66. Trip to Bristol-02.12.14

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-2014 > 66. Trip to Bristol-02.12.14

A day trip to Bristol with Andy to collect a new car that I bought 'blind' from eBay. Armed with work's trade plates we went from Northampton to Temple Meads taking a taxi from there to the Easton area of the city. As it worked out, the Saab 93 estate was actually fine and we spent the rest of the day taking a slightly circutous route back to Northampton via my late father's house near Bradford-on-Avon. We enjoyed a super curry at The Raj Restaurant on Chippenham's Station Approach.

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Images 1-23 of 23 displayed.

Northampton station old and new (STILL yet to open)
By now (the beginning of December 2014) Northampton's new station should be open and in full operation. However, as is all too common today the inevitable overrun steals the headlines rather than the celebratory opening! The new station bridge and lift appears to at the root of the problem along with issues around the new steps at the main entrance. Let's hope that it is dealt with soon and that the station can open giving Northampton's passengers the facility that they deserve.
Keywords: Northampton station old and new

66589, 03.00 Felixstowe North-Lawley Street (4M86), Northampton station
With a welcome wave from a DB Schenker driver to a Freightliner employee, 66589 leads the 4M86 03.00 Felixstowe to Lawley Street through Northampton station. This Class 66 has led a pretty anonymous life since it arrived on our shores in April 2007 and I suspect that it will go on doing what was designed to do for many years to come.
Keywords: 66589 03.00 Felixstowe North-Lawley Street 4M86 Northampton station

66221, 04.14 Felixstowe North-Burton ot Wetmore (4M07), Northampton station
The 4M07 04.14 Felixstowe to Burton ot Wetmore comes to a halt at Northampton's platform two. Once the train has stopped there will be a change of drivers with the relief taking service on to its destination. Now fourteen years old, this particular locomotive has worn this EWS livery since new. With EWS having been taken over by Deutsche Bahn in 2007 it still comes as a surprise that it has yet to be re-livered some five years later.
Keywords: 66221 04.14 Felixstowe North-Burton ot Wetmore 4M07 Northampton station DB Schenker

350241, ECS for LM 09.16 Northampton-Birmingham New Street (ex 07.54 London Euston-Birmingham New Street) (2Y17), Northampton station
With Northampton's 'temporary' station footbridge still dominating the northern end of the platforms, our first train of the day arrives at number two as empty coaching having just terminated at platform one as the 07.54 from Euston. Andy and I took the 2Y17 09.16 service to Birmingham New Steet arriving about an hour later.
Keywords: 350241 ECS 09.16 Northampton-Birmingham New Street 07.54 London Euston-Birmingham New Street 2Y17 Northampton station

323294, LM 09.43 Lichfield City-Longbridge (2N39), Birmingham New Street station
London Midland City's 323294 pokes its nose out of the gloom at Birmingham New Street station. It is pausing working the cross-city 09.43 Lichfiled City to Longbridge 2N39 service. These excellent and reliable units are fairly elderly now and are ready for replacement, something that should be happening in the next few years along with the planned expansion of electrification.
Keywords: 323294 09.43 Lichfield City-Longbridge 2N39 Birmingham New Street station London Midland City

170518, XC 09.10 Nottingham-Cardiff Central, Birmingham New Street station
The second train of our journey from Northampton to Bristol waits at Birmingham New Street. Andy and I travelled on 170518 working the 09.10 Nottingham to Cardiff service as far as Cheltenham a journey time of just under an hour. The work to refurbish and improve these units has meant that they are far more suited to these types of journeys but one must still be wary as to where one sits as over the engine's can prove somewhat tiresome!
Keywords: 170518 09.10 Nottingham-Cardiff Central Birmingham New Street station Cross Country Turbostar

150246, GW 11.20 Cheltenham-Swindon (2B92), Gloucester station
As part of our split ticketing arrangements, Andy and I had to alight from the Cross Country at service (next stop Gloucester) to transfer to the following FGW service to, guess where - Gloucester! The 11.20 Cheltenham to Swindon 2B92 train is seen with us having arrived at Gloucester with an HST standing on platform one.
Keywords: 150246 11.20 Cheltenham-Swindon 2B92 Gloucester station First Great Western

