Uploaded July 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
July 17, 2022 was supposed to be an exciting day, as Southern Railway Merchant Navy class 4-6-2 35018 "British India Line" was scheduled to take the Railway Touring Company's "North Wales Coast Express" from Liverpool along the Welsh coast to the Isle of Anglesey and the port of Holyhead. Unfortunately, dry weather and some fires started by "Duchess of Sutherland" the previous evening led Network Rail to institute a steam ban early the morning. Too late to cancel, the excursion would proceed sandwiched between two vintage diesels owned by West Coast Railways, a Class 37 and 47. Very disappointed but determined to make the best of it, I decided to head out to Anglesey ahead of the train and tour the sights on the island. The entire northern coast of Wales is truly spectacular, and I was glad to be able to tour without the time pressure of a chase. In particular, I enjoyed the ridiculously photogenic South Stack Lighthouse in Holyhead and the 4,000 year old neolithic tomb at Bryn Celli Ddu. Of course, the site the island is most famous for is the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, home to what is at 58 letters often considered the longest railway station name in the world (However, this name was invented in the 19th century to attract tourists and is not recognized in any official capacity beyond the station signs). I arrived with enough time to browse the nearby souvenir shop and catch a Holyhead-bound express train before the excursion came through. A local train stopped at the station just a few minutes later on its way towards Chester. After this I crossed back over to the mainland and headed for Caernarfon.
July 17, 2022 was supposed to be an exciting day, as Southern Railway Merchant Navy class 4-6-2 35018 "British India Line" was scheduled to take the Railway Touring Company's "North Wales Coast Express" from Liverpool along the Welsh coast to the Isle of Anglesey and the port of Holyhead. Unfortunately, dry weather and some fires started by "Duchess of Sutherland" the previous evening led Network Rail to institute a steam ban early the morning. Too late to cancel, the excursion would proceed sandwiched between two vintage diesels owned by West Coast Railways, a Class 37 and 47. Very disappointed but determined to make the best of it, I decided to head out to Anglesey ahead of the train and tour the sights on the island. The entire northern coast of Wales is truly spectacular, and I was glad to be able to tour without the time pressure of a chase. In particular, I enjoyed the ridiculously photogenic South Stack Lighthouse in Holyhead and the 4,000 year old neolithic tomb at Bryn Celli Ddu. Of course, the site the island is most famous for is the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, home to what is at 58 letters often considered the longest railway station name in the world (However, this name was invented in the 19th century to attract tourists and is not recognized in any official capacity beyond the station signs). I arrived with enough time to browse the nearby souvenir shop and catch a Holyhead-bound express train before the excursion came through. A local train stopped at the station just a few minutes later on its way towards Chester. After this I crossed back over to the mainland and headed for Caernarfon.
