Western Region 1980s freight - West of England Division, my photos

[The Stationmaster]

I'm very much in favour of recording oral history and indeed the NRM ran such a project a few years ago.  However there can be distinct problems with it as memory can be fickle and selective and thus set bear traps for future researchers if they rely on it and nothing else.  Over the years I have met several interesting characters and what you think might be an amazing source can go very flat - on old chap I met back in the early 1980s had started as an Engine Cleaner at the GWR shed at Westbourne Park so i asked him the obvious question of how he found teh brand new Old Oak Common depot when Westbourne Park closed.  'Dunno, I'd been promoted to a firing job at Tyseley and came back to Old Oak a few years later'  When aslked what he could remember about the Old Oak his soul memory was that 'we had lockers' - all interesting in its way but not much history.

 

Another chap I had a chat with was 'Billy' Wells - who drove the 28 in the 1948 Loco Exchanges - smashing bloke and a very highly respected engineman according to both his peers and those who fired for him ' were you given instructions to go out and beat the rest after the poor GW showing with the big passenger engines?'  'No, nothing special was said but i was left in no doubt about what might be said if we didn't do well with the 28' - or words to that effect, he was simply trusted not to let down the side.

[class25]

Excellent thread, just discovered it. I've been modelling the Bristol-Weston area since 1979 and these threads have put a lot of stuff into context. Many thanks, really enjoyed the piccies.

[Rivercider]

Fabulous stuff. Spent most of my spotting years at Westbury albeit more in the 70s than 80s - bunked and occasionally chased off that shed many times!

 

Jerry

Thanks for the comments and anecdotes Jerry.

I made a couple of visits in the 1970s with my dad when he was making yard visits in the area, sadly I only have a very few instamatic photos,

here is one reasonable effort from 1979.

31s were seldom seen on stone trains on the WR but they were often used on local trips or engineers trains

31258 is stabled in the up yard adjacent to the loco depot, the portacabin in the right background housed the TOPS Office, 28/2/79.

The TOPS office had use of an internal user van of some description, (does anyone know of a photo of it?) to hold stores including computer punch cards,

these cards did not take kindly to being stored in damp conditions which made them difficult to put through the card punch machine

resulting in a box of them being flung from the TOPS office window on at least one occasion!

 

I have the local trip booklet for May 1975 and assuming the trips numbers stayed the same until 1979 31258 could have been working trip 8 that day.

The following is a list of trip numbers and loco diagrams, some trips were booked for only a few hours, others worked for most of the day.

 

Trip 1  52 LA122

Trip 2  52 LA 123

Trip 3 52 LA 120

Trip 4 52 LA 121

Trip 5  47 BR 112

Trip 6 47 BR 112

Trip 7 52  LA 131

Trip 8 31 BR 171  - 7B79 07.16 Westbury - Frome full loads, 7B79 08.39 rtn then MWFO 8O72 11.45 to Warminster and 7V19 13.22 rtn, or TTHO 7B79 11.40 to Radstock 13.41 rtn

Trip 9 47 BR 24

Trip 10 47 BR 24 

Trip 11 08 BR 2323

Trip 12 08 BR 2324

Trip 13 33 EH 206

 

cheers

[Rivercider]

The down yard at Westbury handled traffic from Meldon and the Mendip Quarries for Southern Region destinations

that required reversal before proceeding via Warminster, there were two pairs of sidings in the down yard with connections

to enable trains to run round within the yard.

 

MSV former iron ore wagons had a long association with the Westbury area firstly on aggregate traffic, then into the civil engineers fleet as ZKVs

into the 1990s when they conveyed new ballast from Meldon Quarry as well as their use on spoil trains of spent ballast. 

47098 is on the Down Reception line at Westbury with loaded MSVs, this is the 15.45 trip from Whatley Quarry and is loaded for Fareham,  21/6/84 

 

As more private owner air braked wagons entered the aggregate traffic class 56 locos arrived in the Westbury area.

Cardiff Canton had received some class 56s early on but I think the first of the class allocated to Bath Road for use at Westbury

arrived in 1982, they included 56031/33/34/36/39/43/44/45/46/47. 

The use of class 56 locos enabled heavier trains to be run, on many routes class 47s could take 30 51t PGA hoppers whereas

the class 56s could take 36 PGAs, the same as a pair of class 37s. 

