BATH RAILWAY SOCIETY

President: Pete Waterman OBE DL

Chairman: John Froud    

 Email: bathrailwaysociety@gmail.com

JUNE  2026  NEWSLETTER

Dear Member,

SOCIETY MATTERS

On May 7 we welcomed back to the Society Colin Brading. He gave us a talk ‘Getting the Railway off the Ground – The Liverpool Overhead Railway’ which closed on December 30, 1956, having opened in 1893.

Colin gave us a most informative and illustrated talk from the Railway’s early beginnings, including overhead railways in the USA, through its operational life and to its demise. It was also very interesting to see images of the once very thriving Port of Liverpool. We had eight visitors at this meeting.

As previously notified, our next meeting on June 4, 2026, will be our Annual General Meeting at the Museum of Bath at Work at 7.30pm. If you have any, apologies, nominations for the committee, or if there any items you want discussed, please contact us without delay by either emailing or writing to the addresses at the top of this page. A statement of our finances will be available at the meeting. The committee do appreciate any feedback you might have.

We will keep the AGM as short as possible after which we will have a members evening with presentations by Robert Howes (Sao Paulo Railway Brazil, a cable worked main line), Paul Udey (Historic Bath by Train), Brian May, (China before QJs) and Bruce Parkin (A Driver’s View). There will be a break for tea/coffee as normal, after the second presentation. We thank those of you who also offered to show material, but who could not be fitted in on this occasion. There is always next time!

In the last Newsletter competition, you had to give the names of the old Branch line or local trains that acquired nick names given by the public who used them. They were: 1/ "The Brixham Whippet", 2/ ‘The Bunk’, 3/ ‘The Rattler’. (It was also known as the Chalford Auto-train or the Chalford Railcar), 4/ ‘The Marlow Donkey’.

NEWS ITEMS

The chassis of BR Standard Tank locomotive, 80064, has been moved from the West Somerset Railway to the East Somerset Railway for overhaul. Its boiler is at Riley and Son’s workshops, East Lancs Railway, where it is receiving attention before testing. It is hoped this locomotive will return to use in 2028. This locomotive was the 34th to leave Barry scrapyard going to the Dart Valley Railway. It then subsequently went to the Bluebell Railway before another move to the West Somerset Railway.

Plans by the Swanage Railway to open a halt at Bluepool, mentioned in the last newsletter, have suffered a setback. The area where the platform is to be built is of Special Scientific Interest (SSI), and the most recent ecological survey has identified activity from smooth snakes in the area. This imposes certain conditions when working on the site, which was also the home to a species of lizard, which have been moved. It is now planned to open the halt of May 1, 2027.

With work now commenced on the reopening of the Portishead line, a special train was run down the existing freight line for local dignitaries and guests last month. It was formed of Pacer Unit 142 003 owned by Locomotive Services Limited and specially worked down from its base in Crewe.   It is planned to open the line for passenger services in the winter period 2028/29.

The Government has announced that Great Western Railway will be taken back into public ownership under Great British Railways from December 13, this year.

The Avon Valley Railway has launched a ‘Fit for the Future’ fundraising appeal and hopes to raise £150,000. The money will be split into projects which include the completion of the overhaul of 0-6-0 Saddle Tank ‘Edwin Hulse’, new catering facilities, upgrading of track and also to stabilise its finances. The AVR is now also looking to extend its running line southwards to Kelston, and this can be achieved relatively easily. Donations for their appeal can be made via their website.

