20. Westbury to Frome-16.09.78

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-1978 > 20. Westbury to Frome-16.09.78

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.

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Images 1-20 of 20 displayed.

46011, outward leg of West Wilts Scout excursion, Rudge ST835509
Taking straight into the early morning sun, 46011 accelerates away from Fairwood Junction in the distance. It is leading one of the train cruises run by the West Wiltshire Scout group that they organised on a periodic basis. As a seasoned Boy Scout, I had travelled on some of them in the past but chose not to go on this one. I am not sure where it was heading but it was obviously the West Country somewhere, if anybody has any information as to its destination that would be useful.
Keywords: 46011 West Wilts Scout excursion Rudge ST835509

50049, 07.30 London Paddington-Penzance (1B24), Rudge ST835509
Taken into the sun and very head-on, 50049 ‘Defiance’ leads the 1B24 07.30 Paddington to Penzance working. It is seen have passed Fairwood Junction at a farm crossing near the village of Rudge. I am not sure if the angle and position that I have taken it at was restricted by something or other but it’s certainly not a great shot by any stretch of the imagination!
Keywords: 50049 07.30 London Paddington-Penzance 1B24 Rudge ST835509

50047, 06.00 Plymouth-London Paddington (1A86), Rudge ST835509
50047 ‘Swiftsure’ passes Fairwood Farm near the village of Rudge between Westbury and Frome with the 1A86 06.00 Plymouth to Paddington. Notice the driver and secondman in the cab no doubt checking me out as a potential hazard but I am on a farm occupation crossing but, looking at my position, I am the 'wrong' side of the gate.
Keywords: 50047 06.00 Plymouth-London Paddington 1A86 Rudge ST835509

50031, 08.30 London Paddington-Penzance working, Berkley ST805497
50031 ‘Hood’ brings the 08.30 Paddington to Penzance working past Berkeley just east of Frome. As my mother and her partner now live in Frome, I have visited this spot several times in recent years and, apart from some tree growth to the right, the view is very similar today. However, the chances of seeing a class 50 hauling a set of Mk. II stock and a BG van past the spot are pretty rare!

UPDATE.....UPDATE...... Since writing the text above the situation has changed! This view is now not possible due to the installation of a huge 'phone mast right in the foreground. However, there are some gaps in the trees to the right that allow a slightly wider angled view.
Keywords: 50031 08.30 London Paddington-Penzance working Berkley ST805497

47142, up LE, Berkley ST805497
47142 heads light engine from the west towards Westbury. The picture is taken near to Berkeley on the outskirts of Frome. This scene is essentially the same today but for some vegetation growth. Obviously, the huge dead elm tree in the field to the left has long gone!
Keywords: 47142 up LE Berkley ST805497

31294, unidentified Weymouth-Bristol Temple Meads working, Berkley ST805497
31294 leads a Weymouth to Bristol Temple Meads working past Berkeley near to Frome, where it will have diverged from the mainline and stopped for passengers. 31294 was probably one of my most regularly seen class 31s. It arrived from the Midland Region in 1972 being based at Bristol Bath Road until its withdrawal in 2000. It was cut up three years later in Stockton by T. J. Thomson and son. This scene is still very similar today except for the eastern expansion of Frome making its presence noted, see..... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/30019959523/x2-59202-07-12-merehead-acton-tc
Keywords: 31294 Weymouth-Bristol Temple Meads working Berkley ST805497

50033, unidentified up working & 46001, down empty stone working, Berkeley ST805497
The dust is flying around at Berkeley near Frome as an empty stone train heads west to one of the Mendip quarries lead by 46001. The dust is almost obliterating 50033 ‘Glorious’ leading an unidentified up working to Paddington. ‘Glorious’ was one of the chosen ones as it was saved from the scrap man and can be enjoyed today on the Severn Valley Railway. It is undergoing a rolling restoration looking quite something in its green primer when it took part in the 50th anniversary of the 50s celebrations at the SVR in October 2018.
Keywords: 50033 up working 46001 stone working Berkeley ST805497

50014, unidentified down working, Berkley ST802494
A smoky 50104 ‘Warspite’ leads a down express for the West Country past Berkeley Marsh to the east of Frome in Somerset. This scene is similar today apart from the inevitable vegetation growth and removal of the telegraph wires. Having said that, a couple of years ago, Network Rail did a lot of clearance on the embankments at this location and undertook some work to improve drainage by constructing some culverts. For a while this really opened up the view again but, inevitably, lineside growth is taking over again now.
Keywords: 50014 down working Berkley ST802494

47284, unidentified up working, Clink Road Junction
47284 will be rattling the timbers of the GW Type 12B Clink Road Junction signal box as it passes with an unidentified up working for Paddington. It appears that the box is undergoing some repairs with scaffolding poles surrounding it. In this view, the line into Frome can be seen behind the train to the right with the cut-off avoiding line stretching off in the distance.
Keywords: 47284 up working Clink Road Junction

47486, unidentified down working, Clink Road Junction
47486 approaches Clink Road Junction at Frome with a down working from Paddington. As it is composed of Mk. I stock, it could well be a relief or perhaps the 1B48 09.48 Paddington to Newquay. The bridge in the background is still extant carrying a footpath over the railway. To the right of the line the field now has a huge cutting cut into it that contains the A361 Frome bypass. Quite why I took this picture from this angle with the sun on the wrong side is beyond me but I was a young photographer back in 1978!
Keywords: 47486 down working Clink Road Junction

50017, unidentified up working, Clink Road Junction
50017 ‘Royal Oak’ heads towards London Paddington with an up service past Clink Road Junction on the outskirts of Frome. The down main and down Frome line signals are clearly in view. The taller post is the one for the cut-off indicating that it is the more important route. The lovely road bridge, typical of the Great Western, is built out of stone has sadly now been demolished and replaced by a much larger and higher concrete structure constructed when the Frome bypass was built in the 1990s.
Keywords: 50017 up working Clink Road Junction