56048 had been Canton loco but later moved to Bath Road, here it has arrived at Westbury Down Yard with 51t PGA hoppers, 17/7/85 

 

After detaching from the train 56048 runs past Westbury station on the down reception line, 17/7/85

 

 

Finally at Wesbury a look at another passing freight service

47292 heads through the station with an unidentified working of BPO tanks including BPO87777

 

cheers

Edited December 18, 2014 by Rivercider

[Rivercider]

As by far the most important traffic in the Westbury area was aggregates

here are another three views albeit taken over the regional border on the Southern.

 

Although most stone trains were worked by Western Region locos Southern class 33s did work some services over the years.

At Warminster, which had for a time been part of the Western Region 33060 and 33038 head north with empty PGAs,

this pair were allocated to Hither Green but I am unsure of the origin of the train. Ashford, and Allington were two depots

that received stone in PGAs at that time, 9/6/83.

 

We are now just south of Warminster and see another empty train returning to the Mendips

Fareham was one long lived terminal that received aggregates in tippler wagons for grab discharge

Basingstoke was another grab discharge terminal and 47148 is seen returning from there with empty MSVs, 9/6/83

 

Also at Warminster were sidings for the MOD which received military vehicles loaded on warflats worked on a trip from Westbury Yard.

 

 

Sometimes the wagon fleet became mixed up with vehicles from different batches being formed in the same train

this was particularly noticeable in the large fleets of PGA 51t hoppers operated by both ARC and Foster Yeoman.

This train of ARC PGAs illustrates the mix of PGA variants that could be seen running together,

47233, seen earlier at Westbury working 100t tipplers, is now seen passing westwards through Salisbury with empty ARC PGAs for Whatley Quarry, 9/6/83

 

cheers

 

 

cheers

Edited December 17, 2014 by Rivercider

[queensquare]

Another fantastic selection, Warminster is my home town. As teenagers we hung around the station most weekday evenings during the mid to late seventies.

The second picture is taken from Imber bridge, Warminster looking toward Salisbury - the other direction overlooks the station. The bridge can just be seen in the background of the first picture. We lived about fifty yards down the road and my fist train watching (pre-spotting days) was from this bridge, albeit on the station side. Before I was old enough to go to the station my mum would see me across the road and I could go up to the bridge and watch the activity. We moved to Imber road in 1970 and I remember on my first trip to the station, once I was deemed old enough, talking to some of the big boys (they would have been about twelve or thirteen!) who were moaning about the fact that they were changing all the numbers (TOPS) so that would have been about 1973.

 

Slightly off topic in a prototype thread but I have a long term plan to build a model of Warminster in 2mm c.early 1970s. There is a thread in my signature which contains some other pictures. Any more Kevin?

 

Jerry

Edited December 17, 2014 by queensquare

[Rivercider]

Another fantastic selection, Warminster is my home town. As teenagers we hung around the station most weekday evenings during the mid to late seventies.

The second picture is taken from Imber bridge, Warminster looking toward Salisbury - the other direction overlooks the station. The bridge can just be seen in the background of the first picture. We lived about fifty yards down the road and my fist train watching (pre-spotting days) was from this bridge, albeit on the station side. Before I was old enough to go to the station my mum would see me across the road and I could go up to the bridge and watch the activity. We moved to Imber road in 1970 and I remember on my first trip to the station, once I was deemed old enough, talking to some of the big boys (they would have been about twelve or thirteen!) who were moaning about the fact that they were changing all the numbers (TOPS) so that would have been about 1973.

 

Slightly off topic in a prototype thread but I have a long term plan to build a model of Warminster in 2mm c.early 1970s. There is a thread in my signature which contains some other pictures. Any more Kevin?

 

Jerry

Hi Jerry

the only photos I have of Warminster were taken that day in 1983. I remember reading the Warminster thread and I added one photo to it which shows a little of the station,

the other photos are now on my Flickr collection,

 

cheers 

[eastwestdivide]

At Warminster, which had for a time been part of the Western Region 33060 and 33038 head north with empty PGAs,

this pair were allocated to Hither Green but I am unsure of the origin of the train. Ashford, and Allington were two depots

that received stone in PGAs at that time, 9/6/83.

Looks like ARC PGAs, so more than likely the Allington, which was ARC and headcode 0F. Ashford (Hothfield) was Tarmac and always 47s when I saw it.