LOOKING BACK

Two locomotives that departed from the famous Barry scrapyard in June 1986, 40 years ago, were 4277 followed by 5552. They were the 173rd and 174th respectively. 4277 is now named ‘Hercules’ and is in working order owned by the Dartmouth Steam Railway. It is currently on loan to the North Norfolk Railway. 5552 went to the Bodmin and Wenford Railway (now just known as the Bodmin Railway) where it is still based. Ten years earlier in June 1976, 4920 Dumbleton Hall was the 82nd departure from Woodham’s Yard at Barry and was fully restored in 1992 for service on the Dartmouth Steam Railway. It has also seen service on the West Somerset Railway, Nene Valley Railway and Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. It returned to the Dartmouth Steam Railway and was last steamed there in October 1999.  After being stored out of use it was purchased and exported to Japan, having been repainted as the Hogwarts Express, and  is now on display at the Warner Bros Studio Tour Tokyo.

On June 18, 1966, 60 years ago, the Plymouth Railway Circle organised the Plymouth Area Brake Van Tour with seven brake vans hauled for most of the tour by Class 03 – D2178, assisted at some locations by D2177. The tour visited Plymouth Marsh Mills, Tavistock Junction Yard, Sutton Harbour, Friary Yard, Cattewater (as far as the tunnel), Plymstock, Plymouth Millbay and Docks, Devonport Kings Road and Stonehouse Pool Quay with numerous junctions also featuring in the tour. Towards the end of the tour, D2178 failed at Millbay Docks, and the rest of the tour was worked by D2177. Of the lines visited, only Friary Yard and Cattewater still exist, although the latter is ‘out of use’, and there are possible plans to re-activate the now trackless Tavistock Junction Yard sometime in the future.

MORE NEWS ITEMS

The disused platform face at Westbury Station, which has had the track removed since 1984, could be brought back into use due to funding being provided from Wiltshire Council and the Western Gateway STB.  A report states that it is technically feasible, with the platform being widened, and other upgrading works required. New track and signalling contribute significantly to the costs, with a total estimated between £28.4m and £37.9m. More detailed design work and surveys are  however still needed before any work can proceed.

Inspector Webb checked the speedometer with his stop watch and found it was registering 2mph slow. This would make all the difference between a punctual or late arrival. When we reached Wotton Bassett, the needle was flickering on 92, which we now read as 90mph. Still talking about this we passed the London-Fishguard Motorail train with a load of cars on flat trucks behind the passenger coaches.  We sped through Swindon at 90mph with only three old tenders to show that this was once the stronghold of the steam engine. I noticed that the Pullman’s cab windows were not very deep, so that you didn’t see the ground flashing away just below which would have caused eyestrain.

At Uffington we were warned of a 20mph restriction and speed had been reduced by the time we reached the ‘C’ (commencement) board. The restriction was certainly necessary as the track had only just been re-laid and the ‘straight’ lines had noticeable kinks, and a high speed would have caused a dangerous sideways motion. We passed the ‘T’ (termination) board but did not accelerate till the guard buzzed to tell us that the rear of the train had reached the board.  We soon reached maximum speed again and I noticed that it did not seem fast when I became use to it.  Before Reading the brakes were applied for the 60mph limit and the oncoming South Wales Pullman flashed by.

Each time we reached a distant signal the Automatic Train Control sounded a bell in the cab announcing clear road, but at Maidenhead we saw a double yellow and heard the warning siren. The driver cancelled it with a button to prevent the automatic brake application and gently applied the brakes. The next signal showed a single yellow and again the siren sounded. We saw the warning red at Taplow. The driver approached it slowly, trying to avoid a halt, but it remained red.  The second man climbed down and went to a telephone at the foot of the signal post. The signalman told him there was a track failure in front of the signal and we had to pass it at red. The driver told the guard over the microphone what was happening, or he would have stopped the train for failing to obey a signal. After proceeding cautiously, we accelerated to the maximum speed again.

Twenty minutes later, we gently pulled into Platform 5, Paddington Station, only nine minutes late – very reasonable considering the two delays, and had we not been held up, arrival would have been punctual. The average running speed from Bristol to Paddington was 67mph.

