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

[Gary H]

 

I am sneaking in one of my poor 1970s images here,

 

 

Don't worry about posting the "poor" ones, they are just as interesting as the better ones, post away!!!!!

[Rivercider]

Here is another page of the Bristol Area trip booklet from May 1982 together with a couple more photos at Temple Meads.

Both the photos have been posted before on other threads but serve to illustrate the local freight working.

 

Page 4 of the Bristol Area Trip Booklet dated 17th May 1982.

 

This working may have been Trip No.2 the engineers trip loco, or an additional special trip, either way it was a job typical of the work

carried out by the engineers locos. 

Dogfish hopper DB993311 had been en-route from Meldon Quarry loaded with ballast, but suffered a hot axle box

and had been detached at Weston-super-Mare. After temporary repairs had been carried out 47377 was sent to collect it,

on the way up to Bristol it had again run hot. The panel signal box advised us in the TOPS office of the problem

and I was able to get to the platform to take this photo. 

47377 passes Temple Meads with a trip from Weston-super-Mare to Bristol East Depot. 17/5/82

 

Another photo taken as a result of information received in the TOPS was this shot.

In 1981 the freight timetable allowed 8B32 the 07.20 Severn Tunnel Junction - Ashton Meadows coal train to convey

a portion of ordinary traffic for the Bristol area if required. This was then tripped from Ashton Meadows to either  

Kingsland Road or Lawrence Hill as required. On this day when the train passed Ashton Junction the signalman

noticed the damaged mercedes, and, forwarned, I was able to get this photo as the trip headed for Lawrence Hill.

A trip from Ashton Meadows to Lawrence Hill passing Temple Meads on the Up Through Line

37178, vanfit B771064 and B451727 loaded with a mercedes from Oban to Lawrence Hill consigned to Cruickshank

a Mercedes main dealer at Ashton Gate in Bristol. 3/7/81

 

cheers

Edited May 23, 2014 by Rivercider

[cold-ash]

As usual, fantastic pics. Love that Mercedes, would certainly be popular at exhibitions!

[br2975]

Much of the freight traffic for the Bristol area came through the yards at Severn Tunnel Junction.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s there were morning departures from Severn Tunnel Junction to

Lawrence Hill (cement), Kingsland Road (general Bristol area traffic), Filton CCD, and Ashton Meadows (coal for Wapping Wharf CCD),

as well as a couple of services to Hallen Marsh with Avonmouth area traffic.

The second Hallen Marsh service could sometimes be diverted elsewhere if there was surplus traffic left on hand for another yard.

In the winter if coal traffic for Wapping Wharf was heavy the booked service 8B32 07.20 from Severn Tunnel Junction

was often fully loaded with 25 - 30 21t hoppers of coal so a second train would sometimes be required.

I am sneaking in one of my poor 1970s images here,

scan0013a.jpg

8B22 11.20 Severn Tunnel Junction to Hallen Marsh has been diverted to Ashton Meadows with coal for the CCD at Wapping Wharf

and is passing Bristol Temple Meads on the Up Through Line, the loco is 37227, 3/12/79

 

cheers

 

Eight years earlier (1971-72)  8B22 was the 10:20 MWFO Radyr - Avonmouth, the return working of 7F22/7C22 06:45 MWFO Avonmouth - Radyr.

.

It was something to look out for, from the classroom window !

 

In fact, 43 years ago next week ( 26th May, 1971 ) a tatty maroon full yellow ended 809 worked this service

 

Funny how some reporting numbers stayed 'loyal' over the years .........

.

There was also an 8B41 09:52 MX-Q and 8B44 15:00 Q service that ran from Radyr to Filton / Bristol W.D. / Wapping Wharf or Cheltenham as required.

.

Quite often a Canton Hymek turn. 

.

Keep 'em coming

.

Brian R

[Ramblin Rich]

Great background information as always, Kenny.

It seems difficult to believe nowadays that a damaged car would be consigned all the way from Oban to Bristol as a single wagonload....

[Rivercider]

Great background information as always, Kenny.

It seems difficult to believe nowadays that a damaged car would be consigned all the way from Oban to Bristol as a single wagonload....

Thanks Rich.

