BATH RAILWAY SOCIETY

President: Pete Waterman OBE DL

Chairman: John Froud    

 Email: bathrailwaysociety@gmail.com

OCTOBER  2025  NEWSLETTER

Dear Member,

SOCIETY MATTERS

We started our 2025/26 season with a most informative presentation by Bob Tiller from GB Railfreight, He talked about locomotives and the Future of Diesel Traction which was coupled with environmental implications concerning emissions from diesel locomotives. He finished his talk mentioning the new Class 99 Stadler built dual-mode electro-diesel Co-Co locomotives that will haul freight trains on both electrified and non-electrified lines. These Class 99 locomotives are built in Velencia in Spain, and a further order of locomotives will include locomotives that will have ‘train supply’ fitted for passenger workings. Will this mean we will see GBRf locomotives working GWR’s Night Rivera services in the future?

Our next meeting will be on Thursday October 2 starting at 7.30pm (Doors open at 7pm). The presentation will be by Matthew Pinto who will be telling us all about ‘Milk on the Rails’. Matthew will be telling us the complete story of how milk was once an important commodity to be carried by rail, and he has also published a book of the same title as his talk.  Published by Wild Swan Books it is available from The Titfield Thunderbolt Bookshop priced at £28.95.

Regarding subscriptions, if you have not yet paid for the 2025/26 season these are now due, and they remain at £22. (£32 for those who receive the newsletter by post). To pay by bank transfer, the account number is 79725570, Sort Code 55 70 31. NatWest Bank. The account name is Bath Railway Society. A Bank transfer is the preferred method of payment, and please put your surname in the reference box.

We welcome Andrew Harper and Martin Cadwgan who joined the Society at the September meeting.

In the competition in the September Newsletter, you had to find the name of a BR Britania Class locomotive by re-arranging the letters. It was 70035 Rudyard Kipling. This was withdrawn from Carlisle Kingmoor, the week ending 30/12/1967, and broken up by T W Ward, Inverkeithing, by 11/03/1968. 

NEWS ITEMS

Oxford County Council launched a public feasibility study in September into rail use in the county. They want to upgrade lines with the restoration of double track on the North Cotswold line to Hanborough, reintroduced passenger services on the Cowley branch line together with proposals to open stations at Oxford Littlemore, Oxford Cowley, Begbroke and Wantage and Grove. The consultation was due to close on October 1, with the information gathered then going to a council meeting in November. It should be noted that plans to reopen the Cowley branch, which currently serves a car factory, and a station at Wantage and Grove, have been put forward before, but have not progressed. There is no mention of plans to reopen the Witney branch, although another study published in July this year stated that it was feasible and economically viable. The line to Witney closed to passenger services in 1962.

It has been announced that the island of Jersey could be getting a railway back. The last passenger trains ran on the island in 1936, and the tracks remained derelict until WW II when the occupying German forces used them for military use. After the war the lines were removed. Now a company known as the Jersey Western Railway (JWR) is investigating bringing back a train service which will provide "affordable, comfortable and sustainable transport for Jersey". The proposed railway, using some of the old railway formations, would run from Trenton Square in Jersey’s capital, St Helier, with branches to both La Corbière and the airport but in the long-term, JWR wants to provide a dedicated beach service. They are seeking views on their proposals, but no firm plans are currently in place and further information can be found on their website at https://www.jerseywesternrailway.co.uk

A Western Region totem nameplate from Bath Green Park station, described as in good condition, was sold at auction in July for £11,500 by GW Railwayana Auctions. The bidding was described as enthusiastic.

Train services in the Gloucester area will be suspended on October 4 and 5 due to renewal works taking place at Gloucester Signal Box which involves replacing wiring and components. Do check if you have plans for using services in that area over that weekend. Great Western, Cross Country and Transport for Wales services will all be affected.

LOOKING BACK

One hundred years ago this month, the 9.10 a.m. down passenger train from Llandudno Junction was approaching Llandudno Station, under clear signals, and was about to enter No. 4 platform, while the 9.20 a.m. rail motor train started from No. 3 platform against signals at danger. This resulted in a side-long collision taking place at the point of convergence of the platform lines. Seven passengers were seriously injured with one child at the time being reported in a critical condition. Twelve other passengers, including the driver, and guard of the rail motor, received minor injuries or were shaken. The majority of those seriously injured suffered from leg fractures as the result of the corner of the frame of the leading coach of the rail motor penetrating at seat level the sides of the two rear coaches of the incoming train from Llandudno Junction.

50 years agon this month on October 18, Class 47 – 47001 worked throughout a BR excursion from Plymouth to Cambridge and Ely. The outward run was via Taunton, Westbury, Reading, the North London Line and Stratford. On the return journey, 47001 worked the reverse of the outward run back as far as Reading then headed down the GW main line through Swindon, Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads then back to Taunton and Plymouth.

MEMBERS CONTRIBUTION 

Colin Maggs (CGM) has kindly sent the following report for inclusion in this section for which we thank him.

