Archive-1980

A brief visit to Swindon that I seem to recall was to visit a girlfriend and I only took two photographs as I passed the works on the way there. As it was winter, I was using black and white film finding it better than the chronically slow Kodachrome 64.

A totally wasted trip from home in Wiltshire to Lickey to see The Western Invader railtour that, in the end, did run very late and in darkness by the time it got to us waiting on Lickey. In the days before the internet, gen was not easily and widely available so many trips out to see non-running or heavily delayed (as in this case) trains took place. In the end, I only took one photograph in dreadful weather as this was the only train that we observed. What a waste of time and effort! However, the tape recording was somewhat better!

Another of West Wiltshire Scouts' charters, this time to York. I travelled with a teacher from school, Mr. Brush, to York from Bradford-on-Avon. For the majority of the return trip we were hauled by 46028 with the train running as 1Z40 throughout. However, on the return, the Class 46 gave up the ghost at Bordesley Junction in the centre of Birmingham. Being so close to Saltley depot meant that 45035 was quickly and easily summoned to get us on our way again. Arrival back at Bradford-on-Avon was less than an hour adrift. Looking back some forty years later the highlight should probably have been the traversing of the now closed former Midland lines between Wath Road Junction and Cudworth and then between Oakenshaw and Goose Hill Junctions. However, back in 1980, I was probably more excited by capturing some good Deltic action at York spending some time at the classic location at Holgate bridge.

A coach trip organised by the West Wilts Model Railway Circle with my technical drawing teacher from school, Mr. Brush. We were taken by coach from Trowbridge to Alresford where we explored the fledgling heritage line. As we are all aware, this particular line has grown massively to become one of the UK's premier preserved lines and is now mainline connected at Alton. Back in 1980, it was a much smaller affair but we had a good day walking the length of the route and back taking photographs. We were also issued with hi-viz jackets that enabled us to get trackside and wander about with impunity.

At this time in mid May 1980 I was in the middle of my O-level and CSE examinations so quite why I was permitted a day out in the West Country doing railway things I do not know when I should have been at home revising? I spent a glorious day in South Devon with a teacher from school, Mr. Brush, making our way there by train with me travelling on a Persil promotional ticket that, according to my contemporary notes, cost just £1.

A day trip to Taunton and Exeter with Graham on a summer's day. As it was June the weather did not play ball with a mixture of sun and showers for the first part of the day. By the late afternoon and early evening it cleared up with some glorious lighting whilst we were at Exeter. Graham and I travelled in his orange Mini UAM736J that for once suffered no mishaps apart from some overheating whilst climbing the Blackdown Hills on the way home!

David Brush, Graham and I took a weekend trip to Devon starting on Friday night. One of the purposes of this was to celebrate Graham's birthday on the Friday evening. We wild camped near to the railway on both nights but David only camped for the first night as he had to return home for family reasons on the Saturday afternoon leaving Graham and me on our own. We travelled in Graham's Mini (UAM 736J) that, true to form, gave trouble with a perished bypass hose (remember those on the old A-series engines?) on the approach to Newton Abbot. After fabricating a repair and judicious driving with the radiator cap removed the car survived in no small part due to it being a relatively cool weekend. However, the temperature gauge needed constant monitoring and the radiator regularly topping up!

A historic evening trip....the first run out in the Austin 1100 (UVJ 129J)! Graham was given the car by his father so the orange Mini could move on but not until the tax expired at the end of September. So, for just over two months Graham had the luxury of two cars. The 1100 offered a lot more space than the Mini and it was a four-door so making it comfortable when more than two people were on a grice trip. Anyway, back to the trains, we spent a few hours on a glorious evening around Westbury's Heywood Road Junction.

Yet another trip to the West Country! This time we travelled in the newly acquired beige Austin 1100 (UVJ 129J) that behaved itself apart from the delamination of one of the remould tyres whilst descending from Whiteball on the A38. There was a car full with Graham (driving), David Brush, Bill Jupp and myself crammed in with all our kit. The weather was a little better than during recent trips that raised the mood!

A day trip from Wiltshire to North Yorkshire to see Lord Nelson take on the Settle and Carlisle! A mammoth trip in the Austin 1100 (UVJ 129J) with Graham (driving), the late Bill Jupp, Jürgen and his girlfriend, Elke, meant things were a little crowded! We managed to get Lord Nelson at five different locations as well as 4498 'Sir Nigel Gresley' on the return Cumbrian Mountain Express at Giggleswick. No major mechanical failures apart from a loose fanbelt meaning the battery was almost flat by the time we reached home at an unearthly 02.30!

