Archive-1978

My first trip of 1978 when I actually took any photographs was a bit of an epic. I went to London with my friends Simon, Guy and Jo. It was a pretty dismal February day but this did not stop us getting in some Deltic action at King's Cross. We also visited St. Pancras, Euston and Liverpool Street. I remember being somewhat disappointed by the latter due to the excessive number of units that, at the time did very little for me! Still using the Exa camera created one or two issues in terms of the dullness and the slow lens prevented many ‘action’ pictures. However, all the shots are now of historic interest.

The winter of 1978 was one of several particularly harsh ones during the late 1970s and early 1980s. I always tried to get out and take some pictures whatever the weather and with it being half term, I decided on a trip to Bristol to get some pictures in the snowy conditions. I think that I took the 264 bus from home to Bath followed by a return train trip onwards from Bath to Bristol Temple Meads.

I am not sure why I went to Fairwood Junction and Westbury on this particular Sunday morning but I suspect that it may have been in an effort to see re-run The Deltic Ranger railtour. Gen was not what it is now in the pre-internet days of 1978 so, If I had proper information, I would have known that it was running via the Badminton Line to Bristol Parkway and then to the South West via Temple Meads rather than via the Berks and Hants as the original tour was supposed to have done before it was cancelled by snow in February. However, with it being a Sunday, at least I managed a clandestine shed tour at Westbury. How I got to and from Westbury from home I cannot remember, it is likely that I went on my bike.

This day, in March 1978, was probably the most important and formative ones throughout my extensive interest in railways. It was the day that I first met Mr. Graham Vincent who opened up the glories of the hobby to me in so many new ways. I was introduced to him by one of my teachers from school who was also an enthusiast. It all came together on this day when we crossed over the River Severn to see and chase The Gwent Valley Invader railtour. My teacher and my friend Guy made the short trip to Bath station where were met by Graham in his orange Mini UAM 736J. All 4 of us travelled to South Wales catching the railtour in a number of places and taking part in my first 'chase'. I still remember the day very fondly, not so much for the train but for the importance of it to my interest in railways.

Another visit to London King's Cross but I am not absolutely sure why I went and who (if anybody) I went with! The weather was considerably better than when I last visited in February and the quality of the images was consequentially better too! Looking at the negatives, I was using a roll of Kodak film this time, whereas before it was one of the unbranded 'free films' that you used to get when you sent your film off for processing and printing; that probably had a bit to do with it! There is an audio file of part of the event on my Youtube channel, please check this out.

I was part of our school exchange visit to Bradford-on-Avon's twin town of Nozay in the department of Loire-Atlantique in north western France. I had great difficulty explaining to my host family that I wanted to go to Nantes station to collect numbers and take photographs of trains but the relented! I am still not at all sure that they 'got it', it's somewhat of an English thing!

A short visit to Bathampton Junction where the Avon Valley line to Westbury leaves the GWML just east of Bath. I am not sure who I went with or if there was a specific purpose for my visit?

My second trip out with Graham in his bright orange Mini. I also went with my teacher from school and my spotting companion Guy. With the mechanical signalling on the Berks. and Hants. under imminent threat of closure due to the westward march of MAS we headed towards Newbury. By this time, Newbury was the fringe box from the Reading panel and this was the furthest west the mechanical signalling reached. As it turned out, this was a critical day for two of the boxes.

I am not quite sure of the occasion, but all I do know is that I met my spotting companion Guy Vincent at Trowbridge station. We then went to Westbury and walked to the cut-off and to Fairwood Junction box where we obviously were invited in judging by the photographs that I took.

A trip to the Torbay and South Devon Railway in order to see some Westerns in action. This was associated with The Western Ambassador railtour that brought hundreds of enthusiasts down from London to sample some Class 52 haulage. I went down with my teacher from school, Mr. Brush and two friends from school, Richard Staynings and Guy Vincent. As Mr. Brush did not drive, his wife drove us down in their Vauxhall Cresta.

A local trip out on my bike from home. I rode the relatively short distance to Melksham to see 'The Brewer's Droop' railtour that ran from Paddington to Yeovil Junction and then back via Basingstoke to Waterloo. It was hauled throughout by the yet to be named 50036.

Another railtour for me to ride out and see unusually on a quiet Sunday morning. I rode my bike from home down to Bradford-on-Avon station to capture 'The Sussex Downsman 2' on film.

During the spring half term week, my friend Simon Petrameredies and I undertook and Eastern Region Railrover. The main aim was to get as much Deltic haulage in as possible and to explore as much of the Eastern Region as possible. Unfortunately, I took very few pictures due to being a cash-strapped schoolboy. We stayed at various Youth Hostels that were all pre-booked by my mum and me. I copped so many new locomotives and had a throughly great time!