An Adventurous Day Trip

Our ancestors in 1911 were quite adventurous and travelled long distances on day trips by rail. One such was in August that year when passengers from Bath availed themselves for the offer of a day trip – rather loosely described, as it lasted more than 24 hours – from Bath to Scotland. (Despite research in local papers, the destination is unknown, through I suspect it would have been the bonnie banks of Lock Lomond. CGM)

On Friday 25th August, passengers left the GWR station at Bath on the 7.5pm to Temple Meads and were in for an exciting and unusual experience, the Bath Chronicle recording:

Daybreak saw them at the foot of Shap Fell, Westmoreland. Clouds of smoke were seen by wakeful passengers as the train dashed along, and suspicion rose that something was wrong dawned upon them. In a little time the brakes were applied, and the train stopped, and it was discovered that the van next to the front engine was on fire. How the fire originated – whether from an over-heated axle or a spark or other cause is not known, but it was found necessary to at once uncouple the carriage and isolate it from the rest of the train. In a very little space of time the parcels van was absolutely enveloped in flames from end to end and it burned so rapidly that an attempt to save any of the parcels was out of the question.

The passengers lined the embankment on the other side of the burning carriage being deeply interested in the extraordinary spectacle even while shivering in the keen morning air. After a time the driver and fireman attached the carriage, still a blazing red-hot furnace, to their engine and carried it forward a distance of three miles to a junction point (probably Tebay. CGM), so as to clear the line. Several cameras were brought out by passengers to obtain mementos of the occurrence. The express was delayed considerably above an hour as a result of the accident.

We have more interesting stories to come from Colin in future Newsletters, but I wonder, as passengers took photographs of the above, do any still exist?

If 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

MORE NEWS ITEMS

The Severn Valley Railway are holding a diesel gala from October 2 to 5 and its theme will be celebrating 65 years of the Class 37s. Guest Class 37’s confirmed are 37 248 and 37 250. The gala will feature late night running, and a 15% discount is available if you book your tickets in advance online.

On October 25 and 26, the Somerset Railway Modellers Club present Taunton Rail-Ex 2025 at Taunton School, Staplegrove Road, Taunton, Somerset. This features 39 layouts in various scales depicting railways from all over the world and 16 trade stands are due to be present. There will be catering, and this includes full meals such as fish and chips and curries to Sunday roasts on the Sunday! The opening times are: 10:00am-5:00pm, (Sunday 4:00pm) and admission prices are Adults £15.00 (Concessions £14.00) and Family £30.00. Taunton railway station is 0.6 miles from the venue.

As mentioned at our September meeting, the Branch Line Society is offering an unrepeatable opportunity to travel over sections of the Avon Valley Railway on Friday October 10, not otherwise available to passengers, and subject to imminent change with remodelling of Bitton Yard. A variety of motive power will be used, and the fare is £69.50. The funds raised by this charter will assist the AVR recover from its recent and unfortunate major financial losses from fraud. The day is being advertised as ‘The Great Bitton’ and will run from 1000 to 1600hrs. Full details are available at https://www.branchline.uk/fixture.php At the time of preparing the newsletter, spaces were available.

The Helston Railway in Cornwall have launched their Viaduct Appeal 2025. This aims to raise funds to purchase the Cober / Lowertown viaduct. The purchase of this would be a big milestone for the Railway in getting as close as they're possibly can back into Helston. Guided walks will be offered once the funds have been secured and the purchase is complete. You can sponsor a stone towards the appeal. The viaduct is 313 feet in length and 120 feet high and once carried the Helston branch on its six arches. Details: https://www.helstonrailway.co.uk/viaduct-appeal/

The Ministry of Defence has recently withdrawn its fleet of Warflat and Warwell wagons from service. Some of these, coded KFA flat wagons, dated from the 1940’s, while others were from builds in 1976 and 1981. Today’s modern tanks and some armoured vehicles are now two large and ‘out of gauge’ in the UK to be carried on these former wagons. Six of the wagons that were stored at MOD Bicester have however been saved, while the rest of the fleet are to be scrapped. The MOD will still be using VGA bogie covered vehicles for moving supplies and equipment.

The Cholsey & Wallingford Railway are holding a 1940’s weekend on October 4 and 5. It will feature authentic re-enactors, Home Guard, Allied Forces, Special Operations and Home Front displays along with 1940s singers and vintage vehicles. Parking will not be available at Wallingford Station during the weekend, but you can board trains at Cholsey Station where main line ‘local’ services also call.

A 19th-century railway inn in Weymouth is starting a new chapter as a co-working project for small businesses. The Portland Railway Hotel, on the corner of Corporation Street and King Street, dates back to the 1860s, when Corporation Street was on the waterfront. The building remained as a pub for more than a century before falling into disuse. It was taken on by the Weymouth Area Development Trust (WADT) in 2018 and was re-opened on September 25. The tracks of the Weymouth Quay tramway originally ran right past the building with trains passing by its windows to and from the Quay station. Apart from a very short section, these lines have now all been removed.

