Rivercider

Here's one of me, on my penultimate day as a Traincrew Roster Clerk at Barton Hill

 

On the right is Barton Hill Driver Bernard Kennedy,

the picture (I think) was taken by the late Mike Miller another Barton Hill Driver, 26/1/07

 

cheers

At this date the staff list at Bridgwater was still pretty much a full set, Chargeman, Ticket Collector/Red Star, Booking Clerk,

Platform Railman, Shunter, TOPS Numbertaker/Checker, and Carriage and Wagon Examiner, and a friendly bunch they were.

 

The Shunter, Ron I think was his name, goes out to start work with 08281, 12/9/80

 

cheers

Great shots... I can't seem to getaway from 'work' when I come on here - I'm sure that's my guvnor Steve Wainwright in the centre pic wielding the shovel and doing the floral dance!

 

The name is familiar, but I did not recognise him

 

cheers

In 2006 Mrs Rivercider and me enjoyed a trip on the Torbay Express to Kingswear,

I was working at Barton Hill at the time and, as was usual, Barton Hill traincrew were involved in working the train.

 

Barton Hill Drivers Paul Burns and Geoff Ewans worked the train down,

Paul Burns seems to be indicating his driver has been a bit heavyhanded with the regulator, 3/9/06

 

Geoff Ewans takes a break at Taunton, 3/9/06

 

Barton Hill Supervisor Mike Goodfield was the guard for the return journey,

seen here at Exeter St Davids, 3/9/06.

 

cheers

Hi Eggesford Box

 

Don't quite know what to say .......Was going to click on the like this box......It seemed like rubbing salt into a wound !!!!!

 

 

Thanks again for posting

 

Cheers Bill

 

My thoughts exactly

 

cheers

Hi

 

Thanks for the comment....I feel there is a lot of scope with this one....

I just hope I can do it justice....Only time will tell

 

 

Any other pictures will be more than welcome.

 

 

Any way,Thanks again & any suggestions welcome

 

Cheers Bill

 

 

You're welcome, I have now added all 9 of the pictures I have of Crediton to Flickr, I'll post one more here.

 

Crediton Signal Box, 31/10/83

 

Regarding trains and traffic, Ramblin Rich's marvellous North Devon Freight thread covers much of it,

I have a couple of WTTs and Passenger TTs from the 70/80s which might yield more info if you have a specific question,

 

cheers

That's an interesting concept that I will be following, if it turns out like Penhallick Junction it will be a winner.

 

As you say there is plenty of variety already on the North Devon line, plus the added Meldon traffic.

You are right about class 50s performing on the Meldons, 45s and 46s were also regulars in their day,

though that may be before your timespan?

 

The coal yard probably never received coal by rail after 1967 when Exmouth Junction CCD opened, but it's your railway.

 

Have you seen the Past and Present book 53 "North and West Devon"?

Page 41 shows 37521 in the yard in 1999. For several months stone dust was received from Meldon

in connection with a large fibre optic cable laying contract,

 

Anyway I am scanning a handful of Crediton pictures onto my Flickr site, I will gratuitously post a couple here,

 

50009 Conqueror approaching with empty sealions and seacows from Exeter Riverside - Meldon 31/10/83

 

Set P463 with a lunchtime Exeter St Davids - Barnstaple working, 31/10/83

 

cheers

At Kingsland Road Yard, Bristol Area Relief Freight Supervisor H J (Jack) Hyde strikes a pose, 20/9/83.

 

 

When I was a, (very) wet behind the ears, new TOPS clerk in 1978 Jack was one of the senior men in the area.

He always had patience with us TOPS clerks, something that was not universal at the time.

Also, in quiet spells, he had plenty of tales to tell. He had been on duty alone at night as a porter

at Bristol St Phillips Midland station during the Bristol Blitz, and later worked as a guard on the North end of the S&D

 

cheers

Through Bradford Tunnel

33065 working the 06.45 Cardiff - Portsmouth Harbour stands at Bradford on Avon

(the barriers were not yet down)

 

cheers

My father, Norman Redwood, when he was WR Civil Engineers Wagon Supervisor

visited locations all over the WR checking on the engineers wagon fleet

On the verandah of DM298174 at Tavistock Junction, 22/9/80

 

cheers,

 

 

I didn't know they used Kingsland Road for coal traffic- I thought that was the Full Loads Terminal.

Sorry Brian, I was not making myself clear there, I did not mean coal traffic, but any ordinary traffic that was left off an earlier service.
If there was room on the Ashton Junction train and Severn Tunnnel Junction Yard had surplus or urgent ordinary traffic for either Lawrence Hill or Kingsland Road left over from the early morning service then they could attach a short portion to the coal train, this was in the 1980s by which time the train was running fully fitted.

One friday in July 1981 there were a couple of wagons to come back to Lawrence Hill, we had a call from the Signalman at Ashton Junction to say that the Mercedes loaded on the rear wagon appeared to have had a rough shunt somewhere, so I went onto the platform at Temple Meads when it came through to take a picture...

