Archive-1976

A winter walk in the Avon Valley between Avoncliff and Bradford-on-Avon with my family, uncle, aunt and cousin. I was just 'getting into' trains at this time. The pictures are of very dubious quality but historically (to me at least) important!

This was my first trip to the railway mecca that was Bristol Temple Meads! I went with my mate Simon Petermeredies. I managed to fire off two pictures on the Exa camera. I remember that I had it drummed into me that, as an 12 year-old, every press of the shutter cost money!

A Saturday at Bath Spa station saw some interesting workings. I would probably have travelled the short distance from Avoncliff or Bradford-on-Avon by train. I could even have taken the 264 Trowbridge to Bath bus, possibly a Bristol Lodekka, as it stopped just outside the family home and terminated at the bus station opposite Bath's railway station. Again, apologies for the quality of some of the images. However, it's very odd how some have survived far better than others.

As an 11 year-old my spotting trips were somewhat dictated by finances. They were usually to Bath, Bristol and, as is the case again here, Westbury. On this occasion, a dull March day, that did not help with the quality of the pictures but a number of Westerns were on-shed so everything has been included.

Over the easter Holiday in 1976 we had a family holiday in Majorca. When we were out one day, we came across this railway and I happened to snap just one picture!

A Saturday morning trip to Westbury for some 'spotting'. It looks as I visited the depot and also walked to Dilton Marsh.

A few mates and me had a day out at Cardiff central. We took the train to Bristol from Bradford-on-Avon. We then made the journey to Cardiff through the Severn Tunnel. On the way back, we stopped off at Newport It was a glorious early spring day, a portents of the summer to come, and I remember that I got loads of cops! The quality of these pictures is particular poor, I'm not sure why but this has meant that they have needed a lot of 'restoration'.

Just one picture was discovered on this set of old negatives. I remember that I stayed with my aunt and uncle who lived just outside London and that we had a day in town so. I suspect that it was taken then. Either way, another sunny day now well into the 1976 drought. I don't yet think that Denis Howell had been appointed Minister for Drought as this didn't happen until just before the rain came at the end of August!

During the peak of the great 'Summer of '76' I went on scout camp. We camped just outside of Porlock in Devon. The photos that I have of the site show that everything was a shade of brown due to the total lack of rain. We were also banned from having open fires so instead we cooked on gas stoves, something very much frowned upon in the world of scouting! One of our days out was to Minehead. Whilst most of the troop ate ice creams on the beach, myself and some mates went to the West Somerset Railway station.