Temple Meads

A Track plan of Temple Meads and surrounding area from 1903.

A view of the south end of the station taken circa 1911.

An early view of Temple Meads taken from an old postcard. It shows horse drawn taxis and a Cabmans shelter. The spire on the clock tower was destroyed by a German incendiary bomb in an air raid on 3 January 1941.

Castle class 5069 Isambard Kingdom Brunel at the east end of TM. This loco was built in 1938. All Castles had smokebox number plates fitted by January 1951 so this photo was taken before that date. © Michelle Howe

18000 stands at the east end of the station in October 1950.

Streamlined diesel railcar W23W waits to head south on the 19.4.58.

1005 County of Devon stands on the through roads with a mixed selection of stock. This loco was fitted with a double chimney in December 1958 and withdrawn in June 1963. This picture was taken between those two dates :)

Loco 82037 stands at Temple Meads with a short freight. © Gerald Peacock.

5089 Westminster Abbey awaits the off from Temple Meads with The Cornishman. This train ran from 1952 until 1962. The C35 headcode dates this photo as being after the introduction of the summer 1960 timetable. This loco was rebuilt from the Star Class loco number 4069 Westminster Abbey.

1025 County of Radnor stands at the same spot as the above photo. New in January 1947. Withdrawn in February 1963 while allocated to Shrewsbury shed.

Another County, 1023 County of Oxford, wears a C37 headboard at the east end of Temple Meads. New in 1947, she was withdrawn in March 1963.

Another view of the east end of Temple Meads, this time with Jubilee 45659 Drake awaiting the right of way. This loco was cut up in 1963.

Warship D819 at the east end of Temple Meads. The loco has no yellow warning panel so the photo is likely to be pre 1963.

Probably taken at the same time D815 is seen carrying The Bristolian headboard.

D7010 waits next to a very big pile of mail sacks. © John Thorn

A very grubby Royal Scot 46151. This loco was withdrawn in December 1962. © Roger Porch

Pioneer Hymek D7000 at the same end of the station in 1962. The Blue Circle Cement depot on Avon Street is visible behind. © Roger Porch

North British Class 22 D6354 pulls a freight out of Temple Meads Goods. This loco ended her days in the scrap line at St Philips Marsh.

5024 Carew Castle awaits departure while a Warship departs from the then platform 9. This loco was withdrawn in May 1962. © Roger Porch

7036 Taunton Castle at the east end of the station. © Roger Porch

A couple of Peaks (D20 closest to the camera) stand at Temple Meads with the northbound Devonian. © Roger Porch

A very grubby Std Class 5 No 73012 waits with a train for the North East in 1962. © Roger Porch

1021 County of Montgomery stands at the east end of Temple Meads. She was new in December 1946 and withdrawn from St Philips Marsh in November 1963.

7019 Fowey Castle stands at Temple Meads during May 1963. She was withdrawn four months later.

D848 Sultan pilots D1029 Western Legionnaire on 20.7.65.

The 11.20 train for Worcester leaves Temple Meads on the 11th October 1969.

An excellent view from Bath Road showing a couple of Warships, a complicated track layout, and a big crowd of spotters.

An early 1970s shot of Temple Meads that shows a Post Office conveyor system under construction. The 37s are returning from near Hewish with an empty fly ash train. The ash was used during the construction of the M5 motorway. © Simon Whittingham

Andy Kirkham managed to catch a similar working. © Andy Kirkham

Another image from the early 1970s showing D818 under the post office bridge with construction work going on above her. The loco was withdrawn in 1972 but not scrapped until November 1985. In the meantime she provided countless spares to the other preserved examples.© Simon Whittingham

D33 enters Temple Meads with a parcels train. © Laurence Spring

D814 awaits work in the station. © Andy Kirkham

As does D812. © Andy Kirkham

D1034 at the south end of the station. © Andy Kirkham

D1073 waits the off in July 1973. © Andy Kirkham

D24 trundles through with a parcels train. © Andy Kirkham

The prototype HST visits the station. © Andy Kirkham

A Class 31, on a parcels train, pulls alongside. © Andy Kirkham

'Hampshire' Class 205 1123 waits at Temple Meads with a service to Portsmouth Harbour. © Andy Kirkham

Hymek D7028 with a parcels train for Southampton. © Andy Kirkham

A Western shunts vans. © Andy Kirkham

Class 50 401 at Temple Meads with a crew-training run. © Andy Kirkham

Class 25 7656 double heads a coal train through the station.

