Do you have BTM connections?

[Hobbler]

A few more as the memory juices got going.

Trying to impress a new girlfriend on a day out from TM to London by paying the extra supplement (2 shillings I think) to travel on the Blue Pullman , ordering breakfast from a very smart waiter of kippers , which was then eaten whilst the train sat at Platform 9 for an hour or more due mechanical problem.

The Bristol Holiday Express , a week of day trips from TM to places such as Portcawl , Teignmouth , Llandudno for about ú4 for the week.

The seldom used subway from Platform 12 to Platform 14 and the wooden platform surface of 14 and 15.

The rather creepy station exit which came out under the bridge by the river .

The first mainline diesels such as Active , Ark Royal and Cossack from the D600 series and Sir Brian Robertson from the D800 series which ,as we had never seen big diesels before, at first thought were some sort of motorised coaches.

The very odd looking Gas Turbine Locomotive.

And of course the old regulars that were always around and sadly of which we never took much notice such as the Jubilees Kempenfelt and Eire , the Standard Class 3's 82039 - 82044 and numerous grimey pannier tanks.

[horace]

Have you all forgotten the the big red machine with all the letters of the alphabet arranged like a clock face, where you could get your name printed out on a aluminum strip to use on your pencil case or similar. the original dymo machine!!
The dark tunnel that led from the subway to the exit under the bridge in cattle market road, the one one used when going to SPAM for a sneak round the sheds.

[horace]

One of the best places to watch and listen, well it was when i was a kid, was Stapleton Road Station. Watch everything that went up and down Filton bank. Listening well i remember being sat with my grandfather who was the landlord of the Black Swan Eastville in 1953 in the garden listening to the trains beginning their assault on Filton bank, even at that young age it sounded good.

[jules]

What about summer Saturdays sat at the end of the old platform 4/5 on a post office trolley, watching the Peaks come off the southbound trains and the Warships and Westerns being put on? All the locos idling in Bath Road ... Ahh, heady days ...

AND - the sweet machines Who remembers Payne's Poppets? The hard little toffee sweets covered in chocolate ....

[Hobbler]

Have you all forgotten the the big red machine with all the letters of the alphabet arranged like a clock face, where you could get your name printed out on a aluminum strip to use on your pencil case or similar. the original dymo machine!!
The dark tunnel that led from the subway to the exit under the bridge in cattle market road, the one one used when going to SPAM for a sneak round the sheds.

Yes I had forgotten that - no excuse really as if it was known I was going to spend the day at the station I was often given a list of plant variety names to make those labels from so the prize rose bushes at home could all be marked .

[Roger]

I could write the proverbial book about memories - I began to visit Bristol TM from about 1959 when steam was in its' heyday but the first diesels were starting to appear. Summer Saturdays saw numerous holiday extras with the occasional B1s working in from the Sheffield area. The early 60s saw the extremely rare vist of 72005 - that was a cop and a half!!

A sight of steam on the Avonside branch tempted us to climb a few steps of the water tower on platform 9 to catch a sight of the pug. Never thought to walk to Avon Street and see it close up.

A visit was never complete without a visit, via the back wall, to Barrow Road shed and of course The Marsh. Bath Road to me was a "no go" depot for bunking.

I often wonder whether some of the staff today would cope with all the numerous loco changes that took place in those days with the North to South West workings. No radios, just good old solid working practices. (Hope I don't upset anyone there).

[Andrew]

From about 1967-1972 I would catch an early train from Montpelier to TM and spend the morning there. I remember all the machines mentioned ("dymo", model loce, Paynes Poppets etc) Coke and a cornish pasty at some stage in one of the buffets; home for lunch, then all afternoon with my Hornby layout, reproducing movements I had seen in the morning. Happy days! Oh - and there were some very short skirts around at that time to look at as well, so I wasn't a total "nerd"!

It is too long ago now to drop anyone in it, but I was well known to train crews on the Severn Beach line and had many cab rides. I never knew their
surnames, but drivers I knew were "Bill" "Len" "Ben" "Dennis" and the redoubtable conductor/guard Wally! There was another driver, name unknown, who used to let me operate the vacuum brake for station stops!

[delboy]

1984 - 1987

I used to get the 10-26 from Stapleton Road To BTM (sat mornings - 30p return) . This was normally a one carraige DMU 55026 (B126).. THe 13.58 or somthing like that was always a big train to Newcastle.. A Class 45 or somthing bigger. Loads of class 33's on the Portmouth Harbour Trains, Class 50's on the penzance, Paddington trains were dominated by HST's... On shed there was always 08959 or 945... The memories are coming back as i think about it. 37's going over to south wales... Always a 47 at BTM,,, I only ever saw one class 58 at BTM.

Bath road was always a binoculors job! What ever happen the the snow plough! Some larger than life characters on the end platform 11.. cant remember any names... The Ian allen books in John Menzies.... WOW!

