.It is a message I have sent to colleagues at Shrewsbury/Chester Rail Users Association
Good Morning everyone. Thursday morning on Wrexham General.
I visited Wrexham General this morning to put my wife on the new since Monday 0747 ATW service to Birmingham from Platform three. While at the station,I was able to see the new Wag Express via Wrexham service arrive & depart.
The train consisted of the same stock as previous via Crewe(Mark 2 carriages & a pair of 67 locos top & tail), ATW at the last minute decided on this arrangement due to the refurbished Mark3 carriages being delayed into service, as the Mark2s have no cables to allow use of the Driven Vehicle Trailer(DVT),this arrangement requires two sets of drivers front & rear due to the requirement to reverse the working out of Chester & other safety measures, the front 67 was 67001 & rear was 67003,both engines were under power, although rear 67001 was on a powerful tick over.
Several passengers got off the Wag Ex at Wrexham, and on departure counted 20 in standard class and only two in first class, of this number I counted six board at Wrexham General.
Having seen the numbers on board the Wag Express four days into its new working via Wrexham,it was obvious many used the train previous as a local commuter service for Chester & Crewe.
On the other hand, the train we campaigned for, that is the new Birmingham service, replaced by the Wag Ex between Chester & Shrewsbury, this train now runs Wrexham to Birmingham at 0747 & couples up with the North Wales Birmingham service at Shrewsbury.
My wife boarded this train five minutes before departure,with stops at Ruabon,Chirk,Gobowen(the Wag Ex runs Wrexham/Shrewsbury direct), the numbers boarding this train on departure from Wrexham was 64 and no doubt after leaving Gobowen well over 100 plus.
A problem occurred this morning, as the new 0747 service departs platform three(over the footbridge) many passengers were confused having used to it departing platform one now taken up by the Wag Ex, one elderly man fell down the stairs & was so badly bruised, an ambulance was called, as I was at the scene he told me
he had not heard any announcements that the train was departing platform three, & on realising the change rushed to platform three,only to stumble on the stairs, in fact it then dawned on me, no train announcements were in fact being relayed to passengers, I alerted ATW booking office staff whom immediately attended him & called an ambulance.
Another interesting point,Wrexham General station continues to have security/crowd control staff staff on duty 0530 to 0030 supplied by an agency, I am told this is key to looking after a large diesel generator(situated in the car park) that powers the lifts, due to a failure by Network Rail to realise no powerful mains supply was available when the new lift to platform four was installed over a year ago, this very large generator runs 24/7 and one wonders will it ever the replaced by a mains supply, the cost must be enormous even at red diesel prices, so who looks after the generator & its diesel tanks between 1230 & 0530 when there are no trains,a strange arrangement.
I also see Charlie Hume of North Wales Rail Newsboard, has done a special on the Old & New Wag Express & reasons for the mark 3 delays, The Chief now working to and from Rhyl & catering staff changes make interesting reading,
link http://www.nwrail.org.uk/nwnews.htm, I was also interested in Last Sunday mornings trial run Chester to Salop with the top & tail plus mark2
carriages/ Dining car and the yellow measuring stick.
Bob
Good Morning everyone. Thursday morning on Wrexham General.
I visited Wrexham General this morning to put my wife on the new since Monday 0747 ATW service to Birmingham from Platform three. While at the station,I was able to see the new Wag Express via Wrexham service arrive & depart.
The train consisted of the same stock as previous via Crewe(Mark 2 carriages & a pair of 67 locos top & tail), ATW at the last minute decided on this arrangement due to the refurbished Mark3 carriages being delayed into service, as the Mark2s have no cables to allow use of the Driven Vehicle Trailer(DVT),this arrangement requires two sets of drivers front & rear due to the requirement to reverse the working out of Chester & other safety measures, the front 67 was 67001 & rear was 67003,both engines were under power, although rear 67001 was on a powerful tick over.
Several passengers got off the Wag Ex at Wrexham, and on departure counted 20 in standard class and only two in first class, of this number I counted six board at Wrexham General.
Having seen the numbers on board the Wag Express four days into its new working via Wrexham,it was obvious many used the train previous as a local commuter service for Chester & Crewe.
On the other hand, the train we campaigned for, that is the new Birmingham service, replaced by the Wag Ex between Chester & Shrewsbury, this train now runs Wrexham to Birmingham at 0747 & couples up with the North Wales Birmingham service at Shrewsbury.
My wife boarded this train five minutes before departure,with stops at Ruabon,Chirk,Gobowen(the Wag Ex runs Wrexham/Shrewsbury direct), the numbers boarding this train on departure from Wrexham was 64 and no doubt after leaving Gobowen well over 100 plus.
A problem occurred this morning, as the new 0747 service departs platform three(over the footbridge) many passengers were confused having used to it departing platform one now taken up by the Wag Ex, one elderly man fell down the stairs & was so badly bruised, an ambulance was called, as I was at the scene he told me
he had not heard any announcements that the train was departing platform three, & on realising the change rushed to platform three,only to stumble on the stairs, in fact it then dawned on me, no train announcements were in fact being relayed to passengers, I alerted ATW booking office staff whom immediately attended him & called an ambulance.
Another interesting point,Wrexham General station continues to have security/crowd control staff staff on duty 0530 to 0030 supplied by an agency, I am told this is key to looking after a large diesel generator(situated in the car park) that powers the lifts, due to a failure by Network Rail to realise no powerful mains supply was available when the new lift to platform four was installed over a year ago, this very large generator runs 24/7 and one wonders will it ever the replaced by a mains supply, the cost must be enormous even at red diesel prices, so who looks after the generator & its diesel tanks between 1230 & 0530 when there are no trains,a strange arrangement.
I also see Charlie Hume of North Wales Rail Newsboard, has done a special on the Old & New Wag Express & reasons for the mark 3 delays, The Chief now working to and from Rhyl & catering staff changes make interesting reading,
link http://www.nwrail.org.uk/nwnews.htm, I was also interested in Last Sunday mornings trial run Chester to Salop with the top & tail plus mark2
carriages/ Dining car and the yellow measuring stick.
Bob