That Allington train was usually two Eastleigh 33s when I used to see it regularly in Kent back then (e.g. scroll down in http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/81713-class-33-photos/?p=1658834)

Edited December 18, 2014 by eastwestdivide

[Rivercider]

We now head west out of Westbury and see more traffic to and from the Mendip Quarries,

 

Firstly two photos at  Clink Road Junction east of Frome where the line to Frome and Whatley Quarry branched off north  

33009 and 33107 storm westwards with empty PGA hoppers for Whatley, 21/6/84

 

Looking the other way off the bridge we see Clink Road Junction Signal Box,

the route branching to the right here is for Frome, Whatley Quarry and Radstock where three was a wagon repair depot owned by Marcroft Engineering.

56039 approaches along the Frome Avoider with loaded PGAs from Merehead Quarry 21/6/84.

 

Now a view at Witham where the Westbury Area Multiple Aspect Signalling scheme was underway

East Somerset Junction at Witham was where the line branches north to Merehead Quarry and Cranmore. 

56039 approaches Witham from Merehead with another train of loaded PGA hoppers from Merehead Quarry, 21/6/84

 

cheers

Edited December 17, 2014 by Rivercider

[The Stationmaster]

I hope that pair of Cromptons approacxhing Clink Road weren't doing too much 'storming' as they were about to cross over through the 40 mph single lead junction towards Frome.  Judging by the exhaust I presume they had been checked/stopped at the Down Home while the 56 passed on the Up road?

[Gary H]

That pic with the 33's is a corker, Kevin.

Looks like all the taps are open for certain!

Edited December 18, 2014 by Gary H

[Rivercider]

From the same day in 1984 here are three other freight services on the Berks and Hants main line.

 

Firstly we are back at Clink Road Junction to see another train heading west

47090 Vulcan approaches Clink Road Junction with presflos from Westbury Blue Circle for Exeter Central, 21/6/84 

 

Looking the other way on the up line we see another service that has been covered before in this thread

Export clay in Polybulks heading for Dover passes the signal box behind 47282, 21/6/84

 

There were two bitumen terminals in the area at Frome and Cranmore, originally these terminals received traffic

in block train loads but in the 1980s tanks arrived on Speedlink services at Westbury and were then tripped to final destination.

At East Somerset Junction at Witham re-signalling and track work was underway when I visited with a BR colleague.

47279 is on a local trip from Westbury with 8 TTAs of bitumen for Cranmore, 21/6/84

 

The Witham signalman chats with the driver of 47279, also visible is some of the new track work, and new signals still hooded awaiting commissioning, 21/6/84 

 

 

cheers

Edited December 18, 2014 by Rivercider

[cold-ash]

I've said it before, but what a superb thread this is. Thanks Kevin!

[Rivercider]

There are many quarries located along the length of the Mendips and over the years quite a number have been rail connected.

In the 1980s Foster Yeomans Merehead Quarry and ARCs Whatley Quarry provided the bulk of the stone tonneage forwarded by rail,

there was also, at times, stone loaded in the yard at Frome by Tarmac which arrived by road from another nearby quarry.

 

The closest of the two main quarries to Westbury is Whatley Quarry, north of Frome and reached by a branch off the former

Bristol Radstock and Frome line at Somerset Quarry Junction.

 

The number of trips or trains originating from Whatley over the years has varied, but the introduction of increasingly larger wagons

and increasingly more powerful locomotives has meant that fewer trains can now convey a greater tonneage.

The 1975 local trip booklet for example showed 11 weekday departures from Whatley though obviously they might not all run on any given day.

 

Here are two views taken at Whatley that have been posted before elsewhere. 

PGA hoppers, MSVs, and some of the ARC shunting locos are visible in this view of the yard, 21/6/84.  

 

A view looking the other way at Whatley

A rake of PGA hoppers are being loaded, 21/6/84

 

cheers

Edited December 19, 2014 by Rivercider

[The Stationmaster]

Kevin,

 

When did the Somerset Quarry Jcn name come in?  Quail still shows it as Hapsford and when we opened the line it was effectively Hapsford North as that was the name of the ground frame at that end of the loop, as it was then arranged.  Great fun when we opened as we hadn't enough trained staff with route knowledge and I spent quite a lot of time in the first 2-3 weeks conducting Guards over the new line and teaching them the ground frames and token section working.  It had been even more fun when we did the clearance tests  and we nearly took a chunk out of a rock face with a Class 46 - alas my pics were somewhat under-exposed.

[Rivercider]

Hi Mike,

 

I confess I took the location from my earliest Baker Rail Atlas, 2nd edition dated 1978 without checking further.

My 1980 West of England Sectional Appendix does refer to Hapsford GF though.

 

 

The 1975 trip booklet refers 'Whatley Bridge Loop as a starting or terminating location for the trips, where is that?  

