9. Trip to Westbury & Fairwood Junction-22.04.78

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-1978 > 9. Trip to Westbury & Fairwood Junction-22.04.78
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.
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Images 1-5 of 5 displayed.

31422, unidentified Bristol Temple Meads-Portsmouth Harbour working, Trowbridge station 31422 arrives at a relatively busy Trowbridge station with an unidentified Bristol to Portsmouth Harbour working. This was the train that I took the short distance to Westbury with my friend Guy, who is seen leaning out of the first coach window. I am not sure why I took the train from Trowbridge rather than from my 'home station' of Bradford-on-Avon? This scene shows some of the original station at Trowbridge. all of which was demolished and re-built in the late 1980s Keywords: 31422 Bristol Temple Meads-Portsmouth Harbour working Trowbridge station
50024, unidentified London Paddington working, Westbury station Westbury's up London starters are pulled off, the driver peers back waiting for the guard to wave the flag so the 50 can get the unidentified up working going. On the platform end, my companion Guy can be seen along with our two cassette recorders capturing the sound of the 'Hoover'. Within three weeks of this picture being taken, 50024 received its 'Vanguard' nameplates. Keywords: 50024 London Paddington working Westbury station
50022, unidentified down working, Westbury cut off (under Portsmouth line) ST855511 This is a picture that I am quite impressed with! The reason being that I have managed to 'freeze' 50022 on the Westbury cut-off avoiding line so successfully! This train will have been going at a fair rate of knots so how the Exa camera's maximum 1/150th sec. shutter speed has avoided blur is beyond me! The train is an unidentified down working passing under the Portsmouth line just south west of Westbury station. This is an 'unofficial spot' that I am not sure how we got to? Finally, there is a question as to this 50s identity. Whilst I have this down in my notes as 50022, this locomotive was supposed to have been named two days prior to this image being taken. Clearly, there is no nameplate on the side of the locomotive but, interestingly, the BR double arrow logo has been moved to the cab end, a procedure that was undertaken to accommodate the nameplates on the centre bodyside. Keywords: 50022 down working Westbury cut off under Portsmouth line ST855511
50050, unidentified down working, from Fairwood Junction signal box Taken from the end window of Fairwood Junction signal box, 50050 rushes past with an unidentified down working from Paddington. Unfortunately, the scourge of motion blur has spoilt this image. The two tracks to the left are the ones leading to and from Westbury station whilst the 50 is on the cut-off avoider line that was opened by the GWR in 1933 in an effort to speed up timings to the West Country Keywords: 50013 down working from Fairwood Junction signal box
31233, unidentified Bristol Temple Meads-Weymouth working, from Fairwood Junction signal box 31233 was a cop when I saw it from Fairwood Junction signal box as it was a Eastern Region locomotive. It was also a long-lived member of the class as it became one of Network Rail's dedicated all yellow test train locomotives only recently being retired and finding a new home in the preservation world. I am not sure how my friend Guy and I bagged a visit into Fairwood Junction signal box. It may have been that the signallman Mervin Holbrook was on-duty, and, as he lived a few houses away from me and, knowing that I was a budding enthusiast, he may have given me the nod! Keywords: 31233 Bristol Temple Meads-Weymouth working from Fairwood Junction signal box

Images 1-5 of 5 displayed.