BATH RAILWAY SOCIETY

President: Pete Waterman OBE DL

Chairman: John Froud    

 Email: bathrailwaysociety@gmail.com

DECEMBER  2025  NEWSLETTER

Dear Member,

SOCIETY MATTERS

Gordon Adams told us all about Train Ferries in both World Wars at our November meeting, which was well attended. Gordon had certainly managed to find interesting photographs to go with his talk, which told us about the shipment of locomotives and rolling stock to mainland Europe. We thank him for a most interesting evening. 

Mention was made at the meeting of holding points for the USATC locomotives prior to shipment, and one of these locations was at Westbury. A very small point of interest that I discovered whilst doing some unrelated research, was that on May 2, 1944, USATC Class S160 No. 1691 was noted being hauled through Bath Spa station enroute from storage at Penrhos in South Wales to Hawkeridge prior to shipment via Southampton Docks.  No doubt, many USATC locomotives used this route via Bath.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday December 4th when member, Fred Parkinson, will be telling us all about Unusual Overseas Rail Journeys. It’s a tour that starts low in the Arctic Circle then moves south to India, Sri Lanka, Namibia, and finally finishes in Tibet. This will be quite a tour for our last meeting of the year, so make sure you don’t miss it. As an added attraction, I’m told mince pies will also be available with the tea and coffee. Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start at the Museum of Bath.

There will be a committee meeting prior to our January meeting. If you have anything you would like to raise or put forward, please send in using the contacts above. If you have any suggestions for any talks or subjects you would like to see covered, again please get in contact, and we will investigate.

In the competition last month, you had to work out the names of the milk processing plants in Devon which once saw regular rail traffic. They were Hemyock, Lifton and Torrington.

NEWS ITEMS

Pathfinder Rail Tours has announced that after more than 50 years, they will close their business after their last tour on December 20. The final tour starts at Salisbury and will feature ‘Western’ No. D1015 Western Champion from Gloucester to Manchester Victoria. This tour sold out within 50 minutes of the tickets going on sale! I expect many of you will have travelled on their tours over the years, and it is a sad loss to the rail tour market. (See the competition in this newsletter).

A blue plaque to honour The Reverend Wilbert Awdry OBE, the creator of Thomas the Tank engine, has been placed at his former home in Gloucestershire. He lived at 30 Rodborough Avenue in the Rodborough area of Stroud until his death in 1997, aged 85. It is 80 years since the first of the classic Thomas & Friends books was written by him. Rev Awdry was born in June 1911 in the small village of Ampfield, in Hampshire, and developed a fascination with railways from a young age with his interest growing when his family moved to Box, Wiltshire, where their home was close to Box Tunnel. He was ordained as a vicar in 1936.

The Bath Christmas Market will be attracting a number of special trains again this year. These will run on Tuesday 2, from Rugby, Thursday 4, from Dorridge and Saturday 6 from Ely. These trains will be steamed hauled from West London to Bath and back (Locos to be specified). On Tuesday 9, 71000 Duke of Gloucester will run to Bath via Salisbury from London Victoria, and the following day The Belmond Pullman again starts at Victoria Class 67 diesel hauled. On Friday 12, there is steam again from Three Bridges, 71000 Duke of Gloucester coming on in West London. The following day, Saturday 13, 34028 Eddystone will be at the head of another special from Three Bridges. All trains are subject to change, so do try and check if you are going out to see them. On Saturdays during the market, GWR will running a train into Bath Spa every five minutes!

LOOKING BACK

60 years ago on December 12, 1965, the L.C.G.B. ran The Cross Countryman-rail tour which originated at London’s Waterloo Station. It was hauled to Basingstoke by West Country Class 34015 Exmouth where fellow class member 34100 Appledore took over to Reading West, Tilehurst and to Cholsey for a journey down the Wallingford Branch. This was there and back behind 9773. 34015 Exmouth then took the train from Cholsey to Oxford via Didcot where 8F 48309 took over. This had worked up especially light engine from Bath Green Park shed to take the train onto Bletchley and Bedford St. Johns, then back to Oxford, with 48309 then returning light back to Bath.  34015 then came back onto the train to work it back to London Victoria via Morris Cowley, Princes Risborough, High Wycombe – Greenford, Old Oak Common, Kensington (Olympia), Latchmere Jn and Stewarts Lane. The train was booked to arrive back in the Capital at 1918, but due to slow running it did not arrive into Victoria until 2036.

On December 21, 1985, 40 years ago, Hertfordshire Rail Tours ran The Gunnislake Goliath rail tour originating in London. This was formed of Hastings Unit 1032 and ran via Salisbury and Exeter for a trip over the remains of the Plymstock Branch before continuing into Plymouth and to Saltash. From here it ran up to Gunnislake then returning to London via Plymouth, Exeter and Salsbury.

55 years ago, during December 1970, all of Highbridge Station, engine shed and yard buildings on the former Somerset and Dorset line were demolished. 

