BATH RAILWAY SOCIETY

President: Pete Waterman OBE DL

Chairman: John Froud    

 Email: bathrailwaysociety@gmail.com

APRIL  NEWSLETTER 2022

Dear Member,

We returned to our monthly meetings at the Bath Museum of work on March 3 when our guest speaker was Alan Price who presented ‘The early years of the Great Western Society’ plus a quick look at the Didcot depot today. It was a most interesting evening, especially hearing the stories of how things were ‘acquired’ for preservation in the early years, and with the attitude that “we can do it”. We thank Alan for his show in which he mentioned Cardiff numerous times. On page 3 you will see more from him, and Cardiff gets a mention yet again!

Our next meeting at the Bath Museum of Work will be on Thursday April 7, at 7.30pm, when Gerry Nichols will entertain us, looking back, with his presentation ‘Around Bristol’. Gerry has visited us before and we are sure to have a first class presentation once again.

The answer to the competition in the March Newsletter, when you had to find the name of the Narrow Gauge Railway, was the Brecon Mountain Railway. Well done if you worked out the correct answer, there’s another competition for you on the last page.

Work on the restoration of the roof of Bristol Temple Meads station is underway with the original roof beams being clean, repaired and finally re-painted. The work is scheduled to be completed by 2024, and a protective shield has been built over the tracks and platforms to protect both passengers and trains.

The former Cheddar Valley line station at Sandford, which has been restored to its former glory,   reopens on Saturday April 2. It will then be open on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays until the end of October. Refreshments are available with hot and cold drinks, homemade cakes and ice cream being served. On display is  restored Sentinel, 789/2 built in 1947 together with former BSK 34980, latterly renumbered 70826, which was part of a 4TC set. Railway artefacts are also on show. The station will be open from 11am until 4pm.

Italian railway engineering company Aprillo-foolstari is seeking permission from the Ministry of Defence to use the abandoned war department underground tracks alongside Box Tunnel for experiments with new types of electric trains. The company want a location which is secure and also away from public view. There is considerable track work inside the hill that can be used, and this would be electrified with both 750v DC third rail and 25Kv overhead systems. It would be powered by a solar panels and wind turbines positioned on Box Hill, with a direct feed into the test tunnels. The railway system, which has not been used for many years, will also be re-connected at the east end of the tunnel with the ‘up’ direction main line, for stock transfers.

The Bath Museum of Work will be holding some lunchtime film shows this month. On Wednesday, April 6 they will be showing the classic 1954 British Transport Film ‘The Elizabethan’, a non-stop British Railways service from London King's Cross to Edinburgh Waverley along the East Coast Main Line. On Wednesday April 20, they will be showing the 1953 film ‘Come Saturday’.  This entertaining short film was narrated by Sir Ralph Richardson, and for railway enthusiasts, it features footage on the Watlington branch at Aston Rowant, which was part of the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway. Both films start at 1pm (lunch at 12.30pm). See their website for full details.

A new smokebox door is being fabricated at the South Devon Railway for USA Tank ‘lookalike’ 30075, which is based at Shillingstone on the North Dorset Railway. It is hoped that 30075 may return to working order later this year or early next year. Parts are currently being painted and readied for re-assembly at Shillingstone, while work is continuing on its boiler at Vincent Engineering at Henstridge. 

Passenger numbers on the Exeter to Okehampton services (The Dartmoor Line) are above the predictions made for in the business case for re-opening. Currently the busy trains are from mid-morning through to early evening.

Volunteers continue to make progress on the strip-down of the tender of the T3 563 on the Swanage Railway. It is destined to go into the works at Herston and start refurbishment and reassembly as soon as possible. An appeal target of £25,000 was set for the restoration of the tender, and this figure has now been raised. Meanwhile work continues on the locomotive itself at the Flour Mill in Gloucestershire. Full details of the progress on the restoration of 563 can be found at http://563locomotivegroup.co.uk/ 563 should be returned to working condition in 2023.

If you happen to be in the area, the Statfold Narrow Gauge Museum Trust at Statfold Barn Farm, Ashby Road, Tamworth, are holding the Statfold Model Railway Event on April 9 & 10 with 30+ Layouts,  and 30+ trade stands. Their own Locomotives will be in Steam and they are offering ‘Driver for a fiver’. See www.statfold.com for full details.

