IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Caradog Road, LLANDUDNO JUNCTION, LL31 9NN

Looking eastwards. On the right are the remains of the extensive yards and sidings that were on the south side of the line.

Looking eastwards.

On its way to Holyhead. Britain’s (and probably the World’s) most famous locomotive, the LNER Class A3 Pacific steam locomotive No 4472/60103 Flying Scotsman was built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Doncaster Works to a design of HN Gresley. It was employed on long-distance express trains on the LNER and its successors, British Railways Eastern and North-Eastern Regions, notably on the London to Edinburgh Flying Scotsman train service after which it was named. The locomotive become the first steam locomotive to be officially authenticated at reaching 100 miles per hour in November 1934 and set a record for the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive when it ran 422 miles in August 1989 while in Australia. It was retired from regular service in 1963.

A class 47 diesel locomotive D1935, Roger Hosking M.A. 1925 - 2013, with the Statesman train on its return from Carlisle via Chester and the Settle Viaduct. It was just a few minutes late on arrival but left promptly to catch up time. See Image] This was a circular tour starting at Bangor and diesel hauled throughout.

The past and the present, a modern diesel train departs the station on a freight service, while a vintage steam train on a railtour waits in the siding.

Not the train, I hasten to add - that's just come from Manchester airport. It's the passenger I was meeting that set off from Beirut. One of the hazards of having offspring that get a degree in Middle Eastern Studies followed by a Masters in counter-insurgency is that they tend to take holidays in places a bit more off the tourist trail. However, it is quite gratifying (if a little surprising) to find that the railway system still works well enough to coordinate with international travel. It was on time, too !

After arriving at Llandudno Junction from Preston, the Class 37 diesel had to run round individually to the Class 8F steam locomotive before heading to Blaenau Ffestiniog so that the Class 8F 48151 was leading . The diesel locomotive ran additionally due to Network Rail ban during the hot weather in Summer 2018 and was restricted to low steam with the Class 37 providing most of the motive power.