The Flying Scotsman makes a visit to Bristol in 1974. © Simon Whittingham

© Simon Whittingham

© Simon Whittingham

40081 makes a rare visit to Temple Meads on 25.9.75. © Phil Bidwell

D1001 Western Pathfinder at the west end of the station. 4.8.76 © Dave Higson

55033 departs Temple Meads with a service for Severn Beach. 11.12.76 © Dave Higson

08185 shunts a mail train on 30.4.77.

25070 and 25275 on a summer Saturday special from the north. 23-7-77 © Dave Higson

An unidentified Class 50 waits to head south in the late 1970s.

37214 with a newspaper train. 21.4.79

47015 waits her next turn of duty at the east end of Temple Meads.

A cold snap hit Bristol on 9.4.82. © Adrian Henry

Another view of the Class 50 on the same day. © Adrian Henry

And another one taken on the same day. © Adrian Henry

Resurfacing work on platform 9. 2.2.84

Resurfacing work on platform 11. 23.2.84

John Menzies on Platform 3. 28.3.85

On July 26th 1985 47508 received the nameplates S.S. Great Britain from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the GWR.

A general view of the west end of Temple Meads taken in the 80s. © Clive Moore

May 1988 A HST heading south. © Clive Moore

155312 unit leaves the confines of Bath Road Depot after servicing on the 25.7.88.

A view of the station taken the same day. A freight passes through on the right while a parcels train is readied on the left.

A Leeds train double-headed by 31407 and 31456 arrives at Temple Meads. This would have normally been a Class 47 working.

47500, painted in GWR green livery, awaits the off with the 12.07 train bound for Edinburgh and Glasgow on the 19.12.88.

The sun was setting as 47647 set off on a train bound for Penzance. 24.4.88.

47648 simmers at platform 12 with the guard looking on in the background. 2.10.88

50031 leaves Temple Meads at 12.15 and heads for Plymouth on the 19.12.88.

A DMU is loaded with mail as it awaits a green light for Cardiff. 52048 3.8.88

08646 shunts parcels.

47631 pokes out from underneath the Post Office machinery bridge on the 15.5.88.

An HST blasts off on the last leg of it's journey from London to Weston Super Mare. 43126.

47458 heads a parcels train on the 6.2.89.

A night time shot of 47580 County Of Essex, complete with the Cockney Sparrow, after being transferred from Stratford in East London. 6.2.89.

47613 photographed the same night on a 20.07 service to Taunton. The train was 15 minutes late leaving Temple Meads.

155314 enters the station with a service from Cardiff

47701 at Temple Meads in October 1998.

While her Fragonset sister 47709 rests at the other end of Temple Meads.

47783 Saint Peter awaits the off with a RES service sometime in the late 90s.

The driver of 47817, which is on a cross-country service, awaits a whistle from the guard in February 1999.

The view east with 50008 and 50015 running light-engine into the station. © David Burrell

An unidentified Class 47 passes signal B40 the west end of the station.

47849 uncouples from her train at the west end of Temple Meads on 29.6.01.

Temple Meads as viewed from Bristol & Exeter House on the 24.6.03 © Mike P

A view of Bristol & Exeter House which stands on the approach to Temple Meads. For more photos of this building see This Page.

The view from the east end of the station. Andy Spencer catches a couple of Class 50s on a Pathfinder tour at the end of 2003. There's some more photos of these locos on the Bristol East Power Box page.

The ex-Royal Mail building can also be seen in the background of this photo of 143619. 7.10.04.

143611 + 143603 stand at Temple Meads on the 27.11.04.

A Superb view south across the rooftops at Temple Meads with Totterdown on the hill in the distance and the yellow 'Banana Bridge' on the right. © Inks

And an equally impressive view east with the post office machinery bridge dominating the scene. © Inks

Another roof-top view, this time showing the throat of the station as an HST leaves with a service for London. 26.10.05 © Mark Lippiatt 26.10.05

A ground level shot of the west end of the station taken on the 7.10.05

143613 awaits its next duty at the east end of the station on the same day.

66086 at Temple Meads with a train load of cars from Royal Portbury Dock. 13.6.05. © Andrew Ross

Lord Nelson on the Cathedrals Express. 9.5.07. © Andy Mitchell