47245, unidentified London Paddington-Paignton working, Clink Road Junction
47245 leads a London Paddington to Paignton working past Clink Road Junction’s down bracket signal. The higher of the two posts is pulled off indicating that the train will take the Frome cut-off. The signal structure itself is one of the late GWR/early British Railways tubular types painted in WR silver. Notice that the finial on the shorter post is looking a little unsteady!
Keywords: 47245 London Paddington-Paignton working Clink Road Junction

47502, 09.55 Plymouth-Paddington (1A43), Clink Road Junction
47502 leads the 1A43 09.55 Plymouth to Paddington past Clink Road Junction on the outskirts of Frome, that can be seen in the background. In fact, the new estate of Berkely Down can be seen under construction immediately behind the signal box above the embankment. Notice the signalman wearing his red helmet waiting to collect his moped as he goes off-shift. 47502 is still with us today as 47715 ‘Haymarket’ on the Wensleydale Railway in Yorkshire. It was also the subject for a model from various manufacturers such as Bachmann. Being a West Country locomotive, at this time being based at Swansea (Landore), I was a little surprised and disappointed to see it on the MML at Wellingborough in 1980, see.... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/29653198204/x8-47-502-18-00-london-st-pancras hoping for something a little more exotic; if a Class 47 'Duff' could ever have been that?
Keywords: 47502 09.55 Plymouth-Paddington 1A43 Clink Road Junction

50002, unidentified up working, Berkely Down ST793482
50002 ‘Superb’ is hammering along the Frome cut-off with an up working for London Paddington. It is seen passing a perfectly legal spot at a foot crossing near an area of Frome called Berkley Down. All these years on I vividly remember sitting on the style at this location in the lovely warm early autumn sunshine. This spot is still available today but it is not quite so peaceful as the A361 Frome bypass is just a few metres to the left of where I am standing.
Keywords: 50002 unidentified up working Berkely Down ST793482

50008, 12.23 London Paddington-Paignton (1B74), Berkely Down ST793482
When I took this picture at Berkely Down near Frome I was so proud of it! I thought that the low angle shot really showed off the speed of 50008 ‘Thunderer’ powering 1B74 12.23 London Paddington to Paignton. However, how did I not spot the huge transmission tower growing out of the 50’s roof? With the marvels of Photoshop I could clone it out but I feel that I want to keep it in its ‘as taken’ state. In the background, Clink Road Junction signal box can be made out that controls the home signal that the 50 is about to pass.
Keywords: 50008 12.23 London Paddington-Paignton 1B74 Berkely Down ST793482

50019, unidentified down working, Easthill ST791477
50019 ‘Ramillies’ heads westward past Easthill on the outskirts of Frome. It is leading an unidentified down express from London Paddington. Unfortunately, I am on the ‘wrong’ side of the train for the sun and there is a bit of motion blur as the train was going at or close to the 90mph line speed. Even though I am using the Rollei camera its 1/500th sec. fastest shutter speed was not quite good enough to ‘freeze’ the train.
Keywords: 50019 unidentified down working Easthill ST791477

Up starter bracket signal, Frome station
I called in at Frome station on my way to Blatchbridge Junction. At this stage in its life, the historic Brunel broad-gauge station was in a pretty shocking state of disrepair held up by scaffolding to prevent its total collapse! At the platform end, the up starter bracket is seen in the afternoon sun. The bare doll once had a home starter signal arm for the bay platform from where trains left for Radstock. The other post has two centre pivot wooden arms that were very rare, even in 1978! It now resides at the National Railway Museum at York. This signal was controlled by Frome North signal box situated a short distance up the line behind the stabled Foster Yeoman wagons. I took a further photograph of this amazing piece of infrastructure during a visit two years subsequently, see.... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/25473984004/up-starter-bracket-signal-frome
Keywords: Up starter bracket signal Frome station

Class 31, unidentified down working on down fast, Blatchbridge Junction
Unfortunately, my records have let me down and I have no details as to what this class 31 is and what working it was on. I do know that it is taken at a foot crossing at Blatchbridge Junction just outside Frome. Indeed, the Frome line can be seen curving off to the left behind the redundant track panels. Normally, a 31 in this area would be on a Bristol to Weymouth working however as this 31 is on the Frome avoiding line therefore not stopping at the Somerset town, so, I’m not so sure?
Keywords: Class 31 unidentified down working on down fast Blatchbridge Junction

Blatchbridge Junction signal box (GW, 1932, cl. 05.84)
Blatchbridge Junction signal box was another Type 28B box situated a short distance down from the actual junction of the same name. Opened circa 1932 it was a 28 lever box that was looking a little down on its luck and one that the S & T team could do with visiting to give it a lick of paint. In 1978 this was a gloriously quiet location in the countryside to the south west of Frome. Today, the area is much more overgrown with the drone of traffic from the nearby A361 Frome bypass spoiling the peace and quiet.
Keywords: Blatchbridge Junction signal box

Westbury South signal box (GW, date unknown, on day of closure)
Taken from my return train as it enters Westbury from the south. Westbury South signal box is seen on its final day of operation. At midnight it was switched out and decommissioned as the first phase of the Westbury MAS programme was initiated. Some colour lights installed and ready to go can be seen to the left and right of the signal box that were controlled by a mini-panel installed in Westbury North box. I have seen very few pictures of the south box, partly due to its inaccessible location, and have no details as to when it was built; can anybody help? When the box closed about seven hours after this picture was taken, I wonder where the cast plate ended up?
Keywords: Westbury South signal box

Images 1-20 of 20 displayed.