8. An Evening at Westbury-24.07.80

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-1980 > 8. An Evening at Westbury-24.07.80

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.

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UVJ 129J, Hawkeridge Junction
Basking in the evening sunshine near to Hawkeridge Junction just east of Westbury is Graham's new and shiny Austin 1100, UVJ 129J. This car became a dependable grice machine for the next year or so. At this time it was nine years old and had been well looked after by its previous owner, Graham's father. Graham was to be its last keeper with it being retired to the great scrapyard in the sky in the autumn of 1984.
Keywords: UVJ 129J Hawkeridge Junction Austin 1100

50041, 18.35 London Paddington-Newton Abbot (1B40), Hawkeridge East Junction
50041 'Bulwark' leads the 18.35 Paddington to Newton Abbot 1B40 service into Westbury having left the mainline at Heywood Road Junction in the distance. The train is just passing the bracket that has the Heywood Road home and the Westbury North distant pulled off for access to the station with the submissive lower doll with the arms controlling access to the sharp Hawkeridge curve leading to the Westbury-Bathampton (Avon Valley) route. Graham is seen in front of me having just taken his photograph with both of us flagrantly trespassing on this fine summer evening! In the background is the tall chimney of Westbury cement works with the smoke drifting indicating that a warm south-easterly wind was blowing. A picture taken some ten months later looking in the other direction from a passing train can be seen at.... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/30022860857/x38-t-50044-17-52-london-paddington
Keywords: 50041 18.35 London Paddington-Newton Abbot 1B40 Hawkeridge East Junction Bulwark Westbury cement works

253008, 19.25 London Paddington-Plymouth & 253017, 16.23 Penzance-London Paddington, Hawkeridge East Junction
A meeting of HSTs at Hawkeridge East Junction sees the 19.25 Paddington to Plymouth approaching Westbury on the down passing the 16.23 Penzance to Paddington in the foreground. The up HST is set number 253017 that had power cars W43034 and W43035 at either end if it was running in the correct formation. The down service is being worked by 253008 with either W43016 or W43017 leading. Whilst we are still trespassing we have moved back to a much safer position close to the little-used up east chord of Hawkeridge Junction. I will probably have cursed two HSTs at this time seeing them as the scourge of the modern railway but now some forty years later this image is historically very interesting!
Keywords: 253008 19.25 London Paddington-Plymouth 253017 16.23 Penzance-London Paddington, Hawkeridge East Junction HST Westbury 43016 43017 43034 43035

253008, 19.25 London Paddington-Plymouth & 253017, 16.23 Penzance-London Paddington, Hawkeridge East Junction
Two HSTs in their 'as-built' liveries pass each other at Hawkeridge East Junction near Westbury. With Westbury cement works to the left and the down starter off the Hawkeridge chord in the foreground 253017 slows for its Westbury stop forming the 19.25 Paddington to Plymouth service. Meanwhile, 253017 accelerates away east with the 16.23 Penzance to Paddington. Despite our somewhat exposed position we did not encounter any problems with staff and officials, indeed, the signalman at Heywood Road a little after this photograph was taken did not mind us trackside taking photographs in the dying summer light.
Keywords: 253008 19.25 London Paddington-Plymouth 253017 16.23 Penzance-London Paddington, Hawkeridge East Junction HST Westbury 43016 43017 43034 43035

Heywood Road Junction signal box (GW, 1933)
Overlooked by the one hundred and eight-foot-long Westbury White Horse (or Bratton Horse depending upon where you come from!) the 1933 GW Type 28B Heywood Road Junction signal box just catches the final vestiges of the evening light. The signalman was very accomodating to Graham and I allowing us to take this photograph and the one of the light engine approaching from the west as in the next image. The box opened in 01.01.33 together with the Westbury avoiding line and its matching twin Fairwood Junction at the western end of the avoider some 2.3 miles away.
Keywords: Heywood Road Junction signal box

50014, up light engine, Heywood Road Junction
This is one of my favourite photographs of this time! With Heywood Road Junction's signal box home signals silhouetted against the evening sky 50014 'Warspite' runs light engine towards London coming off the Westbury avoider line. Looking extremely shiny as though it has just received repaint 50014 was, in fact, the final member of the class to enter Doncaster works for its refurbishment in 1983. Unfortunately, despite the signalman allowing us to stand trackside to take this image from a spot right opposite the box we did not think to ask him the details of this unusual working!
Keywords: 50014 up light engine Heywood Road Junction Warspite

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