Great Western Railway Small Prairie No. 5526 heads through the Purbeck countryside – 19/02/2022
So this week we’ve all had to contend with the triple onslaught of Storm’s Dudley, Eunice and Franklin. Remember when we had to wait months in-between storms? Now they come along like double decker buses. Hopefully everyone has come through unscathed. We were up late, or was it early….. to be honest, most likely both…. on 16th February 2022 when Class 66 locomotives No.’s 66765 and 66779 top and tailing a rail milling machine paid a visit to the Weymouth line. We caught this interesting ensemble passing through Poole and Hamworthy. It was both wet and cold, a foretaste of things to come.
Later the same day, Yoshi together with his human parents took a trip to Lacock in Wiltshire. Yoshi was able to tick off another location used by the BBC when they were filming the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride & Prejudice’. Last year he visited Lyme Park in Cheshire which was used as the exterior of Pemberley, Mr. Darcy’s country house. Laycock village portrayed the fictional village of Meryton in the TV miniseries.
Yoshi striking his best Fitzwilliam Darcy pose at Lyme Park – June 2021Yoshi enjoys the grounds of Lacock Abbey – February 2022
Because of the impending arrival of high winds, the grounds of Lacock Abbey were closed early and we retreated to Westbury for a busy hour of train spotting. We managed to see most workings scheduled to pass through the station in the time we were there with one exception which was routed via the avoiding line at the last minute and the realisation of this change was just too late for me to get in a position in order to photograph the 59 which was at the head of the train.
Locomotives in this video include 66606 working 748G 1321 Southampton Up Yard (FL) to Whatley Quarry FL HH, 66509 & 59101 working 752G 1222 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Merehead Quarry, 66501 working 487H 1329 Wentloog to Southampton MCT, 66617 working 673K Appleford FHH to Whatley Quarry FL HH as well as Great Western Railway and South Western Railway passenger servicesBefore heading home we dried out and enjoyed some refreshment in the Railway Inn where we found this cast aluminium British Rail depot plaque for Westbury which depicts a representation of the White Horse hill figure cut into the escarpment of Salisbury Plain situated east of the town and is visible from afar and a famous local landmark. The plaque would have once adorned the side of a locomotive allocated to Westbury depot.
The next day, intrigued by the prospect of catching sight of ‘new’ Class 69 No. 69004 which was rumoured to be leaving the works following a paint job, Yoshi and I headed to Eastleigh. Before the 69’s scheduled departure, we popped in to Shawford station to catch a glimpse of Class 50 No. 50008 ‘Thunderer’ hauling Rail Adventure Ltd. barrier wagons.
50008 with Rail Adventure barrier wagons passing Shawford – 17/02/2022Many years previously the same locomotive; 50008 in British Rail Large Logo livery arrives at Radipole Halt near Weymouth – 16/07/1983
Here’s some video of our brief visit to Shawford for you to bark along to including 50008 working 656S Eastleigh TRSMD to Kings Norton OT Plant Dept:
Arriving in Eastleigh, we were able to observe a few trains as the clock counted down to Class 69 No. 69004’s scheduled departure from the Eastleigh Works paint shop.
Locomotives in this video include: 66738 working 6041 1014 Westbury Down T.C. to Eastleigh East Yard, 66606 working 6320 1409 Fareham Hanson Sidings to Merehead Quarry, 08511 shunting wagons (including new Network Rail / Wascosa ‘Falcons’ ), 66762 working 4M46 1424 Southampton Western Docks to Trafford Park Euro Terminal, 66761 working 4Y19 Mountfield Sidings to Southampton Western Docks along with various South Western Railway and Southern passenger services
Just before 1600, Class 69 No. 69004 emerged from Eastleigh Works in a fine representation of the old British Railways Railway Technical Centre livery. I look forward to seeing how GBRf outshop subsequent locomotives of this class which are being converted from former Class 56 locomotives. We decided against joining the shooting gallery on Eastleigh station and instead took a vantage point from the multi-storey car park overlooking the railway.
