Locos at Mangotsfield

[Robin Summerhill]

Incidentally, on your other statement about a prairie on banking duties to Fishponds - one of my friends who was a junior fireman at Barrow Road 1959-62 tells me that anything would have been preferable to the Midland 4F that was usually on the job. Trying to keep enough steam up to get to the top of the bank was often a Herculean taske!!

The ironic thing about the Midland 4s is that one was given a petticote arrangement that cured the steaming problems- the sad thing is it was never applied in BR days to others.

Thanks for all the memories-

Historically, 4Fs were the "choice" for many years, and traditionally the poorest-steaming of the class was normally employed, because at least that way it didn't block a line by running short of steam whilst trying to haul a train.

It was always an unfortunate state of affairs when a train began to pull away from the engine that was supposed to be banking it. It was not uncommon for the 4F to be chasing its train by Kingswood Junction rather than actually rendering any assistance

[Robin Summerhill]

Ashley Hill also had a train about 4 in the afternoon. I wonder which diagram that was?

Unfortunately there was no afternoon train to Ashley Hill in 1959, so I can't help there.

[Geoffers]

05h20 East Depot to Ashley Hill arr 0707 (lengthy stops at Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road).
07h35 EBV Ashley Hill to Stapleton Road arr 07h40

Fascinating

I frequently used to go to Ashley Hill Goods Yard in the mid 60's to meet that train coming in. The load was London Brick Co and coal for the local merchants and the motive power by then was a Hymek or D63xx, but I do remember steam working it in the early 60's.

The shunters' names were Bert and George and the checker at Ashley Hill, in his warm hut with a cup of tea for anyone who wanted one was called Bill, an ancient gentleman who must have been long past retirement age.

I lived in Queens Road, Ashley Down in the 50s, and although my memories of steam trains are minimal, I can vividly remember going to bed and eventually to sleep with the sound of shunting in my ears. Although the goods yard wasn't exactly just across the road, I imagine things were much quieter in the evenings then, so shunting would have been quite audible anywhere in the vicinity.

My grandfather lived in Ashgrove Road, literally a stone's throw away from Ashley Hill Station and I'm told he used it daily (he died before I was born). My other grandfather was a guard for GWR but he also died well before I was born. Shame because I'm sure he would have had some interesting stories to tell.

[jules]

I lived in Queens Road, Ashley Down in the 50s, and although my memories of steam trains are minimal, I can vividly remember going to bed and eventually to sleep with the sound of shunting in my ears.

I grew up in Ralph Road, moved in about 1962 and left in 1970 when I was 10 years old. I guess you were in the area just before me.

My older sister used to rush home from school to take me watch the shunting at Ashley Hill and I spent every Saturday over at the yard, getting up early especially. I also spent many a happy day at Ashley Hill Station and at Three Bridges (St Werburghs), starting about 1967 when I was finally allowed out on my own!

I too can remember being lulled to sleep by the passing trains. Also the frequent fires on Lockleaze bank during the summer (and the noise) caused by the steam engines ...

[Robin Summerhill]

Thanks for the informationo on praries and trip workings - that was very interesting.

As for banking, 6148 was on 5.45 Banker on May 2 1964. At the time the favourite was 82007, which was on the turn no fewer than 38 times between April 20 and June 16, 1964. It was withdrawn a few days later and then Midland 4F's predominate. The banking duty ceased from Monday January 4, 1965. In that final week, 43924 was banker on Monday 28 December and 44264 on Tuesday 29 December, 1964. I have put on Flickr a photograph of the Barrow Road Roster Board, from which I have gained most of my information. Also an accurate mock up of the Barrow Road turns and engine details for May 13, 1964.

http://flickr.com/photos/bristolsteam/s ... 5402030561

Incidentally, on your other statement about a prairie on banking duties to Fishponds - one of my friends who was a junior fireman at Barrow Road 1959-62 tells me that anything would have been preferable to the Midland 4F that was usually on the job. Trying to keep enough steam up to get to the top of the bank was often a Herculean taske!!

The ironic thing about the Midland 4s is that one was given a petticote arrangement that cured the steaming problems- the sad thing is it was never applied in BR days to others.

Thanks for all the memories-

Historically, 4Fs were the "choice" for many years, and traditionally the poorest-steaming of the class was normally employed, because at least that way it didn't block a line by running short of steam whilst trying to haul a train.

