This is the original forum of the Bristol Railway Archive that existed between 2003 and 2013. I finally rescued it after it seemed unrecoverable after a large crash. I have made it available for viewing. It is locked, all posts to the new version please!
Use this forum to talk about the railways in and around Bristol, or for any off-topic stuff you want to share. Also request photos and information that you are missing.
If that tour had run a couple of years later I would have jumped at the chance of being an hour and three quarters late on the absolute shambles described!
21st July 1963 would have been a Sunday - I remember that because the previous day, the Saturday, I had gone to Temple Meads with my first-ever camera and pointed it at everything! Unfortunately, being my first attempt at photography, the vast majority of the results are not good enough to even think about publishing, eg:
2 blurs of B1s 61167 and 61169
The tender and a bit of the cab of 45660 Rooke (nothing else ... )
A black cloud of smoke on the front of a train that you'll just have to take my word for it being a County slipping at East box (taken from the end of platforms 4/5 as they were then) etc etc
I have a feeling that your journey may have taken place in July 1963, behind a Standard 3 (82xxx) tank.
That could quite well be! I would have been 3 at the time, so maybe my memory has faded about ending up in Bath and being on a DMU. But I still clearly remember crossing the arches over the Rovers Ground, so I must have been on it.
It's interesting that the train visited Avonmout Docks, as my Father worked there at the time, so it is quite possible he managed to get us on the train for the local bit.
So, I guess that's it then. Mystery solved and I really did do it! Thanks all and specially for the SixBells report of the tour. Fascinating just how much railway we've lost locally
I have a feeling that your journey may have taken place in July 1963, behind a Standard 3 (82xxx) tank.
It's interesting that the train visited Avonmout Docks, as my Father worked there at the time, so it is quite possible he managed to get us on the train for the local bit.
So, I guess that's it then. Mystery solved and I really did do it! Thanks all and specially for the SixBells report of the tour. Fascinating just how much railway we've lost locally
Yes, thanks to all for the contributions. I've learned so much already and maybe one day I'll also find out how we travelled to Weston-S-Mare for the Sunday School outings in the fifies. Hazy memory tells me we travelled from Montpelier to WSM by train and I don't remember changing - is it possible there were "specials" that could have done that? I suppose it could have been from Ashley Hill.
I really ought to have worked on the railways. My grandfather (who died before I was born) was a guard on GWR. My uncle was a signalman for GWR in Bristol before moving to a similar position at St. Day in Cornwall. My mother worked in the offices at Bristol Temple Meads, as did another uncle and his son, my cousin.
The Ian Allan colour album "Steam between Swindon and the Severn" contains a shot of the RCTS special at Stonehouse.
Looks like 82036 has seen a Barrow Road oily rag, and the buffet car is in W.R chocolate and cream livery, which may have been a rare sight by 1963.
For a relatively short stretch of railway, the Clifton Extension line must have been expensive to build, considering the deep cuttings by Narroways Junction, 2 viaducts, numerous overbridges and embankments .
To a 1960`s schoolkid, the sight of the 13 arches was truly awe-inspiring.
Looking at photos of the viaduct 40 years on`makes me realise just what a magnificent example of Victorian railway engineering was lost when it was demolished in 1968.
Although workings on the line seemed to be mainly worked by 4F`s & 9F`s, I can recall the following sightings during 1963-65;
53808 crossing Fishponds Road bridge , presumably on a Westerleigh-Stapleton Rd gas works trip.
"Crab" 42814 (l/e) backing on to the main line at Kingswood Junction.
An "8F" in the most horrendous display of slipping I have ever witnessed,
attempting to take a freight off Royate hill viaduct up to Kingswood Junction (Must have taken 10 to 15 mins to regain momentum !)
Finally, the presumably rare sight of an ex-GW 0-6-2 tank (5665) working light engine between Fishponds Rd bridge and Royate hill -(My grandparents lived in a prefab off Gadshill Rd, and only a row of hawthorn trees seperated their garden from the running lines)
The rest of my memories are distinctly blurred !!
Apologies for the nostalgia trip, but being a newcomer to this website, I could not resist adding a lengthy postscript !
"Crab" 42814 (l/e) backing on to the main line at Kingswood Junction.
