TM Platform Tickets

[Arch]

I seem to remember that in the late 1960s Platform Tickets at Temple Meads were sold from coin-in-the-slot machines.

Am I right, and if so, what did they cost ? The sum of 2d vaguely comes to mind, or was it more like 6d ?

[Roger]

I recall paying 2 old pence at stations in the 60s but after decimalisation the price might have gone up. Many of them carried a condition that they were only valid for one hour, not that anyone questioned their all day use by enthusiasts.

[chippy]

There was a ticket machine,like the one you mentioned at bath spa in the 60's there was also a machine that stamped out your name on a strip of aluminium,this was always popular with us kids at the time. Chippy

http://john232.fotopic.net

[DAVE]

Yes they were definately in use in the late fifties early 60's when I was a regular spotter at BTM.
Two old pence rings a bell as regards the price.
There were machines in the main entrance booking hall just before the ticket inspectors "kiosks".
I might add it was a small price to pay for a good days spotting with the huge amount of steam and diesel traffic in those days.

Dave

[horace]

Another one to question i see.

I too was a spotter on TM in the early sixties, i sometimes cycled there, but gave that up when i had an argument about bicycles with some other spotter.
When i got back to my bike i found somebody has let both of my tyres down.
I am still trying to find the culprit!!! Was it you???

Oh by the way it was 2d for a platform ticket, i think i may still have one somewhere.

[Arch]

>
There were machines in the main entrance booking hall just before the ticket inspectors "kiosks".
>
Dave

Fixed to that big square column ?

[DAVE]

Arch, I think you might well be right about the column.
Horace, Definately not the culprit who let your tyres down!
We used to travedown to BTM on the bus on Sat/Sun during school time first thing in the morning, then walk to St Phillips Marsh to "bunk" round the sheds. Then walk from there to Barrow road and try to "bunk" round the sheds [not always successful from the steps at the front from Barrow road, but much more successful over the wall at the back by the mainline bridge]. Can always remember the workshop at the back that made coffins, a little bit scary at our "tender" age.
It was then back to BTM for the rest of the afternoon until the early evening. Then off home by bus, very tired and dirty but very happy especially if we had "copped" a good many new numbers that day!
Oh for those days again!

Dave

[jules]

Yep, I was there too. Every Saturday on the No 3 bus from Filton to spend the day larking about, sitting on a brute, on the end of what was then Platform 4/5 (I think), where you could see the goings on at Bath Road.

Only on one or two occasions can I recall getting thrown out of the station because our "one hour" platform tickets had expired. And then round to St Philips Marsh to bunk the abandoned Warhips, Hymeks and D63xx's. Little did I think I'd be looking after a Western, a Warship and two Hymeks some 35 years later! If only I could have taken some of those parts and put them into store ....

I was there from about 68 until 73, the glorious hydraulic years!

So what other "haunts" did people have? My others were Ashley Hill and unbelievably, about 50ft above the tracks on the small concrete ledge UNDER the footbridge across the main lines at Narroways Hill. It wasn't fenced off then and we used to scramble down there on rainy days to stay dry.

I look at that ledge as I pass by on the train nowadays and think "Hmmm. Lucky you made it off of there alive!"

[horace]

Spam, oh my there was two ways to it, out of the subway exit that used to be under station bridge in cattle market road, ot out of the front up the bath road and across the footpath on the side of the avoiding line railway bridge.
At that time there were still lots of houses left in St Phillips. I never once got thrown out of spam, unlike barrow road where it was a regular occurrence. I always remember the matchbox (pannier tank) which was used as a heating boiler being connected at the top with pipework, a strange sight. One day a mate telephoned me and told me Britannia was on shed, i cycled like crazy to Spam, arrived there just after it had left, i was not happy. What really gets me is i must of been about 11 at the time, not something that would happen now, an 11 year old cycling from Staple Hill to Temple Meads, even if their parents would allow them. Oh happy days.

[tugboatcharly2]

What some nice tales of proper train spotters.
I started at Yatton and we allowed in the up side waiting room where the booking office lady kept an eye on us. The spotting was of course during the middle of the war years so we had a wonderful range of locos passing through.Then in 1946 the GWR & the LMS brought out a number book with all the neceessary info and all the names & numbers plus line drawings of the locos and finally IAN ALLEN book was available. Talking about ticket machines. On the way to my grans after the boming of Bedminster station I had the last bar of chocolate out of the chocolate machine for one penny.I was living in Hotwells then.

[DAVE]

Spam, oh my there was two ways to it, out of the subway exit that used to be under station bridge in cattle market road, ot out of the front up the bath road and across the footpath on the side of the avoiding line railway bridge.
At that time there were still lots of houses left in St Phillips. I never once got thrown out of spam, unlike barrow road where it was a regular occurrence. I always remember the matchbox (pannier tank) which was used as a heating boiler being connected at the top with pipework, a strange sight. One day a mate telephoned me and told me Britannia was on shed, i cycled like crazy to Spam, arrived there just after it had left, i was not happy. What really gets me is i must of been about 11 at the time, not something that would happen now, an 11 year old cycling from Staple Hill to Temple Meads, even if their parents would allow them. Oh happy days.

