8. A summer's day at Bristol and Severn Tunnel Junction-02.07.77

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-1977 > 8. A summer's day at Bristol and Severn Tunnel Junction-02.07.77
A day of pure summer Saturday fun spent with some school mates spotting at Bristol followed by a run under the River Severn to Severn Tunnel Junction. This day epitomises 70s spotting at its very best!
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Images 1-14 of 14 displayed.

47239, unidentified Weymouth working, Bradford-on-Avon Station Whilst waiting for our train to Bristol, my mates and I witnessed 47239 pass through Bradford-on-Avon at speed on what I can only assume to be a Weymouth relief train. Back in BR days, there was the flexibility to meet demand by laying on Summer Saturday relief trains on busy and popular routes. In today's highly structured railway, this simply would not happen...progress; I'm not so sure? Apologies for the motion blur in this image but the maximum 1/150sec. shutter speed was simply not fast enough to freeze this train! This locomotive is still with us in 2020 now operated by Rail Operations Group undertaking various stock moves around the country running as 47812, see... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/29418723204/x2-47812-05-41-chaddesden-sidings Keywords: 47239 Weymouth Bradford-on-Avon station 47812 ROG Rail Operations Group
46026, stabled, Bristol Bath Road MPD Basking under a clear blue summer sky, 46026 'Leicestershire & Derbyshire Yeomanry' sits in the sun just outside of Bristol's Bath Road depot. This was the only member of these 136-ton leviathans that was named. I remember that I made my own set of diesel locomotive Top Trump cards using the pictures cut up from an old Ian Allen Combined book. The Class 46 would always win the weight category; nothing was heavier!
45024 & 253010, unidentified up workings, Bristol TM station I love this shot, the new and modern HST sits in the bright sun just outside of Bristol Temple Meads' impressive train shed ready for a Paddington service. This puts the relatively old split-box 45 in the shade (literally!) The HST power car is 43021, this stayed on the Western Region all of its life until 2018 when it moved to Scotland to form part of their short sets. Steam heat 45024 had a less blest life being withdrawn 3 years after this picture was taken and broken up at Swindon during 1983.
253007, unidentified down working & class 08, station pilot, Bristol TM station HST set 253007 arrives at Bristol Temple Meads with an unidentified down working. My records or the photograph do not identify the actual power car but it is going to be either of 43014 or 43015. If the leading power car is 43014 then it is still in use today as part of the 'Flying Banana' NMT, see.... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/29941019604/x6-43014-11-04-exeter-riverside-london The 08 waits patiently in the background for its next instructions acting as station pilot. Note the railwayman sitting calmly on the running board of the brake van!
47191, unidentified down working, Bristol Temple Meads station Looking very smart in the summer sun, 47191 arrives at Bristol Temple Meads with a down working composed entirely of Mk. 1 stock. Note the ex. GWR cast sign on the platform end now at quite a jaunty angle; I wonder where this ended up?
31254, unidentified Portsmouth-Harbour working, Bristol Temple Meads station 31254 stands under one of Bristol Temple Meads' canopies sheltering from the hot July sun. 31254 was Bath Road locomotive for many years, but by the time that this picture was taken, it only had a limited life. It was an early casualty being withdrawn in December 1979 and cut up at Old Oak Common.
47205, unidentified up working, Bristol Temple Meads station This is one of my rare portrait images. Taking this type of picture on the Exa camera was a very challenging task as it had a reversed waist-level pentaprism viewfinder. Quite why I composed this in portrait I will never know, suffice to say, Photoshop has been used to extensively rebuild large areas of it to create this presentable image! It shows 47205 waiting under the now demolished Royal Mail conveyor bridge that blighted the up end of Temple Meads.
37197, stabled, Sever Tunnel Junction MPD My mates and I made the short journey from Bristol, under the River Severn to Severn Tunnel Junction. As it was a Saturday, the depot was full of locomotives and not a single member of staff appeared to be around. Way before CCTV and palisade fencing we took the opportunity for an unofficial depot visit! With a long line of engines to the right 37197 is seen basking in the afternoon sun. It looks very smart and as if it has just come from overhaul. It was initially a north east class 37 but moved to Cardiff in 1984. 37197 lived on into the privatisation era becoming a DRS blue compass locomotive and gaining the name 'Loch Laidon'. Its final incarnation was as one of the Royal Scotsman engines and was withdrawn in 2012 and cut up at EMR Kingsbury.
Class 45, 20162, 20001, 47486 & 47006, stabled, Severn Tunnel Junction MPD. I was so excited to see some 20s at Severn Tunnel Junction and this made the visit worth while in itself! This was about as far as class 20s got into Western Region, they were that rare! Not only that, but both the ones seen here are still in their BR green livery. 20162 was a 1966 built 20 so it is likely that the green livery as seen here was its original one. It was withdrawn in 1987 and cut up at Vic Berry's infamous yard in Leicester. 20001 was the pioneer D8001 that was introduced way back in July 1957. At the time this picture was taken it was just 6 days off its 20th birthday! 20001 lives on and is preserved at The Midland Railway Centre. I wish I had the number of the split box 45 in the foreground!
37235, stabled, Severn Tunnel Junction MPD 37235 stands under the bridge with Severn Tunnel Junction station in the background. It is displaying its number in the now defunct head code panel. This often proved useful for us spotters when the usual white cab side number was tricky to read. 37235 had moved west to be based at Landore. It resided here for sometime remaining a West Country engine for some years before moving back up north again. It had an ignominious end being put in store as 'unserviceable' in 1995. It then went through several owners, was subject to component recovery (stripping to you and I) and finally cut up by WCRC at Carnforth in 2008. Notice one of my friends calmly walking along the side of a running line. I remember that I did not take this route but went up the steps to the left!
253018, unidentified down working, Severn Tunnel Junction station My friend and spotting companion Richard crouches down to capture the same scene as I am on Severn Tunnel Junction station. With plumes of exhaust from its screaming Paxman Valetta RP200L engines set 253018 has climbed out from the damp and gloom of the Severn Tunnel as it heads on westwards towards Newport, Cardiff and possibly Swansea.
47143, unidentified down working, Severn Tunnel Junction station 47143 leads a uniform rake of Mk.1 stock through Severn Tunnel Junction station heading west. I have no identification on this working but a contemporary gen had it working a Paignton to Manchester train as far as an 'unknown' station. Maybe it worked to New Street or Gloucester and then headed west again on an inter-regional working as shown here?
253014, unidentified down working, Severn Tunnel Junction station HST set 253014 (power cars 43028 and 43029) accelerates through Severn Tunnel Junction after climbing out of the Severn Tunnel. The scream from the turbo chargers fitted to the Valenta engines was something very special. I can't help but feel that the HSTs lost just a little bit of their appeal when they were re-engined.
45016, unidentified down working, Severn Tunnel Junction station This shot shows a little of the vast expanses that made up Severn Tunnel Junction yard. Even by this stage, much of the track had been removed but it was still a busy place and great source of cops! 45016 was not, however, a cop! With its head code panel now replaced with the domino style markers it races through Severn Tunnel Junction with a westward bound express. I suspect that this working would have originated from the north and travelled down via Birmingham New Street, Gloucester and then along the side of the Severn Estuary through to Chepstow. Notice in the background the substantial ex. GWR water tower and behind that the original sheds (86E) still standing.

Images 1-14 of 14 displayed.