Newly out-shopped Class 69 No. 69004 eases out of Eastleigh Works with Class 73 No. 73212 in support
Class 69 No. 69004 and Class 73 Electro-diesel No. 73212 work 0Y73 1600 Eastleigh Works GBRf to Brighton Wall Sidings
Dorset’s premier heritage line The Swanage Railway is currently being visited by Great Western Railway Class 4575 2-6-2T Small Prairie tank locomotive No. 5526 on loan from its usual home on the South Devon Railway.
Designed by Charles Collett, one hundred of the Class 4575 locomotives were built for passenger and freight train workings by the Great Western Railway at its Swindon locomotive works. No. 5526 emerged in May 1928 at a cost of £3,694 and is one of 14 members of its class to survive into preservation.
Spending its entire life hauling trains in the West Country, No. 5526 was based at St Blazey, Bodmin, Exeter, Plymouth Millbay, Laira and Truro – ending its days at Westbury in Wiltshire.
Withdrawn from service in June 1962, with a mileage of around 900,000 miles, No. 5526 was sold to Woodham’s scrapyard at Barry in South Wales from where she was rescued in 1985 with restoration starting at Swindon before being moved to the South Devon Railway where work was completed by No. 5526’s owners – 5526 Limited – at Buckfastleigh.
We caught No. 5526 on the afternoon of Saturday 19th February 2022 where she looked and sounded fabulous. Unfortunately the locomotive experienced some issues later over the weekend and some services intended to be hauled by No. 5526 were instead handled by resident Bulleid Pacific No. 34072 ‘257 Squadron’. We hope repairs on the Small Prairie are swiftly sorted!
And finally this week, something from the archive as we re-visit Westbury in the 1980’s:
33008 Westbury – date unknownUnidentified Class 33/0 Westbury – date unknown56059 Westbury – date unknown33025 Westbury – 23/12/198247254 & DMU set L429 Westbury – 23/12/1982 56034 Westbury – 23/12/1982Westbury – details unknown
50014 passes the then newly constructed Westbury Signalbox – 23/121982
The Westbury panel signalbox was topped out on December 9 1982 by William Kent, Deputy General Manager of British Railways, Western Region. The ceremony, when Mr. Kent poured the last shovelful of concrete, was organised by the contractors, A. Roberts (Civil Engineering) Limited, of Seend, Melksham, Wilts.
The box, which opened for use on 14th May 1984, formed part of the first stage in a £30m signal modernisation scheme covering 107 miles of track between Westbury and Totnes, Devon. The overall scheme involved replacing all GWR style semaphore signals with multi-aspect colour lights controlled from one box at Westbury and one at Exeter. More than 40 lever-frame boxes were scheduled to be closed.
The view of Westbury Box in February 2022 as Class 165 No. 165130 passes with a Swindon to Westbury service. The lines to/ from London curve to the east while the lines to the left head towards Bristol
Thanks for reading, as always comments and suggestions are welcome. Yoshi and I hope to see you again very soon!
Class 56 No. 56078 stands at the buffer stops adjacent to Horton Road Level Crossing, Gloucester on 30th December 2021
Over the New Year we were lucky enough to spend a few days in the beautiful Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. On our journey to our hotel we made a slight diversion via Gloucester as COLAS liveried Class 56 No. 56078 had worked 0Z51 Bescot Up Engineers Sidings to Gloucester on 29th December and was sitting at the buffer stops adjacent to Horton Road Level Crossing before her onward journey to Port Talbot on New Year’s Eve. As can be seen in the video below, our brief interlude at Gloucester Railway Station also produced a couple of CrossCountry Voyagers and the Direct Rail Services (DRS) Daventry to Wentloog Tesco service. 221132 can be seen sitting at Gloucester platform 4 with the 1S43 0725 Plymouth to Edinburgh Waverley service which had been terminated at Gloucester because of “severe flooding beyond that which could be mitigated on Network rail infrastructure.” Stablemate 221130 arrives with the 1S47 0927 Plymouth to Edinburgh. Class 66 No. 66427 is working 4V44 Daventry DRS (Tesco ) to Wentloog ( Freightliner ) passing Horton Road Level Crossing, Gloucester on 30th December 2021 and the same loco can also be seen working 4Z36 1530 Wentloog ( Freightliner ) to Daventry DRS (Tesco ) passing through Lydney on 31st December 2021. The wait at Lydney was made all the more interesting chatting to a young rail enthusiast, and his dad, about his love of all things Direct Rail Services. He was visiting the station with a banner wishing DRS a Happy New Year. Fabulous and well received by the driver of 66427 if the deployment of the locomotives’ horn is anything to go by! The CrossCountry Voyager units preceding the Daventry working are 220013 and 221127 forming the 1Z53 1227 Plymouth to Edinburgh service which escaped the disruption to XC services due to industrial action over the role of train guards on New Year’s Eve.