Another visit to the Berks. and Hants. line prior to its re-signalling. I went with Graham and a teacher from school. We travelled in Graham's bright orange Mini. Unfortunately, the weather was not fantastic and spoilt some of the pictures I took.

After my visit to France with my school at Easter as part of an exchange visit programme, we reciprocated by having my 'pen-pal' to stay with us. During his stay, we went for an afternoon out to the somewhat embryonic East Somerset Railway at Cranmore

As part of the french exchange visit arrangements, we visited London with our pen-palls. I was delighted that my French teacher organised us to go by train rather than by bus thus giving our french friends the chance to experience HST 125 travel going up in set 253013 and back in 253020.

My first big trip with Graham that involved overnight stays. We travelled in the orange Mini, dubbed 'UAM' due to its Swindon registration number. There were in fact three of us on the camping trip as we were also accompanied by Graham's new kitten named Wuss. We drove up to the Wellingborough area on the Thursday evening. On the Friday morning we did a little bit on the MML at Kettering before moving to the ECML on Stoke Bank for some Deltic action. This Friday also marked the tenth anniversary of the end of steam on BR back in 1968 (in terms of the last timetabled service). Afters spending some time around Newark on the Saturday we headed up to York on the Sunday for The York Circular steam special before heading home to the West Country during afternoon.

A ride out on my bike from home to Bradford Junction in order to see The Severn Choppers Express hauled by a pair of class 20s. It was a little unusual to have a railtour passing on a Sunday, luckily it was a smashing day.

A trip taken to Westbury with my friend Duncan Copeman. I am pretty sure that we used our bikes to get around Westbury but am not sure if we rode it from home or if we took the train from Bradford-on-Avon? Either way, I took a lot of shots of diesels under semaphores and also 'bagged' a visit in to Heywood Junction signal box.

A lovely autumn trip out on my bike. I rode from home to just west of Fairwood Junction near Westbury and then followed the line to Frome. I took the train back from Frome to Bradford-on-Avon and rode home from there. This time, I had persuaded my mum to lend me her Rollei B35 camera, details of that can be found in the camera notes section on the web site home page.

My friend and neighbour Jo and I went to Salisbury for the day with my mum and dad. I am not sure as to the purpose of our visit but all that I do know that it was a glorious September day and that we traveled down in our family car, a delft blue Triumph Dolomite, KPG 280P.

By the late 1970s it was clear that the future of the Woodhead route very much in doubt. With closure looking increasingly likely and the consequential disposal of the unique 1,500V DC class 76s, a number of railtours were organised that traversed the line. One of these railtours was run by the D1041 Preservation Society titled 'The Pennine Explorer'. With a teacher from school and some friends, we travelled on this railtour picking it up at Bristol Parkway. Travelling north, it went via Birmingham New Street, Crewe to Manchester Piccadilly. Here it traversed the Woodhead line in its entirety featuring doubled-headed class 76 haulage. The return route was via the same route with us departing the train at Cheltenham.

At half term, my mum, dad and I stayed at our family farmhouse in North Yorkshire called Thornhill just outside Whitby. This was a pretty regular visit for us and usually enabled me to get some railway pictures. I was back using the Exa camera rather than the Rollei and the quality of the images suffered, in fact, some of these ones are awful!

Quite why I was off school on a Monday and went to Bristol Temple Meads I am not sure? It could have been a teacher strike day; there were a few around this time. I took a class 119 DMU from Bradford-on-Avon to Bath, followed by a trip in HST set 253009 from there to Bristol. Contemporary data from Kevin Daniel would suggest that I caught the 09.45 Paddington to Weston-supe-Mare from Bath. The return journey was behind 33012 on a Portsmouth Harbour working. This was a historical trip as it was the last time that I used the Exa camera. When this final roll of film was exposed, the camera was retired to be replaced by the Zenith EM a week later. RIP Exa!

My first trip out with the brand new Zenith EM camera. I rode my bike to Bradford Junction in the mid-December weather to try it out taking just two shots!

A walk with mum and dad from our home 'up on the hill' down into the Avon Valley between Freshford and Avoncliff on a crisp winter's morning.

December 21st 1978, as well as being the shortest day, was the first day of the Christmas holiday and I awoke to a cold and snowy morning. I took the decision to get my bike out and ride down to the railway in an effort to see what was about and to get some seasonal pictures in the superb Avon Valley close to home. The photographs and the notes in this section was reproduced as a photo feature in Traction magazine number 245.

During the Christmas break of 1978, my grandparents paid for our whole family to go on holiday to Majorca. When we were there we took the narrow gauge train to the northern coastal resort of Sóller from Palma. A nice day out that enabled some interesting pictures. The line still runs today and is a major tourist attraction on the island.