BATH RAILWAY SOCIETY

President: Pete Waterman OBE DL

Chairman: John Froud    

 Email: bathrailwaysociety@gmail.com

OCTOBER  2026  NEWSLETTER

70th Anniversary Year of Bath Railway Society

Dear Member,

SOCIETY MATTERS

Well, what a start for our 2026/27 season when Stephen Gay presented ‘Scenic Britain by Train’ at our September meeting. This is the third presentation Stephen has given to the Society, and it was another first-class informative evening. He took us around the country, along with his German Sheppard dog Wrawby. There were some lovely photographs, some of which were taken at the crack of dawn, and others where he braved snow and ice to get fantastic angles of trains.  We also had historical information, stories, and even some poetry thrown in for good measure. We thank Stephen for coming down from Sheffield and giving us a great evening once again, and hopefully he will be back sometime in the future.

We had 29 members and 10 visitors at the first meeting, and if you know of anyone who might be interested in joining us, please do bring them along.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday October 1, when we welcome Chris Austin OBE, who will be telling us about ‘Tales from the West Somerset Railway’. It is a long time since we have had a talk about the WSR, and this will be an update on what has been happening there and what is planned for the future. Chris has been a volunteer on the WSR for 35 years and a member of the Trust for 14 years. He is a retired railwayman, actively engaged as a volunteer with a number of railway groups, and is currently secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail. This is another evening to look forward to, and we hope to have a full house. As usual, doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start at the Museum of Bath at Work.

If you have not yet renewed your subscriptions for the 2026/27 season these are now due. It is £22 (or £31 if you receive the newsletter by post) and it can easily be done by bank transfer to Bath Railway Society NatWest Account No. 79725570, Sort Code 55-70-31. Please include your name in the reference box. This is our preferred method of payment, but you can pay by cheque at our next meeting if you are unable to do a bank transfer. Thank you to all those who have already renewed.

We are looking for more stories from you for our ‘Members Contribution’ section. If you have a story to tell, anything loosely connected with railways, please do get in touch. Perhaps about a day out train spotting/photographing, working on the railways (including heritage), overseas rail travel, trams, etc. etc. Do send your stories in, otherwise we will have to cease this section in the newsletter. Please send to the addresses at the top of the page or to bob.bunyar@outlook.com  Anything up to about an A4 side or just bigger (500 to 1000 words), and if you can, include a photograph that would be great.

The answer to the competition/puzzle/quiz in the last newsletter, when you had to find the name of the station used in the final scenes of the 1958 film ‘Another Time, Another Place’, was Looe. Intending railway passengers on the day of the filming were sent on by bus at the film company’s expense. You can watch the train departure filmed at Looe station, which took numerous takes and was enjoyed by the train crew: https://greatscenicrailways.co.uk/fantastic-facts/looe-station-in-the-movies/

NEWS ITEMS

The former Cheddar Valley Line, now known as the Strawberry Line path, was crowned this year's winner by the walking charity, ‘The Ramblers Association’ following a month-long public vote. This winning path follows the route of the disused Great Western Railway branch line from Shepton Mallet to Yatton on the line which once ran from Witham Junction to Yatton via Shepton Mallet, Wells and Cheddar. The line closed to passenger traffic from September 7, 1963, but the line from Witham to Cheddar remained open for goods until November 1965, and then a private siding kept it in place until March 1969. Of course, it still remains in situ to serve Merehead Quarry from Witham Junction, and also the East Somerset Railway from Cranmore to Mendip Vale is on the formation.

Network Rail has been given permission to extend Platform 1 (down side) at Bath Spa Station and has also announced plans to install safety railings on Platform 2 (upside). Currently the down platform is too short to open all the doors on a nine or ten coach IET Class 800. The platform will be extended 5.6 metres at the Bristol end, and 0.93 metres at the London end. The works are due to take place during weekend nights, and there will be a temporary compound in the station car park. An application to installed railings on a section of Platform 2 has been submitted to BANES for their approval.

The Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway are staging a ‘Mixed Traction Extravaganza’ on the weekend of October 10 & 11. Diesels and steam take turns to operate an intensive timetable operating across the full length of the line. This will feature goods trains and local stopping services, including calls at Hayles Abbey Halt. There will be other attractions at stations along the line and full details are available at: https://gwsr.com/whats-on/mixed-traction-extravaganza/

On Sundays, October 4, 11 & 18, the Avon Valley Railway will be running their Fry’s Chocolate Factory locomotive. They will be operating a passenger train service, providing full roundtrips of the line, as well as offering brake van rides. Both rides are included in the ticket price. Trains depart from Bitton Station at 10:45, 12:00, 13:15, 14:30, & 15:45.

Network Rail are undertaking track renewal work between Bath and Bristol from Monday October 26 to Wednesday 28, with bus replacement operating. Trains between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads will be diverted via Badminton and will not serve Chippenham or Bath Spa, however, there will be a service to serve Chippenham and Bath Spa only. The Bristol to Oxford service will be suspended, and passengers for Oxford should change at Didcot Parkway. Services to Portsmouth will run from Bath Spa while Weymouth services will operate from Westbury. See GWR website for more information.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is to upgrade its standard class seat cushions across all of its 115-train fleet from next year.  The seats, which are notorious known as the ‘ironing-board’ seats will be replaced over a two-year period. Thameslink Trains are also currently being deep-cleaned, and in addition to new seating being installed from next year, the fleet is midway through upgrades to the onboard toilets along with an external polish.

The Dean Forest Railway are staging their ‘Royal Forest of Steam Gala’ on October 31 and November 1. There will be home fleet locomotives as well as visiting ones operating an intensive timetable, with multiple passenger trains in operation. There is an ‘Early Bird Discount’ available of 10% off both adult and child tickets which will return to full price a few days before the event.

On the same dates as the Dean Forest Gala, the East Somerset Railway are running Halloween Specials. See their website for full details.

BR 9F No. 92134 will be visiting the Bluebell Railway for its Giants of Steam gala 2026.  Joining 92134 will be 71000 ‘Duke of Gloucester’. Home fleet locomotives also participating will include 73082 ‘Camelot’ , 80151 and 34059 ‘Sir Archibald Sinclair’. The event will take place from October 16 to 18 and will feature a packed timetable with large express and mixed-traffic locomotives in an intensive service, with heavy trains allowing engines to perform at their best.

LOOKING BACK

60 years ago in October 1966, there were several interesting rail tours. On October 1, the Great Western Society organised the North Cornwall Lines Farewell Tour from/to Plymouth. It took the route to Bodmin General - Bodmin North (reverse) – Padstow (reverse) - Wadebridge - Halwill Junction (reverse) - Bude (reverse) – Okehampton (reverse) - Launceston – Wadebridge (reverse) before returning to Plymouth. This train was formed of a DMU. The North Cornwall Line from Halwill Junction through Launceston to Wadebridge and from Okehampton to Bude via Halwill Junction closed that day to passenger traffic with the route from Bodmin to Wadebridge and Padstow closing from January 30, 1967. Freight continued to Wadebridge until 1978 with the remaining stub from Bodmin to Boscarne Junction and Wenford Bridge closing in 1983. The last locomotive-hauled passenger train to visit Wadebridge, was a seven-coach special from the Midlands hauled by Class 25 no. 25080. This ran on September 30, 1978, with the last passenger train of all, a DMU shuttle from Bodmin, organised for charity, was the last passenger train on December 17, 1978. Todays Bodmin Railway of course runs from Bodmin Parkway to Bodmin General and Boscarne Junction. They do have long term aspirations to extend from Boscarne Junction to the outskirts of Wadebridge to a proposed new station situated at Guineaport. This would mean diverting the Camel Trail in places to make way for the railway, should it go ahead.

