BATH RAILWAY SOCIETY

President: Pete Waterman OBE DL

Chairman: John Froud    

 Email: bathrailwaysociety@gmail.com

JUNE  NEWSLETTER 2022

Dear Member,

Our May meeting at the Bath Museum of Work, was a most enjoyable look back, when Mike Beale presented “1966 – Farewell to Steam”. This was a farewell tour Mike took that year with trips to Scotland, the North West and North East with some Somerset & Dorset as well. Very atmospheric photographs of dirty and run down steam locomotives together with locomotive sheds and with some pictures in Scotland in snow! We thank Mike for standing in at very short notice and giving us a very nostalgic evening.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday June 16 at the Bath Museum of Work, starting at 7.30pm. As previously notified, this will be our Annual General Meeting and we are looking for new members to join the committee. If you are interested and you wish to discuss what’s involved, or if you have any questions or issues you want raised at the AGM, please contact the Chairman using the above contact details. Two members of the committee will be standing down this year and we do need to replace them, otherwise the Society will not function! As always we intend to keep the AGM as short as possible, and this will then be followed by a talk by our guest speaker, Andrew Ardley of South Western Railway. Please note this is a revised date due to other events taking place at the Museum.

The answer to the competition in the May Newsletter, when you had to find the name of the Jubilee Class, was ‘Gibraltar’. This was numbered 45608. This was withdrawn from Leeds Holbeck on the September 1, 1965. It had entered service of July 13, 1934 and it was broken up at during January 1966 at Clayton and Davie (Dunston-on-Tyne) scrapyard. There is no competition this month due to a lack of space, but hopefully back in July issue.

Essential maintenance work will be starting this month on a bridge just west of Bath Spa station that is over the A36 Churchill Bridge roundabout. Network Rail Engineers will be carrying out the £800,000 vital work at night which starts on June 20, Train services will not be affected, but there will be road closures during the course of the work, which is taking place seven days a week, and due to finish on October 16. Road diversions will be in place during the evening/night time work, but the A36 will be open as normal from 6am to 7pm.

The Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway will be having a Somerset & Dorset theme during their gala from June 3 to 5. In addition to locomotives from their home fleet, visiting locomotives are due to be 34028 ‘Eddystone’, 92203 ‘Black Prince’, 41312, 46521 and from Midsomer Norton – Sentinel - 7109 ‘Joyce’. Full details are available on the G & W website.

Train services on The Dartmoor Line between Exeter and Okehampton have now increased to an hourly service. The single line used by Okehampton trains between Coleford and Crediton has recently been upgraded to cater for the increase in services with the removal of temporary speed restrictions. Although Okehampton is un-staffed, the station buffet is due to re-open later this year. Passenger usage of the Okehampton services is now reported to be 240% higher than predicted. The former ticket booking office on the main platform 3, is being restored to a 1950’s condition and will be viewable to the public once the work is completed later this summer.

The Swanage Railway is staging an event called ‘Roads to Rail’ from June 24 to 26. This will take place near to Norden station and will feature traction engines, road rollers, showman's engines and more – giving recreations of a bygone age. Steam-hauled passenger trains will operate throughout the weekend, with an evening heritage diesel service running on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. Full details on the Railway’s website. https://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/events/view/roads-to-rail

Wickham Trolley rides will be available at Midsomer Norton station on Wednesday June 1, travelling over the line. The trolley can only hold six, so do book beforehand. On June 5 there will be a Diesel Day with a pint! A selection of Real Ales and Cider will be available from the bar. For full details of both events, visit the Railway’s website at https://sdjr.co.uk/events

Mentioning Beer, the Avon Valley Railway are staging the ‘Bitton Beer Bash’ on June 10, 11 & 12 at Bitton Station in conjunction with Hop Union Brewery from Hambrook. There are two types of tickets available these being, entry to the Beer Festival only for just £3.50, or plus a ride on a diesel-hauled train for £9.00. Full details at www.avonvalleyrailway.org/events/bitton-beer-bash

The Swindon & Cricklade Railway is also holding a Beer Festival over the Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend of June 3, 4 & 5. 15 real ales and 10 ciders will be available at £3 per pint. Entry to the event which is being held at Blunsdon station is £5. Further details: https://swindon-cricklade-railway.org/event-list/

On Saturday & Sunday June 11 & 12, The Shepton & District Model Railway Society will be staging ‘Mendip 2022’. This will take place at Shepton Scout Hall (Adjacent to Shepton Mallett FC), Old Wells Road, West Shepton. There will be at least 10 layouts on display plus two trade stands. On Saturday June 25, the West Camel Model Railway Society hold their Summer Show. This takes place at Davis Hall, Howell Hill, West Camel, Yeovil, Somerset. Members will be displaying their own layouts along with club models, and there will be eight on display plus three trade stands.

