BATH RAILWAY SOCIETY

President: Pete Waterman OBE DL

Chairman: John Froud    

 Email: bathrailwaysociety@gmail.com

DECEMBER  2023  NEWSLETTER

Dear Member,

SOCIETY MATTERS

Despite Storm Ciarán, there was a turnout of about 40 at our November meeting when Mark Bladwell gave a talk on the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. Mark gave a potted history of the original L&B followed by a detailed account of the trials and tribulations of the gradual rebirth of the heritage railway. Many planning issues have been fought over the years with councils and the Exmoor National Park. Several groups exist within the overall framework of the Trust, one purchasing parts of the trackbed as they become available, another purchasing infrastructure, for example station buildings on the route as they have come on the market. He gave a complete history of locomotives and rolling stock that the Trust have used over the years, a lot of the original stock being scrapped or broken up on closure of the original railway- although some rolling stock ended up with further use in the area as sheds or the proverbial chicken coop! A very comprehensive history from it's inception to the present day. We thank Mark for his presentation and for bringing along visitors from the L & B. Also, a thank you to those who stood in and helped out during the evening.

Our next meeting at the Bath Museum of Work will be on Thursday December 7, starting at 7.30pm, when we welcome back Brian Arman. He will be giving Part 2 of his talk ‘Swindon Works: from Hawksworth to End of Steam and Beyond’. Those of you who know Brian will know he is a GWR fan through and through and he always gives an excellent and informative presentation. This is a talk not to be missed, and as always, doors will be open from 7pm.

We give a warm welcome to Ken Fryer who joined the Society at the November meeting.

In the competition in the November issue of the newsletter you had to find the name of viaduct that was situated in the south west. The answer was Hayle Viaduct in Cornwall.

NEWS ITEMS

The Helston Railway in Cornwall, will be the new home of Cl.10 shunter D3489.The shunter was in industrial use at Felixstowe before going into preservation. It was last in use on the Spa Valley Railway.

Pullman Car ‘305 Aquila’ is starting a new life at a garden centre situated at Puxton Lane, Hewish, near Weston Super Mare. Carriages Garden Centre is installing it as part of a café/ restaurant extension and it will be placed on a section of track. The Kitchen/First Car (PCK) was formerly in the ‘Golden Arrow’ set after which it joined the ‘Cider Train’ formation at Bulmers in Hereford. It then had spells at the Colne Valley Railway, The South Devon and Bluebell Railways. During its time with the ‘Cider Train’, it ran into Bath’s Midland Yard where the train was stabled on one of the former running lines into Green Park station from April 25 to 30, 1970. The train was formed of five former Pullman Cars and a BR Mk1 restaurant car, and was hauled by Warship Class - D847 Strongbow.

In other news concerning Pullman cars, ‘Lydia’ and ‘Isle of Thanet’ will be moving to the Kent & East Sussex Railway.   These were repatriated from the USA in 2002, and both Cars date from 1925. They were included in the special funeral train conveying the body of Sir Winston Churchill and family mourners from Waterloo to Handborough on January 30, 1965.  Later they then accompanied Flying Scotsman on her tour of America in 1969. They will join three other Pullman Cars at the KESR and will be used on Dinning Trains.

Somerset & Dorset 7F, 53808, has been withdrawn from service at the Mid Hants Railway. It worked its final train, a photo charter, on November 3.

Battle of Britain Class 34070 ‘Manston’ has moved to the Mid Hants Railway from the Swanage Railway. This has gone on hire until May next year. The Swanage Railway will be operating a DMU service on December 31 and January 1. The first service ‘down’ from Norden is at 1030 and the first ‘up’ from Swanage at 1100.

LOOKING BACK

60 years ago this month on Sunday, December 8, 1963, The Home Counties Railway Society ran a rail tour from London Paddington to Swindon Works. This was hauled throughout by unusual motive power for the Western Region in the form of 72006 'Clan Mackenzie'. The train left Paddington at 1040 arriving into Swindon Works yard at 1241. The return trip departed back to Paddington at 1540 arriving back in the Capital at 1725 which was five minutes ahead of its booked time. Participants on the tour were able to undertake both a works and shed visit whilst at Swindon. At the time, 72006 was allocated to Carlisle Kingmoor shed.

