Bangor - Parcels and Mail Trains

A number of parcels and newspaper trains operated to and from Bangor. A large number of vans would arrive overnight from Manchester and Crewe carrying post and newspapers. The newspaper vans would work back empty to Manchester, whilst there was a mail service which left just before 6pm. At 9pm, the Bangor-Crewe TPO departed - until October 1976, a van for London Euston was attached to this by the resident 08 shunter.

24081 at Bangor 06/09/76 (s0699.jpg)

On 6th September 1976, 24081 acts as Bangor station pilot, as the usual engine 08126 is away for repair. Behind it is a single parcels van, which will be attached to the 2101 Passenger and TPO departure for Crewe.

40026 25070 at Bangor 14/05/77 (s1067.jpg)

Saturday lunchtime and the mixture of newspaper and mail vans that have arrived overnight are still being sorted out. 40026 and 25070 are working in multiple and will take the 8 vans behind the 25 back to Manchester. 14th May 1977.

40026 25070 at Bangor 14/05/77 (s1068.jpg)

And here they are on their way. According to the WTT, this should have been the 11:44 SO Holyhead - Manchester Mayfield (empty) parcels, due to pass (non-stop) at 12:13. In fact, this train had spent some time at Bangor, and it's not clear after all these years whether it had indeed started at Holyhead. Certainly, by the following year, the parcels/newspaper empties were starting their return journey from Bangor. In platform 2, two dmus sit awaiting departure on 2F83, the 12:26 Saturdays-Only Bangor to Liverpool Lime Street. This arrived as the 08:25 Liverpool Lime St - Bangor, working in both directions over the Runcorn - Frodsham Jcn line. Between 1975 and 2018 this line only had a Saturday service - eventually a single Chester-Runcorn train in one direction only. Reopened to daily traffic in 2019, there are suggestions of a Liverpool - Llandudno service in 2022.

24035 at Penrhyn Sidings 11/07/77 (s1203.jpg)

24035 heads east past the site of Penrhyn Sidings on the 1755 to Crewe. 11th July 1977.

24047 at Bangor 01/10/77 (s1360.jpg)

So which way is this train going? 24047 stands alongside the wall of the old engine shed with parcels and newspaper stock that has arrived overnight. The 24 will haul the vans empty back to Manchester Mayfield (next to Piccadilly). 1st October 1977.

24082 at Bangor 14/10/77 (s1412.jpg)

On the 14th October 1977, 24082 leaves platform 1 at and heads for Crewe with the usual ragbag of 5 vans that normally formed the 1755 departure. The exit from the platform was controlled by Bangor's last remaining semaphore signal.