The changing face of Bristol

[Great Western]

Have NWR got a new Capital One Credit Card then to pay for it all ?

[Robert Shrives]

Well from a TOC point of view it worked on first day which is a improvement on the BPW changeover.  Needless to say the half way platform signals a vast improvement until you want to attach sets. What had previously been a 3 minute operation with 1V51 and 1S49 doubling up became a 15 minute affair with much communication with staff and signallers. Hopefully once all crews, station staff and signallers have had ago - might take two months then time might be a bit less....     

 

The excitement also a bit much for station staff with a TRTS for the wrong end pushed once as well  adding a few minutes delay while signaller contacted and correct departure signal cleared.  

 

One cost increase is that no self dispatch possible so dispatchers required for every move. It is also not possible to dispatch a passenger service from one platform to the other end, say 4 to 3  unless a proceed aspect shown at outer end signal, this will cause stacking of following services but does prevent the ding -ding and away issue - which TPWS will stop now given slow speeds now in place.

 

I do hope funding can be found for getting into old building and adding just one turnout into down through so platform 13 not a bay anymore, always a penny pinched scheme  putting it back into use a few years ago.

 

Robert  

[Andrew Young]

Not surprised attaching units took an age, not sure why or how they came up with the method of working that they have?!! Different to any other location we attach with mid platform signals, extends the time needed and seems to be a hangover from getting talked past the crosses in the old layout, negating one of the few advantages of the new signalling!

 

Mind you, if the trains are parked in the right/wrong places, you can probably attach before getting to the signal...

Edited April 5, 2018 by Andrew Young

[Downendian]

A few late 1960s Bristol railway infrastructure slides I've just purchased with copyright from eBay, dated 1969.

Most are taken from the Bath road overbridge outside the depot entrance, a few I'm unsure of the location.

A lot has changed now, but in the 1970s this is how I remembered the Temple meads area, although the hymeks and NBL type 2s had gone.

Enjoy. Neil

 

Bath road overbridge BR depot to the right

Malago vale CS

Pylle Hill parcels depot taken from BR staff car park

Temple meads taken from Bath road overbridge

Gantry at Pylle hill

Bristol West

 

Gantry opposite Pylle Hill

Pylle Hill from BR staff car park

Edited April 7, 2018 by Downendian

[101]

A few late 1960s Bristol railway infrastructure slides I've just purchased with copyright from eBay, dated 1969.

Most are taken from the Bath road overbridge outside the depot entrance, a few I'm unsure of the location.

 

Apart from the view looking towards TM, all the others are of Pylle hill/Bristol west/Bristol west gantry appearing to be just before the last resignalling. Plus one view of Malago.

[Downendian]

Edits made to photos to add captions, there is only one where I was unsure of location, labelled "Bristol west"

Neil

[Andy Kirkham]

Edits made to photos to add captions, there is only one where I was unsure of location, labelled "Bristol west"

Neil

It's just a little further towards Temple Meads than the one labelled Gantry at Pylle Hill. The main lines run in front of the signal box and the avoiding line runs behind it, under the arch that carries the Bath Road. The same arch can be seen in both pictures, as can the white painted block house and the low brick building in the same style as the signal box.

[Downendian]

Thanks Andy,

Yes I see the roof of signal box can be seen in the foreground of photo 6. Rarely (at least for me) seen views to the west of Temple meads. We routinely visited Pylle Hill though to note the parcels stock present. The station pilot was regularly transiting between Pylle Hill and the parcels bays at TM. Those were the days.

Neil

[The Stationmaster]

The gantry shown in the 5th and 7th pictures was always known as Bristol West Gantry and its exact location is (was) Bristol West Junction.

[37114]

Thanks Andy,

Yes I see the roof of signal box can be seen in the foreground of photo 6. Rarely (at least for me) seen views to the west of Temple meads. We routinely visited Pylle Hill though to note the parcels stock present. The station pilot was regularly transiting between Pylle Hill and the parcels bays at TM. Those were the days.

Neil

Thanks for sharing Neil, the Malago Vale one is of interest for my current layout, the lighting is very different to most of the photos I have seen.

[Corbs]

I thought this topic might be the best place to put this...

 

BHR 40th Anniversary Celebrations (Video)

 

On Saturday March 24th 2018, the Bristol Harbour Railway celebrated 40 years of operation on Bristol’s Harbourside, accompanied by the Lydney Town Band and of course a cake to commemorate the occasion! 101-year old ‘Portbury’ did the honours, pushing and pulling the freshly-refurbished passenger train up and down all day. What started as a group of enthusiasts, one locomotive (Henbury) and a brake van has seen dozens of changes on the harbourside, with the disused industrial area changing into a vibrant tourist hotspot. Long may it continue to bring delight to passengers, giving a unique experience in UK preservation.