MEMBERS CONTRIBUTION 

Train Travel Today In Northern Ireland by Mike Dodd

In April 2026 my wife and I and other family members enjoyed a 5-day trip to Northern Ireland based in the centre of Belfast. As well as visiting the tourist attractions in the city we used the NIR network on a couple of occasions. The current NIR network comprises around 220 miles with routes to Dublin, Bangor, Larne, Londonderry, Newry and Portrush. All these routes are laid to the Irish 5ft 3-inch gauge.

The NIR system is operated exclusively by DMUs-Class 3000, 23 three car sets, introduced in 2005 and 20 class 4000 six car sets introduced 2011- 2012. All built by CAF of Spain, they are similar in appearance but the 4000s are lighter and more powerful. Currently no freight is carried on the NIR network. However, there are 3 class 111 EMD locos of 1980 and 1984 of 2,450 HP used on infrastructure trains. These impressive sounding elderly EMDs are based at York Road Depot, Belfast and only venture out occasionally - we were fortunate to see one on shed no. 8112 "Northern Counties" of 1980.

Some of the Belfast- Dublin trains are worked by NIR class 4000 units, however Irish Rail (Iarnród Eireann -formerly CIE) operates an hourly service known as "The Enterprise" comprising a DVT and EMD loco in Push Pull mode between the two cities.

On arrival at Bangor, we found a modern 3 platform terminus acting as a combined rail/bus station opened in 2001. Again, no evidence of the traditional railway. We travelled there in a class 3000 unit - our impression was a clean and airy carriage - I don't know if the more generous gauge allows for a bit more room inside! The downside of these units was excessive noise from the engines and air conditioning system, on the plus side speedy and smooth riding.

On return to Belfast Grand Central Station that evening we were impressed by the futuristic 8 platformed terminus opened in October 2024. It is the largest station in Ireland and replaced Belfast's Great Victoria Street station. Shortly after detraining we noticed an "Enterprise" set arriving from Dublin with an Irish Rail EMD class 201 locomotive no. 828 leading. We waited patiently for the hoards of passengers to empty hoping for a closer look at the loco. Ala’s jobsworth station staff refused our polite request to pass the barrier onto the platform!

Our next trip was to Lisburn departing from Belfast Grand Central. As before stations on the way were rationalised and basic. At Adelaide Station on the outskirts of Belfast, we passed another of NIRs depots servicing DMUs and track machines. York Road is the main depot in addition to servicing and repairing DMUs it also services the "Enterprise" sets on turn round and of course the three remaining class 111 locomotives. Adelaide though busy is a much smaller depot.

On arrival at Lisburn, we were in for a pleasant surprise! Lisburn Station is a listed 3 platformed station with original buildings, a platform sited signal box (out of use), and water columns at each end of the station which looked in remarkably good condition. All in all a lovely example of a 19th century country station.

On our return to the station later we were treated to the sight of a Dublin bound "Enterprise" thundering through with the loco pushing on the rear. Also, at Lisburn the currently mothballed line to Antrim exists, closed in 2003 but very occasionally used as a diversion route. A feasibility study into reopening is ongoing with a link off the route to Belfast International Airport.

Although our trip was not primarily railway orientated it was interesting to travel on parts of the network, services were plentiful, punctual and with friendly staff.

We thank Mike for sending in his very interesting article and sharing his travels with us. Don’t forget, if you have a story to tell, please do send it in to the email address on the front page or to bob.bunyar@outlook.com We look forward to hearing from you.

COMPETITION / PUZZLE / QUIZ

As we all know, during the 1960s widespread cuts were made to our railways following Dr Beeching’s famous report leaving towns and villages without train services. Many of these then had replacement bus services, many of which were then withdrawn as well, leaving places isolated. Are you able to answer the following questions. There are no prizes, it’s just for fun, answers next month.

1/   How many route miles of railway were there in Britain in 1960.

2/   In which month and year was the report on the “Reshaping of British Railways” Published

3/   How many railway stations were there in Britain at the end of 2020.