 

That mercedes was a one-off move, so it is not a good example of everyday Bristol freight working in 1981,

but, as cold-ash mentions, it would look good at an exhibition, and that train would fit on most layouts!

 

cheers

[Fat Controller]

Thanks Rich.

 

That mercedes was a one-off move, so it is not a good example of everyday Bristol freight working in 1981,

but, as cold-ash mentions, it would look good at an exhibition, and that train would fit on most layouts!

 

cheers

In the early days of Channel Tunnel operation, when there was no tourist service, staff could take their cars on the freight shuttles. There were no suitable chocks available to secure vehicles, so those travelling would engage reverse gear and handbrake. It worked quite well, until a train carried a full emergency braking; alas, the colleague travelling had a duff handbrake, and the car jumped out of gear. The car shot forward, until it hit the brake cabin on the front loader; the resultant mess was even less recognisable than the one in your photo.

Whilst damaged solo private cars were uncommon, one would often see 'slightly foxed' military vehicles, being taken to one or other of the regional repair depots.

[Rivercider]

Now another look at a couple of Freightliner services in Bristol.

When I first started on BR in 1977 West Depot Freightliner terminal was served by a joint Freightliner/airbraked working

to and from Mossend with 1 x 5 set daily each for Glasgow and Trafford Park terminals.

By the 1980s these sets from Glasgow and Trafford Park arrived and departed on services from Cardiff Pengam FLT.

The usual power for these trains was a type 4s of classes 45,46, or 47.

Later in the 1980s the service was again amended and West Depot  was also served by a service to and from Swindon to connect

into the Stratford - Danygraig Freightliner services.

 

Firstly a photo of another special working from West Depot probably for Pengam though I have no notes to confirm

31257, one of Bath Roads allocation, brings a Freightliner special from West Depot under Bath Road bridge.

This was probably going to Pengam, 31s were not normally used on these trains as the booked service of 2 or 3 loaded 5 sets

would be over the maximum load for a class 31 going up Filton bank, 25/4/83.

 

And now a view of the normal booked service from Pengam with the usual motive power up front.

47257 works 4B48 05.20 Pengam - Bristol West Depot through Temple Meads on the Up Through Line 5/8/83

 

cheers

[Rivercider]

Eight years earlier (1971-72)  8B22 was the 10:20 MWFO Radyr - Avonmouth, the return working of 7F22/7C22 06:45 MWFO Avonmouth - Radyr.

.

It was something to look out for, from the classroom window !

 

In fact, 43 years ago next week ( 26th May, 1971 ) a tatty maroon full yellow ended 809 worked this service

 

Funny how some reporting numbers stayed 'loyal' over the years .........

.

There was also an 8B41 09:52 MX-Q and 8B44 15:00 Q service that ran from Radyr to Filton / Bristol W.D. / Wapping Wharf or Cheltenham as required.

.

Quite often a Canton Hymek turn. 

.

Keep 'em coming

.

Brian R

Thanks for that Brian.

Did 8B22 convey coke for Commonwealth Smelting at Hallen Marsh?

 By the late 1970s the Smelting Works was receiving coke from either Nantgarw, Cwm or Coed Ely coke works,

 

cheers

[br2975]

Thanks for that Brian.

Did 8B22 convey coke for Commonwealth Smelting at Hallen Marsh?

 By the late 1970s the Smelting Works was receiving coke from either Nantgarw, Cwm or Coed Ely coke works,

 

cheers

 

I believe it did, but may be wrong.

.

Cwm and Coed Ely both fed Llantrisant, from where most coke would go direct along the SWML to destination e.g. Pensnett for Lunt, Comley & Pitt.

.

With Radyr just down the road (A470)  from Nantgarw any coke on 8B22 would have originated from Nantgarw, from where (and to ) a steady stream of trains passed each day .

.

I don't recall 8B22 being a mixed freight, and I think during 1971-72 there was onloy one return working between Llantrisant and Radyr.

.

I have 1975-76 conditional and mandatory WTT's in the shed, I'll have a look thro those when I can scale the kitchen units / sink/ dishwasher etc. !

.

Brian R.