Oops!

37178 works a trip from Ashton Junction to Lawrence Hill through Temple Meads, 3/7/81

cheers

I do not recall an instance of loaded coal leaving Ashton Meadows.

The other local CCD at Filton was always served by its own service from Severn Tunnel Junction, (later from Stoke Gifford).

 

There was however a period when the train from Severn Tunnel Junction was permitted, if traffic requirements dictated,

to be marshalled with a short portion ( up to about 12 SLUs), for either Lawrence Hill or Kingsland Road which after arrival

at Ashton Meadows was tripped back up as required, it is just possible that traffic for Filton was worked this way.

 

The other possible explanation would be that due to the structural problem with the wall on the route to Wapping

if traffic was sent from Severn Tunnel and was unable to be accepted into Wapping it would have to be returned to somewhere secure,

as to leave it overnight or over the weekend at Ashton Meadow could mean the doors would be dropped.

 

cheers

What an interesting and nostalgic thread.

Here are a couple taken by my brother in the early 1980s

 

Steves first job was in the Bristol Divisional Civil Engineers Office at Collett House,

I think this was taken in the typing pool, I don't recognise either of them.

 

A site visit to the Worcester Area possibly for a TOPS wagon integrity check

Civil Engineers Bristol Wagon Clerk Vic Bush in the snow.

Vic was also a colleague of mine when I first started in the Civil Engineers at Bristol in 1977.

He had been a relief signalman in Bristol, displaced by the Bristol MAS scheme he took

the railway clerical exam and became a clerk, one of many fine railwaymen I had the pleasure to work with.

 

cheers

Knowing of this topic, when this scenario unfolded in front of me, then I just had to take the picture!

 

Two of the Bournemouth beach land trains pass each other close to the bottom of the West Cliff cliff lift on August 5th.

 

Ah, but are they the same class? One looks like a 2-2-0T the other a 2-4-0T !

 

Good spot though!

 

cheers

Welcome to the forum, that's looking promising.

I know what Mickey means about sidings with lots of wagons,

but the shot of the empty grass strewn yard looks good to me,

 

cheers

Passing the junction for the Nantgarw branch (which had probably closed by then?) and as it's loaded wagons it would be heading for the Phurnacite plant at Anercwmboi.

 

Mike,

the coke works was still producing traffic, I photographed 37235 working loaded MDVs out,

then later reurning from Rdyr with empty HCOs

 

cheers

Heading up the Valley

37214 with a mixture of unfitted 16t and 21t minerals working from Radyr to Aberdare, 3/11/81

 

cheers

Paul,

have you seen the Middleton Press book 'Branchlines to Clevedon and Portishead' by Mitchell and Smith?

There is a section on the Bristol Harbour Lines, which will be useful to you although the map of Ashton Meadows

is from 1918 which obviously does not show the Engineers depot and additional sidings.

 

The book has useful info for Wapping Wharf, Western Fuel Co. took over the operating of the

line from Ashton Meadows from 26/8/77.

 

I have found one instamatic picture I took of the ex PBA pilot at Wapping

Western Fuels ex PBA 0-6-0 D1171 standing at Wapping Wharf, 17/7/79

 

cheers

Thanks Mike, perhaps it means, 'Industrial Service Centre' .

 

Anyway, whatever it means, it it is clear that there was enough freight traffic in 1972 in the Bristol West Depot,

Ashton Meadows, Wapping Wharf, Portishead area to justify the planning for its setting up its own TOPS office.

Traffic levels must have been in decline in the Bristol Area then though, as the 2 planned Bristol offices became just 1 on implementation.

 

cheers

Imperial Smelting Corporation? These were the people who had the smelter off Smoke Lane in Avonmouth, which generated quite a bit of rail traffic in the 1970s.

 

I don't think so in this instance Brian, there were to be 3 Offices in the area, Bristol West, Bristol East, and Avonmouth,

but only 2 actually opened, Avonmouth and Bristol Temple Meads.

 

In the event 'TOPS' Offices were officially known as Area Freight Centres, but I think one of the suggested names was

'Input/Output Centre', so perhaps I.S.C. could have stood for 'Input/Output Supply Centre'?

Perhaps Mike (Stationmaster) may have had dealings with them in the early 70s

 

cheers

These are 4 relevant pages copied from the 'BR TOPS PRE-IMPLEMENTATION SURVEY' August 72 Edition

Bristol West Depot Yard & I.S.C. (What does I.S.C. stand for?)

 

 

Plan of Ashton Meadows Sdgs

 

Bristol Wapping Wharf

 

P.B.A Princes Wharf/Bathurst Wharf P.S.