A Sunday trip to the north-west to record another event associated with the Rocket 150 celebrations. BR was criticised, and quite rightly so, for many decisions and strategies but they did do many things very well. When they made the effort they could really pull the stops out, for example, GWR 150 in 1985 but for the crass announcement of Swindon's closure! Another excellent celebration that they put together was Rocket 150 to commemorate the Rainhill Trials in 1829. The headline act was the great Cavalcade in May 1980 but there were many other events. Graham, Mike from Bristol and I made the Sunday journey to Chat Moss and Manchester in the Austin 1100 that suffered a broken fan belt on the way home near Cheltenham. Mike's AA membership came to the rescue!

An evening trip out from home to Frome in the Austin 1100 with Graham. At this time Frome's historic Brunel station was in a parlous state and very run down. BR was on the brink of demolishing it as the whole timber structure was riddled with woodworm so it was being held together with scaffolding. Luckily, sense prevailed and rather than bulldozing it and replacing it with one of BR's finest bus shelter structures it was fully restored and remains a fine station today and remains a firm part of our proud industrial heritage.

As a Venture Scout helper on the 1st Bradford-on-Avon Scouts' camp, I spent a week in North Somerset near to Porlock. As one of our days out, we were taken to Minehead to enjoy the amusements, fish and chips followed by a walk on the prom. However, I opted for a trip on the West Somerset Railway to Crowcombe and back!

My summer trip with Graham occurred a little later in August than normal this time heading to the Eastern Counties. We travelled in UAM, the bright orange Mini in favour of the beige Austin 1100 as there were just the two of us. We headed for the Midland Mainline and then further to get some Deltic action on the ECML. We then took in some delights in the Lincoln area finding some superb signalling and visiting St. Marks station prior to its closure. On the last full day, we headed north to Yorkshire to get another running of The Cumbrian Mountain Express. A pretty intensive week but very enjoyable!

A late summer bank holiday weekend trip to Devon with Graham travelling in UVJ the Austin 1100. We started in the Exeter area ending up on the sea wall and on Sunday spent the whole day relatively local to Newton Abbot. We camped again at Lillisford Farm between Newton Abbot and Totnes. The weather was a little better with some sunshine that made a pleasant change for our usual fare!

A roadtour (as opposed to a railtour) around the Chilterns in UAM the orange Mini complete with a large headboard attached to the radiator grill! This event, that did grab the attention of some 'normals' as they went about their business, was to commemorate the last trip in UAM 736J before its retirement. Graham and I undertook a survey of signalling and stations on the former GW route around Aylesbury, Princes Risborough and High Wycombe.

A double bubble day! Firstly, on our drive north, we stopped off to see the passage of The John Mynors Memorial charter that we also managed to get on the return in the evening. In the middle of the day, we headed back to Manchester for one of the final Rocket 150 events to see the passage of a replica commemorative train from Liverpool to Manchester with three carriages full of various cheering and waving dignitaries dressed in period costume.

We often visited a family second home on the North Yorkshire Moors just south of Whitby. Named Thornhill it provided a superb base for a family break for walking and exploring this superb part of the UK. On this trip, my parents and I were joined by my aunt, uncle and cousin for a short while. I also took a day trip from Whitby to Darlington via the impressive Esk Valley line. The photographs are taken on Ilford FP4 black and white film that I processed myself at college as part of my Photography A-level. They have scanned particularly well reinforcing the quality of Ilford film at this time.

Unfortunately, I do not have the exact date for this visit to Bath station. However, it was a particularly significant one as it the day that I bought my new camera, a Pentax ME Super purchased from the London Camera Exchange shop on the Abbey courtyard. I recall that it was a Friday afternoon and that I had gone there as part of a trip with my A-Level photography class.  Rather than heading straight for home, I loaded a roll of FP4 film and went to the station! Unfortunately, some of the very first photographs were a little out of focus, and the weather was appalling; I'll put the former down to me getting used to my new machine!

Still excited about my new Pentax ME Super camera I took a ride out on my bike from home to the Trowbridge area in order to get more familiar with it. Normally there would not be very much of interest on a Sunday but there were GWML diversions meaning HSTs being diverted along the Avon Valley to Westbury to then continue via the Berks. and Hants. line after taking the Hawkeridge to Heywood Junctions chord.

An absolute epic......an overnight stay on York station seemed like a great idea when discussed between Graham and me back in high summer! However, the December weekend that we chose ended up being bitterly cold with heavy snow but all this added to the utter craziness of the whole thing! Prior to the nocturnal stay on York station, Graham and I headed for Doncaster and Hull to take in the delights of the Humber ferry in its final few months of operation before being ousted by the opening of the bridge. We travelled in the Austin 1100 that included a lift to Yorkshire for my college geography lecturer that helped a little towards the costs. This trip was subject to an article published in Traction magazine issue 237.

The Wiltshire Scouts' midwinter expedition this year headed east to Kent. Not quite as challenging as North Wales last year but nonetheless, there was some distance to be covered! I have grouped all the railway images together rather than separating them into a day by day file. These were my final images of 1980 with the last three actually being from 1981.