BATH RAILWAY SOCIETY

President: Pete Waterman OBE DL

Chairman: John Froud    

 Email: bathrailwaysociety@gmail.com

APRIL  2024  NEWSLETTER

Dear Member,

SOCIETY MATTERS

Another good attendance was recorded for our March meeting when Peter Brabham presented the photographs of Cardiff based photographers John Wiltshire and Derek Chaplin, and we thank Peter for his presentation.

Our April meeting will be on the second Thursday of the month, and not the usual first. On Thursday April 11 we welcome back Simon Foote for ‘An Evening of BR Steam Nostalgia: Sights and Sounds covering 50 years’. Simon has visited us before, and he adds sound recordings to his photographs giving a very atmospheric and unique show. As usual, doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.

We give a warm welcome to Peter Whitaker and Fred Parkinson who joined the Society at the March meeting. If you know of anyone who might be interested in joining us, please do bring them along.

Plans are currently underway for a BRS visit to the Didcot Railway Centre in June. This will probably be in the week after the AGM on Wednesday June 12, starting at 11am. We are proposing you make your own travel plans to Didcot, but this is not expensive by train if you have a rail card or use ‘group travel’ tickets. We have been advised that car parking at Didcot is extremely difficult, so it is best to use train services. There are frequent trains to Didcot. We are arranging to have a guide(s) showing us around and the café/shop will be open. We are hoping that some form of train rides will be in operation. We anticipate the overall cost (including the train to/from Didcot), will be between £25 and £30. If you wish to participate, please can you send an email to our address above by Saturday April 20, so we can firm up the numbers/arrangements? Alternatively you can advise us at the meeting on April 11, just put your name and contact details down on paper and hand in. Further details will be sent out after April 20 when arrangements are confirmed.

Speaking of the AGM, this is to give you advanced notice that it will be held on Thursday June 6 at 7.30pm at the Bath Museum of Work. If you have any nominations for the committee, or if you wish to raise any questions or issues at the meeting, please do send them in advance either by email or letter to the contact details above.

We received news that member Ken Ayers is in hospital. We wish him a speedy recovery, and our thoughts are with him and his family.

We require more railway related stories for the ‘Members Contribution’ section of the newsletter. If you have a story to tell, please do email it in.

I would just like to thank John Froud and Mike Beale for standing in and making an excellent job of the newsletter whilst I was away. A slightly shorter newsletter this time, back to four pages next month.

NEWS ITEMS

At the Bluebell Railway, new build LB&SCR H2 Atlantic No. 32424 ‘Beachy Head’ was transported from its shed at Sheffield Park in the afternoon of March 5, and was partnered with its tender for the very first time the next morning. It has now been moved into the maintenance shed where the commissioning work will now commence to bring it into service. A locomotive on the move from the railway is GWR ‘Dukedog’ No.9017 ‘Earl of Berkeley.’ This is going on loan from The Bluebell Railway to The Vale of Rheidol Railway for static display in the new Museum & Display Space at Aberystwyth.

The Swanage Railway has announced that it will not be running services in the future onto the main line and into Wareham station. Whilst the ‘trial’ services worked very well last year operationally, the service is currently not financially viable. Advanced tickets are now on sale for the railway’s annual diesel gala being held May 11-12. More details of this in the next newsletter.

Secret negotiations have been taking place by the group hoping to run an open access service to Oxford from Taunton, to buy an XPT from Australia to use on the service. The XPT’s are basically the same as our HST’s, and they intend to purchase a four coach set plus two power cars. One of the coaches will contain a buffet. The group have gone to Australia, as they have been unable to secure a withdrawn HST in this country. It is in full working order, and it is due to be shipped on April 1 from Port Melbourne on board the MV Foolstar as deck cargo for a sea journey of about four weeks. On arrival at Newport Docks it will be taken to a MoD depot for secure storage and checking, and to make sure it conforms to the British loading gauge. Apparently it is planned to apply a vinyl to each power car with an image of a kangaroo, and with the words ‘Hop on – Hop Off’ on it!

The London Transport Museum is holding Open Days at its Acton Depot from Friday April 26 to Sunday 28. See the Museum’s website for full details.

The Helston Railway in Cornwall are currently relaying a further mile of line towards Helston on the track bed they already own. They plan to reach Nancegollan where they will build a new station and access road. A fund raising appeal has been launched for £350,000 to purchase rail, ballast and infrastructure items. Trains could be operating over the extension later this year, and they would run in top ‘n’ tail mode.

LOOKING BACK

Sixty years ago this month, the branch lines from Kemble to Cirencester Town and Tetbury, in Gloucestershire, were closed to passenger traffic from April 6, 1964. The last scheduled passenger trains, formed of four wheel rail buses, ran on Saturday April 4, but the final train on the 7.5 mile Tetbury branch didn’t go without an incident. Protesters against the closure blocked the line at the aptly named Trouble House Halt, placing burning hay bales on the line. They also carried a coffin onto the train. Freight traffic on this line had finished from August 4, 1963. This was the second loss of railway services for the town of Cirencester as the Midland & South Western Junction Railway station, known as Watermoor, had closed to passenger services from September 11, 1961, but retained goods traffic until March 31, 1964. Goods traffic continued to serve the 5 mile line to Cirencester Town until October 4, 1965. The final train to traverse both branch lines was a Gloucester Railway Society special on Sunday April 5, steam hauled by 0-4-2T, 1472. This first went to Tetbury from Gloucester Central and then to Cirencester, before heading back to Gloucester. There are plans to reinstate the Cirencester branch as a light rail from Kemble, which of course is still thriving today. The group behind the plans have so far been successful in getting through the first two rounds of the Governments ‘Restoring You Railway’ scheme. If successful, it is very unlikely the light rail could reach the site of the former town station, and a new terminus would have to be built.

