Preview

Craven Arms in the Welsh Marches on a Saturday 5th June 1971. The RCTS ‘The Heart of Wales Rail Tour’ ran on 5th June 197l is waiting for the right-away before heading right onto the Central Wales line, with Barry Docks being its next goal so that the participants can spend time exploring Woodham’s scrapyard and all the derelict steam locos stabled there. 6931 is a Class 37 English Electric Type 3 (later 37231/37896) and one of a large number allocated to South Wales at the time. This one’s home depot is Landore as can be seen by the code on the bodyside sticker� The train had started from London Kensington Olympia and travelled by means of the Great Western South Wales main line as far as Maindee Junction at Newport, where the EE Type 3 was waiting� It then turned north up the Western Region North and West route via Hereford to Craven Arms. The Class 47 (1675 ‘Amazon’ - later 47089) that brought the train from London ran light to Cardiff Canton for servicing whilst 6931 attached to the stock and was here forced to make a reversing move to gain access to the Central Wales line �

Leaning to the curve, English Electric Type 3 Class 37 number 6931 (37231, 37896) runs cautiously onto Knucklas Viaduct, over the Teme valley with the RCTS railtour from London, on the way to Llanelli and Barry Island� Once onto the viaduct full power needed to be applied to haul the train up from Knucklas station and on to Llangunllo. A photographic stop was laid on, further down the line, at Llandrindod Wells. The RCTS railtour (‘The Heart of Wales Rail Tour’) ran on 5th June 1971 from Kensington Olympia, returning to London Paddington�

The desolation of Pembroke Dock station is well defined on this miserable wet morning after the arrival of a WR Swindon Class 120 (Set C504) Cross Country DMU from Whitland. An English Electric Type 3 Class 37 waits to follow the DMU on its return journey. I often wondered whether anyone in Marylebone Road ever stopped to wonder whether their miraculous ‘economies’ actually caused potential passengers to turn away from using rail, faced with what a dump this and many other stations had become with zero investment�

Fishguard Harbour station was never a particularly attractive place to have to spend time and on an early autumn weekday afternoon it certainly doesn’t look at its best. It really only existed as an interchange point for travellers to and from the Rosslare Irish ferries, but it was possible to visit as an ordinary, inquisitive, passenger. Fishguard and Goodwick station, less than a mile up the line, was more appropriate for local travellers� Here the afternoon ferry connection has arrived from London Paddington in the late 1970s and the Brush Type 4 Class 47 has run round the stock and is ready for an imminent departure � It was a simple in and out job, with minimal waiting time � Under the current timetable there are two round trips to the station per day to connect with the ferries� The late evening train meets a ferry and departs around 23.00pm, but terminates at Carmarthen, leaving passengers with a five hour wait if they wish to travel further east on the first service of the day.