BATH RAILWAY SOCIETY

President: Pete Waterman OBE DL

Chairman: John Froud    

 Email: bathrailwaysociety@gmail.com

JANUARY  NEWSLETTER 2022

Dear Member,

A Happy New Year to you and I trust you had an enjoyable Christmas?

At our last meeting on December 2, we welcomed Chris James as our guest speaker. He certainly took us to different parts of world when he presented “Broad and Metre Gauge Railways in Spain, Portugal & Argentina", although other South American countries also featured during the evening. We thank Chris and his wife, for coming up to Bath and for his very interesting evening. Our thanks also to Davina for providing the mince pies along with the tea and coffees.

Regretfully, 2022 is not getting off to a good start for us. Because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, January's physical meeting with Jack Boskett has been postponed until September 2022.  Instead, we will be holding a Zoom meeting at the planned time on Thursday, January 6, 2022, 7.30-9.00 pm, the title of which will be: "Super Continental: North American Railways in 1970". Robert Howes, BRS Secretary, will talk about his experiences working on the Canadian National Railways’ transcontinental train, the Super Continental, from Vancouver to Winnipeg in the summer of 1970.  The talk will be illustrated with slides taken during the last years of passenger train operation by private railway companies in Canada and the US before the creation of Amtrak and Via Rail. Zoom can be accessed via laptops, desktops and smartphones.  To attend the meeting, please send an email to bathrailwaysocietyzoom@gmail.com  by January 5, 2022. You will then be sent a link to the meeting.

Also, due to the covid pandemic, please do check before going to any events mentioned in the Newsletter as things do change, and they could be cancelled.

In last month’s competition you had to find the name with the ‘loose’ Christmas connection. It was North Pole Junction. Well done if you worked out the correct answer.

The Somerset & Dorset Trust have moved two more of their items from the Washford site on the West Somerset Railway, and they have been delivered to the Mid Hants Railway. A BG coach was delivered to Alresford, and this will be assessed for use as one of the exhibition areas for artefacts. The Burnham signal box is also now at Ropley, on the picnic area, where it too will be adapted for an exhibition area. The MHR’s building group are in the process of repairing the roof of the box following some damage it received during the move from Somerset.

A public enquiry led by a Planning Inspector has taken place into plans to carry out alterations to the west side of Oxford station following objections. A new second entrance would be created plus an additional platform to give more capacity at the station. The decision of the Inspector is now awaited. Network Rail is also putting forward a business case to re-open the Cowley branch into Oxford which would see an additional two stations being built on the line. It is possible that Chiltern Railways would provide services, with some running through to London Marylebone station. Funding for both projects is being sought from the Government, and if this is forth coming, the Oxford station works could be completed in 2024. Chiltern Railways has been awarded a further six years contract to run services, and this commenced on December 31, 2021.

At the Swindon & Cricklade Railway, the owning group of 0-6-2T 6695 have a plan to get it steaming again by Easter 2022, but this is  providing no new Covid restrictions are imposed which would prevent work taking place. The Railway itself has now achieved a major step forward in their effort to extend the line north. The Permanent Way volunteers have now rebuilt the level crossing at South Meadow Lane, and track is now being laid towards Cricklade. The first steam locomotive to run over the crossing on the re-laid line since September 1961, was Hunslet No 3781 "Linda". The locomotive was visiting the railway for the Christmas period hauling Santa Specials.

Class 127 DMU car – DMS M51622 has gone into storage close to the former Somerset & Dorset Line at Henstridge in Somerset. It has been moved by its owners, the Helston Railway, to the site of Vincent Engineering. The boiler of USA Tank lookalike, number 30075, has been under repair at this engineering facility and will be shortly returning to the North Dorset Railway at Shillingstone. It will be placed back on its rolling chassis as work continues to return the locomotive to working order.

On January 7, 1962, 60 years ago, a group called Hampshire Rail fans ran a tour from Winchester City to Swindon via Eastleigh, Southampton Central, Salisbury, Westbury, Melksham and Chippenham. At Swindon tour participants had a visit to the works.  The train returned from Swindon via Reading, Basingstoke, Winchester City and Eastleigh to Southampton Central. The train was hauled throughout by Schools Class 30901 ‘Winchester’. I wonder how the SR crew were received at the G W Works??

