BATH RAILWAY SOCIETY

President: Pete Waterman OBE DL

Chairman: John Froud    

 Email: bathrailwaysociety@gmail.com

JULY  2025  NEWSLETTER

Dear Member,

SOCIETY MATTERS

We held our AGM on June 5 at which all the existing committee members were re-elected, and it was announced that subscriptions would remain un-changed. Details of the committee can be found on our website. Currently we have 50 members, but if you know anyone who might be interested in joining us, please bring them along to one of our meetings.

Following the AGM, member Robert Howes, took us on a journey from Scotland to Weymouth with steam in the 1960’s explaining the cameras he had along the way along with the types of film used. This was a most interesting and enjoyable trip, and we thank Robert for sharing it with us.

Regarding subscriptions, these remain at £22 for the 2025/26 season and they will be due in September. However, please DO NOT pay these until we notify you accordingly. The treasurer is currently changing our bank account. And any previous BRS bank details will be changing.

In the competition in the last Newsletter, you had to spot an error in one of the lists of Geoff Ayliffe-Fletcher’s spotting books. Did you find it? It wrongly showed that the Brush Type 4’s (D1500) were ‘Peak’ Class locomotives. Of course, the Peaks started at D1. There will not be a competition in this Newsletter, but it will be back in September when the next Newsletter comes out.

Members of the Society participate in a visit to the Western Locomotive Association Traction Maintenance Depot at Kidderminster, Severn Valley Railway, on Wednesday June 11. There will be a full report of the visit in the September Newsletter.

NEWS ITEMS

The Shoscombe Village Hall will be the venue for two history meetings in August. On Friday July 15, there is a screening of Dennis Chedgy’s informative talk – ‘A History of Somerset Coal Mining’. The is no admission charge to this event, which starts at 7.30pm, but donations are welcome for Radstock Museum (Bring your own refreshments). On Friday August 29, there will be an illustrated talk by Bryn Hawkins ‘Boy to Man in the Somerset Coalfield’. This tells the history of his family as miners in the coalfield. Tickets include refreshments at £5 in advance or £6 on the door. Contact rinarichards@yahoo.co.uk  or 07790 386063

The Spetisbury Station Project are holding a Summer Tea Party with live entertainment from the Blandford Ukulele Group, railway items for sale and representatives from the North Dorset Railway. This takes place on Sunday July 13 and it’s an opportunity to meet the team and see the progress being made at the station.

At the next GW Railwayana Auctions to be held on Saturday and Sunday July 19 & 20, there are several station totem signs of local interest coming up for sale. These are BR(W) Brown signs from Bath Green Park, Devizes, Limpley Stoke and Saltford. For further details go to www.gwra.co.uk/nextauctions

At the Swindon & Cricklade Railway, the Gloucester Railcar Trust’s Class 119 DMU - W51073 + W51074 is now operational and running, while W51104 is currently awaiting restoration along with Class 114 E56047 and 117 trailer 59514.

Oxfordshire County Council is again looking at opening a station at Gove and Wantage on the GW main line. The have previously undertaken studies into the possibility of a new station without further action, but more housing development in the area has prompted them looking into it again.

The Ivatt Diesel Society, who are recreating a replica of LMS Diesel 10000, have acquired three traction motors from the Dutch organisation ‘Werkgroep 1501’, which maintains Class EM2 1501, originally BR Class 77, E27003. The traction motors had similar parts to those used on 10000 and they will be used alongside six motors already in stock, with the best ones rebuilt to be used on the replica loco. 10000 was the first British mainline diesel electric locomotive to be built at Derby works in 1947/8 and was withdrawn from service in 1963, and stored, before finally being scrapped in 1968 along with sister locomotive 10001. The Ivatt Society are using a genuine 1947-built English Electric 16SVT mk1 power unit and the chassis from Class 58 locomotive, 58022, for their project together with bogies formerly used on EM2 ‘1503 Juno’.

The Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway is holding a Diesel Gala from July 25 to 27. There will be an intensive timetable in operation plus Class 03 hauled brake van rides at Toddington, double headed Class 20’s, with visiting pioneer Class 37 D6700 and Class 50 – 50 021 Rodney. Home fleet locomotives will be 37 215, D6948, 45 149, 47 105, 47 376, D5348, 20 137 and 20 228. There will be a free bus service linking Cheltenham Spa station with the G&WR’s Racecourse station. Further details can be found at www.gwsr.com

The Severn Valley Railway will be operating a GWR Auto train during their event, “Trains through the Ages” on July 5 and 6. This will feature an 0-4-2T sandwiched between two auto cars. The SVR hasn’t operated such a train since 2020. Flying Scotsman will be in use on the SVR between July 27 and 29 with a Gresley teak set of coaches, The line should be reopening its full length from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth that weekend. See SVR website for full details.