Our grateful thanks go to Colin for a most interesting story which surely must be the envy of many a train spotter! Has anyone else had a cab ride you could tell us about?  Don’t forget, if you have a story to tell and share with members, please do send it in. Either to bathrailwaysociety@gmail.com or to bob.bunyar@outlook.com  Next month, a story from ‘down under’.

As a postscript to Colin’s article, you might be interested in the following: The Blue Pullmans were luxury trains first introduced on the Western Region on September 12, 1960, and finally withdrawn in May 1973. After withdrawal a number of the motor cars were retained at Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Bath Road TMD until mid-1974 as standby electricity generators during industrial action in the electricity and coal-mining industries. Sadly, none of the Pullmans were preserved.

COMPETITION / PUZZLE / QUIZ

In the Looking Back section of this newsletter, mention is made of a Plymouth Railway Circle rail tour around various lines in their area. This involved using various junctions in the city and in this puzzle/quiz can you find the names of four of the junctions that were traversed during the tour by rearranging the letters. The word junction is omitted. It’s all for fun, no prizes are given, answers next month.

TMUNO DGOLU                YFARIR                 OLPISN                 LONRLWAC

FURTHER NEWS ITEMS

The West Somerset Railway are staging a Diesel Gala from June 4 to 7. Visiting locomotives taking part will be 26 007, 37 250, 47 714 plus other visitors. Home fleet locomotives will include D2133, D4107, D6566, D6575, D7017 and D9526. Full details on the WSR website.

From the May timetable change, the number of trains operating on the 21¾ mile Par – Newquay branch line in Cornwall, The Atlantic Coast Line, have nearly doubled. This has been made possible due to the reintroduction of a second platform at Newquay and a new passing loop on the branch at Goss Moor, digital signalling and refurbishment of the 153-year-old Ponts Mill Viaduct. The services are part of the new Mid Cornwall Metro. A daily London Paddington to Newquay service is also part of the upgrade of the route costing £57m which has been funded by Cornwall Council and the Government.

Direct services from Bristol Temple Meads to Oxford resumed on May 17, as previously mentioned in the Newsletter. The direct services will run every two hours and will call at Bath Spa, Chippenham and Swindon only, operating Mondays to Saturdays.  There is an introductory fare on offer of £10 each way (non-rail card) between Bath Spa and Oxford. When this offer finishes is not known.

Plans to reopen the Fawley branch in Hampshire have been turned down by the Office of Rail & Road (ORR). Alliance Rail (Grand Union Trains) had applied in 2025 to run a service from Marchwood to Southampton, using class 769 units, with a service running through to London Waterloo every second hour.  The ORR stated there were capacity and infrastructure issues and they questioned the schemes financial viability. At Marchwood the semaphore signalling would have needed upgrading and a new station would have been required at Hythe. Alliance Rail feel that there are errors, and the ORR have not understood the application, and they will be addressing this with them. The line closed to passenger services in 1966. There is an interview with Ian Yeowart, the MD of Alliance Rail, regarding the refusal at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEpRpX8j3YE It’s very interesting!

Great Western Railway has marked the occasion of 52 years of commuting from Windsor and Eton Central to Maidenhead by train. Steve McCulloch has journeyed between the two stations, with a change at Slough, for his printing job every day since 1974. He has now turned 70 and decided to retire and GWR wanted to mark the occasion. They presented him with a miniature headboard bearing his name, and a gift bag. Although he has retired from commuting, he still intends to travel by train for days out, going further afield.

The Shepton & District Model Railway Society are holding an exhibition on June 6 & 7 at the Shepton Scout Hall, Shepton Playing Fields, Old Wells Road, Shepton Mallet BA4 5XN. Opening times are Saturday 11am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm. This is a small show with nine layouts on display. The Mere Model Railway Exhibition takes place on June 13 & 14 at the Mere Lecture Hall, Salisbury Street, Mere, Warminster BA12 6HA from 10am to 4pm both days. This is their 12th annual Model Railway

Exhibition, and they will be displaying their own layout plus at least 10 others in a wide variety of gauges and styles. Light refreshments will be available.