On December 12, 1993, 30 years ago, Pathfinder Tours ran ‘The Southern Mariner’ tour which originated at Bristol Temple Meads and picked up at Bath Spa. This was a multi locomotive tour which first ran to Brighton. From there it ran to Newhaven Marine then Haywards Heath, Gatwick Airport, East Croydon into London Victoria. The return to Bristol was via Clapham Junction, Woking, Basingstoke and Salisbury. Locomotives used on the tour were 09026, 33202, 37194, 56047, 56054, 59002, 60053 & 73106. 56047 was declared a failure at Woking on the return and was removed by 33202 which took the train to Salisbury where 56054 took over to Bath & Bristol. The Class 09-09026 was only used for a short section of the journey from Preston Park into Brighton. The train had departed from Bristol at 0930 arriving back at 2213, only 24 minutes late from its booked time.

NEWS ITEMS

There are a number of special trains due to come to Bath for the Christmas Market. On December 1, 34046 ‘Braunton’ will be hauling a special from Bury St Edmunds, taking over the train in West London. This is a Steam Dreams operated special. On December 2, steam will be making another appearance when 44871 arrives from Three Bridges via Salisbury with a Railway Touring Company special. This will be followed on December 4, when the Midland Pullman HST is scheduled to visit from Newcastle. The following day, Saphos Trains are running ‘The Great Western Envoy’ to Bath and Bristol, again steam hauled from West London with a locomotive from the Locomotive Services Pool. (34046, 45231, 46100, 4498 or 70000). Vintage Trains also have a special from Solihull (via Oxford) ‘The Merchant Venturer’ either hauled by 5043 or 7029. On December 6, the Belmond Pullman is due for ‘Bath At Christmas’ hauled by a DBS Class 67 from London Victoria, with double headed Class 33’s taking a Pathfinder Special from Eastleigh to Shrewsbury and Chester and return. Do take note, these tours may get cancelled or altered at short notice! 

The West of England Combined Authority has received objections to a proposal it has made to convert a long section of the former Bristol to Radstock line into a road or busway from the Brislington area. Objectors are saying it would be better to use the former track bed for some form of a rail based scheme.

The South Devon Railway (Buckfastleigh-Totnes) is launching a £3m share issue on December 1. This is to finance major projects on the railway. One of these will be to restore Class 2251 GWR 3205 to working order. It last steamed six years ago. Details of the share issue are on the SDR website.

At the Severn Valley Railway, they will be running trains from Tuesday December 26, through to Tuesday January 2, 2024, including New Year’s Day, with steam or a diesel-hauled trains. On Friday December 29, the Railway will be holding a winter diesel day, with members of the home fleet. Two trains will be in operation, with Class 40 40106 on one and Class 46 D182 on the other, both providing steam heat. Trains will be 'top & tailed’ with other locomotives during the day. Revised fares will apply for the winter diesel day. Passengers will not be able to use their free return tickets and vouchers. More details on the SVR website.

The Bodmin Railway is having a winter steam up on Friday December 29, using home fleet GWR Prairie No.5552 hauling the service train. Saddle tank ‘Judy’ will be hauling brake van rides. Trains will be running from 09:45 to 16:00 and the café at Bodmin General will be open for refreshments, hot and cold. All-day rover tickets will be available.

The National Rail winter timetable comes into force on December 10, so check train times before travelling.

On Thursday December 7, ASLEF members are due to be on strike at GWR with many parts of their network having no service. Where they are able to run services, this will start late and finish earlier than usual. There may also be alterations to services on the evening of Wednesday December 6 and the morning of Friday December 8.

MEMBERS CONTRIBUTION

Childhood Memories of Wellow Station by Bob Bunyar

Although I was born in St Martins Hospital in Bath, my childhood was spent growing up in the village of Wellow, and the local station, and its surroundings, were my playground. From the back garden of our house, I could see the trains, and this no doubt ignited my lifelong passion for railways!

Wellow station was opened in 1874 on the Bath extension of the Somerset & Dorset line, and when built, it was a single track block post. Later it became a double track line with two platforms, the main buildings being on the northbound platform for Bath. The porter’s room was on the south end of the building with the waiting room in the middle. There were two trailing crossovers at each end of the platforms with two sidings coming off the ‘up’ line (Bath direction) on the south end of the station. Wellow signal box was situated on the Bath side of the station beside the ‘down’ line. This was by a crossing for pedestrians, and also used by farm vehicles going into the fields behind the southbound platform.

Apart from travelling regularly from Wellow to Bath and return by train, I would be allowed to go to Wellow station to watch the express trains go through and the local stoppers call. In those days parents would let you do these things, and the station staff and signalman would always keep an eye on you. My parents knew them, and the S & D was certainly a friendly line.

Sometimes I would be allowed to help the porter put the Tilley lamps out to light the platform, carrying them for him to put up on the posts. Invites to the signal box were also interesting hearing the different bell tones.