On Wednesday June 8, Saphos Trains are running a tour from Preston to Bristol Temple Meads. This will be diesel hauled to Crewe where steam will take over to Bristol via Hereford. The train called ‘The Welsh Marches Whistler’ will return from Bristol behind a Class 40. On June 11, the same company is running the ‘English Rivera Express’ from Solihull to Kingswear. This will be diesel hauled to Taunton where steam takes over to Kingswear and back to Taunton where diesel power again takes over. This train will pick up/set down at Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham, Westbury and Taunton. Motive power for these trains is currently unknown.

On June 25, Pathfinder Tours are running ‘The Mazey Day Cornishman’ from Solihull to Penzance behind a Class 67. This tour picks up/set down at Swindon, Chippenham, Bath Spa and Bristol T M. The same day, Vintage trains are running a train to Bishops Lydeard – West Somerset Railway- from Birmingham Snow Hill using a pair of Class 20’s. This train will also call at Weston Super Mare for an ‘Air Day’ there.

Network Rail will be carrying out engineering work on Sundays June 12, 19 & 26 between Swindon and Patchway as well as on the lines near Gloucester. This means that no train services will run via Bristol Parkway on these dates. Trains between London Paddington and Swansea will use an alternative route between Swindon and Newport, stopping at Patchway instead of Bristol Parkway. Connecting buses will run between Patchway and Bristol Parkway. Trains will however run between Worcester and Gloucester, and between Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury. Buses will replace trains between Gloucester and Bristol Temple Meads. On June 12, buses will also replace trains between Gloucester and Swindon via Kemble until 16:00.

It is hard to believe that it is now 70 years ago this month that filming commenced in June 1952 of the classic Ealing comedy ‘The Titfield Thunderbolt’. Filming took place in an eight week period in June and July using locations around Bath on the former Limpley Stoke to Camerton branch line, including Monkton Combe station which became Titfield. The film was released in 1953, and of course it still has a big following and often appears on TV.  It certainly became a cult and much loved film!

Back 30 years ago, the then Network SouthEast ran two tours this month to Exeter Central from London Waterloo.  On June 21, 1992, Class 50’s – 50 007 ‘Sir Edward Elgar’ and 50 050 (running as D400) hauled ‘The Atlantic Coast Express’ as far as Salisbury where West Country Class 34027 ‘Taw Valley’ took over to Exeter Central. The return journey from Exeter was hauled by 777 ‘Sir Lamiel’ to Salisbury where the 50’s took over back to London. A week later, 50 007 hauled the ‘Devon Belle’ from Waterloo to Eastleigh via Winchester where 777 ‘Sir Lamiel took over to run to Exeter Central via Romsey and Salisbury. BR Std. 75069 hauled the train back to Salisbury where 34027 ‘Taw Valley’ was waiting for a short run to Eastleigh. Here diesel power took over again, this time in the form of Class 37 – 37 047, for the run back to Waterloo.

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Ken’s Early Visits to Engine Sheds in Plymouth and Elsewhere by Ken Ayers.

I have been interested in Railways from an early age. I lived in Plymouth from 1936 – 1959, in a house which was 200yards from the line at Cornwall Loop Junction, west of North Road Station. Trains came along this line to and from Cornwall, and from the opposite direction were Southern Region trains from Tavistock, Exeter and London Waterloo. I always kept good records of locos seen until 1959, when National Service called me away to Aden for twelve months, after technical training at RAF Locking, Weston Super Mare.  When I returned to Plymouth in 1961, the MOD posted me to Bath where I made my home and joined the Bath Railway Society and the Bristol Branch of the RCTS.

In 1948 I became a member of the Ian Allen Locospotters Club and kept detailed records of locos seen from that year, and at the age of 16 I joined the Plymouth Railway Circle. Here I heard interesting talks and went on many of their special railway trips. In 1952 I started work in HM Dockyard at Devonport, and in the same year I bought my first bike, a Raleigh Trent Sports.

This bike gave me the opportunity to take cycling trips to railway sites including Plymouth Laira and Friary sheds. I usually went with two other members of the “Back Lane Boys” at North Road Station East End. I have therefore taken the year 1956 as a sample of my local sightings.

Seen at Laira Shed on Sunday January 1st 1956.

Four Kings, ten Castles, three Britannias; one County; ten Halls; twelve Granges; two Manors; three Heavy Freight locos 2800 & 3800; three Saddle Tanks; two Class 1400’s; twenty three Pannier Tanks in four different classes : 1600, 5700, 6400 & 9400; Two large Prarie 3150’s; seven small Prarie 4500’s and three BR Class 4’s. Total engines: 85.