The Bristol Model Railway Exhibition returns to the Thornbury Leisure Centre, Alveston Hill, Thornbury, Bristol, from Friday April 29 (12:30 -7pm) to Sunday May 1 (10am - 4.30pm). This is regarded as one of the UKs biggest model railway exhibitions and the premier model railway show in the West Country. There will be at least 35 layouts on display together with 40+ trade stands. Admission prices:  Adults £12.00 Children £7.00

50 Years ago on April 16, the Locomotive Club of Great Britain (LCGB) ran the ‘Somerset Quarryman’ rail tour which originated at London Paddington. The train was formed of four car DMU – Inter City set L713 (W52105/W59821/W59237/W52093). The train visited a number of then ‘goods only’ lines, including those to, Swindon Town, Radstock West & North, Writhlington colliery, Cranmore and Merehead, It then ran down to Yeovil Pen Mill taking the spur up to Yeovil Junction to reverse. It travelled back up the SR main line via Salisbury to Andover for a trip up to Ludgershall.  The special then returned to Paddington via Basingstoke and Reading.

60 years ago this month, the  southern section of the Meon Valley Railway from Fareham to Droxford closed to all traffic on Sunday April, 30 1962. The last BR-scheduled passenger service on any part of the MVR had been the 'Solent Limited' rail tour on April 30, 1961, a year to the day before closure of the southern section. After closure of the southern portion of the line, a Mr. Charles Ashby purchased Droxford station with the line between Mislingford goods sidings and Droxford station and unusually, had the right to run trains over it!  He used the line for testing a design of rail bus that he had developed called the Sadler Rail Coach or 'Pacerailer'. He also purchased 'Terrier' tank engine no. 32646 for £750, which he brought to Droxford in 1964, but in May 1966, this was sold. Mr Ashby also had two small Ruston-Hornsby diesel shunters and two carriages to operate private charter trains for a short time. In 1968, 'USA' tank 30064 was also stored at Droxford for a period, with other rolling stock. The use of the line by Mr Ashby dwindled, and the track between Mislingford and Droxford was lifted in 1975.

At the North Dorset Railway, good progress is being made on an extension of the line northwards from Shillingstone station. The railway has to construct a new permanent trailway for walkers and cyclists along the eastern edge of the embankment. This will then allow enough room to build the railway on the western side. The plan is to have the new trailway ready for public use by May, which will allow a start to be made on the railway itself, with the embankment being lowered slightly. However, the first job will be to refurbish and strengthen Lamb House Bridge and then track laying should be able to commence in the autumn.

The London Transport Museum have announced details for their Hidden London tours running between April and August 2022. You'll be able to book tours of Aldwych, Moorgate, Piccadilly Circus, Euston, Down Street and Charing Cross stations plus The Clapham South subterranean shelter and the Kingsway tram tunnel. Bookings can be made online at the London Transport Museum website under ‘Hidden Tours’. They are very popular and sell out quickly.

Gloucestershire and Cotswold Councils are looking into the possibility of running a light rail/tram system from Gloucester to Cheltenham and also from Kemble to Cirencester, via the agriculture college. They have applied to the DfT for funding for a feasibility study, and if built and successful, in the very long term they would also look into a route from Kemble to Tetbury via the Kemble airfield. Both the Kemble to Cirencester and Tetbury branch lines closed on April 6, 1964.

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Unusual Workings into South Wales by Alan Price.

Locos from far afield working into South Wales were occasional until 1963 when the scrap yards  really got into their stride, clearing whole sheds like Salisbury & Bournemouth.  As steam contracted, locos in reasonable order were cascaded to other areas to avoid major repairs such as long standing Barrow Road Jubilees ‘Leander’ and ‘Galatea’ which became Cardiff East Dock regulars before ending-up at Woodham’s .

Before then most odd workings were produced by ‘specials’ such as:-

Troop Trains - 46117 ‘Welsh Guardsman’ Southampton – Cardiff 1962.

Barry Banana Specials – 42977 and 45651’Shovell’ 27/8/63.

Freight Trains – 92028 30/4/63 63705 5/2/63 70052 ‘Firth of Clyde’ 1/3/63 72006 ‘Clan Mackenzie’ 15/4/64

Parcels Trains and Pigeon Specials – 45504 ‘Royal Signals’ 4/5/60, 45515 ‘Caernarvon’ 18/2/61

Engineers Trains – 45506 3/3/60.