At the Swindon and Cricklade Railway a Cinema Coach that was first opened by Princes Margaret in 1975 has been fully restored to once again show films. The coach was originally built as a standard open (SO) Mk 1 vehicle 4598 and converted at Swindon works in 1975 for use in the Railway 150 celebrations exhibition train, being renumbered ZDB 975403. It arrived at the S & CR in 2019, and it has been a six-year project to rebuild the coach, which can seat 25 people. After its exhibition train use the cinema coach went on to screen British Rail staff training films until 1988, before being consigned to be used as a static meeting room at Bristol St Philips Marsh depot in 1991. Restoration of the coach included repanelling, rewiring, repainting, raking the floor, fitting a new speaker system, and installing vintage seats salvaged from a cinema in Deptford, southeast London. The coach will be used to show British Transport and other railway films using a rebuilt 1970s Bell and Howell projector. It is the only surviving BR Cinema Coach, although several pre-nationalisation examples (1948) do exist.

With the darker nights now upon us, please do take care on the steps outside of the museum. It might be advisable to bring a torch with you or use the light on a mobile phone to ensure your safety. 

COMPETITION    

In the TV Dad's Army episodes ‘Battle School’ and ‘The Day the Balloon Went Up’ a former Great Eastern railway station in Norfolk was used for some of the filming. The station in question was closed by BR in 1968, and at the time of filming ‘Battle School’ on June 1, 1969, the tracks can be seen in a very rusty state indicating that no train was used in the filming sequences, although the very opening seconds of film were taken from the film The Titfield Thunderbolt. In the competition this month you have to work out the name of the station used by unscrambling the letters. The section of the former railway shown in the episodes has now been used for improvements to the A47, with the site of the station being lost under the roadworks, but what was its name. No prizes are given, this is just for fun.

YWDNNIEL

MORE NEWS ITEMS

The West Somerset Railway will be holding an Autumn Steam Weekend from October 17 to 19. In addition to their home fleet, guest locomotives will be 5029 Nunney Castle and T3 563. On all three days of the gala, an intensive timetable will be operating, with express trains, local passenger trains, and heritage goods trains, running from early morning into the evening. Home fleet locos will include 7812 Erlestoke Manor and 7828 Odney Manor and Mogul 9351. See WSR website for more information.

Great Western Railway services to Gatwick Airport, on the North Downs Line, were being suspended for two weeks from September 27 and replaced by buses from Guildford to Gatwick. This is for upgrade works to level crossings at Chilworth, Tangley, Brook and Burrow Lane. 16 signals on the route, that come under the control of the Guildford Signalling Centre, will also be upgraded.

Network Rail has placed part of the Fawley branch in Hampshire ‘Out of Use’. Because the section of line south of Marchwood to Fawley isn’t currently being used it is being classified as a ‘short term change’ and level crossing barriers on the section of line have been removed. The occasional MOD trains will still be using the branch from Totton to serve the Marchwood Military Port. Grand Union Railways, under the Alliance Rail brand has applied as an open access operator to run nine trains a day between Marchwood and London Waterloo with a further seven trains a day from Marchwood to Southampton, where a disused bay platform would be brought into use.  They plan to use Class 769 units leased from Porterbrook, which would be serviced at Eastleigh.  At a later stage the services could be extended back south from Marchwood to Hythe. A decision on the open access application is expected shortly. Despite seeing very few trains, the signal box at Marchwood is still manned. Meanwhile, on September 16, it was announced by the Port of Southampton that they propose to apply for planning permission to build a freight facility between Marchwood Military Port and Hythe to handle the motor trade exports/imports as the main Southampton Port is congested. The outline application is due to be submitted early next year and it is hoped to open the new facility in 2028. This could also bring additional traffic to the branch, although there is local opposition to the plans.aHampshitre  H

The Island Line on the Isle of Wight is to close from October 18 to November 3 for engineering works. This is to replace track in Ryde Tunnel and points at Ryde Esplanade, plus other works along the route to Shanklin, which will include tamping the whole length of the line.

A new service to Bristol Temple Meads, operated by Transport for Wales (TfW), is being planned to start in September next year. They want to operate nine services a day with seven of these either starting at Milford Haven or Fishguard Harbour. The other two services would start at Cardiff Central. These trains would call at Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction, Filton Abbey Wood and Stapleton Road, with one service running via Bristol Parkway (reverse). It is proposed to use Class 197 two car units. These trains would be in addition to the current two services an hour operated by GWR.

GWR reintroduced its Saturdays Only direct service from Bristol to Oxford from September 20. Two return services will now operate each Saturday until the May 2026 timetable change.

Alstom Trains has secured an eight-year contract worth £75 million to provide technical support and spares at Plymouth’s Laira Depot, for the introduction of 26 x Class 175’s for Great Western Railway.

The North Dorset Railway officially opened its half mile of running line at Shillingstone station on September 18, running USA designed Tank 30075, a Wickham Trolley and diesel shunter ‘Ashdown’.

LOOKING FORWARD

Our next meeting will now be on Thursday November 6, when Gordon Adams tells us about Train Ferries in WWI and WWII. More details next newsletter.

Bob Bunyar

Newsletter Editor

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