Newsletter

BATH RAILWAY SOCIETY

President: Pete Waterman OBE DL

Chairman: John Froud    

 Email: bathrailwaysociety@gmail.com

AUGUST NEWSLETTER 2021

Dear Member,

Thank you to those of you who responded to the survey on the re-starting of meetings. At the time of compiling this Newsletter, the committee are still waiting for further information about the church hall and from speakers, and are due to meet to discuss next season. As soon as a decision is made about our future plans we will advise you. As you will appreciate this is a difficult situation and all information needs to be gathered and looked at carefully before any announcement is made.

The answer to the competition in the last Newsletter when you had to find the name of the Class 60 is Bleaklow Hill which was 60 081. It was later renamed Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and after withdrawal from service was reserved, for static display only. It is currently stored at Locomotive Storage Limited at Margate in Kent. There is another competition for you at the end of this Newsletter.

Just a reminder, major engineering works are affecting services at Bristol Temple Meads, so do check if you want to travel by train in the area.

A new study is being proposed to re-instate the railway from Barnstaple to Bideford, and the case for it will be submitted to the Department for Transport.  It is planned to build a further 4,129 new homes at Bideford by 2031 with the volume of traffic going into Barnstaple causing tailbacks, queues and pollution. A further 4,163 new homes are also being proposed for Barnstaple adding to the problem. The group proposing the return of the railway to Bideford will be looking in depth   how to achieve their aims before submitting a report of their findings   to the DfT. The line to Bideford was closed to regular passengers from October 4, 1965 (last train October 2), and for freight traffic in 1982. However, during the freight-only years there were a considerable number of special passenger trains using the line and Bideford station. These ranged from a short-lived service to Torrington, when Bideford’s long bridge collapsed, plus excursion trains organised by a local travel agent, rail tours and special workings bringing visitors to the nearby Appledore shipyard. The excursions ran from Bideford to destinations in South Devon as well as trips to London. The final passenger train over the line was a rail tour which ran to Torrington, on November 6, 1982. This originated at Bristol and was an enormous 15 coaches in length, top ‘n’ tailed by Class 31’s – 31 174 and 31 158, probably the longest passenger train to ever traverse the line?

In the last newsletter mention was made about Lambton Tank No. 5, and in this issue it’s the turn of sister locomotive, Lambton No. 29. This 1904 built 0-6-6T is visiting the Great Western Society’s Didcot Railway Centre from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, and will be in use this month. Check the GWS website for details of when it’s running. Filming was due to take place at Didcot for four days in July. This was for a Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg mini- series called 'Masters of the Air' in which Didcot Halt became a fictional Welsh station with the Transfer Shed also featuring in the filming. The series is an upcoming war drama based on the actions of the Eighth Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. A release date hasn't been confirmed yet, but it'll probably be sometime in late 2022 or early 2023.

On the Isle of Wight, a study is taking place into the possibility of re-opening the line from Newport to Sandown via Blackwater. Last year £50,000 was received from the DfT’s  ‘Restoring Your Railways’ programme and findings from the study have now been submitted to them for consideration. The majority of the trackbed of the route, which closed in 1956, is still available and a new junction would be built at Sandown to connect with the existing Island Line. If the go ahead is given, the Island Council have stated that work could start on re-instating the line in 2026 at an estimated cost of £67m. Meanwhile, there is still no date given for the re-opening of the Island Line following engineering works and the provision of the Class 484 units which are rebuilds of London Underground D78 stock. The line was originally supposed to have been back in action by the spring, but delays with the engineering works, caused by the covid pandemic, and software issues with the Class 484 have delayed it.

25 years ago this month on August 31, LSW Railtours ran a special from Clapham Junction to the Severn Valley Railway. The train was routed via Salisbury to Westbury hauled by 47 749 where it was replaced by steam in the form of Castle Class 5029 ‘Nunney Castle’. This then went forward via Bath Spa - North Somerset Jn - Dr Day's Bridge Jn -Severn Tunnel Junction - Maindee East Jn - Maindee North Jn to Hereford. However, all did not go to plan, as 5029 suffered a collapsed brick arch between Maindee North Jn and Hereford, where Class 37 -  37 229 was attached to assist to Kidderminster. The return trip was a reverse of the outward working, hauled throughout by 47 493.

Five days earlier, A Pathfinder Tour had originated at Swindon behind 47 513 for a day out in Holyhead. At Crewe, the 47 was replaced by D172 to the destination. This train had picked up locally at Bath Spa and Bristol Parkway with D172 working back to Crewe and then 47 513 to Swindon. The train had been named, ‘The North Wales Coast Explorer’.