43139, GW 09.36 London Paddington-Cheltenham (1G21), Gloucester station
HST power car 43139 'Driver Stan Martin 25 June 1950-6 November 2004' waits at Gloucester station leading the 09.36 Paddington to Cheltenham FGW service. The driver has just changed ends to work the train in its reverse formation for the final few miles of its journey along the former Midland route to the Regency spa town. The HST is occupying approximately half of Gloucester's famous long platform at just over six hundred metres in length, the second-longest in the country.
Keywords: 43139 09.36 London Paddington-Cheltenham 1G21 Gloucester station Driver Stan Martin 25 June 1950-6 November 2004

150246, GW 11.20 Cheltenham-Swindon (2B92), Gloucester station
150246 leaves Gloucester working FGW's 11.20 Cheltenham to Swindon service. Andy and I had travelled in on this train a little earlier.
Keywords: 150246, GW 11.20 Cheltenham-Swindon (2B92), Gloucester station

158958, GW 08.23 Southampton-Great Malvern (2M97), Gloucester station
Whilst a Paddington to Cheltenham HST waits at the far end of Gloucester's huge platform one, 158958 has arrived and will soon depart again with 2M97 08.23 Southampton to Great Malvern train.
Keywords: 158958 08.23 Southampton-Great Malvern 2M97 Gloucester station FGW First Great Western

153372, ECS movement, Gloucester station
Under a dramatic winter's sky, one of FGW's single-car Class 153 units makes an empty coaching stock move in and then out of Gloucester station. These versatile units are useful in that they can easily be used to supplement other units when loadings dictate.
Keywords: 153372 ECS movement Gloucester station FGW First Great Western

158955, 11.33 Cheltenham-Brighton (1O98), Gloucester station
What should have been the penultimate train of our journey from Northampton to Bristol's Stapleton Road arrives at Gloucester station. I say that it should have been as we arrived rather late into Temple Meads thus missing the Severn Beach service that would have taken us to our destination. As a result, we took a rather expensive taxi from Temple Meads to Easton where I was picking up the car. 158955 coasts into platform one at Gloucester working the 1O98 11.33 Cheltenham to Brighton FGW service.
Keywords: 158955 11.33 Cheltenham-Brighton 1O98 Gloucester station FGW First Great Western

43285, XC 06.06 Edinburgh Waverley-Plymouth (1V50), Bristol Temple Meads station
A location that I spent so many hours at back in the 1970s is revisited some forty years later! The scenery and signalling at Temple Meads from this angle are almost exactly the same but this is set to change over the coming few years with this end of the station set to be completely re-modelled in preparation for the electrification of the GWML from Paddington*. 43285 leads the 06.06 Edinburgh to Plymouth Crosscountry service into Temple Meads under a nice December sky.

* Of course, in December 2016 the government announced an 'indefinite deferral' of the electrification west of Thingley Junction (Chippenham, Wiltshire) along with a number of other extremities. This means that this scene to the northeastern end of Temple Meads will stay similar for a number of years to come at least.
Keywords: 43285 06.06 Edinburgh Waverley-Plymouth 1V50 Bristol Temple Meads -

Reproduction wooden running in board, Freshford station
Freshford station in the glorious Avon Valley is the second nearest station to my childhood home near Bradford-on-Avon. However, I rarely used it all those years ago due to it being located, rather inconveniently, on the other side of the River Avon with no suitable place to cross and access it. The station is now nicely and carefully looked after, very different from what I remember in the 1970s, now complete with this reproduction GWR-style running-in board.
Keywords: Reproduction wooden running in board Freshford station

150266, GW 13.10 Weymouth-Gloucester (2E24), Freshford station
150266 arrives at Freshford station working the 13.10 Weymouth to Gloucester service. This station is delightfully quiet and rural deep in the beautiful Avon Valley between Bradford-on-Avon and Bath. The village's claim to fame is that it featured in the 1953 film The Titfield Thunderbolt as did a number of other locations in the area including, all be it briefly, Bristol Temple Meads itself.
Keywords: 150266 13.10 Weymouth-Gloucester 2E24 Freshford station FGW First Great Western

158958, GW 12.50 Great Malvern-Weymouth (2O90), Freshford station
Taken from Freshford's station footbridge 158958 approaches working the 12.50 Great Malvern to Weymouth train. The line from Bathampton Junction to Bradford-on-Avon follows deeply wooded and gently curving Avon Valley with the Kennet and Avon canal and the A36 trunk road cheek by jowl for most of its length.
Keywords: 158958 12.50 Great Malvern-Weymouth 2O90 Freshford station FGW First Great Western