An “Out of this World: Sci-fi Weekend” is taking place at the Avon Valley Railway on July 12 and 13. This is the first time the AVR has run such a weekend where you can meet some of your favourite sci-fi characters around the station and onboard the diesel hauled train. These depart from Bitton Station at 10:45, 12:00, 13:15, 14:30 & 15:45. Children who go in sci-fi fancy dress will travel FREE of charge.

South Gloucester County Council has announced that the actual building works for the new Chalfield Station could start as early as August pending full funding being received. Track and drainage work has already been undertaken on the main line in preparation for the platforms to be built as has works in Station Road leading up to the new station. Welfare units are due to be delivered this month for those working on the scheme.

GWR has commenced crew training with their recently acquired Class 175 units. They are currently undertaking runs between Plymouth and Newton Abbot, with four return trips due to take place per day.

MEMBERS CONTRIBUTION 

There is no Members Contribution this month. It will return in September if we get more stories sent in. Please send to our email address at the top of the first page.

LOOKING BACK

The Great Western 150 Celebrations took place in 1985, and on July 7, a special ran from London Paddington, and it was due to go to Plymouth and back. The train left Paddington behind Class 47 47 484 and ran via Newbury and the Berks & Hants line, passing through Trowbridge and Bath Spa to Bristol Temple Meads. Here 4930 'Hagley Hall' & 5051 ‘Drysllwyn Castle’ (Earl Bathurst) took over for the run to Plymouth. However, both locos stalled on Dainton Bank and after attempts to get them going, without success, Class 50 50 045 came on the rear and banked the train. Due to its late running, it was then terminated at Totnes. The train was booked to return via its outward route, but it instead ran via Cogload Jn - Castle Cary - Heywood Road Jn and then via the B & H. It was hauled back by Class 50 50 007 ‘Sir Edward Elgar’ with a scheduled arrival time at Paddington at 2215, but it was running somewhat late and arrived at 0026hrs!

Ten years later on July 30, 1995, Pathfinder Tours ran The Crompton Crusader rail tour which originated at Bristol Temple Meads. This ran up via Worcester Shrub Hill, Kidderminster, Birmingham New Street, Shrewsbury, Blackburn, Hellifield and over the S & C to Carlise. The tour returned to Birmingham via Stafford and Bescot and then took the same route back to Bristol as the outward journey. The train was hauled by 33 008 Eastleigh and 33 026 Seafire. 33 008 is still with us today and is currently undergoing restoration on The Battlefield Railway, while 33 026 was scrapped at Eastleigh.

COMPETITION    

The competition will return in September. 

MORE NEWS ITEMS

The London Transport Museum is close to completing the restoration of the last three 1930s Q stock Underground carriages into running condition. They now need to raise £30,000 to re-upholster the cars’ seats in iconic moquette. Full details and donations can be made via the Museum’s website.

The Swindon & Cricklade Railway is holding a volunteer recruitment day on Sunday July 6 where you can find out about all the different roles that are available. Further information can be found at www.swindon-cricklade-railway.org

Engineering works will affect train services between Swindon and Bristol Parkway from Monday July 7 to Sunday July 13 + Sunday July 20. This is for drainage works in Chipping Sodbury Tunnel. Trains between London and South Wales will be diverted between Swindon and Bristol Parkway extending the journey times by around 30 minutes. During the weekend of August 2 and 3, Track maintenance work will affect train services between Bristol Temple Meads and Avonmouth and Severn Beach, with replacement buses to/from stations affected after 20:00 on Saturday until about 17:00 on Sunday. If you are planning to travel, do check your train times. Most services between Swindon and Bristol Parkway (London Paddington to South Wales services and vice versa), are being diverted via Bath Spa.

The Railway Touring Company is celebrating the annual ‘End of Southern Steam’ with a special to Weymouth on July 9. It will run from London Victoria to Yeovil Junction via Salisbury and Templecombe, and this should be behind steam, depending on the fire risk. From Yeovil Junction, the train will run via Pen Mill station and Maiden Newton to Weymouth behind a diesel (Class 47 or 57). The return from Weymouth will be via Bournemouth and Southampton to London Waterloo and this should be behind steam, again subject to the weather conditions and possible fire risk. Steam, if used, is probably 35018 British India Line

A feasibility study is currently taking place into a new multi modal rail freight terminal at Avonmouth. This is being carried out by the Western Gateway and Peninsula Transport Bodies.

Mike Hillyer has copies of the monthly Trains Illustrated (with some Meccano Magazines) from the 1950s to dispose of.  If there are any takers in the Society they are welcome to go and collect them from Mike in St Anns Way, Bath. Please give him a call on 01225 465618 to make arrangements.

LOOKING FORWARD

Our next meeting will now be on September 4 when Bob Tiller will talk about GB Railfreight, Locomotives and the Future of Diesel Traction. More details in the September newsletter.

Enjoy the summer break and don’t forget to send your stories in and you can pay your subs in advance if you wish.

Bob Bunyar

Newsletter Editor

More stories required for our MEMBERS CONTRIBUTION section. Please do send them in.

Newsletter Archive