[Rivercider]

I do not ever remember much car traffic in the Bristol area apart from Motorail traffic at Temple Meads Station, and the unfortunate mercedes pictured above.

There was regular Speedlink traffic passing through, cars loaded on cartic 4-sets for unloading at Exeter St Davids.

In the summer of 1983 however a large number of cars and light commercial vehicles were loaded and unloaded in Bristol.

They were being imported, and exported, through Portbury Docks and were road hauled to and from Bristol by the Abbey Hill Group.

The first loadings were made from the Motorail dock behind platform 2 at Bristol Temple Meads, it is hard to imagine that

happening now, just think what traffic chaos that would cause. Later the vehicles were loaded from Pylle Hill to the west of Temple Meads. 

 

First a picture of cartics that had been loaded in the Motorail dock

Temple Meads station west end pilot 08951 shunts the loaded cartic sets onto the Down Through Line ready for a special working

which I think went to Leith, 5/7/83

 

Later loadings were from Pylle Hill, here are empty cartic sets heading for Pylle Hill, on a local trip probably from Stoke Gifford,

in the background can be seen another empty cartic set. They were for loading with imported Datsuns that later went on a 18.00 special to Leith.

,

47032 on the Up Through Line at Temple Meads en-route to Pylle Hill, 3/8/83

 

cheers

Edited May 24, 2014 by Rivercider

[ZiderHead]

In the summer of 1983 however a large number of cars and light commercial vehicles were loaded and unloaded in Bristol.

They were being imported, and exported, through Portbury Docks and were road hauled to and from Bristol by the Abbey Hill Group.

The first loadings were made from the Motorail dock behind platform 2 at Bristol Temple Meads, it is hard to imagine that

happening now, just think what traffic chaos that would cause.

 

It must have been pretty chaotic then too!

 

It always seemed a bit crazy to me to build a major new port without a rail link, when work started on the Royal Portbury Dock the Portishead branch had only been closed for 8 years … It took a further 30 years to build a short spur off the branch for freight!

Edited May 24, 2014 by ZiderHead

[Fat Controller]

It must have been pretty chaotic then too!

 

It always seemed a bit crazy to me to build a major new port without a rail link, when work started on the Royal Portbury Dock the Portishead branch had only been closed for 8 years … It took a further 30 years to build a short spur off the branch for freight!

It's even sillier when you realise that Royal Portbury was being planned long before the branch was shut. But then, they've never been very good at foresight..

[Rivercider]

It must have been pretty chaotic then too!

 

It always seemed a bit crazy to me to build a major new port without a rail link, when work started on the Royal Portbury Dock the Portishead branch had only been closed for 8 years … It took a further 30 years to build a short spur off the branch for freight!

There was talk back then about the dock being rail connected, I often thought that if we had got 10 per cent of the traffic talked about by the marketing department we would have been overwhelmed.

I had a bet with one of our supervisors Jack about the date the first train of coal would come out of Portbury. The bet was a bottle of spirits, I said by 1984.........., and lost,......, big time.......!   

 

cheers

 

edit - we will be meeting supervisor Jack when we get to Kingsland Road in the next few posts.

 

In the meantime here is a shot of the cartics from Pylle Hill now loaded with shiny new Datsuns and on their way to Leith

47246 working 4Z81 18.00 Bristol Temple Meads - Leith waiting traincrew relief on the Down Through Line at Temple Meads, 3/8/83

 

cheers

Edited May 24, 2014 by Rivercider

[Rivercider]

Portbury Dock became the largest car import/export terminal in the country, it now handles 700,000 vehicles a year.

When you pass by on the M5 there are hundreds of acres of new vehicle storage compounds visible.

 

Here are another two views of the automotive traffic in the Bristol area in 1983, for a few months there was

a large number of vehicles moved, of differing manufacture and model, then the traffic dried up, I don't remember why.

  

It was not only cars that were moved, I think Land Rovers came from the West Midlands for export.

The next photo is of Mitsubishi vans which came from Dover, presumably off the train ferry?

The Temple Meads pilot this time is 08756, it is about to take the vans off the Up Through Line down to Pylle Hill for unloading. 