While in Lydney, we made a visit to Lydney Harbour which has contributed to centuries of prosperity to the local economy and also that of Britain. Lydney Harbour was where the vast majority of Forest coal, iron ore and other commodities was loaded into ships bound for Bristol, the West Country and Ireland. In the late 18th and 19th Centuries, a network of horse drawn tramways proliferated the Forest of Dean built to transport coal and ironstone to local ironworks as well as the harbour at Lydney. These tramways were replaced in the mid-nineteenth century which saw the introduction of railways to the Forest.
Yoshi at Lydney Harbour
The Lydney and Lydbrook Railway was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1809. This became the Severn & Wye Railway and Canal Company and the current canal and basin complex at Lydney was constructed by them between 1810 and 1813, the outer harbour being completed in 1821. A horse drawn tramway was the first evidence of rails at the harbour. This was converted to Great Western Broad Gauge in 1868 and finally to standard gauge in 1872. Where the River Severn narrows is the site of the Severn Rail Bridge which was built 1875 – 1879 and was seriously damaged in an accident on 25th October 1960.
Two river barges hit one of the piers on the bridge, causing two spans to collapse into the Severn. As they fell, parts of the structure hit the barges causing the oil and petrol they were carrying to catch fire. Five people lost their lives in the incident. In the January 1961 edition of The Railway Magazine hopes were expressed that the bridge would be repaired as, in the 1959 British Transport Commission report to the Ministry of Transport on the re-appraisal of the plan for modernising British railways, it was stated the Severn Railway Bridge route would be developed to relieve the congested Severn Tunnel. However, further collisions with the bridge piers in the years following resulted in British Rail demolishing the bridge between 1967 and 1968 as it was felt to be beyond economical repair. A memorial to those who lost their lives in the 1960 accident is situated at Lydney Harbour.
Memorial to those who lost their lives during the Severn & Wye Railway Bridge disaster
For the duration of our visit to the Forest of Dean, we stayed at The Speech House Hotel, a former 17th Century hunting lodge built for King Charles II. Built in 1676 the hotel is situated close to the centre of the Forest on a site used for the holding of the Forest Courts at which the Foresters settled matters of dispute and privilege concerning mining and Forestry Law and custom. The hotel was enlarged in the later part of the 19th Century but nearly all the original building remains and has been refurbished to offer modern facilities and luxurious rooms while retaining its period features. The Speech House Hotel also has dog friendly rooms and our four legged companions are allowed in The Orangery which serves light meals and afternoon tea. We found the menu, devised by Head Chef Gareth Jenkins, varied and interesting showcasing local produce from the Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley. It was also extremely tasty! Our room was clean and comfortable and the New Year’s Eve meal and entertainment enjoyable whilst observing covid guidelines.
Our stay included a guided walk through a part of the Forest which was formerly the track bed of the Severn & Wye Railway Mineral Loop which ran from Drybrook Road near Cinderford to Tufts Junction, just south of Whitecroft. The section from Drybrook Road to New Fancy Colliery / Mallards Pike is now a cycleway and footpath. Construction of the Mineral Loop began in September 1870 and was built to standard gauge as the Great Western Railway was at that time converting from broad gauge. The line was opened to traffic by May 1872. During the Second World War, the Forest of Dean was used for ammunition storage and to facilitate this, the Mineral Loop was severed in May 1942, the track being relaid some 19 months later in December 1943. By the end of the war all the collieries located along the Mineral Loop had closed, the military depot at Moseley tunnel providing the sole traffic for the line. In March 1951 the Mineral Loop was cut at Moseley Green and the line south of this point closed as far as Pillowell. The remainder of the line was closed in June 1953 with the exception of the section between Pillowell and Whitecroft. The Forest of Dean Railway Trail and Mineral Loop is a 6.8 km loop trail located near Cinderford, Gloucestershire that features a river and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for walking, running, and mountain biking and is accessible year-round.