 

cheers

[Icknieldrobin]

Kevin

Now the question I'm dying to ask is will the pic's extend a little further down the line into Radstock? I've managed to find a few pic's with help from a good number of people especially Tim Venton and local photographer Derek Fear in support of quest to build an EM gauge layout of Radstock and which extends from Marcrofts to beyond the level crossing almost to scale length. But you how it is............always on the look out for that elusive picture taken from that unusual angle...........so any chance?....please

 

Doug

[The Stationmaster]

Hi Mike,

 

I confess I took the location from my earliest Baker Rail Atlas, 2nd edition dated 1978 without checking further.

My 1980 West of England Sectional Appendix does refer to Hapsford GF though.

 

 

The 1975 trip booklet refers 'Whatley Bridge Loop as a starting or terminating location for the trips, where is that?  

 

cheers

I suspect they mean Whatley quarry Exchange sidings (as they were originally called - perhaps to separate the location from the quarry itself?  The layout at the quarry has altered considerably since the new link was opened (almost 40 years ago now!) so parts might well have been renamed as changes were made.  Whatley Bridge was the name some folk gave to the site of the exchange sidings because that, geographically, was where they were in terms of road access - they are now the Ingoing and Outgoing Roads and no doubt still with the same road access (as Google Maps confirms).

 

Calling Hapsford 'Somerset Quarry Junction' intrigues me.  Some of the original quarries in the vale towards Whatley were run by a company called 'Somerset Quarries' but they, and that company, had gone before Whatley Quarry was opened and of course the connection at Hapsford has only ever been a link to Whatley Quarry.  The junction was very definitely not given that name at the time of resignalling (it is shown on the Notice as 'Hapsford GF') so I don't know where it has come from.  And technically it isn't the junction for the line to Whatley as that is now, and has long been (for over 30 years), the normal route with the 'branch' being the remnant of the line towards Radstock.

[Rivercider]

Kevin

Now the question I'm dying to ask is will the pic's extend a little further down the line into Radstock? I've managed to find a few pic's with help from a good number of people especially Tim Venton and local photographer Derek Fear in support of quest to build an EM gauge layout of Radstock and which extends from Marcrofts to beyond the level crossing almost to scale length. But you how it is............always on the look out for that elusive picture taken from that unusual angle...........so any chance?....please

 

Doug

Hi Doug

 

sorry those are the only photos I have of that line

 

cheers

[Rivercider]

Foster Yeomans first dispatched trains from Merehead in 1970 with access via a loop at Whites Crossing on the East Somerset line

which meant that trains had to reverse on the way in and out of the quarry. In 1973 a new chord line was opened 

from Merehead Quarry Junction to Merehead to enable trains to arrive directly, thus forming a triangle.

Loaded trains still leave via the original route propelling out to Whites Crossing before departing for the main line.

From the reception sidings the wagons pass beneath the A361 road into the quarry complex for loading.

The earliest wagons used included 16t minerals as well as 26t tipplers and 21t hoppers,

a typical train from the 1970s might be formed of 38 x 26t tipplers with a payload of about 988 tonnes.

 

51t PGA hoppers were first introduced in 1973, and at one time over 250 were being leased by Foster Yeoman.

100t PTA, former British Steel bogie  iron ore tipplers were first used in 1983.

New O&K bogie hoppers first appeared in 1989. 

 

To carry out shunting at Merehead Yeomans bought several ex BR class 08 shunters including D3002, D3003, 08032, 08650 and 08652.

Foster Yeoman 33 named Mendip, a former BR class 08 no.08032, seen at Gloucester Horton Road Depot 3/1/80.

 

With increasing traffic in 1980 Foster Yeoman ordered a General Motors SW1001 switcher which arrived in 1981. 

Foster Yeoman 44 named Western Yeoman II, seen at Merehead during the 75 years celebration 28/6/98

 

Folowing the success of the reliable GM switcher Yeomans subsequently purchased class 59s which entered traffic in 1986 though

this was after I had finished taking railway photos.  

 

cheers 

Edited December 21, 2014 by Rivercider

[Rivercider]

The last location to look at in the West of England Division is Swindon.

As well as the BREL Works at Swindon, and a number of private sidings, there was a lot of through traffic

passing on the main line from South Wales and the Bristol area to and from the London direction.

 

Over the years the Works was the origin or destination of a lot of freight traffic,.

In the late 1970s as a TOPS clerk at Bristol I remember the C&W assessor would visit Bristol East Depot Upside Cripple Grading Sidings each week

and label away wagons for repair, with a cripple code of CW - for works repair. Perhaps 30 or 40 wagons would be sent away to a number of repair points

and Swindon Works was often the destination for a batch of 10 or 15 vehicles.