FURTHER NEWS ITEMS

Oxfordshire County Council is now considering opening a fifth station in the county as part of its rail strategy up to 2040. It is already considering new stations at Cowley, Littlemore, Bedbroke and Wantage & Grove, and now it is starting an initial study to see if a new station could be provided at Adley on the Chiltern Main Line.

A passenger carrying HST will pass through Bath Spa on Saturday October 3, heading for Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea. The 125 Group will be celebrating 50 years of 125mph scheduled passenger services in the UK with their preserved HST, following the route of a 1976 timetabled HST service on the Western Region. Departing from London Paddington, the train will call at Reading and Swindon and pass through Bath with a stop at Bristol Temple Meads before heading into Wales.  After a break in Swansea, it retraces its route to Bristol Temple Meads before returning to Paddington via Chipping Sodbury on the Badminton route. The provisional timings are Chippenham (pass) 1018 ½ , Bath Spa (pass) 1027 ½ and Bristol Temple Meads (arrive) 1038. See timings at:  https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U03654/2026-10-03/detailed

Also on October 3, the Belmond British Pullan will be visiting Bath with a working from London Victoria hauled by a Class 67. It will also run again on October 30.

The Severn Valley Railway will be staging an ‘Autumn Diesel Bash’ from October 1 to 4. Classes 14, 17, 20, 33, 42, 50 and 52 will all feature during the event. See their website for full details.

As previously announced in the newsletter, the Gartell Railway, near Templecombe, will be holding its last public running day before closure on Sunday October 25.  Owner John Gartell has said that he “intends to keep the railway operational for a while longer for special events, just to keep it alive without the commitment of regular open days”. The first train departs at 1030, and they operate until the last train at 1555, offering a ride over part of the track bed of the former Somerset & Dorset line. The fare is £10 adults and £9 seniors.  There will also be a model railway event on this final day, which is likely to be busy!

A3 Class, 60103 ‘Flying Scotsman’, will be visiting the Swanage Railway later this month. It will be working trains on October 24, 25, 28, 29 and also November 1. On October 23, 26, 27, 30 and 31 it will be on static display at Swanage Station. See the SRs website for full details of its visit.

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The cost of replacing the Botley Road bridge by Oxford Station, which carries the rail tracks over the A420, has risen dramatically. Network Rail’s original estimate of £161m has increased to £237.4m with the work taking over three years and four months instead of the projected 18 months. A new platform 5 is due to be built at the station together with a new entrance and subway, but work has not yet started on these schemes. The road under the bridge finally reopened on September 20.

Work is starting to provide a footpath and cycling route from Chilcompton which could link up with the Somerset & Dorset Railway at Midsomer Norton. Anyone using an existing path has to negotiate steep steps at Fry’s Well up onto the former S & D track bed and then follow a footpath to Tunnel Lane which takes them into Midsomer Norton. The group Greenways and Cycleways has started work on an 800m section of the path which will follow the existing right of way and provide less steep access at Fry’s Well bridge. It is hoped the first phase of the works should be completed by Christmas.

Museum of Bath at Work

At our meeting venue on Tuesday October 8, 6.00 for 6.30pm, there is an informal discussion about changes in media & film production with Chris Kemp from Suited & Booted media production company based in Bath, and Rich Warren lecturer at Bath Spa University BA Creative Media. Pay on the door £10.

On Wednesday October 14, Dr Amy Frost will give a talk on the ‘Sack of Julian Road’. She will explore Bath’s planning and urban design decisions of the late 1960s focusing on the area around the Museum, Morford Street, Julian Road and Balance Street. Doors open at 1800 for 1830 start. Tickets are £10, pay on the door, cash or card accepted.

The Museum is open every day Monday – Sunday until October 31, 10.30am – 5.00pm with the last admission at 4.00pm. Details of events at the Museum can be found at https://museumofbath.org/

LOOKING FORWARD

Our next meeting will be on Thursday November 5 at 7.30pm when Roy Kethro tells us all about ‘HSTs at 50’. Don’t forget, if you have a story to tell, please do send it in.

Bob Bunyar

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