An "8F" in the most horrendous display of slipping I have ever witnessed,
attempting to take a freight off Royate hill viaduct up to Kingswood Junction (Must have taken 10 to 15 mins to regain momentum !)
As you say, mainly 4Fs towards the end and 9s, and the S&D 7Fs were commonplace prior to withdrawal.
As regards the light engine movements, I mentioned in an earlier post that these were generally to do with engines (usually with van) working between Barrow Road and Avonmouth to take up or after working Midland line freights.
Northbound freights would run via Hallen bank to Westerleigh then gain the Midland line at Yate. Barrow Road men knew the road.
Geoffers wrote:I very much admire all the wonderful photographs on this site. I have a special interest in Ashley Hill Station since I lived close to it as a child in the fifties and remember going train-spotting there. However, my greatest fascination is reserved for the Thirteen Arches and the line it carried that ran to Mangotsfield, particularly as I have virtually no memory of it! As a Bristol Rovers supporter back then I obviously remember the arches,
I'm very pleased to say that as a Rovers supporter, I remember standing on the terraces at 13 Arches end with my father and most trains would whistle as they passed !
If my memory serves me well, I thought there were some pics online somewhere - I'll have a rummage.
Marsh'Un wrote:The Ian Allan colour album "Steam between Swindon and the Severn" contains a shot of the RCTS special at Stonehouse.
Looks like 82036 has seen a Barrow Road oily rag, and the buffet car is in W.R chocolate and cream livery, which may have been a rare sight by 1963.
For a relatively short stretch of railway, the Clifton Extension line must have been expensive to build, considering the deep cuttings by Narroways Junction, 2 viaducts, numerous overbridges and embankments .
To a 1960`s schoolkid, the sight of the 13 arches was truly awe-inspiring.
Looking at photos of the viaduct 40 years on`makes me realise just what a magnificent example of Victorian railway engineering was lost when it was demolished in 1968.
Although workings on the line seemed to be mainly worked by 4F`s & 9F`s, I can recall the following sightings during 1963-65;
53808 crossing Fishponds Road bridge , presumably on a Westerleigh-Stapleton Rd gas works trip.
"Crab" 42814 (l/e) backing on to the main line at Kingswood Junction.
An "8F" in the most horrendous display of slipping I have ever witnessed,
attempting to take a freight off Royate hill viaduct up to Kingswood Junction (Must have taken 10 to 15 mins to regain momentum !)
Finally, the presumably rare sight of an ex-GW 0-6-2 tank (5665) working light engine between Fishponds Rd bridge and Royate hill -(My grandparents lived in a prefab off Gadshill Rd, and only a row of hawthorn trees seperated their garden from the running lines)
The rest of my memories are distinctly blurred !!
Apologies for the nostalgia trip, but being a newcomer to this website, I could not resist adding a lengthy postscript !
It would be good to see any pics of Barrow Road - my father was a signalman there ( yes as a schoolboy I enjoyed exclusive shunting excursions in the yard ......Ssshhhhhh ! )
Later, Dad moved to Chipping Sodbury as a signalman where I assisted with ' changing lamp ' duties. Ah ! the joy of changing lamps whilst standing on a signal gantry or dodging passing trains that were taking water from the troughs !
The Middleton Press book on this route, though a valuable source, contains many errors of fact in addition to some irritating typos. For example:
Picture 19 caption: claimed to be "probably the first occasion on which one of the ('Castle') class ran on the Mangotsfield route.". Not so. I recall Castles on 'The Cornishman' virtually daily until 'Peak' diesels took over. Perhaps the picture shows the first time a Castle went to Green Park, but I doubt that, too.
Picture 24 caption: describes what is clearly a 4F as a "4P".
Picture 31 caption: describes the lamps at Bitton station as "oil lamps". They would almost certainly have been gas-lamps by the time of the photograph (1948).
Picture 33 caption: claims that 41203 was the third of its class when clearly it was the fourth.
Picture 51 caption: describes the employee leaning out of the fireman's side of 82004's cab as "the driver". If that is in fact the case, he has usurped the fireman's position so that he can "gaze at the ladies". Perhaps he has let the fireman drive. But no, I think it is in fact the fireman!
Picture 61 caption: describes the Ivatt Class 2MT 2-6-2 tank as a "class 2P".