Notice the sleeping coach stabled in the fish dock, also between the tracks the water supply for loco train heating boilers. 5/8/83

 

And now a look at Pylle Hill. The large NCL goods shed here was demolished in 1979 and industrial units were built on part of the yard.

The remaining sidings were normally only used for storing parcel vans during the day before they went into Temple Meads each evening

to be loaded by the Post Office. Some vans were loaded here with locally printed Observer colour supplements.

After initial car loadings in the Temple Meads Motorail dock subsequent loading took place at Pylle Hill where there was more space,

a lot of the local British Rail road fleet was also stabled here, some of which can be seen behind the wagons..

A cartic set at Pylle Hill being loaded for Glasgow, are they Vauxhalls this time, the first red car looks like an Astra to me? ?/8/83

 

cheers

Edited May 25, 2014 by Rivercider

[Downendian]

What a super thread, of great interest to me as I'm modelling mid 1970s Bristol area, including the freight that went to Avonmouth.

So I'm really looking forward to the next posts! Thanks again for the informative posts Rivercider, it certainly has my grey cells twitching, especially seeing Westerns and Hymeks operating these services just over a decade earlier.

Just wish I'd paid attention and had a decent camera back then. The Bristol Parkway area had a different mix with London-.South Wales traffic, and the glorious mix that went to Avonmouth to Fisons, RTZ and the rest.

Neil

[balders]

Portbury Dock became the largest car import/export terminal in the country, it now handles 700,000 vehicles a year.

When you pass by on the M5 there are hundreds of acres of new vehicle storage compounds visible.

 

Here are another two views of the automotive traffic in the Bristol area in 1983, for a few months there was

a large number of vehicles moved, of differing manufacture and model, then the traffic dried up, I don't remember why.

  

It was not only cars that were moved, I think Land Rovers came from the West Midlands for export.

The next photo is of Mitsubishi vans which came from Dover, presumably off the train ferry?

scan0023a.jpg

The Temple Meads pilot this time is 08756, it is about to take the vans off the Up Through Line down to Pylle Hill for unloading. 

Notice the sleeping coach stabled in the fish dock, also between the tracks the water supply for loco train heating boilers. 5/8/83

 

And now a look at Pylle Hill. The large NCL goods shed here was demolished in 1979 and industrial units were built on part of the yard.

The remaining sidings were normally only used for storing parcel vans during the day before they went into Temple Meads each evening

to be loaded by the Post Office. Some vans were loaded here with locally printed Observer colour supplements.

After initial car loadings in the Temple Meads Motorail dock subsequent loading took place at Pylle Hill where there was more space,

a lot of the local British Rail road fleet was also stabled here, some of which can be seen behind the wagons..

scan0024a.jpg

A cartic set at Pylle Hill being loaded for Glasgow, are they Vauxhalls this time, the first red car looks like an Astra to me? ?/8/83

 

cheers

Vauxhall Nova saloon! No doubt all of those vehicles long consigned to scrap, exported in bits and re-imported as Chinese metal products!

[portlandbill]

What a super thread, of great interest to me as I'm modelling mid 1970s Bristol area, including the freight that went to Avonmouth.

So I'm really looking forward to the next posts! Thanks again for the informative posts Rivercider, it certainly has my grey cells twitching, especially seeing Westerns and Hymeks operating these services just over a decade earlier.

Just wish I'd paid attention and had a decent camera back then. The Bristol Parkway area had a different mix with London-.South Wales traffic, and the glorious mix that went to Avonmouth to Fisons, RTZ and the rest.

Neil

Looking forward to Avonmouth wagonload info and pictures.Thanks.

[Rivercider]

What a super thread, of great interest to me as I'm modelling mid 1970s Bristol area, including the freight that went to Avonmouth.

So I'm really looking forward to the next posts! Thanks again for the informative posts Rivercider, it certainly has my grey cells twitching, especially seeing Westerns and Hymeks operating these services just over a decade earlier.

Just wish I'd paid attention and had a decent camera back then. The Bristol Parkway area had a different mix with London-.South Wales traffic, and the glorious mix that went to Avonmouth to Fisons, RTZ and the rest.

Neil

Hi Neil

 

thanks for your kind words.