Following our walk and a very welcome spot of lunch, we headed into nearby Coleford primarily to visit The Great Western Railway Museum Coleford, which I had gleaned from their website was open on Fridays and Saturdays. Perfect as our stay coincided with a Friday. However we soon learned, not a Friday which happens to fall on December 31st. Completely understandable, but a pity the website had not been updated to reflect this prior to my email to the museum to enquire about their next scheduled opening sent on 31st December. The museum is housed in one of the last remaining permanent railway buildings in the Forest of Dean on the site of the former Coleford railway yard. Have to say, it looks an interesting location with an exciting collection of artefacts and we will hopefully find time to visit another time in the future.
After spending the evening celebrating the arrival of 2022 we were up early on New Year’s Day as we had booked a steam train ride on the Dean Forest Railway, an 85 minute nine mile round trip starting at Norchard Station. The train heads south to Lydney Junction and north to Parkend before returning to Norchard. The train stops for around 20 minutes at each end of the line where the engine runs around its train which provided ample time for photographs and for anyone who wishes to do so, to visit the footplate of the locomotive, although I’m not sure if dogs are allowed! The Dean Forest Railway started life as a tramroad in 1810 and was retained by British Railways until 1985. Today’s Dean Forest Railway Society began heritage operations on a small siding at Parkend in 1971 with the aim of preserving and operating the last remaining section of the Severn and Wye Railway. They moved to develop the Norchard site in 1978 followed by extensions towards Lydney Junction in 1995 and Parkend in 2006. Everyone we met representing the railway was extremely friendly and helpful. The locomotive for our January 1st trip was 4575 Class small Prairie tank engine No. 5541 which was built by the Great Western Railway at Swindon Works in 1928. She spent much of her working life in Machynlleth having been previously briefly based at Swindon shed and Bristol Bath Road. During 1960 she moved again to Plymouth Laira where she stayed before being withdrawn from service on 10th July 1962 having completed 921,589 miles in revenue earning service. In September 1962 she was sold for scrap and taken to Messrs. Woodham Bros of Barry where she remained until 1971 when 5541 was saved and moved by rail to the Dean Forest Railway at Parkend; the 25th locomotive to leave Barry Scrapyard for preservation. She arrived at her new home on 10th October 1972 in time for the October Gala Day. Restoration was undertaken on the siding behind the down platform at Parkend and was completed, and first steamed on 29th November 1975. On 16th January 1978 in light steam, she joined the movement of stock from Parkend to Norchard and was a regular performer on the short track constructed at the Steam Centre. The 4575 Class were popular engines on the GWR, they were versatile and well-liked by crew. They were an improved version of the 45xx Class engines, the main modification being the larger, sloped tanks and cast motion brackets.
The videos below show a taste of our 2021 visit as well as a previous visit of mine made in 1995:
A Happy New Year to you all! Whatever you’re doing this New Year’s Eve let’s hope for a good 2022. On December 31st 1994, I found myself in Whitchurch, Hampshire awaiting the arrival of a very special train hauled by Southern Railway Merchant Navy Class steam locomotive 35028 ‘Clan Line’; The Auld Lang Syne run by rail tour company Flying Scotsman Services.
The Railway Magazine dated October 1994 was of the opinion that this tour was part of the best ever programme of steam specials launched since the end of steam on British Rail 26 years previously. It’s amazing to see that steam, now complimented with heritage diesel and electric traction, is still very much in evidence on the main line in the UK.