By the early 1980s the unfitted and vacuum braked  wagon fleet was being heavily culled and wagons were more likely to be labelled away

with a cripple code of CJ - one journey only - for scrapping.

 

Swindon had a small loco depot adjacent to the station with an allocation of seven or eight class 08 shunters.

The importance of the Works is indicated by the 1979 Shunter Duties booklet which lists six duties in all, three in the Works.

1 - Cocklebury Yard pilot 

1 - Transfer Yard pilot

1 - Swindon station parcels pilot

3 - BREL Works,  1 Subway and A/B shops

                             1 Parcel / Carriage pilot

                             1 Field sidings.

 

In 1982 the allocation was  08288, 08398, 08411, 08487, 08583, 08785, 08839.

 

In the 1980s the Works was in decline and although repair and refurbishment was still carried out a lot of the work by now was the scrapping of stock.

Here is a melancholy photo from the 1970s, of a Western and a 16t mineral which I assume will be used to carry away the remains.

1068 Western Reliance stands in the scrap yard next to 16t mineral B216409 9/6/77

 

cheers

 

Edited January 2, 2015 by Rivercider

[Rivercider]

There were a number of active freight locations at Swindon, mostly on the up (north)  side of the main line.

Arriving from the west Swindon Works was first encountered, then just west of the station was the loco depot,

behind this, to the north was Swindon Stores which received and dispatched various civil engineers equipment. 

The works and loco depot can be seen in this view from the station 

08523, a Tinsley allocated loco presumably in Swindon for works attention stands in front of Co-Bo 5705

The class 37s are 37280 and 37255, Swindon Stores lies to the right behind the fence, 4/9/84

 

To the east of the station on the up side of the line was Cocklebury Yard

(I think Spike Sidings had gone by then - a new road built in its place)

Hartwells Oils had a small terminal which received a small amount of traffic via Speedlink.

The former Highworth Branch gave access to Coopers Metals scrap yard, though I dont remember traffic at that time.

Then there was the Pressed Steel plant making car body parts for Longbridge which was variously later renamed

British Leyland. BL, Austin Rover, and Rover Group. 

I remember there were usually two trains a day from here to Longbridge with the traffic originally loaded in Cov-ABs,

then a pool of brand new VGAs were allocated later to be replaced by the high-cube vans.

 

Swindon Transfer sidings were on the down side of the main line and there was a small amount of traffic to here.

The butter train of 2 x 5 freightliner sets from Tilbury was also handled here when it ran.

08795 is in the platform while making a shunt from Cocklebury Yard to the Transfer Sidings.

In the background are parcels vans ready to be loaded in the parcels platform that no longer exists

having been replaced by the new platform 4, 4/9/84

 

cheers

 

 

[woodenhead]

And in 1984 'Passengers must not cross the line' had a completely different meaning.

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

Kevin

Now the question I'm dying to ask is will the pic's extend a little further down the line into Radstock? I've managed to find a few pic's with help from a good number of people especially Tim Venton and local photographer Derek Fear in support of quest to build an EM gauge layout of Radstock and which extends from Marcrofts to beyond the level crossing almost to scale length. But you how it is............always on the look out for that elusive picture taken from that unusual angle...........so any chance?....please

 

Doug

 

Hi Doug,

 

There are two books to assist you in that direction: Through Countryside and Coalfield by Mike Vincent is excellent and Railway Elegance by Ivo Peters is also worth having.

 

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&tn=Through+Countryside+and+Coalfield

 

Dave 

Edited January 2, 2015 by Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71

[Icknieldrobin]

Dave

 

That's very kind of you to pick up my plea to Kevin. I've had the Through Countryside and Coalfield for some time and have used the plans in the book in my building the goods shed.

 

I've never seen the other book by Ivo Peters so will follow up through ABE. Before he died many years ago, I did asked Ivo Peters himself if he had any pictures of either Radstock station. He told me he'd taken very few as he did not find either station particularly photogenic and concentrated his time elsewhere. As a consequence I've never looked too closely at his more general non S & D books.

 

It's sad to say I found a picture on EBay a couple of weeks ago which showed the SB from a different angle and thought it was Christmas again!!!.

 

So thanks for taking the trouble to alert me of another source

 

Cheers

 

Doug

 

Kevin

 

Sorry to hijack your interesting thread and keep the 'local' photo's coming.

 

Cheers