MORE NEWS

If you are travelling to London this month, please note that the southern half of the Circle line and part of the District line (and stations) will be closed along the line for 9 days due to major engineering works being carried out. Between Wednesday 4 and Thursday 12 August, there will be no service between Edgware Road and Aldgate via Victoria on the Circle line and from Earl’s Court to Aldgate East on the District line. South Kensington, Sloane Square, St James’s Park, Embankment, Temple, Mansion House and Tower Hill stations will be completely closed during the duration of the works.

Reference was made in a previous newsletter about Highways England’s plans to demolish or infill old railway bridges and viaducts Etc. throughout the country. As you may have seen in the media, a fabulous masonry bridge at Great Musgrave near Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria has been infilled by HE, despite calls for the work to be stopped. The route the bridge is on is needed for an eventual planned link between two heritage railways, the Eden Valley and Stainmore Railways, and it would cost a considerable amount of money to remove the infill if and when the proposed link up happens. (Following considerable media coverage, petitions and complaints, HE has now announced that should the two railways link up, they will remove the infill free of charge!)  Eden Council has also stated that HE will now have to apply for retrospective planning permission. Highways England has the responsibility for the management and maintenance of the country’s historical railway estate, which includes over 3000 such bridges, tunnels and viaducts across the country. Over 15,000 people have now signed a petition to stop this destruction of our railway heritage and also citing that ‘Highways England has carried out an act of vandalism and, in the face of considerable criticism, it has perpetuated deceit about the structure's condition at Great Musgrave and the threat it posed’. Further details can be found at www.change.org/theHREgroup where you can also sign the petition if you wish.

Plans to re-open two lines for passenger traffic have progressed a step closer. In Oxfordshire, the existing three mile freight line to Cowley, from Oxford, has now been recognised as a priority by the Government following a joint study published in late June. New science parks and businesses are proposed along the route together with housing developments, and three new stations could be included. The study was carried out by the DfT and a development group and it also mentions the provision of a new station at Grove on the GW Didcot – Swindon route to serve Wantage. In Hampshire, a consultation by the County Council has started into the re-opening of the Fawley branch, and this study is open until August 29. Nearly 1,900 new homes are to be built in the Fawley area, which could well help the case for re-opening. The DfT has already funded a feasibility study, while South Western Railway ran a Class 159 down the branch from Southampton as a trial last year.  

BRS member, Colin Maggs, has just had his 105th and 106th books published. What an achievement! The very readable ‘Amazing and Curious Railway Tales’ is a 224 page hardback priced at £12.99. It is published by the History Press (ISBN 978 0 7509 9431 6) Colin’s 106th book is a paperback version of ‘Great Britain’s Railways’ which was first published in 2018. This has 416 pages with over 200 pictures, some of which are in colour. This is published by Amberley (ISBN 978 1 3981 0336 8). This is also priced at £12.99. Congratulations to Colin, and we look forward to giving details of his 107th book!

Former Island Line Class 483 unit 483 007 has now been preserved at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. It was pushed at very slow speed from Ryde to Sandown by a road/rail unit, and then taken by road to the HQ of the IoWSR at Havenstreet where it has been put on display. In the future the unit may see some use on the railway, either using battery power, or propelled by a diesel locomotive. Unit 483 004 has also now been moved from Ryde to Branston, on the Island, for static use as part of a café.

We now have another article from the pen of Alan Price and we thank him for his continuing contributions. Don’t forget, if you have a story or tale to tell, please do send it in. Your articles will be gratefully received on anything to do with railways, even loosely!

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Water Trough Encounter by Alan Price

For a 13 year old train spotter one of the big thrills was leaning out of the first droplight behind the tender as you went over water troughs. It was similar to the water jump in an amusement park, a lot cheaper and lasted longer. The water hissed beneath the wheels in a misty spray and on a sunny day you got a rainbow thrown-in for good measure. I’d done it ‘hundreds’ of times so why was the fireman waving at me for from the footplate of a Grange one day as we went over Magor troughs? I waved back in an ‘I- know -what- I’m -doing’ kind of manner. What a worrier – didn’t he know I knew far more about railways than he ever would?

To say what happened next came as a complete surprise, is an understatement: total shock would be more accurate, as I was hit full in the face by a deluge of water travelling at speed. It was similar in force to being under a very large breaking wave except that this came from nowhere. Recoiling back into the coach I remember watching a wave of dirty water moving rapidly down the corridor with fag packets, butts and spent matches surfing on it before hitting the end partition and start back towards me. I was drenched and it took some time for me to look out again where I made brief eye-contact with two loco men who were laughing so much they were having a job staying on the footplate. I decided it was best to make a dishonourable retreat from my embarrassment and get as far away from them as I could. I contrived to find the place in the train which would stop opposite the subway steps at Cardiff General and stood there in my own private puddle until I could make a rapid exit. My walk down St. Mary’s Street was the cause of much amusement and to add insult to injury the conductor of my bus home refused to let me on board. By this time many trains were diesel hauled and the troughs less used. This gave them time to fill to the brim and the tender had overflowed when the fireman was prevented from raising the scoop by the weight of the water until the engine was clear of the trough. During the four mile, soggy walk home I had a long time to reflect on the arrogance of youth.