 

Plan of Bristol Wapping Wharf

 

 

On another page, giving totals of train arrivals/departures, Wapping Wharf has 2 arrivals,

whereas Ashton Meadows is listed as 1 departure. Does this mean the incoming coal is brought to Wapping by the mainline loco,

but it then goes light to Ashton Meadows to pick up empties already tripped out and formed up?

 

Wapping Wharf had a staff of 1 grade A Suoervisor (07.00 - 16.00), 4 Senior Railmen, and 4 Railmen,

there was no staff at Ashton Meadows.

 

 

cheers

Hello again all.

 

Rivercider: The information about the tunnel train was fantastic. I found the picture below of the tunnel train which I believe to be a more modern version but are there any images of the previous train anywhere?

 

http://www.hondawand...n_Gate_1990.htm

 

Also with Ashton Meadows being such a large store, would inward traffic also have compromised of materials to be stored at the site?

 

 

I have been trying to consider the scale of the model for awhile now. N gauge would allow for the whole site to be captured whereas OO with 6-7 wagon trains would allow for a shunting layout. I also think that removing some of the coal exchange sidings from the trackplan would be necessary too. Any thoughts?

 

Paul

 

Paul,

 

that picture is of a later tunnel train, the one I remember from approx 1978-85 was vacuum braked or piped,

there was usually a brake van on each end, and it could number from about 5 or 6 wagons up to 12-14 depending the weekend job.

I have not been able to find a pic of the earlier train(s) so far, I don't remember taking one.

 

I can not remember any other regular inwards traffic, but it was a long time ago.

If any stores came in by rail it would likely be timber for the carpenters shop, maybe sand or chippings,

and possibly concrete components / troughing from somewhere like Taunton concrete works.

 

FWIW I think a condensed version would make an interesting shunting layout, it is by nature a compact site anyway.

 

I have also found another document that I saved when Bristol TOPS was closing,

it is the 'BR TOPS PRE-IMPLEMENTATION SURVEY,' August 1972 Edition

It gives details of Yards, Customers, staffing and traffic levels for the proposed Bristol West Depot I.S.C. Area.

There are also some rudimentary maps and yard plans drawn by the team.

In the event there was no TOPS office at West Depot, it was at Temple Meads instead.

 

I will try to scan some of the relevant pages and post later,

 

cheers

 

I will

Rivercider,

That's fascinating. I have a similar one for bescot trips kindly provided by an rmwebber.

 

What's really interesting is that 2 of those trips ate for 'foreign ' class 46s. I thought when these worked down west they just turned round with the next north bound freight.

 

.

 

I never saw the full loco diagrams, but a Gateshead loco may have arrived at 05.00 on the postal or overnight parcels

then been fuelled to go back north that evening, there were a lot of 'foreign' locos used on local trip work in the Bristol area,

 

cheers

I don't have any pictures of Ashton Gate depot, and I never visited the depot

even though I did work for the Civil Engineers in the office at Temple Meads for 15 months.

 

I have a couple of Bristol Area trip booklets, one from 1975 and one from 1982.

In the 1975 booklet Trip 21 was the Wapping Wharf pilot.

The Tunnel train was worked by an additional trip loco not shown in the trip booklet,

it ran Mondays and Fridays as required, using any mainline loco that Bath Road had I think.

 

By 1982 the only reference to Ashton Meadows was Trip 9.

 

 

Extract of Bristol Area trip booklet 5th May 1975

 

 

Extract of Bristol area trip booklet 17th May 1982

 

cheers

I'm not sure if/when the trains from Severn Tunnel went through to Wapping Wharf, the 1976 WTT entry infers it did,

but there was a class 08 pilot duty booked to shunt at Wapping Wharf and work trips to Ashton Meadows so perhaps it did not.

By 1978 the BR 08 was gone and the hoppers were tripped by the CCD pilot.

 

The damage to the wall of the new cut was a later problem, about 1982 at a guess, trains were only permitted to pass at high tide,

so trains from Severn Tunnel were only accepted when the tide was right to work the coal to the CCD, as loaded hoppers left at

Ashton Meadows would have been vandalised.

 

 

 

"Eggesford Box: What a beautiful collection of photgraphs. "

 

Agreed!

 

 

" FC: I don't know about exclusivity and I'm afraid I don't know what S&T means? Signals and track? Is there a difference between that and the Department for Civil Engineering? Sorry bit of an amateur still! "

 

I don't know about any Signal & Telegraph presence at Ashton Gate depot, I know it was the building department, and there were

plumbers electricians and carpenters employed there. I think the main rail traffic was the tunnel train which came in each monday from East Depot.

The Tunnel train would then be replenished, it conveyed all sorts in grampus/tubes/highfits etc. Things like cement mixers and generators, sand and bricks. Some of the vehicles were modified with staging for the engineering staff to work from, there were also former brake vans used as mess and tool vans. The train was not a fixed formation, some weeks it was remarshalled at the depot.

On Friday it would go back to East Depot ready for the next job.

 

cheers

 

.. edit to make more sense