Picture 63 caption: claims that the public footpath crossing at the Bath end of the Bath platforms at Mangotsfield was a "staff" crossing. Not so. The Bristol end crossing was for the use of railway staff only but those at the Bath and Gloucester ends were for public use. Indeed, the public footpath crossing the Gloucester and Bath lines at the eastern end of the station was the sole public access to the station. Oddly enough, whereas the subway provided a link between platforms it did not provide access from the street, which was solely by the public footpath crossing the lines on the level.
Picture 66 caption: claims that "former GWR engines were not commonly seen here" (at Mangotsfield). This is seriously at variance with my very clear recollections. As stated above, 'The Cornishman' was nearly always behind an ex-GWR loco before it was turned over to Peak diesel haulage in about 1960, and I would estimate that up to a third of the many inter-Regional expresses using the route were powered by Castles, Halls, Granges and other ex-GWR types, while Pannier tanks were not uncommon either.
Picture 83 caption: describes 4F 44561 as "ex-LMS" which, whilst not untrue, disregards the Somerset & Dorset origins of that engine, which carried the number 61 in S & D days.
Picture 106 caption: describes as "colour light signals" a pair of shunting disc signals (seen from their rear) in Barrow Road loco depot.
Nevertheless, the photographic record that this book provides is very welcome and brings back many happy memories of the line.
As my true interest began in September 1962 then Castles on the Cornishman predate me. However, as I understand that it was a Wolverhampton Stafford Road turn for some years then a Castle would be an obvious choice. Its only just struck me as I write this that it must have ceased to be a Stafford Road turn by the time the Peaks took over, because 84A men wouldn't have had the traction knowledge.
I do recall the ocassional GW engine in the Staple Hill and Mangotsfield areas, especially on Sundays when the Severn Tunnel was closed and trains were diverted (via Gloucester by then as the Severn Bridge had been closed)
Another matter that had a bearing on GW engines on the line was the closure of Gloucester Barnwood shed in May 1964. Prior to that, the Bristol to Goucester stopping service was almost exclusively handled by Standard Class 5s and LMS/ Midland 4Fs. Afterwards it appeared that they were operated by anything that Horton Road had to hand - Ivatt and Standard class 2s began to appear, as did the ocassional 43xx 2-6-0 or Manor. As the local service only outlived Barnwood shed by some 8 months, this variety of locomotive classes was obviously short lived
Robin
I believe that as from Sept 1962, the Cornishman ran to Sheffield instead of Wolverhampton. This coincided with the change from steam to diesel traction.
Regular Stafford Rd Castles seen on the turn prior to this were 5031/72/89 & 7026.
It made a fine sight storming up Fishponds bank - The Castle with "Cornishman" name board, a rake of chocolate and cream coaches, and a Barrow Road banker on the rear.....
Marsh'Un wrote:Robin
I believe that as from Sept 1962, the Cornishman ran to Sheffield instead of Wolverhampton. This coincided with the change from steam to diesel traction.
Regular Stafford Rd Castles seen on the turn prior to this were 5031/72/89 & 7026.
It made a fine sight storming up Fishponds bank - The Castle with "Cornishman" name board, a rake of chocolate and cream coaches, and a Barrow Road banker on the rear.....
.
That would probably be correct because the last day of the summer service was Saturday 8th September 1962, which was the day I was taken to Bournemouth by my father and my railway interest was finally kindled.
So, if I had started a couple of weeks earlier, not only would I have seen the Pines express on the Mangotsfield North to South line, and the odd 2P 4-4-0 still kicking around at Green Park, but I would also have seen a daily Castle on the Cornishman coming out of Staple Hill tunnel!
I suppose, with the benefit of hindsight, I must be grateful for the 1962/63 winter, because at least that ensured express steam haulage for a bit longer than would have been the case on the line had we had a mild one!
A thought crossed my mind today whilst dog wallking through Mangotsfield station (probably about the 2000th time with this dog, but thats another matter ) :
Does anybody know why only the up main line platform was removed? Logic suggests you would either leave it all standing or demolish the lot
Robin Summerhill wrote:
Does anybody know why only the up main line platform was removed? Logic suggests you would either leave it all standing or demolish the lot
So presumaby by now the answer is a resounding "No"??!!
)