[Tim V]

Not quite from 1978, but from 1979.

[sparks]

Is it me, or do the train describers around Bristol now bear little resemblance to reality since the Easter resignalling...?

[dmsmith]

Is it me, or do the train describers around Bristol now bear little resemblance to reality since the Easter resignalling...?

It’s not you ... Trains now creep into the platforms and right along to the ends. Last minute changes of platform, often after the train has arrived, are the norm rather than the exception. I stood at the far end of platform 12 with the relief driver of my train home to Exeter St David’s tonight as we watched it come in on 6. It was the same the night before, and doubtless will be tomorrow. It’s now so far to walk that it was a good 10 minutes before everyone had got on the train. That’s enough for a train to lose its path. I’ve decided to loiter in the tunnel until the train arrives.

 

Big sigh ...

David

[JZ]

Some hastily grabbed shots of the construction at Stapleton Road.

 

[Andy Kirkham]

A letter in this weekend's Bristol Post. I didn't see the original letter to which this is a response, but it's easy to imagine the gist of it :

 

May I reassure Ernest Skidmore about the so-called mystery early morning train which seems to be causing him such deep concern.

 

This train (which also travels down the line after the last service train of the day at about 11.30pm) is a service running from Brentford in London to SITA at Severnside. The sinister wagons are carrying nothing more menacing than refuse from the London area. This is then burned at the new SITA plant and energy is produced from it. Many lorry journeys are saved by the running of this train.

 

As far as I know, the driver does not wear a boiler suit or goggles, and the train certainly does operate with lights front and back.

 

There is nothing secretive about this train - its schedule is freely available on rail timing internet sites.

 

I hope this is reassuring and in fact I feel we should be applauding this extra usage of our wonderful Severn Beach line.

 

Katie Robson

Shirehampton

Edited June 16, 2018 by Andy Kirkham

[Steadfast]

Oh dear! I would love to read the original letter now!

 

Jo

[Fat Controller]

Oh dear! I would love to read the original letter now!

 

Jo

Reminds me of , when I lived near the Newcastle- Carlisle line, a neighbour was convinced that the train that hammered past in the small hours was 'something nasty for Windscale'. I told him it was one of the two daily trains of semi-finished steel from Teesside to Workington; the Windscale train pottered through in the middle of the afternoon (on Wednesdays, IIRC).

[PatB]

It seems to be a recurrent theme. 25 Years ago when I lived in Windmill Hill, some of my less rail-aware acquaintances were convinced that anything with heavy axle loads that banged its way past in the small hours was something secretive and sinister. Probably something to do with nukes or something. No consideration that perfectly normal freight tends to move at night 'cos it's difficult to fit in around daytime passenger traffic.

 

Rather more recently there's been concern here in WA about lead traffic through residential areas. There's probably more grounds for that though, given that one of the companies involved had recent form for a major lead contamination incident in Esperance.

[Northmoor]

It seems to be a recurrent theme. 25 Years ago when I lived in Windmill Hill, some of my less rail-aware acquaintances were convinced that anything with heavy axle loads that banged its way past in the small hours was something secretive and sinister. Probably something to do with nukes or something. No consideration that perfectly normal freight tends to move at night 'cos it's difficult to fit in around daytime passenger traffic.

 

Rather more recently there's been concern here in WA about lead traffic through residential areas. There's probably more grounds for that though, given that one of the companies involved had recent form for a major lead contamination incident in Esperance.

Thirty years ago, as an opinionated teenager, I had a letter published in our local paper in response to one of our local Pembrokeshire councillors.  He had rubbished a proposal to use the old Esso terminal for coal imports (in the end the import terminal became Avonmouth), as "the rail network is completely antiquated", so wouldn't be able to safely carry such heavy freight.  I pointed out that the "antiquated" rail network had safely carried thousand-tonne oil trains several times a day, for 25 years.

[The Stationmaster]

Thirty years ago, as an opinionated teenager, I had a letter published in our local paper in response to one of our local Pembrokeshire councillors.  He had rubbished a proposal to use the old Esso terminal for coal imports (in the end the import terminal became Avonmouth), as "the rail network is completely antiquated", so wouldn't be able to safely carry such heavy freight.  I pointed out that the "antiquated" rail network had safely carried thousand-tonne oil trains several times a day, for 25 years.

 

As the person who looked at the suitability of that site from a railway operating viewpoint it was regrettably far from suitable for what was needed as there would have been major capacity problems in West Wales if it had gone ahead - I might even have somewhere my initial assessment of the infrastructure work needed to cater for the coal trains.  In fact I'm not even sure if the CEGB had considered it very seriously but had simply lighted on it as a 'possible' because it was available and following my input it was dropped very rapidly in favour of a site at Margam.  