Seen at Friary Shed on the same day were:

Four West Countries: Westward Ho, Clovelly, Honiton & Bodmin; PDSW J 0-6-2 Tanks: 30757 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe & 30758 Lord St. Levan; Five 0-4-0T B4’s; Four 0-4-4T M7’s; Two 0-4-4T 02’s; Two 0-6-2T E1/R and one BR 4-6-0 Class 4.

Between 1956 and 1959, my friends and I did many cycle trips over the whole country, visiting different sheds and staying at YHA Hostels each time.

During the 1956 Easter weekend, we took a cycle tour of the Isle of Wight. On Thursday March 29th we left Plymouth North Road with our bikes at 1pm on the Cornishman hauled by 6952 Kimberly Hall. As we passed Laira shed we saw seven locos with a further two at Tavistock Junction. 6952 was steaming well as she took 8 minutes to climb Hemerdon Bank; we saw bankers 4179 and 5196 at Totnes and 4145 and 1429 at Newton Abbott.

After arriving at Exeter St. Davids Station, our cycling started in earnest with the climb up to Exeter Central where we saw 35009, 32695 & 82010. We then visited Exmouth Junction Depot which held 37 locos including 30451 Sir Lamorak. We then cycled onto Matock via Honiton where we saw 35017 Belgian Marine speeding through the station.

After stopping at Matock YHA for the night, we cycled on March 30th to Yeovil which had two depots, 72C where 19 engines were seen including 30451 again, and then onto the GWR Depot 82E at Pen Mill which contained 8 locomotives. We then cycled to Templecombe Depot where there were 20 engines, followed by a 20 mile ride to Salisbury, where we saw 43 locos including 7 GWR Engines. The next stop was Southampton Docks Shed which had 11 USA Tanks together with 2 E4 0-6-2T’s. While here we saw the boat train with 34065 Hurricane leaving for Waterloo. We left the Docks at a quarter past eight for an evening meal and a night at The Moorings YHA.

Next morning, March 31st, before catching the Ferry to the Isle of Wight, we visited two more sheds. We cycled to Eastleigh large Depot, where we saw 66 engines including four King Arthurs and five Lord Nelsons. After another 25 miles, we reached Portsmouth and a visit to Fratton Depot where 25 engines were seen, including A1X Terriers. We then took a short cycle ride to the harbour to catch the 2.40pm Paddle Steamer Shanklin to Ryde Pier Head on the Isle of Wight.

We then caught a train to Ryde St. John’s Road, hauled by W17 Sea View to visit the Depot which contained eight 02’s. Next we cycled to Newport for a shed visit, where we saw four active and a further three stored 02’s. After this visit, another train pulled by W33 Bembridge took us back to Ryde St John’s Road to view more 02’s. In the works here we saw E1 W4 Wroxall and W18 Ningwood. We left St John’s Road on a train for Cowes, this time hauled by W14 Fishbourne. We then cycled to the YHA at Medham House, Medina Wharf for supper and bed.

We were happy with our short tour of the IOW, where we saw seventeen 02’s and three E1’s. We found the island roads pleasant to ride on with easy gradients.

On April 1st we left the Island at 10.45 in the Motor Vessel Darringford from Yarmouth to Lymington Pier where we saw 30840 on the train for Brockenhurst. We then cycled on via Christchurch to Bournemouth and visited the Depot which held 61 engines, including seven King Arthurs and four Lord Nelsons. Next we cycled 25 miles on to Dorchester South station to see four locomotives. At Dorchester South we caught a stopping train to Weymouth, hauled by 7924 Thornycroft Hall. We halted at Monkton and Cane, Upwell Wishing Well, Upwey and Broadway and Radipole. At Weymouth we visited the depot to see twenty-six GWR and two SR Engines. The day ended with a hilly ride to Bridport, arriving at the YHA at 8 o’clock.

On April 2nd, the last day of our bike tour, we left Bridport for Honiton where we bought lunch in a café. We then cycled on to Exeter to visit the Shed again where we saw 66 engines including 30452 Sir Meliagrance. We departed from Exeter at 3.45pm then cycled on via Chudleigh, Ashburton, South Brent and Ivybridge, arriving home in Plymouth at 8.30pm.

This turned out to be a splendid Cycle Tour. We covered 300 cycle miles without any rain, travelled 75 train miles, visited 14 Depots and saw 480 engines!

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Ken, Not only a splendid Cycle Tour for you, but a very enjoyable and interesting article for BRS. Our grateful thanks to you for sharing it. If you have a story to tell, please do send it in.

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