The following day, January 8, 1962, the deadliest railway accident in the history of The Netherlands, occurred when the driver of a Leeuwarden to Rotterdam express missed a yellow and then passed a red signal. His electric loco (1131) hauled train collided nearly head-on with a passenger train formed of electric multiple units (Sets 700 & 297) travelling from Rotterdam to Amsterdam at Harmelen. 91 people, including both drivers, were killed and 54 were injured of whom a further two died in hospital.

On January 1, 1972, 50 years ago, Class 42 Warship Class D827 ‘Kelly’ was withdrawn from service at Newton Abbot shed. It had completed 1071,000 miles since being allocated new to Plymouth Laira on October 4, 1960. It was taken to Swindon, where it was built, and cut up by October 13, 1972. This locomotive had at least one claim to fame, as it was the last locomotive to haul a BR revenue earning train over the old ‘Southern’ line from Plymouth to Exeter. On February 19, 1969 it was in Tavistock Junction Yard waiting to run to Exeter via Brent and Totnes with a fully fitted freight, but the route was blocked by heavy snow. Instead it was allowed by the operating authorities to run over the SR route, which had officially closed from May 6, 1968 to all traffic between Bere Alston and Meldon.  It was authorised to run at slow speed, and all facing points encountered on the closed line had to be clipped before it passed over them. It the cab that afternoon were an Exeter driver, who did have route knowledge of the line, plus an inspector and guard. A very unusual occurrence and working!

Also 50 years ago this month on Saturday January 1, 1972, the last BR train ran on the Swanage branch from Wareham. The line was officially closed as from January 3, but there wasn’t a Sunday service at that time. The final train was the 2215 from Swanage to Corfe Castle and Wareham which had been strengthened and was formed of two Hampshire Units. 1124 had joined 1110 which had been working the services on that last day. The decision to strengthen the last train was a wise one as nearly 500 passengers were on board!  After closure the track was quickly lifted, just leaving just a short section from Worgret Junction for freight, but a preservation group was soon formed to restore the line.  As you know the Swanage Railway has been rebuilt over the years, and to mark the 50th anniversary of closure, the Railway will be running its Class 117 DMU over the period January 1, 2 & 3 this year. Five return trips will operate each day from 1030 to 1600hrs. See the Railway’s website for full details.

With the introduction of the winter timetable in December, GWR have doubled services on the Severn Beach Line from hourly to half-hourly throughout the day. This will provide over 4,000 additional seats on trains every day. These services mark the first step in the MetroWest programme which will see thousands of additional seats, up to six new stations and two new lines planned for the future in the Bristol area. More services will also be extended from Cardiff and Bristol through to Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance, better connecting the South West with South Wales.

The Severn Valley Railway has nearly reached its target of its fundraising appeal to improve the conditions at Bridgnorth Locomotive Works. It has now raised almost £460,000 of the £475,000 required to complete the project to make the roof water type and install a crane. The funds raised so far have enabled the SVR to place a 20% deposit on a second-hand, 6.3-tonne capacity travelling crane.

The Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust Model Railway exhibition planned for 8-9 January at Edington near Bridgwater, has been cancelled due to the Covid situation. It may be rescheduled later in 2022.

The same weekend The Wessex Association of Model Railway Clubs are due to stage the Frome Model Railway Exhibition at The Cheese & Grain, Market Yard, Frome. There will be 11 layouts and 8 trade stalls. Due to the ongoing Covid 19 situation this event could also be cancelled, but it was still on when the Newsletter was published.

As mentioned in the last Newsletter, the Blue ‘Midland Pullman’ HST set is due to run a tour to the Settle and Carlisle line from Plymouth and return on Saturday January 29. The tour will call at stations to Bristol Parkway. Details: https://midlandpullman.com/journey/settle-and-carlisle-pullman-29-01-22

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My First Visit to Camden Shed by Alan Price

As a serious train spotter there was a sort of inevitability that I would eventually feel the need to visit London, where fabulous things like A4 Pacifics, Duchesses and Lord Nelsons were rumoured to be seen in vast numbers. My first shed bash to the capital was by coach with the Cardiff and District Railways Enthusiasts Society, when we went to 10 sheds concentrating on the west and north of the city. I remember the howls of anguish as we crossed the GC line on the North Circular at Brent and saw a packed Neasden shed which was not on our itinerary for that day. Unfortunately that was the only time I ever saw it but I still glance that way when driving, just in case the IKEA megastore has burned down and 14D has miraculously risen again from the ashes.