It was always an unfortunate state of affairs when a train began to pull away from the engine that was supposed to be banking it. It was not uncommon for the 4F to be chasing its train by Kingswood Junction rather than actually rendering any assistance

Since my last post, I have spoken to my ex-Barrow Road junior firemen friend and he tells me the 43924 was the poorest steamer of the class allocated to the depot, and was usually used on the banking turns in his day.

I wonder how it has got on in preservation?

It was of course the first engine to be taken out of Barry for preservation in 1968

[trafalgar45682]

Back to Bankers (not the modern variety !)

There is a good picture on Flickr by Peter Leigh, showing 73021 banking an express at Lawrence Hill on a Summer Saturday in August 1964. Perhaps on busy days like this they did not use a 4F.

http://flickr.com/photos/peter_leigh/35 ... 903513230/

43924 was my favourite 4F, so I would be grateful if you did not say unkind things about it. It had the distinction of being the last midland engine allocated to Barrow Road, when it was put into store in Mid May 1965 and 44264 / 69 were transferred away to Gloucester. It also had something of a swansong a month before being taken out of service. On Thursday April 15, 1965 the rostered engine for the 6M74 12.55 Wallerscote (somewhere in the North West, I think) 3863, failed and 43924 was all Barrow Road had left. For the next two weeks it was Away Unbalanced, unsurprisingly. Its last turn was on Saturday May 15, 1965,on some kind of special local freight, 11.15 SPM - Stoke Gifford - Yate. The link below shows it stored on Barrow Road, shortly before despatch to Barry (picking up 44123 and 44422 on the way).

http://semaphore.avonvalleyrailway.org/ ... rowrd6.jpg

[Robin Summerhill]

43924 was my favourite 4F, so I would be grateful if you did not say unkind things about it.

My fireman friend used to curse and swear about the inability of Sir Henry Fowler to build engines that would raise steam when it was wanted, not individual engines! In all honesty, whether 43924 was a poor steamer or not, it still managed almost 45 years in service from October 1920, which was quite an impressive length of time.

He has similar complaints about the unrebuilt Patriots that were in Bristol that he worked on. Nominally 200lb psi pressure but, with 11 or 12 on, the second the driver opened the regulator that was usually down to 150!

[Blandford1969]

Another daft question.

I know that at least 1 fowler 2-6-4 42338 made it through on a PW train a in 1955, but apart from that were the Fowler, Stanier or Fairburn tanks ever seen on Gloucester to Bristol trains.

I realise that they would probably have to have been borrowed although I know they got as far as Aschurch.

Kind regards

Duncan

PS all this might come in very useful in the near future, more to be revealed in due course (all being well)

[Robin Summerhill]

I know that at least 1 fowler 2-6-4 42338 made it through on a PW train a in 1955, but apart from that were the Fowler, Stanier or Fairburn tanks ever seen on Gloucester to Bristol trains.

As you say, 42338 was recorded with a PW train in 1955 and a photgraph of it at Weston appears in Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith's book "Bath Green Park to Bristol." The photo is credited to Colin Maggs and the caption says "This was a rare visit of a class 4P 2-6-4T" This isn't exactly right as it was clasified 4MT but that might be a red herring, but it does highlight the age old problem that you can never be 100% certain that photograph captions are correct.

I certainly never saw an ex-LMS 2-6-4 tank anywhere near Bristol, but that is not to say that none ever appeared. You have to bear in mind of course where they would be likely to come from if they did arrive. Saltley had three Fowler examples in April 1960 (42327/37/40) which I believe they used on the New Street to Redditch and Ashschurch via Evesham services, but those trains did not venture south of Ashchurch.

I would be tempted to wonder whether the coal capacity on a 2-6-4T would make it a realistic proposition that one could work straight through from Brum to Bristol, a distance of 90 miles, but Standard class 4 2-6-4Ts managed to work the 72 miles from Bath to Bournemouth, so that may not be an issue.

However, Stanier 2-6-2Ts were another matter. Barrow Road still had one (40098) until November 1960 when it was transferred briefly to Templecombe and then to Chester, and the Mitchell/ Smith book I mentioned earlier also has a couple of photographs of them working Bristol to Bath trains in 1950 and 1957.