 

I never saw much hydraulic freight action in the Bristol area, as most of my spotting trips were normally at weekends.

I first started trying to take proper photos in 1979, and got my first SLR camera in December that year.

 

I agree that there was an interesting mix of traffic in the Avonmouth area, though being off the main line it went largely unseen and unrecorded.

I had been working for BR for just over 12 months, in the civil engineers, and when I transferred into Bristol TOPS in October 1978 I was surprised at how little I knew of the area

and how many different types of wagons and flows of traffic there were. I then made several visits there in the early 1980s.

So far I have scanned about half of my 1980s photos including most of those taken in 1980/81, there are some from Avomouth in the Flickr '1980s W.R. Avonmouth Area' album.

I will be scanning more to add to this thread as I call at Kingsland Road, Lawrence Hill. Stapleton Road and then up to Stoke Gifford, and Avonmouth. 

 

Is your layout based on anywhere in particular in the Bristol area?

 

cheers

Edited May 26, 2014 by Rivercider

[Downendian]

Hi Kevin

Nowhere in particular - just trying to capture part of the Bristol scene in the mid- late 1970s.

The Avonmouth freights give me the chance to operate split box 37s, class 20s (albeit infrequently), plenty of LMR class 25s and ER 31s, plus 47/3s from all over the country. I'd love to know the prototypical trains - plenty of small vans, chlorine tanks, anhydrous ammonia to name just a few to Fisons and ICI.

Neil

[Rivercider]

Here are another couple of freight services photographed at Bristol Temple Meads 

 

First a traffic that was rapidly declining by 1980, bagged sugar beet pulp nuts used for animal feed.

In the sugar beet season in the autumn each year special trains would be run from the sugar beet factories

which were mostly located in East Anglia. A number of these specials would run to the west country.

Often the power was a class 31 with about 30 loaded vanfits, the loco usually worked back with empties for reloading. 

46035 halts briefly on the Up Through at Temple Meads for crew relief, the train is a special from Exeter Riverside to Whitemoor Yard with empty vans, 11/11/80

 

A site that could be seen each weekday at Temple Meads for many years was the local 'Enparts' trip loco,

sometimes booked to be a mainline loco, at other times the job was booked to a class 08.

The loco would work between Kingsland Road, Bath Road, Marsh Junction and St Phillips Marsh HST depot,

conveying loaded fuel tanks from Fawley in, and taking discharged tanks back to Kingsland Road for Fawley.

There were also 'enparts' vans, originally syphon G, then later airbraked VCAs were used, these conveyed

loco stores from Swindon, Crewe and Derby works to Bath Road depot.

Later when better road access was provided at Bath Road the stores came by road. 

08950 is arriving at Bath Road with TTAs of loco fuel from Fawley which it has tripped from Kingsland Road, 26/3/80 

 

cheers

 

 

 

[Rivercider]

At the west end of Temple Meads behind the Motorail dock were a couple of sidings that served the fish dock.

In the late 1970s, and possibly just into 1980 there was an unusual, occasional, and very short distance traffic flow.

Avonmouth Dock was the UK port for a regular Island shipping service (I forget which Island) and a couple of vanfits would periodically be supplied to the docks. These were loaded with incoming mail off the ship, and worked the short distance to Bristol Temple Meads where they were berthed in the fish dock. I assume they were unloaded by Post Office staff and the mail forwarded on normal parcels trains.

Edit - it was the Royal Mail ship St Helena, and she made 4 sailings a year from Avonmouth to St Helena.

In the earlier photo of 8B22 coal train passing through Temple Meads I think a couple of vanfits can just be made out in the dock on the left. 

 

 

Temple Meads Goods was a large depot adjacent to the station, it had been a major forwarder of freight but when I knew it the roads still remaining in use were only no.s 13 and 14.

By the 1980s it was an NCL depot and only a couple airbraked vans per day were dispatched one each for NCL at Glasgow, and Edinburgh. These were tripped to Kingsland Road and then attached to the loco booked to work the West Depot - Mossend joint Freightliner/airbraked service which would take them down to West Depot before heading north.

There was also occasional traffic from the continent received in ferry vans. 

Here is a view of traffic being  drawn out of the shed, it has appeared before on another thread.