Thanks again Alan.

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Next month we will be hearing from Mike Dodd who has sent in an article about the Bath Midland Yard Shunt. I then have stories for the October and November Newsletters, but if you would like to contribute and send in a story, please do, and we’ll try to feature it.  

The Swanage Railway’s 4TC Group are currently restoring a BR Southern Region Class 491 Unit and own four vehicles that were last used by London Underground. They intend to form them into a new unit, which will be given the number 413. They have now acquired a fifth vehicle, which is a Buffet Car, (S69332) and intend to restore this and use it in the formation on certain occasions. This coach has been in store at Meldon Quarry on the former Dartmoor Railway along with other vehicles that are slowly being disposed of and moved off the site.

Further news from the Swanage Railway is that they have succeeded in raising funds to complete the building of a two road carriage shed at Herston. Foundations have already been laid, and work will recommence shortly after the high summer running season.

The Avon Valley Railway are running an evening of mystery and murder on August 14 under the title ‘Lights, Camera, Murder’. The Murder Mystery trains depart at 6.45pm from Bitton station and prices are £46 per person, and are designed for people aged 15 or over. Subsequent Murder Mystery trains run on September 18, theme – ‘Crime at Café Rene’ (1940s) and October 31 – ‘Trouble at Terror Towers’. See the website for details www.avonvalleyrailway.org/events-experiences/murder-mystery

Great Western Railway has had to make temporary changes to its timetable from Monday July 26. This is due to the large number of drivers and guards having to isolate following contact from the NHS Track and Trace system.  The Bristol to Weston services will be cancelled on weekdays and Saturdays and there will be additional stops made on local services to ensure stations on this line are still served. In addition, two journeys in each direction from Bristol Parkway to London Paddington will be removed from the timetable, but an hourly service will remain on this route throughout the day. Local GWR services between Parkway and Temple Meads are also being cut during the temporary changes, but Cross Country services will still be providing a service.  Do check times if you intend to travel on any GWR services during these temporary measures.


Elsewhere on GWR, they have hired in three Class 387/2 units from Govia Thameslink Railway to cover short falls in the availability of their Class 800 IET trains due to cracking. The units are normally used on Gatwick Airport Express services from London, and will be used by GWR for Thames Valley services.

The London Transport Museum is trying to raise £200.000 to complete the restoration, to working order, of its 3 car ‘Q’ stock set. So far £50,106.50 has been raised. Q stock trains first entered service on the District line in 1938 and the last set used in passenger service was in 1971.

As you may well know from his past address to us, our President Pete Waterman, is a keen railway modeller. If you are in the Chester area this summer, his huge new OO gauge layout “Making Tracks: Discover the WCML” is on display at the Chester Cathedral until Friday September 3.

The new GWR maintenance facility adjacent to Exeter St Davids station has now been commissioned. It will be used for the servicing of units that provide services in the Devon area.

A new rail service could be up and running next year from Bishops Lydeard (West Somerset Railway) to Swindon.  Open Access operator Go-op is proposing to run services from/to the heritage railway    via Taunton, Castle Cary and Melksham serving stations along the route including Langport/Somerton, should a new station open there as being currently proposed. The group are hoping to start in the summer of 2022 and are trying to resource suitable rolling stock. It is planned that at least one unit would be stabled at Bishops Lydeard overnight, and talks held with the WSR so far have been favourable for this to happen. Go-op are also seeking private investors and plan a share launch. Hopefully more news on their proposals in the future.


Bob Bunyar

Vice Chairman

Please note:    All events and special trains etc are mentioned in good faith and hopefully details are correct at the time of publication of the Newsletter.      Please however, do check before travelling or attending events as things can change

<<<<<<<< COMPETITION >>>>>>>>


On July 3, 1938, LNER Class A4 – 4468 ‘Mallard’ achieved a world steam speed record of 126mph. Mallard, designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, is of course preserved by the National Railway Museum, and it was from a class of locomotives that were known as ‘streaks’. Today six of the class are preserved, but in this competition, you have to find the name of one of the class which was sadly scrapped in July 1963.  For this competition, as usual, just take the first letter of each answer (unless otherwise specified) and then unscramble then to work out the name.



Answer

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