MORE NEWS ITEMS

South Western Railway have reinstated a full timetable on the Waterloo to Exeter route from November 29. Train services were reduced due to track infrastructure problems between Yeovil Junction and Exeter, after long periods of dry weather. This resulted in trains having to run at lower speeds and the timetable having to be cut back.

If you need a train ‘fix’ after Christmas, the following heritage railways will be operating services. The Avon Valley have Mince Pie Specials on December 28 and January 1, with trains from Bitton at 1045, 1200, 1315 and 1430. The East Somerset Railway has a Children’s Caracter Event (meet the Snowman and Snowdog) on December 30 and the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire are running a steam service from December 28 to 31. At Midsomer Norton, there is a driver experience taster day on December 27 and a Mince Pie Special day on January 1. The Swanage Railway are running a steam timetable from December 26 through to January 2. It appears that there is nothing scheduled to operate on the West Somerset or Swindon and Cricklade Railways after Christmas.

The Severn Valley Railway is introducing a brand-new New Year’s Eve service, featuring diesel haulage with Class 46 46045 and a steam locomotive.​ Passengers will enjoy four round trips between Kidderminster and Highley, with seating provided around tables and in private compartments. The King & Castle pub at Kidderminster Station will be open till late, with hot food available too.​ Tickets include travel on all four round trips, departing from Kidderminster at 6.20pm, 7.55pm, 9.30pm and 11.05pm.

Great Western Railway are to trial extra night time services on their North Downs Line between Reading and Gatwick Airport on Fridays and Saturdays from May to September next year. There will be three additional trains on a Friday and two on a Saturday.

Another news item from South Western Railway is regarding a farewell enthusiast’s tour for their Class 455 suburban units. These are all due to be withdrawn by the end of this year. A total of 70 units came into service in 1983, and the final units are now to be phased out. To mark the occasion, on Sunday December 21, a special train is being run by SWR for 400 tickets holders starting at London’s Waterloo station which will be visiting Epsom and Haslemere during its journey. Monies raised from the tour will be going to charity.

On Saturday 6th December the Avon Valley Railway are hosting the annual ‘Carols and Steam’ evening featuring the Bristol East & Kingswood Brass Band and a special performance from the Avon Valley Railway Christmas Choir plus warming seasonal refreshments. Passengers should arrive at Bitton by 6.45 pm and there will be one round-trip of the line, with stops at each of our three stations to sing some carols arriving back at Bitton at approximately 8:40 pm. This event is organised by the Bristol & South Gloucestershire Methodist Church Circuit, and tickets can by booked via the AVR website. Any questions should be made by contacting communications@bsgc.org.uk or by calling 0117 951 7044.

MEMBERS CONTRIBUTION 

Murder On The East Lancs by Mike Dodd.

 In September 2025 my Wife and I accompanied my son and his partner on a Murder Mystery event on the East Lancs. Railway. As well as the Murder Mystery this included a three-course meal on the train. The company that organises these events in conjunction with the railway hold several of these "Who Dunnit?" scenarios during the year. Events ranged from Sci Fi to Abba themes to ours, which was set in Baker Street, London 1889 involving Sherlock Holmes! Dressing in appropriate costumes was encouraged for each theme, however we did not have space in the car for Victorian outfits!

At 6-15 PM we assembled at Bury (Bolton Street) station along with about 150 other participants, our locomotive for the night was to be Black Five 45212, recently returned from mainline duties and in fact making one of its last appearances before withdrawal for maintenance. Our train consisted of five 1st class MK1s and a Kitchen car.

After moving to the Island platform, we were greeted by the actors for our evening of sleuthing. The actors to their credit remained in character for the whole event- all suitably attired in Victorian dress. Two ladies acted as our hosts/comperes explaining what the evening would involve.

The murder having already been committed meant that the actors told us of their movements on and leading up to the murder, the unfortunate victim being none other than Sherlock Holmes' brother! Sherlock himself, his arch enemy Moriarty sinisterly clad all in black and sporting an eye patch opened proceedings. Other characters were Mrs. Hudson (Sherlock's housekeeper), Miss Irene Adler- a Lady of the Night, The Colonel- an ex-army gun dealer and finally a scruffy female vagrant who had observed dodgy goings on from the shadows!

After the actors had run through the murder scenarios our two hosts warned us that not all the characters were telling the truth, it was up to each team to try to identify the murderer during the course of our train journey. Further clues would be given by the actors during the journey. At the end of the evening each team's answer sheet would be collected and a trophy awarded to the team identifying the murderer and correctly spotting the clues.

At around 7PM we boarded the train - by now it was dusk and very atmospheric with signal lamps glowing and 45212 simmering away with flame flickering from the firebox. Shortly after we gently departed Bury bound for Rawtenstall.

As we progressed through the night a superb three course meal was served, while this was happening our actors and hosts made their way through the train offering more clues and answering questions. The actors of course fully in character! Our son's partner Eve is a dab hand at these events having been on several previously and took things very seriously, I will admit to being distracted by the food and steam haulage!