 

Design work on the Margam site was well underway with my proposed track layout for it being turned into a scale permanent way drawing plus a signalling plan being quite well advanced before I was asked, very much on the QT, to assess the Avonmouth site and detail design work on Margam was still continuing while I was doing the initial layout plan and other infrastructure assessments for that site (and the CEGB were still paying for the Margam work as they didn't wish to go public on Avonmouth until I had finished my assessment of its ability to handle the total required tonnage throughput).

[Geoff Endacott]

Mr Skidmore is a well-known local authority on technical matters.

 

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/purdown-bt-tower-bristol-ufo-6701

 

Geoff Endacott

[rodent279]

Mr Skidmore is a well-known local authority on technical matters.

 

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/purdown-bt-tower-bristol-ufo-6701

 

Geoff Endacott

Is he any relation to local MP Chris Skidmore?

[Northmoor]

As the person who looked at the suitability of that site from a railway operating viewpoint it was regrettably far from suitable for what was needed as there would have been major capacity problems in West Wales if it had gone ahead - I might even have somewhere my initial assessment of the infrastructure work needed to cater for the coal trains.  In fact I'm not even sure if the CEGB had considered it very seriously but had simply lighted on it as a 'possible' because it was available and following my input it was dropped very rapidly in favour of a site at Margam.  

 

Design work on the Margam site was well underway with my proposed track layout for it being turned into a scale permanent way drawing plus a signalling plan being quite well advanced before I was asked, very much on the QT, to assess the Avonmouth site and detail design work on Margam was still continuing while I was doing the initial layout plan and other infrastructure assessments for that site (and the CEGB were still paying for the Margam work as they didn't wish to go public on Avonmouth until I had finished my assessment of its ability to handle the total required tonnage throughput).

Really interesting, Stationmaster, thanks for that.  I don't ever remember thinking Herbranston was a serious contender as it was too far from the end customer for the coal and just like the oil trains, would have required plenty of light engine mileage back and forth to Margam.  The location of the former oil refinery is some height above the water so coal would have required more trans-shipping than at Margam or Avonmouth.

 

I think Clarbeston Road - Johnston had only just been singled at the time of the proposal which wouldn't have helped, but that was reversible.  An extended loop through Haverfordwest could have solved a lot of capacity issues.

 

In my letter 30 years ago I also rubbished this councillor's ideas that the roads were all antiquated (as well as the general public reaction that this would single-handedly destroy the tourist industry).  Yes, the roads couldn't have coped with hundreds of lorries per day, but considering the population of the county, having a dual carriageway as far as St.Clears was quite enough and building a DC across the middle of the county would do far more damage to the sacred tourist industry.  There was always a sensitivity about this but I always the idea of some local employment not being either agricultural or low-waged and for two months of the year, might not be so bad.

[The Stationmaster]

Really interesting, Stationmaster, thanks for that.  I don't ever remember thinking Herbranston was a serious contender as it was too far from the end customer for the coal and just like the oil trains, would have required plenty of light engine mileage back and forth to Margam.  The location of the former oil refinery is some height above the water so coal would have required more trans-shipping than at Margam or Avonmouth.

 

I think Clarbeston Road - Johnston had only just been singled at the time of the proposal which wouldn't have helped, but that was reversible.  An extended loop through Haverfordwest could have solved a lot of capacity issues.

 

In my letter 30 years ago I also rubbished this councillor's ideas that the roads were all antiquated (as well as the general public reaction that this would single-handedly destroy the tourist industry).  Yes, the roads couldn't have coped with hundreds of lorries per day, but considering the population of the county, having a dual carriageway as far as St.Clears was quite enough and building a DC across the middle of the county would do far more damage to the sacred tourist industry.  There was always a sensitivity about this but I always the idea of some local employment not being either agricultural or low-waged and for two months of the year, might not be so bad.

 

As it happens my outline planning involved almost no light engine running as locos would have been changed somewhere in the Margam/Port Talbot area for a number of reasons.  I think what put the CEGB off more than anything else was the need to lift the coal on conveyors right up to nearly the top end of the refinery site and they quickly found the sea level (or near enough sea level) sites they progressed to would have made for far simpler handling and loading.  The other thing which happened was that the scope of the scheme also changed and grew meaning far more coal, and thus more trains, than it started with.  This meant that BBHT at Avonmouth was planned to handle 28 million tons of coal annually which meant a lot of trains serving three power stations, not that it ever reached anything like that level.