Forty years ago this month on April 21, the Templecombe Station Working Committee organised a special train called the ‘Templecombe Pennine Express’ This started at Yeovil Junction behind 47 104 and ran via Salisbury, Basingstoke, Oxford and Derby for a run over the Settle & Carlisle Line. The train returned via the same route, but 47 104 was replaced at Saltley depot due to a defective speedometer. 50003 'Temeraire' took over for the run back to Yeovil Junction. It was certainly a long day out for some participants as the train left Yeovil Junction at 0455 and returned at 01.10!

MORE NEWS ITEMS

On Saturday 6 & Sunday 7, the Cheltenham Great Western Modellers Group will be holding the  Cheltenham Model Railway April 2024 Exhibition at St Margaret's Hall, Coniston Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. 14 layouts and three trade stands are due to attend. The following weekend, Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 the Bentley Model Railway Group will be staging the Calne Model Railway Show at Calne Community Campus, White Horse Way, Calne. This is their twenty eighth show with 12 layouts and 13 trade stalls due to attend.

The Swindon & Cricklade Railway are offering Diesel Driver Taster Experiences on Saturdays 13, 20, and 27 April. The cost is £50 per person (only one person per time slot) using a Class 03 Diesel Locomotive and driving it for 30 minutes from Blunsdon to Hayes Oak Crossing under the supervision of an experienced driver. Conditions do apply, see the S & C website for full details and bookings.

The Severn Valley Railway is holding its annual Open House Weekend on April 6 & 7, when visitors can look behind the scenes and at areas of the Railway not usually open to them. Alongside a busy steam and diesel service operating, a whole host of attractions will be available between 10am and 4pm, free of charge to ticket holders. See SVR website if you want further information.

Due to engineering works, GWR services between Cardiff Central and Portsmouth Harbour will be divert between Romsey and Fareham via Eastleigh – not calling at Southampton Central on the weekend of April 13 & 14. SWR trains will still be running between Eastleigh and Southampton Central on Saturday13 and buses are planned between Eastleigh and Southampton Central on Sunday April 14.

During April, South Western Railway are due to be starting work to redevelop the forecourt area at Salisbury station. There will be a better definition of the forecourt with varying types of landscaping, improvements for the Stonehenge tour buses, including a turning circle. During the works, car parking at the station will be reduced, but a temporary car park is due to be provided on the site of the east goods yard with access to it available via Fisherton Street.                

GWR has commenced trials on the Greenford Branch in London using the battery powered Class 230 units. The Class 230’s are converted former London Underground D78 stock which were originally purchased by VivaRail, but this company went into administration. GWR have purchased several of the class for use between West Ealing and Greenford and a rapid charging unit for the batteries has been installed at West Ealing station. The trials are expected to last for 12 months.

Rolling ASLEF strikes (train drivers), are due to take place in early April. Do check if you are travelling.

On Friday April 5, the Midland Pullman (Blue HST) is due to run from Plymouth to Llandudno and return. Its last pick up station will be Bristol Temple Meads. It also calls at principle stations to Bristol.

Our meeting venue, The Museum of Bath at Work, plus Bath’s Little Theatre Cinema, are collaborating on a series of events and films on the subject of archaeology and heritage, as presented in film and craft. This will run from Thursday April 4 to Saturday April 6, and will be held at both the Little Theatre and the Museum of Bath at Work.  Films will include Three Ages (1923) a Classic Buster Keaton silent film and A Life on the Farm (2023) and Other Short Films (The bizarre and fascinating tale of one man and his Somerset farm through his home movies). The full programme of events is available via the website at https://bahfilmfestival.co.uk/ and tickets may be booked through the site.

Thursday April 4, 2024, marks 50 years since the first trains in preservation started at Bitton station. To celebrate, a 4-day event with lots happening around the railway will be taking place, including: 2 train service each day, re-creation of the first train, behind the scenes tours of the railway yard, talks on the history of the railway, displays and stalls, anniversary dining trains offering a 1970s inspired menu and a Friday lunchtime Fish & Chip special. For full details and bookings, go to https://www.avonvalleyrailway.org/events/50th-anniversary-weekend/

The Tarka Valley Railway based at Torrington have received on permanent loan, an original LSWR Stevens Signal Frame as well as other items of LSWR and SR signalling equipment from the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust's former site at Washford on the West Somerset Railway. These items were once part of a replica of Midford Signal Box at Washford, and will be used, as the TVR hope to eventually rebuild a replica signal box at Torrington.

MEMBERS CONTRIBUTION

There is no member’s contribution this month. If you have a story to tell, please do send it in.

COMPETITION / QUIZ

A bit of a brain tester for you relating to the Somerset & Dorset Railway. There are no prizes for this, but do you know how many stations there were on the whole of the S & D system which had their name starting with the letter ‘S’? The answer will be given in the next newsletter.

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