We halted at Ramsbottom Station for about 30 minutes as more clues were available on the platform, 45212s crew kindly inviting participants onto the footplate. After this break in the journey, we continued to Rawtenstall where our locomotive ran round. Returning now to Bury at a relaxed pace more food and alcohol was consumed plus much head scratching to find the dastardly murderer! Our expert Eve had by now deducted that the murderer was "Lady of the Night" Irene Adler and not Sherlock Holmes who had been the prime suspect as he would benefit from his late brother’s estate! 

Arrival back at Bury was just before 10 PM we then all de-trained onto the platform where our two hostesses revealed all the clues and the murderer. All the answer sheets had been collected prior to arrival back at Bury, alas although we had correctly identified the murderer not all of our deductions were judged to be correct. Oh well better luck next time!

We all thoroughly enjoyed the evening, great entertainment, superb food- well done to the actors and all on the East Lancs. Railway. Other Heritage Railways also run events similar to this, so if you wanted a slightly different experience, we would recommend giving an event like this a go.

Thank you, Mike, for your very interesting contribution.  If any of you have an interesting story or article for inclusion in the newsletter, please do send it in to  either  bathrailwaysociety@gmail.com or bob.bunyar@outlook.com

COMPETITION    

As previously mentioned in this newsletter, Pathfinder Tours are closing after 50 years of running rail tours, and special trains, most of which carried ‘names’ with some unusual titles appearing for some of them. All you have to do this month is unscramble the letter to give you the three tour names. There are no prizes, it’s for fun, and please note ‘The’ has been dropped from the beginning of each name. 

• daaihcne

• bnrcmiua xrroelpe

• uebl ybso rreym xmire

Answers in next month’s newsletter

MORE NEWS ITEMS

On Tuesday December 30, the West Camel Model Railway Society are holding a Christmas Show at Davis Hall, Howell Hill, West Camel, Somerset. This will feature 10 layouts of different scales, plus two trade stands. Refreshments will be available. Open 10am – 3.30pm. Admission Adults £6, Children £1.

Network Rail has provided a new walkway for pedestrians and cyclists as part of a £231m scheme to upgrade Oxford station. The walkway connects Botley Road and Frideswide Square, with cyclists and pedestrians sharing the space. Botley Road has been closed at the rail bridge since 2023, and it is not due to reopen until August 2026. A new bridge is expected to be installed in February 2026.

Engineering work will affect some train services to/from London Paddington from Saturday December 27 to Sunday January 4 and trains will run to a revised timetable as only two out of four tracks will be available. No direct trains will run between London Paddington and Cheltenham Spa, and passengers should change at Swindon or Bristol Parkway. On Sunday January 4, most GWR services for London Paddington will start or terminate at Reading and passengers should use South Western Railway services. However, there is also engineering work on SWR at Queenstown Road and no services will run into Waterloo on December 27 & 28 with trains terminating and starting at Clapham Junction. From December 29 to January 4 a revised timetable will then be in operation. If you are travelling to or from London, do check on services that are operating as there will be disruption.

The recent Bluebell Railway’s ‘Giants of Steam Gala’ raised some interesting statistics. 4289 visitors are recorded as having attended raising a fare revenue of £122,082.45. Catering revenue brought in an income of £48,584.47 with retail revenue raised of £23,688.09. The operating costs of the gala were £77,000. My maths makes that a profit of £97,355.00 which will go to projects on the railway with this being quite an exceptional event recorded.

At the North Dorset Railway at Shillingstone Station, work has commenced on dismantling the second Yugoslavian built tank locomotive based there, 62-521. This is going to be restored to resemble one of the USATC British based Class 100 locomotives that were brought here in WW II. The locomotive will carry the number 30076 and will be rebuilt as close as possible to the original class. On Saturday November 22, the first train in nearly 60 years crossed Lamb House Bridge just north of Shillingstone Station on the railway’s extension. The train was formed of Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 Diesel Loco “Ashdown” plus a ballast wagon. The track over the bridge to a buffer stop at the northern boundary still has to be ballasted. An ESSO tanker wagon that has been at Shillingstone since 2010 has left and gone to the Great Central Railway. This was an ex Bournemouth West depot waste oil tanker.

The Pecorama attraction at Beer in Devon, closed completely at the end of the season due to financial reasons. This includes the miniature railway, shops, refreshment outlets and gardens. The manufacturing business of Peco model railway items is not affected, and it is hoped that some form of rescue might be forthcoming for the miniature railway, but this is uncertain at present. 

GWR is trialling a new form of wi-fi on some of its IET sets. It is anticipated that it will give better connectivity and coverage, especially when going through tunnels and cuttings etc.

LOOKING FORWARD

If you cannot make our December meeting, the Committee send you our best wishes for Christmas and the New Year and look forward to seeing you in January.  

Please note: Our next meeting will now be on Thursday January 8, 2026, the second Thursday of the month, when our Secretary, Mike Beale, will present, The Langford Collection Part 1, Western Region 1956-65.  More details next newsletter.

Bob Bunyar

Newsletter Editor

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