Kingsland Road pilot 08900 drawing Cov-ABs out of no.13 road ready to take to Kingsland Road, 10/5/80

 

 

For anyone not familiar with all the Bristol area locations referred to in this thread I have drawn out a map of the central Bristol area.

I think all the locations that were receiving traffic in the 1980s are shown, with the possible exception of the CS&TE (Signals) depot at Bristol East

which was in the triangle opposite Kingsland Road Yard. A single siding received very occasional wagons of signals stores.

 

edit - also the Avon Waste depot at Barrow Road was part way down the Avonside Branch from Lawrence Hill

Kingsland Road was the yard that carried out local sorting of traffic, and from where a number of trip workings would originate.

As it was located on one side of a triangle it was not convenient for a through train from say Eastleigh or London to South Wales

to call to shunt.  For example fuel tanks from Fawley for Bath Road  would be formed on the front of a train from Eastleigh, it would call

at East Depot Downside where the loco and front portion would detach and run forward into Kingsland Road, the loco then returned

light diesel to East Depot, reattach to the train and continue on to South Wales.

 

cheers

Edited May 26, 2014 by Rivercider

[Rivercider]

Next I will make the short journey east out of Temple Meads to Kingsland Road, the yard responsible for local marshalling and sorting of freight traffic.

 

There had been a number of marshalling yards in the Bristol area but although they had all closed by 1980 most remained in railway use.

The yards at Westerleigh shut in 1965 with the closure of the Midland route north out of Bristol, the up yard later became the site of the Avon Waste terminal, and the Murco oil terminal. 

The marshalling yards at East Depot closed in 1967, the up yard later became a cripple wagon assessment yard, and the down yard became an important civil engineers yard.

The yards at West Depot closed in 1971, the up yard then in 1974 became the Freightliner terminal, the down yard was used for storage of surplus coaching stock from Malago Vale.

Stoke Gifford Yards also closed in 1971, the up yard became the site of the Bristol Parkway carpark. The down yard was then used for engineers trains in connection with the

High Speed Route project to upgrade the Badminton route prior to introduction of HSTs. Then the  Down Yard was then used for stone traffic from ARCs quarry at Tytherington, and when Severn Tunnel Junction Yard closed took over some Speedlink marshalling.  

At Avonmouth were the Old Yard and Royal Edward Yards both, I think, on Port of Bristol Authority (PBA) land. The Old Yard closed first, and BR withdrew the Royal Edward class 08 pilot in 1977 leaving the PBA to carry out any residual shunting of docks traffic.

(some dates taken from Colin Maggs book 'Rail Centres Bristol')

 

 

At Kingsland Road the outside roads were used for local marshalling and sorting of traffic, the inside roads with road access were used for unloading.

A view of the outside roads at Kingsland Road, the waste lowmac with carriage cleaning waste from Malago Vale is in the foreground.

Airbrake vans on no.11out are loaded with Guinness from Park Royal.

Two roads of vacuum braked wagons on 9out and 10out will be cripples for Barton Hill Shops, and repaired wagons for East Depot.

The car carriers on the right in no. 3out are for loading at either Temple Meads or Pylle Hill.

On the top right of the shot can be seen some wagons in Barton Hill Shops, MSVs in stone traffic use,

the farthest two are stood on the Gloucester Lines (the former Midland route), the nearer one probably on Dr Days no.1 reception. 20/9/83

 

Kingsland Road supervisor Jack Hyde, one of many fine railwaymen I was proud to have worked with over the years.

Jack was a relief supervisor, and worked either here at Kingsland Road or as Area Freight Assistant in the TOPS Office.

In the background can be seen part of the CS&TE (signals) stores depot at Bristol East, 20/9/83

 

cheers

Edited May 29, 2014 by Rivercider

[queensquare]

A great thread and a really lovely portrait of the supervisor.

 

Jerry

[Rivercider]

A great thread and a really lovely portrait of the supervisor.

 

Jerry

Thanks.

Jack had been a lad porter on the Midland, and was on duty at  St Phillips Midland station alone one night  during the Bristol blitz, he also worked as a guard on the S&D at Bath, and had plenty of stories to tell

 

cheers