Military Trains – 61894 (40E) Leadenhall – Milford Haven ammunition train

Excursions to Barry Island - 5082 ‘Swordfish’ (81A) 6/8/61 1025 ‘County of Radnor’ (84E) 6/8/61

Passenger Specials – ‘Flying Scotsman’ was serviced at Radyr shed off a Ffestiniog Railway Special 18/3/64

Emergency loco replacements- 70052 ‘Firth of Tay’ 4/2/63

One of the oddest workings that I found quite by chance concerned the strengthening of the 10.00 Cardiff – Paddington ‘The Red Dragon’ express. This originated in West Wales but while the loco was changed at the ‘General’ the restaurant cars and some coaches would be added to the rear. Rather than a station pilot doing this it seemed to be a job for anything unusual – I saw Crewe North’s Jubilee 45572 ‘Eire’ and on another occasion, Patriot 45506 on this duty.

Pontypool Road was a place always worth a visit if you wanted to see something unusual because freight and passenger train workings from Shrewsbury and the North often changed locos there rather than Shrewsbury. It wasn’t unusual to find a Longsight or Crewe North Scot lurking at the back of the shed amid the resident 28s, 42s, 56s and panniers.

To the delight of Cardiff train spotters , Saturday 10th.March 1962 saw the start of a four week reconstruction of Shrewsbury’s Abbey Foregate bridge. This is a double track structure that lay between Shrewsbury station and the loco sheds at Coleham so BR wanted to reduce to a minimum the number of light engine movements across it while single track working was in progress. The solution to this was the Cardiff- Manchester’s retaining their locos throughout and the crews resting in Cardiff before returning with the same engine the following day. While mostly Longsight or Crewe North locos – among them were a few really far flung interlopers theoretically from Carlisle, Polmadie and even Corkerhill but probably recently cascaded to the North West following dieselisation.

While not an exhaustive list the following are the locos that I have been able to research having come to Cardiff during this period. Jubilees – 45554, 45595, 45613, 45643, 45735 & 45736. Scots – 46104, 46106, 46114, 46122, 46125, 46127, 46128, 46140, 46144, 46152, 46155, 45166 & 46169, Patriots – 45521 & 45527, Black 5s – 44680, 44681, 44684, 44716, 44763, 45243, 45250, 45348 & 45354.

Alan thanks John Butler and the late Michael Phillips for providing much of the background information for this article, and our thanks go to Alan for sending the article in. If you have an article or story you would like to share, please do let us know, we look forward to hearing from you.

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MORE NEWS

The Gartell Railway, situated at Common Lane, Yenston, near Templecombe, will be operating trains on Easter Monday, April 18. An intensive service will be in operation with trains departing from Common Lane station every 20 minutes between 10:30 and 15.55.

Repairs to the roof at the former Bath Green Park station are likely to start later this year.

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

A unique filming location on the London Underground system is the branch line from Holborn to Aldwych station that was once part of the Piccadilly Line system. Aldwych station was originally opened in 1907  and called ‘Strand’,  but was renamed in 1915  in order to avoid confusion with Charing Cross Station, as that also used to be called Strand! Aldwych station, and the tunnels, were used in WW II as an air raid shelter, and also to store important works of art from The British Museum and the National Gallery. Train services being suspended during this time. After the war, the branch line was re-opened, but patronage remained low and services were reduced to a ‘rush hour’ only status. In 1994 the branch line and Aldwych station were closed, with the final train running on September 30. Since then, the line has been kept in operational condition, and that’s still its status today. Many films, TV programmes, advertisements, etc. have subsequently had scenes filmed at the station and in the tunnels. For this competition can you work out the name of one of the films? As usual take the first letter of the answer (unless otherwise specified) and re-arrange the letters to work out the answer. No prizes are given, it’s just for fun. The answer will be given next month.

• • • Plymouth’s Devonport had two stations. What was the name of the one served by the ‘Southern’

    • This station is between Cogan and Dinas Powis on the Valley Lines Barry route

    • An excursion platform, named after a road, was once situated here at Weston Super Mare

    • The next station south on the Somerset & Dorset line after Midsomer Norton

    • The name given to the slow lines between Didcot & Paddington. Up and down? Lines

    • The Somerset & Dorset Railway had a locomotive works at this town, which still has a station today

    • The code name given to 40T bogie ballast hopper wagons built in 1981. The SVR has several of these

    • A ‘terminal’ station in Southampton Docks once served by Boat Trains

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