After school on Narroways... the lines were busy! Loads of goods, also at about 9-15ish on most evenings a 3 carraige parcels headed by a 31 or somtimes a 25.. Oh and the Nuclear waste train somes a 25 or class 20's

[horace]

Roger you seem to be from my era, maybe just a year or to before me, i was cycling sometimes to TM from Staple Hill sometimes i would catch the train from Staple Hill or Mangotsfield. I have been for many years trying to find out who it was that in about 1961 let the tyres down on my bicycle when i left it outside the main entrance, not you was it?
I will always remember the day Mallard made a visit, just a memory now my ex wife binned the photograph i took. I remember cycling like crazy to go and see Brittania on shed at Spam only to get there just after it had left. But the one thing that always stuck with me was the wagons being shunted up and down the slope to the Goods Yard, later with deisel shunters, but i have vague memories of seeing it done with a matchbox(ex GWR pannier) as well. What really makes me think is that in 1961 i was ten, and was cycling on my own to here, and my parents knew, how things have changed.

[Rhys Prosser]

I was a Railway Student 1970-71 based at Bristol, and spent some time in the Area Manager's Office based on the station. Would that experience and that time be of any interest to you?

Best wishes
Rhys prosser

[Robin Summerhill]

As IÆve been posting photographs around here for a few years I thought it was high time that I registered for the forum, especially since I think I can add something to this topic.

I first became acquainted with BTM as a young train spotter in 1962, so I managed to see the last few years of steam, which ended to all intents and purposes when Barrow Road closed in November 1965.

After leaving school in 1969 I went to work for the railway in the blue fog that was then the Bristol Paybill Office, located at that time in the top floor of the Temple Meads Motors building. Mind you, everybody worked in a blue fog in those days as everybody smoked. Everybody, that is, except the Chief Clerk John Cole who once put forward the proposal that the office should become non-smoking. He nearly had a riot on his hands for even suggesting it, particularly from one of the clerks there, Ken Hall, who left John in no doubt whatsoever about his future potential productivity should he ever have to go outside for a fag.

In April 1971 I went to Bath Road to work in an even bigger blue fog. Not just the fags this time û also the diesel fumes of which the place permanently reeked. I began as relief clerk and ended up doing the workshop payroll until I left in 1976 and tried my luck elsewhere.

I returned to the railway at Temple Meads in June 1979 as ASMÆs clerk on 3-shift working. However, by then the railway was not what it used to be, and following a serious falling out with the Roster Clerk (Alex Stowe û used to be stationmaster at Evercreech Junction) over excessive rest day working, I finally left in January 1980 and became a Surveyor instead!

If the original poster wants to speak to me in more detail by all means email me.

Robin Summerhill

[Roger]

Horace - it definitely wasn't me that let your tyres down.

I sense we are all from about the same era (I was born in 1948) and enjoyed that wonderful period when steam was still around in considerable numbers and the new diesels were appearing.

A popular return to my home in Bath was to catch the Royal Scot hauled 2.15 departure to Mangotsfield and then see the southbound Pines Express at North Jc before returning to the station and getting a local to Green Park.

You will see a few of my pics on this web site taken with a very basic Ilford Sporti camera that cost me about ú2 10 shillings second hand.

I must say I am enjoying these memory comments.

[horace]

An Ilford Sportie and sitting on Mangotsfield you sure you are not me, oh 1948 just a little bit before me. I gave up the Sportie in the early 60's for my dads hand me down Retinette, that funnily enough was only sold last week on eBay.

[Hobbler]

I will always remember the day Mallard made a visit, just a memory now my ex wife binned the photograph i took. I remember cycling like crazy to go and see Brittania on shed at Spam only to get there just after it had left. But the one thing that always stuck with me was the wagons being shunted up and down the slope to the Goods Yard, later with deisel shunters, but i have vague memories of seeing it done with a matchbox(ex GWR pannier) as well. What really makes me think is that in 1961 i was ten, and was cycling on my own to here, and my parents knew, how things have changed.

I used a whole film from my trusty Brownie 127 on Mallard that day and kept the photos for many years until they vanished during a house move.
I was trying to remember the Tour organisation - I think it was something like the Hampshire Locomotive Society - anyone know ?

The shunters truck/pannier combination at Bristol Goods was fascinating to watch , I doubt whether the staff would be allowed to do it these days with H & S regulations. I think the trucks were used with diesels as well for a short while but then I presume went out of fashion when it was realised the shunter could ride on the loco steps.

[Robin Summerhill]

I used a whole film from my trusty Brownie 127 on Mallard that day and kept the photos for many years until they vanished during a house move.
I was trying to remember the Tour organisation - I think it was something like the Hampshire Locomotive Society - anyone know ?

It was Sunday 17th March 1963 and there is a two page photo feature on it on pages 330 and 331 of the May 1963 issue of Modern Railways.

It was also used on a Waterloo - Exeter - Paddington excursion on 24th February, and there is a log of this run in the same issue of MR pages 328 and 329.

The February run was organised by LCGB, but I can't find any reference as to who organised the March one.

Staple Hill and Mangotsfield (my local stations) had no service on a Sunday so I caught the bus to Stapleton Road and went in by train from there.

The other main thing I remember about 17th March 1963 was that it was bucketing down all day!