Pannier Tanks for the abortive Clevedon RPS scheme

[Hobbler]

Back in the 1960's a proposal was put forward to reopen the Clevedon to Yatton line as a preserved railway . I dont exactly know what happened but suspect there was insuficient money available for any chance of success.
However I do remember that either one or two pannier tanks were earmarked for the project and at least one was in the back of Bath Road Shed where cosmetic work was carried out by either BR staff or volunteers from the scheme .
Does anyone know the locomotive/s concerned and what became of them ? I assume when the project failed to materialise they would have been scrapped but I dont recall hearing anything at the time.

[mastermuddle]

I am not sure now but I was going to get involved but was put off by being told the line had no chance because the ministry of transport had already said that there would be motorway bridge over the line full stop!

[mastermuddle]

sorry should have read that there would be no bridge over the line and that the branch will closed.

[Hobbler]

I think that statement was a stock press release the MOT put out if there were any suggestions that a railway line on a course of a new motorway may be saved from Dr Beeching. It was usually enough to stop any embrionic schemes but I wonder with the benefit of hindsight what would have happened if someone had stood upto them and challenged their right to insist on closure of a line if an alternative operator could be found. I vaguely recall that if a railway was operational then the MOT were obliged to provide a bridge or aternative route for the railway.

[Robin Summerhill]

I think that statement was a stock press release the MOT put out if there were any suggestions that a railway line on a course of a new motorway may be saved from Dr Beeching. It was usually enough to stop any embrionic schemes but I wonder with the benefit of hindsight what would have happened if someone had stood upto them and challenged their right to insist on closure of a line if an alternative operator could be found. I vaguely recall that if a railway was operational then the MOT were obliged to provide a bridge or aternative route for the railway.

Flying off topic here, but nevertheless a point worth making, is that there was a similar kerfuffle over the Westerham Branch in Kent. A credible preservation proposal had been put forward, but right at the last moment Kent County Council put so many obstacles in the way that the idea was dropped.

I travelled part of the "Westerham branch" only last Thursday - only now its part of the M25 between Clackett Lane services and the junction with the M23.

Anybody else see any similarities?

[carpetcone]

I recall reading an article on this proposed preservation scheme which was a cutting from a local paper at the time.
There was a picture of at least one pannier tank being cleaned etc (presumably at Bath Road?)

[mjt]

According to Maggs in his 'The Clevedon Branch' (Wild Swan) panniers 3681 & 3758 were reserved at Bath Road for the preservation society but were sold to Cashmores for scrap when the scheme failed. In 1968 BR offered the line to the Society for ú34025 but the Society responded with a ú5000 bid 'on condition that it was allowed to buy surplus equipment at scrap prices, including a bridge to span the projected motorway, the road authority having given preliminary approval to cross the M5. Unfortunately the preservation scheme proved abortive as it was impossible to raise the necessary funds'.

The date of 1968 surprises me - my recollection is that the scheme folded & the panniers scrapped in about 1966.

[Robin Summerhill]

According to Maggs in his 'The Clevedon Branch' (Wild Swan) panniers 3681 & 3758 were reserved at Bath Road for the preservation society but were sold to Cashmores for scrap when the scheme failed. In 1968 BR offered the line to the Society for ú34025 but the Society responded with a ú5000 bid 'on condition that it was allowed to buy surplus equipment at scrap prices, including a bridge to span the projected motorway, the road authority having given preliminary approval to cross the M5. Unfortunately the preservation scheme proved abortive as it was impossible to raise the necessary funds'.

The date of 1968 surprises me - my recollection is that the scheme folded & the panniers scrapped in about 1966.

Both of these engines were allocated to Bath Green Park until withdrawal when the shed closed in March 1966.

They were not at Bath Road during the Open Days that were held in the mid-1960s (nor indeed on the other "unofficial" visits I paid in the 1960s ) so scrappage in 1966 sounds about correct.

IIRC, 9681 was at Bath Road at the Open Day in 1966 - allocated to Barrow Road when that depot closed in November 1965, although it was subsequently allocated to Gloucester Horton Road for another month after that.

[bristolian]

Morning,

Britishsteam.com gives a September 1966 'to scrapping' date for both 57xx's at Cashmores.

[mjt]

I've a nasty feeling that I may have mistyped 3681 when I meant 9681! Unfortunately I'm now at work so can't check the Maggs book. Can anyone check it? I remember a pannier at the 1966 Open Day - I've a photo taken from its cab somewhere - & I'm pretty certain it was one of the 2 reserved for the Clevedon scheme.

[bristolian]

I've a nasty feeling that I may have mistyped 3681 when I meant 9681! Unfortunately I'm now at work so can't check the Maggs book. Can anyone check it? I remember a pannier at the 1966 Open Day - I've a photo taken from its cab somewhere - & I'm pretty certain it was one of the 2 reserved for the Clevedon scheme.

9681 luckily is still with us, she worked under her own power to Woodham's, Barry - a photo of her passing through Cardiff General appeared in one of the Barry Lists perhaps (I'm not sure). It's unlikely that she'd have run alone from Bristol to Barry for scrap, so perhaps 3681 is the correct loco!.

[Robin Summerhill]

Morning,

Britishsteam.com gives a September 1966 'to scrapping' date for both 57xx's at Cashmores.

That guy has put one hell of a lot of work into his steam database, but it has to be said that there are many errors in it (only to be expected of course given the size of the task he set himself).

I am not saying that he's wrong, just don't take what the database says as "gospel"

[bristolian]

Morning,

Britishsteam.com gives a September 1966 'to scrapping' date for both 57xx's at Cashmores.

That guy has put one hell of a lot of work into his steam database, but it has to be said that there are many errors in it (only to be expected of course given the size of the task he set himself).

I am not saying that he's wrong, just don't take what the database says as "gospel"

Hello Robin,

I'm aware that there are some errors, I think overall he's done a bloomin' good job .
Hopefully there'll be some progress on the What Really Happened To Steam project soon...

[Robin Summerhill]

Hopefully there'll be some progress on the What Really Happened To Steam project soon...

Whassat? Never heard of it!

I hope its not somebody telling us about the "Strategic Reserve" of Stanier 8Fs in the tunnels under Box Hill again ........

[bristolian]

Hopefully there'll be some progress on the What Really Happened To Steam project soon...

Whassat? Never heard of it!

I hope its not somebody telling us about the "Strategic Reserve" of Stanier 8Fs in the tunnels under Box Hill again ........

Lol Robin, no, the 8Fs were all stored in a secret siding off of Staple Hill Tunnel...

The What Really Happened To Steam project was launched in an edition of The RM last year - http://www.whatreallyhappenedtosteam.co.uk/...