158958, GW 12.50 Great Malvern-Weymouth (2O90), Freshford station
The second photograph of 158958 as it pauses at Freshford station working the 12.50 Great Malvern to Weymouth service. Whilst Freshford station is a little small and somewhat bereft of facilities the next station that the unit will stop at is even more basic! Avoncliff halt is just one and a half carriages long with wooden platforms and is mere three minutes travelling time from here on the other side of the River Avon at Freshford.
Keywords: 158958 12.50 Great Malvern-Weymouth 2O90 Freshford station FGW First Great Western

67005, return leg of VSOE excursion, 15.55 Bath Spa-London Victoria (1ZXX), Avoncliff station
With it being a week off the shortest day and just past 16.00 the light is fading fast! Pushing the camera to its limits and with judicious use of Photoshop has captured 67005 'Queen's Messenger' passing Avoncliff station leading the returning 15.55 Bath to Victoria VSOE excursion. Passengers have enjoyed a day in the fine Georgian city with its huge Christmas market in full swing. The photograph is taken from Avoncliff's impressive aqueduct that carries the Kennet and Avon canal over the railway and the river.
Keywords: 67005 VSOE excursion 15.55 Bath Spa-London Victoria 1ZXX Avoncliff station Queen's Messenger

67026, return leg of VSOE excursion, 15.55 Bath Spa-London Victoria (1ZXX), Avoncliff station
67026 'Diamond Jubilee' brings up the rear of the returning VSOE 15.55 Bath Spa to Victoria charter that is seen passing the diminutive Avonlcliff halt in the Avon valley near Bradford-on-Avon. I am quite impressed with the way that camera has handled this very tricky image taken in what was in reality half-light at the very end of the day. There was a fair amount of digital noise to take care of but Photoshop with its excellent Neat Image add-on handled it well. If anybody can supply me with the complete head code for this charter it would be much appreciated.
Keywords: 67026 VSOE 15.55 Bath Spa-London Victoria 1ZXX Avoncliff station Diamond Jubilee

150216, GW 14.41 Gloucester-Westbury (2C20). Bradford-on-Avon station
156216 pauses at Bradford-on-Avon station working the 14.41 Gloucester to Westbury FGW service. I like taking photographs in these kinds of conditions as it brings some very subtle changes in the lighting that requires some judicious use of the camera's controls to capture the image at its best. In this particular photograph, I love the lighting in the evening sky.
Keywords: 150216 14.41 Gloucester-Westbury 2C20 Bradford-on-Avon station FGW First Great Western

158960, GW 14.23 Portsmouth Harbour-Cardiff Central (1F24), Bradford-on-Avon station
The 14.23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central service pauses at Bradford-on-Avon worked by FGW's 158960. This view shows some of Bradford's fine townhouses behind the train. Just out of view in the centre of the image is the house that I spent the first six years of my life in back in the 1960s. I now live over a hundred miles from here in the home counties but still feel a strange affinity when returning to what I could justifiably call 'home' I suppose!
Keywords: 158960 14.23 Portsmouth Harbour-Cardiff Central 1F24 Bradford-on-Avon station FGW First Great Western

159017, SW 15.51 Bristol Temple Meads-London Waterloo (1O60), Trowbridge station
It is virtually dark by the time that Andy and I reach Trowbridge station in my just acquired Saab 93 sports wagon (or estate as it is known by anybody else!). South West Trains' 159017 has just arrived working the 1O60 15.51 Bristol Temple Meads to Waterloo service. If all goes well this three-car unit will join with another that has originated from Exeter St. David's when it reaches Salisbury to complete its journey to London.
Keywords: 159017 15.51 Bristol Temple Meads-London Waterloo 1O60 Trowbridge station SWT South West Trains

Tickets, Northampton-Stapleton Road (note, missed connection Bristol Temple Meads-Stapleton Road)
Andy and I bought a set of advanced singles from Northampton to Stapleton Road (Bristol) using split ticketing and loading our two together discount. As can be seen, our preferred destination was Stapleton Road but due to our late-running inbound service from Gloucester, we had to abandon that leg of the trip in favour of a rather pricy taxi ride!
Keywords: Tickets Northampton-Stapleton Road Bristol Temple Meads-Stapleton Road

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