Severn Beach Line - Memories
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2005 11:35 pm
Hello there - my memories of this line date back to the 1960's when living in Shirehampton I used to catch the train to Sea Mills every schoolday for four years between 1966 and 1970. Huge changes during that time.
In Sept 66 I would walk up Coaley Rd in Shirehampton - thru the passageway in Dursley Rd terrace, over the footbridge and get my ticket in the ticket office for 8d return. At Sea Mills the porter would check it and I would walk about half a mile under the A4 Portway and cross the Trym river to Sea Mills junior school with my friends.
Engines back then were DMU's 3-Car type and Hymek type 3 diesel hydraulic locomotives on freight.
In 1967 the Stations were no longer staffed and by 1970 - the track had been singled and the tickets issued "bus" style on the trains. Semaphore signals reigned until later in 1970 when Shirehampton signal box closed (Shirehampton remained fairly intact from vandals due to the presence of the signalman between 1967 and 1970)
Nowadays, about three times every year I take one of my children from Sea Mills to Severn Beach on a Saturday and about once a year to Temple Meads or to Clifton Down. Happy times!
In Sept 66 I would walk up Coaley Rd in Shirehampton - thru the passageway in Dursley Rd terrace, over the footbridge and get my ticket in the ticket office for 8d return. At Sea Mills the porter would check it and I would walk about half a mile under the A4 Portway and cross the Trym river to Sea Mills junior school with my friends.
Engines back then were DMU's 3-Car type and Hymek type 3 diesel hydraulic locomotives on freight.
In 1967 the Stations were no longer staffed and by 1970 - the track had been singled and the tickets issued "bus" style on the trains. Semaphore signals reigned until later in 1970 when Shirehampton signal box closed (Shirehampton remained fairly intact from vandals due to the presence of the signalman between 1967 and 1970)
Nowadays, about three times every year I take one of my children from Sea Mills to Severn Beach on a Saturday and about once a year to Temple Meads or to Clifton Down. Happy times!