Clipping from The Railway Magazine October 1994
Whitchurch was chosen for a scheduled stop on the tour so that passengers could celebrate the New Year complete with piper on the station platform. I do remember getting lost on the drive to the station, so was pleased and relieved to get there in time to see the celebrations and record this video:
The next morning I was up in time for the drive from Dorset to Wiltshire to watch Ivatt Class 2 No. 46521 and British Rail Standard Class 4 2-6-4T No. 80079 working a Didcot to Kidderminster special through Swindon. Originally rostered for 5029 ‘Nunney Castle’ the pair of substitute locomotives were called in following the Castle’s withdrawal from the main line duty roster by the Special Train Unit (STU) after she unbelievably ran out of coal while working a London Paddington to Stratford-Upon-Avon Shakespeare Express excursion on December 18th 1994. The locos coal consumption being very heavy and its performance poor resulting in very late running was criticised by the STU and would be ‘actively pursued with the owners and the Great Western Railway Society’.
I remember arriving at Swindon Railway station just as the New Years Day special was approaching in the near distance and managed to get some wobbly shots of the arrival and departure from both ends of the station as can be seen in the video below.
Six LNER A4’s in one place – a feat probably never to be repeated again
Prior to the 75th anniversary of the world record speed run by LNER A4 Pacific 4468 ‘Mallard’, I imagined there would be some kind of event to mark this achievement, possibly a return to steam and a celebratory rail tour. What the NRM actually devised was something few people can honestly have imagined and when it was announced two of Mallard’s sister locomotives long since exported from these shores would be reunited with the other four remaining GB based members of the class, I was very keen to be among the visitors to view the spectacle. Not since 1966 and the days of British Rail steam have so many A4’s been together in one location at the same time. Expecting the line up to be very popular (but I didn’t quite foresee the huge crowds who would turn up to share in the celebrations), I took advantage of booking an early doors photo pass which would allow crowd free photography before the museum opened for business at 10am on 4th July. In the event some of the thirty or so people who had booked the same ticket made it their first ambition to stand in front of the gathered locomotives from the get go. This I found a little frustrating. Surely the small group could have been managed in such a way that people were held back enabling clear shots of the line up prior to letting us roam amongst Mallard and her sisters? But with a little patience (that not everyone exhibited, it must be said) I think I managed to achieve what I set out to do. Although, that was a close thing as after two hours of happily snapping away, the SD card in my camera suddenly decided it didn’t want to be read and refused to allow my camera to play back the photos I had taken that morning, or let me to take any further shots. I was mildly annoyed to say the least. Attempts at copying the image files to CD via a couple of photographic outlets in York failed to rescue the photos and it wasn’t until I got home a few days later that I was able to transfer the majority of the images to my computer one by one with only around ten images deemed unrecoverable. I was pleased that most of the photographs I took survived – a sample of which can be found in the gallery below.
A selection of A4 video below, beginning with 60007 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ going full pelt with The Shakesperian rail tour on 11th October 1997. This working, organised by Steamy Affairs, ran from Cleethorpes to Stratford-Upon-Avon, although I have no note as to where I filmed the train!
Yoshi takes an interest in No.9 on a visit to Weymouth Station in 2019
60009 ‘Union Of South Africa’ recently retired from active service following the discovery of a small crack on the driver’s side outer firebox wrapper near the foundation ring, and a perforated small tube. It was considered that repairs would be unviable because of the short time left on 60009’s boiler certificate – which is due to expire in April 2022 – and the intention of her owner, John Cameron, to retire the locomotive anyway. 60009 will like sister locomotives 60008 ‘Dwight D. Eisenhower’ and 60010 ‘Dominion Of Canada’ be placed on static display, although as yet her final resting place has yet to be confirmed. In happier times, the video below shows Number 9 working on the main line in 2019.
The last video selection for this entry features 60019 ‘Bittern’
60019 Bittern masquerading as lost sister locomotive 4492 ‘Dominion Of New Zealand’ 4468 ‘Mallard’ on static display at the National Rail Museum, York – 14th February 20094468 ‘Mallard’ at The Railway Museum, York and the commemorative plaque she carries on her bodyside
This is a revised post previously uploaded elsewhere in 2013 – that seems a very long time ago now – thanks for reading.