On June 24, Saphos Trains are running a special from Paignton to Shrewsbury, The Welsh Marches Express, which will be steam hauled from Bristol Temple Meads to Shrewsbury and return. The loco will be from the Locomotive Services Limited pool and pickups/set downs are available to Bristol.

To celebrate Mazey Day in Cornwall on Saturday June 27, the Railway Touring Company are running a special from Dorridge to Penzance using a pair of West Coast Railway’s Class 37s. This train picks up/sets down at Bristol Parkway and Temple Meads.

On Sunday June 14, track renewal and drainage work will be taking place, and it will impact on all train services via the Severn Tunnel until midday. Replacement buses are planned between Bristol Parkway and Newport – both non-stop and stopping services. Services to Portsmouth Harbour and Taunton and Exeter which normally operate from Cardiff Central will instead start and terminate at Bristol Parkway. London Paddington to Cardiff/Swansea services will still operate directly, being diverted via Gloucester.

The Swindon & Cricklade Railway still needs to raise £100,000 to recover and refurbish the track bed and embankments, and to purchase ballast for their northern extension to Cricklade. They are currently one mile from the town rebuilding the former Midland and South Western Junction Railway formation.

The Severn Valley Railway is making a change to its summer timetable. Instead of using a heritage diesel locomotive for haulage, or a DMU, on its first train out of Bridgnorth on Saturdays it will be replaced by a steam-hauled service. This change will take place during June, July and August, and it will use a set of its GWR historic coaches, and one of its smaller locomotives.

At the Didcot Railway Centre, they are staging ‘A hands-on’, family-friendly event on June 6 & 7. This weekend is to introduce children to the world of steam locomotives and includes a Hands-On Workshop, Behind-the-Scenes Tours, and a look at the Coaling Stage and Signalling Centre. Full details are available at https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/product.php/1411/young-engineers-weekend pre-booking is essential for places, and each child will receive a Peter’s Railway book to take home.

At the South Devon Railway, a Pullman Car with links to Winston Churchill and General Eisenhower has returned to use after more than five decades. Car No. 246 ‘Lydia’ was used during crucial wartime strategy meetings ahead of D-Day and later during Churchill’s state funeral in 1965. It was constructed in 1924 by the Midland Railway Carriage & Wagon Company for the prestigious Pullman Company. It was withdrawn from BR service on November 5, 1966, and donated to the National Railroad Museum at Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA, being shipped from Liverpool Docks in September 1969. It then accompanied the Flying Scotsman on a tour of North America until 1972. Following private purchase, ‘Lydia’ was repatriated once more, arriving back at Newport Docks in November 2000. Initially it went to the Kent and East Sussex Railway before moving to the SDR. ‘Lydia’ is now being used on journeys on the railway between Buckfastleigh and Totnes Riverside and is available for private hire, corporate events and scheduled luxury dining experiences. The coach’s restoration has been carried out by a skilled team in the workshops at the SDR.

On Saturday June 13, the Somerset & Dorset Railway at Midsomer Norton are running Diesel Driver Experiences for one round trip lasting 40 minutes. The diesel locomotive will be hauling a Queen Mary Brake Van, and it costs for one person £65 which includes a brake van ride for up to 6 people. Bookings can be made online and additional passengers, up to a max of 12 people, can be purchased for £3 each. See https://sdjr.digitickets.co.uk/event-tickets/40745?catID=41364& for full detail and conditions.

The boiler of M7 0-4-4, 30053, has successfully been steam tested and reunited with its rolling chassis at the North Norfolk Railway where it was under overhaul. 30053 was due to return to its home base of the Swanage Railway in May for fitting out and where it should re-enter service later this year. Another loco due to return to service at Swanage this year is BR Std 80104. The boiler of this is back at Swanage from Tyseley and the refurbished chassis is ready for the boiler to be fitted.

