The Aberystwyth Coastal Voyager

This unusual and contrasting day excursion will take us to the Cambrian Coast resort of Aberystwyth via the Midlands and Shropshire. An added attraction will be the change of motive power at Shrewsbury and will see our Class 47 being augmented by a Class 97, former Class 37 locomotive now fitted with ERTMS to enable the train to run on the Cambrian Line west of Shrewsbury & a Class 37, for the run over the Cambrian Railway route to Aberystwyth. Apart from the traction appeal to enthusiasts, there is much to offer in this trip, with the spectacular mid Wales scenery to savour through wide valleys and steep passes all the way.

Commencing at London Euston, we will be diesel hauled by a West Coast Railways Class 47 northwards down the West Coast Main Line. Initially we will tackle the climb out of Euston to Camden before making our way to Watford Junction where we will call to pick up passengers. We continue through the lengthy Tring Cutting through to Milton Keynes where we pause to pick up further passengers. After picking up at Rugby, we leave the Trent Valley route and take the Birmingham line, calling at Coventry to pick up. We skirt past the Birmingham area to follow the Grand Junction route through Bescot and on to Wolverhampton, where we are scheduled to call to pick up passengers. We now make our way via Telford and Wellington to arrive at Shrewsbury for a locomotive change. We will make our last pick up here whilst the Class 97 & 37 locomotives are attached ready for the run to Aberystwyth.

We will reverse our direction of travel and make our way out of Shrewsbury as far as Sutton Bridge Junction, where we leave the main line to Hereford and join the Cambrian line. From here we will head through rural Shropshire along the single track line and enter Wales before the border town of Welshpool appears. We follow the single line through Abermule to Newtown, where after the gradients start to become severe as we head for the summit of the climb at Talerddig Summit. The next fifteen miles are all down hill to the next sizeable station at the historic market town of Machynlleth, the former seat of Owain Glyndwr's Welsh Parliament in 1404. In a more modern context, it is the location of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) operations that is based here to control the Cambrian signalling.

We follow the river Dovey through to the remote station of Dovey Junction, with its varied bird life, were we will take the Aberystwyth line. With the Dovey estuary nearby, we head southwards through Borth before cutting inland to pass through Llandre and Bow Street, where there are two steep climbs to negotiate before our arrival in Aberystwyth. The town hosts a university and is the largest town in Ceredigion. Located on Cardigan Bay, it is a well known seaside resort famous for its pier and long sweeping promenade. There is also an operational cliff railway which serves Constitutional Hill, plus the town is the terminus of the Vale of Rheidol steam operated narrow gauge railway. During your stay in Aberystwyth, there are many cafes and restaurants to choose from should you fancy a Welsh Tea!

After our break in Aberystwyth, we will retrace our outward route via Machynlleth and Welshpool back to Shrewsbury with the class 97 & 37. Highlight of the return journey will be the fifteen miles of hard climbing from Machynlleth to Talerddig Summit, graded at 1 in 52 for the last five miles. From Shrewsbury, we return to London Euston with our Class 47 via our earlier pick up stations to conclude our day out to the varied and scenic Cambrian Coast.

On Board Catering