I became familiar with the types of locomotives, and the station staff would tell me their classes. As you no doubt know, there was certainly a mix of types operating over the S & D, and I always looked forward to seeing the double headed trains passing through non-stop, when standing on the platform, or when playing in the field behind the station, which was known locally as Cows Mead.

As I mentioned, I became used to the loco classes and knew when they was something slightly different. I had climbed onto the crossing gates by the signal box one day and looked towards the station. Standing there on ‘a local’ to Bath was a 22XX Class 0-6-0 tender locomotive. Although these did of course work on the S & D, this was mainly on the Highbridge branch, and certainly, to my knowledge at the time, were not very common running to Bath, so this gave me great excitement to see something different.

Apart from the expresses, most S & D ‘locals’ were three coach sets, normally in southern green or BR crimson livery, so I was very surprised one day when something unusual turned up on a stopper to Bath. Instead of a three coach set, there were two additional coaches on the back, one was in BR crimson, but the other was in BR (W) cream and brown livery which I think was pretty rare to see on the S & D main line?

Wellow closed to goods in 1963, and I don’t ever recall seeing many wagons in the sidings. There was however an interesting non-passenger working I witnessed one day which arrived from the Bath direction behind a Jinty. This was hauling a cattle truck and brakevan. It arrived in the down platform and then used the crossover to gain the up line, and then drew into the platform. The doors of the cattle truck were opened and about half a dozen cows ambled out onto the platform where a local farmer was waiting for them. After they were unloaded the Jinty ran round the stock and shunted it using the sidings to put the brakevan on the back before heading back to Bath. It was most entertaining and certainly something that doesn’t happen today on the modern railway!

MORE NEWS ITEMS

The Didcot Railway Centre will be ‘Steaming into Christmas’ on the first three weekends of December plus December 21, 22 & 23. The café and shop should be open. See their website for details.

COMPETITION    

In this competition you have to find the name of a station, in fact there were two with the same name, both alas now long closed, but their name can be seen and found as part of the festive season! As usual, just take the first letter of the answer and then unscramble them to give you the final answer. No prizes, it’s just for fun.

• Junction station for the branch line to Princetown

• Name of West Country Class 34045

• Edge Hill shed was in this city

• The down platform building still survives at this once station between Bath and Freshford

• On the Severn Valley Railway there is a museum called ‘The Engine House’ at this location

• What was the  station between Dunsland Cross and Whitstone & Bridgerule in North Devon

• The location of the headquarters of the Midland & South Western Junction Railway

• 82A was a shed in this city

• Climbing from Westbury towards Warminster, the location name at the top of the bank

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MORE NEWS ITEMS

Passenger numbers in the first two years of operation, are considerably higher than what was estimated, since the Dartmoor Railway reopened in November 2021. So far, 550,000 passenger journeys have been recorded on the Exeter/Okehampton services up to November this year. 

On Saturday December, 2, departing at 6.45pm, the Bristol and South Gloucestershire Methodists are running their annual ‘Carols and Steam’ event at the Avon Valley Railway with music provided by the Bristol East & Kingswood Brass Band before returning to Bitton for tea, coffee and a mince pie. Tickets cost £10 for adults, Children (5-16) are £5 and under 5s go free and pre-booking is essential. On New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day the AVR is running Mince Pie trains. Normal fares apply.

The Gloucester and Warwickshire Railway will be running trains after Christmas. From December 27 to January 2, 2024, inclusive. Mince pies will be on sale on the trains, Winchcombe 'Coffee Pot Cafe', as well as 'Snacks by Tracks' refreshment cabin at Cheltenham Race Course Station should be open (subject to availability). Trains will operate between Toddington and Cheltenham Race Course Stations from 10am to 4pm.  A 5% discount is automatically applied to all tickets purchased online.

At the Swindon and Cricklade Railway New Year Services will operate on Sunday December 31, 2023 and Monday January 1, 2024, from 11am to 3.30pm.

Work is progressing at Bridgnorth on new build 82045. The Trust behind the build estimate they are £300,000 away from funding the finished locomotive, and this figure should be achieved within the next three years. It is hoped to see a completed locomotive towards the end of 2024, with steaming taking place in early 2025. Further information and news can be found at www.82045.org.uk

There will be planned engineering work over parts of National Rail during the Christmas/New Year period, so do check if you are travelling. In addition to planned engineering work on Christmas Eve Sunday December 24, services will stop running earlier than usual on most routes. On Christmas Day Monday December 25, and Boxing Day Tuesday December 26, GWR will not be operating any services on these two days. On Wednesday December 27, services will start running later than usual on most routes.

If you are unable to make the December meeting with Brian Arman, the Committee send you our  Best Wishes for Christmas and also for 2024, when we hope to see you again.

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