Horace
We were obviously around spotting at the same time because I saw and "copped" 70000 Britannia at SPM in the early sixties. From memory it was probably a Saturday and after spending the morning at BTM we set off for our usual foray to SPM. After ascending the steps and walking towards the sheds imagine our excitement when we spotted a gleaming 70000 near the coal "tower".
This was probably only the third "Brit" I had copped in Bristol, all the rest I saw were mainly at Crewe, London, Carlisle and a few in Cardiff.
These trips were made with the Bristol Railfans club or just with a few of my regular "spotter" mates.
After rushing round the roundhouses, then down to Barrow road, we could not wait to get back to BTM and pass on the news to the large crowd of spotters who used to gather at the end of the platform nearest Bath road sheds.
A mass exodus suddenly took place to SPM!
This thread has certainly brought the memories back! Keep it going!

Dave

[Roger]

Although BTM was the main attraction I used to spend some summer Saturdays at Lawrence Hill to see the services that used the avoiding line via the Marsh and also those that went direct from Cardiff to Portsmouth. The northbound Midland expresses pounding up the bank towards Fishponds was a good sight.

There were some boxes that held signalling equipment near the end of the platform which made a good seat. Never had any problems with staff and just enjoyed train spotting.

[jules]

Although BTM was the main attraction I used to spend some summer Saturdays at Lawrence Hill

I used to got to Lawrence Hill too, on the 83 bus from Muller Road I seem to recall. I was befriended by "Bert and George", the trip shunters who were based at Lawrence Hill in a little hut right under the Midland Bridge. It has only been demolished in the last six months, after being boarded up for many years.

I met Bert and George when they used to come and shunt Ashley Hill yard on a Saturday morning and sometimes I'd catch them during the week on their afternoon trip (yes, Ashley Hill Yard was shunted twice a day during the 60's!). I was always welcome in the guards van and one day, I was a bit slow hopping off and ended up going to Newport with them. If my mother had known what I was up to, she would have killed me!!

Anyway, I spent many a happy afternoon during the school hols sat in the little hut at Lawrence Hill drinking tea and enjoying the general atmosphere (and the Peaks thundering overhead on the Midland).

Obviously, two old blokes would nowadays *never* adopt a kid who was just interested in railways, for obvious reasons. But I had a thoroughly great time on those trip freights in the brake van and on the locos.

I'm glad I'm not a kid today - it was much more fun growing up in the 60's. I could still fly-shunt if I had to - they were damned good teachers

[horace]

Dave i don't think i ever got one Brit in TM, as i say i missed 70000, but i used to spend some some of my summer afternoons sat on the side of the embankment at Westerliegh where one could watch the Midland main line and the western line at the same time. My Brits came from the trains heading to wales or from trips father afield. I went on a school holiday to Edinburgh just to go spotting, and managed to get into St Margrets that disappeared fro the Commonwealth games.
At Westerliegh i remember seeing some of the experimental locos that were around at the time go through, especially the first Brush, named Lion if i remember rightly. But the best bit was the Midland line this was the time they were running Scots into this part of the world. But i think my best cop was the Scot "Gordon Highlander" with it BR standard shields less than 250yds from home on Tewell Hill railway bridge in Staple Hill.

Oh by the way it would of been a Saturday it was on shed, that was our spotting day, and my mate rang me when he got home in the afternoon. hence the reason i missed it.

[DAVE]

Horace I would also believe it was a Saturday and could possibly be 1963.
I can recall at that time a number of "foreign" visitors to Bristol from the Eastern region arrived on various specials etc including a couple of B1's, 70000 Britannia was a Norwich engine at that time and would probably worked down from that area as would the B1's.
I too saw Lion in its white livery firstly passing through Swindon and later at BTM. Lion was built by the Birmingham carriage company at that time, I believe it was only in service for approx 18 months and was one of two prototypes built when BR at the time were looking for a new class of diesel loco. The other was Falcon built by Brush in approx 1961, but before the two types were fully evaluated BR placed an order with Brush for the first batch of Type 4's D1500 onwards.
Because Falcon was a Brush built machine it remained in service for a number of years but Lion ended up being scrapped mainly due to the fact that production of the type 4's was underway when it first came into service. It was a great pity as Lion was a great success with its Sulzer engines. Its quite ironic that Falcon had Maybach engines as fitted to the Westerns but the first type 4's [47's] ended up with Sulzers.
Going back to steam there were lots of Scots visiting BTM in the early sixties including 46100 Royal Scot that arrived at BTM from the Midlands one Saturday, a couple of others I recall had really long names of army regiments.
Incidentally did you ever go up to the Wednesday open days at Swindon works, I remember queuing with hundreds of others for the gates to iopen at 1400hours and then rushing into the works via the underpass under the mainline?

Dave