Another shed not on the list for that day was Camden – the London Midland Region’s ‘quality’ shed – the abode of Princesses, Duchesses, Scots and Jubilees. Unlike Neasden, it was top of the list on my first solo visit a few months later. Camden was a ‘hole-in-the-wall’ shed situated at the end of a cul-de -sac with the only entrance a single doorway in a prison-like wall with one track beyond … all in full view of the foreman’s office. My trusty locoshed book got me there by RT bus from Willesden (the ‘quantity’ shed) and as I turned the corner the doorway was obvious, as was an unexpected problem. To the left of it was a group of lads slightly older than myself who looked for all the world like Fagin’s gang. They were clearly spotters themselves but had by now turned to face me with some hostility presumably for being on ‘their patch’. I’d come a long way so with false confidence I decided to press-on and brazen it out. The Artful Dodger stepped forward to bar my way. ‘Ware d’ya fink yor goin’?’ he asked. I spluttered the obvious answer. How could I be going anywhere else?

‘Well yer not gona get in that way ar ya?’  The others tittered.

‘Come over ear wiv us and we’ll show yer,’ was the unexpected but welcome response – it could have been a lot worse.

So I waited and chatted amiably to my erstwhile attackers.

‘Ware yer from?’ 

‘Cardiff.’

‘Is that near Liverpool?’ etc. etc. While this was going on I noticed that one or other of them would occasionally peep round the doorway.

‘What are we waiting for?’ I ventured, still expecting it to be a mail van or something equally nefarious – I’d probably been watching too many Ealing Comedies.

‘You’ll see.’

Suddenly one of the peepers produced a thumbs up and we all got ready for what I knew not. Then the tender of a Duchess slid past on the line blocking the view of the foreman’s office. Like a well- drilled commando demolition team we slid through door alongside the loco walking in the space between it and the wall as it and us, proceeded to the turntable.

‘That’s ‘ow yer do Camden Shed Scouse….’ announced their leader and he was right.

Hardly a second seemed to go by and they were gone- wraith-like, never to be seen again; but I followed his advice on another two occasions.

Camden was a very cramped shed and what always impressed me was the size of the locomotives up so close. Abiding memories are seeing a green ‘Princess Arthur of Connaught’ and a red ‘Queen Mary’ being turned – a wonderful photographic location immortalised by a painting of ‘Duchess of Sutherland’ by Philip D. Hawkins FGRA.

I was 12 when my parents after much persuasion, first allowed me to go to London on my own (it was only later I realised my mother must have been worried sick). By 16, I had traversed the country and had ‘Geography teacher’ stamped all over me. Engine sheds were never in the most salubrious parts of town but in all that time I never had a hint of trouble (well except for the BT Policeman at Nine Elms but that’s another story). How many parents today would let a kid of twelve go to London on his own these days?

Thank you Alan for another interesting article. If anyone has a story they would like to tell, please do send it in. We do need more stories, so please consider submitting something.

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

Apart from making sure the fire in the firebox was doing its job, a steam locomotive fireman also had other tasks including watching the water level in the boiler, helping the driver to sight signals, and cleaning out the fire at the end of the duty. His tools of the ‘trade’ included the obligatory billy can for the tea and tools for the fire. In this month’s competition you have to find the name of one of the implements he would have used. Take the first letter of each answer (unless specified differently) and then un-scramble the letters to work out the two word answer. It’s all for fun and no prizes are given, with the answer being announced in the February Newsletter.

• One of the last BR steam sheds near Burnley - 10F

• The colour of a stop signal

• Pearce and ?  The bus operators in the film The Titfield Thunderbolt who used Bedford OB GAM338

• The end of the line from Carmarthen via Tenby

• The Severn Valley Railway has a connection with the national system here

• West Country Class 34022

• This little green engine had friends that included Jones the Steam, Evans the Song and Dai Station in its TV animation series

• Class 52 - D1013 Western?

• The southern terminus town of the SR narrow gauge line from Lynton

• A disused underground station on a short branch of the Piccadilly line from Holborn, once named Strand

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