On June 28, the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway are holding ‘Double Up Sunday – Class 20’. This will feature two Class 20 Diesel Electric locomotives working together in multiple. The locomotives are from the Railway’s home fleet. The first Class 20’s departure from Broadway to Cheltenham Racecourse is at 1055 followed by a departure at 1405.  A 1700 service runs to Toddington only. 

The opening of the new Cambridge South station has been announced for later this month. Services will commence on Sunday June 28, before the station’s official opening ceremony takes place the following day. The station will be served by up to 9 trains an hour to Cambridge alongside further direct services to London, Stansted and Birmingham Airport and it will also give a direct rail link to Europe’s largest medical research facility nearby and its 40,000 daily visitors. £250 million government funding has been provided for the new station.

The North Dorset Railway at Shillingstone Station are holding a 1960s-themed Gala Weekend at the station on the weekend of June 6 & 7. There will be tours of the station and the signal box (which was completely rebuilt by volunteers) and guided walks of the new track extension, with the opportunity to see the Lamb House bridge from a whole new angle.  A couple of model railway layouts, including a steam version will also be on display. There will be free shuttle bus service to and from the gala, starting from Morrison’s car park in Blandford Forum and Station Road car park in Sturminster Newton.  Vintage buses will be used, including a Routemaster.  Due to the cost of the diesel, they will run when the driver determines that there are enough passengers on board. On both days, boarding will start at the two locations at 9:45am, with the last bus to Shillingstone at around 11:15.  Buses start returning from Shillingstone at 2:00pm, with the last bus at around 3:30pm. The station will be open both days from 10:00am until 4:00pm and entry is free - though donations are welcome, to aid the ongoing development and maintenance of the station and railway.

On June 13 and 14, the Plym Valley Railway in Devon are holding a Transport Weekend with train services running from Marsh Mills to Plym Bridge.  A Vehicle Rally will take place at Marsh Mills.

The Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway is holding a Model Railway Open weekend on June 13 and 14. Their own Model Railway Club is hosting this event and will be opening the club rooms to the public to display their own O, OO and N gauge layouts. In addition, visiting layouts will be displayed in the tearoom at the Furnace Sidings station. A range of model railway items will be on sale in what is known as Eric's Emporium. There is free entry to the exhibition, with tickets purchased for the Railway. Those not travelling on the Railway, which will be running a steam service, are asked to donate if they only wish to attend the Model Railway event. Trains will depart from Furnace Sidings at 11:00, 12:45 and 14:30.

Merchant Navy Class 35011 ‘General Steam Navigation’, has moved from the Swindon & Cricklade Railway to a private location in Somerset. The Owners of 35011, ‘The General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society (GSNLRS)’, will be using facilities at the Yeovil Railway Centre during their restoration work, having been asked by the Swindon and Cricklade Railway to move the locomotive away as “there was no prospect of it running on the railway”. The aim is to restore the locomotive to the original Bulleid condition, complete with the air smooth casing and the unique patented chain driven valve gear. 35011 was withdrawn from service in February 1966, arriving at Barry Scrapyard in June that year, departing for preservation in March 1989. On January 1, 1966, 35011 worked the LCGB’s ‘Mendip Merchantman’ rail tour from London Waterloo to Templecombe Number Two Junction via Poole. This was only the second ever visit of a Merchant Navy Class to the southern section of the Somerset & Dorset line as the Class were banned from the line due to their weight, but as it was closing, the authorities waived the ban.

LOOKING FORWARD

We now take a summer break, and our next meeting will be on Thursday September 3, when we welcome back for a third time, Stephen Gay. He will be taking us to see ‘Scenic Britain by Train in Cornwall’.  Programme cards for the 2026/27 season will be available at the September meeting. There will be a further newsletter for July (slightly reduced) but not in August. 

Bob Bunyar

Newsletter Archive