Steam Days Magazine July 2025 issue **20 PAGE FREE PREVIEW** by Mortons Media Group Ltd

STEPBACK TO1965!

No 431 Jul y2025

4Trains ofThought

5Two Somerset &Dorset school trips

INCLUDING THE LCGB‘NOTTS &LINCS RAIL TOUR’ & LINCSRAIL BRITISHRAIL–AFUTURE-PROOF BRITISHRAILWAYS? BRITISH RAIL –A FUTURE-PROOF BRITISH RAILWAYS?

Cove r: Bursting outfromHarbury Tunnel on July 24,1965, Collet t4900No. 6932 heads train1O32, the11.45 Wolverhampton(Low Level) to Poole. Aﬂurry of steam- hauled summer-dated inter- regional services to/ from theSouthernRegionoffered something differenttoPaddington- Birminghamdieselworked expresseshere, this oneoperating Saturdays- only July 10 to August 14.Beref t of its Burwar tonHall nameplates,the Ox ford loco made it to year endasone of thelast WesternRegion4 -6 -0s. NevilleSimms

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TR AINS of thought

Stepbackto1965! Tatisyourinvitefor this themed issue, whichissomethingdiferentfor SteamDays, butstillwithavariedmix of features –Somerset&Dorset, the‘Notts& Lincs Rail Tour,’ theIsleofWight,industrialsteam,and changing timesfor BR.All of thearticles centreon activities of theone year,withrecollections at theheart of threeofthem.

Whilethe number of loco classeswas diminishingonBRatthistime, it seemstomethat sometimesthe best railwaymemoriesare made at timeswhenyou must make aconcertedefort to trackdowncertain workings or locos, sometimesfollowing up atip-of, andthatleads to new adventures and, ofen, newdestinations. Te changing of theguard in termsofmotivepower waswelladvancedin1965, andthere wasmuchevolutioninevery respectonBritish Railways, whicheventookthe moment to shortenits name,doubtless buoyed by thefactthatthe West Coastelectrifcationwould serveEustonbythe endofthe year.DrRichard Beechingwas still the chairman of theBRB when BritishRailwas born,and hissecondreport(of February 1965) was, thankfully,not onethatled to action.Hewas steering clearofclosure suggestionsatthistime–thefall-out wasstill ongoingfromhis frst report –but wastalkingabout lines that were ‘not for development,’and apparently that included Newcastle-Edinburgh!

Oneaside of this era is theincreased useofthe 24-hour clock. We see1965 as theturning point, with thechangefromAM/PMinpublictimetables(actually September1964 forthe WesternRegion), so authorsmight seefttouse it from then,and ofen they arerailwaymen long since used to itsclarity forall hours. In termsoflonghours,wetakeour hatoftothe young Andrew Brittonwho waskeenenoughtobeatRydeStJohn’sRoadshedfrom22.30, through thewee smallhours andintothe afernoon of Saturday,June26, 1965, observingactivities, and nowrecallingitall,and also hisarticle naturallyalignstothe 24-hour clocktocross-reference with ofcial paperworkoflocodiagrams. Tatsuchitems were notthrownawaywhentheywere superseded is remarkable,but so tooisthe amount of photographsthatpertain to theday of the visitand hisknowledge of thestaf– it is ararebehindthe scenes insightintothe workings. It wasbusinessasusual on theIsleofWight railways in thesummer of 1965, butone change couldbenoted on theBritish Railways-owned paddle steamers that pliedtheir trade between Portsmouth Harbourand Ryde Pier –the appearance of thenew BritishR aildouble-arrowlogo on their funnels; itsdesignrepresentsatwo-way rail service. Covering thenew livery launch in itsFebruar y1965 issue, Te RailwayMagazine reported that ‘one of thefrstapplications of the newliver yhas been on BR ships. Te hull is blue with agreysuperstructure; theblack-topped funnel is redwiththe symbol in white’ andcontinued,‘alreadysometwentyofthe railways’ feet of more than ahundred shipshavebeenrepainted in thenew livery.’ Tatreporting seems to be from theliver ylaunch/exhibitionofJanuary 4toJanuary 23, so presumably therehad been lots of behind-the-scenes painting goingon. As forrailway stock, it appearsthat200 suburban electric multiple unitcarriages beingbuilt at thetimewerethe frst newstock to receive Monastral blue from theoutset.

Ihopeyou enjoyreading aboutour changing railwayof60years ago–Imight just dig out some recordsfor proper accompaniment… Imight startwithMrTambourineMan?Teversion by Te Byrdswas number oneinthe July charts, although Idon’t thinkthatthe ‘magic swirling ship’inthe lyrics is PS Ryde on atriptothe island!

Andrew Kennedy

ThefrstBritish Rail -branded timetablefor theSouthernRegion’sSouth WesternDivisionadver tisedthe Portsmouth H arbour-RydePierpaddlesteamer serviceasrunning 21 timesout ward (06.00 -21. 35)and 24 times (04. 50 -22.20)fromRydeonJune26, 1965,t he dayofour Ryde St John’s Road shed operationalreview, so that givesa measureofthe visitors .The accompanying photogra ph hast he BritishRaildouble- arrowadorningpaddlesteamers PS Sandown and PS Ryde at Portsmouth HarbouronAugust24, 1965,but with theirhulls blackrat hert hanblue. Note that on theirpor tsidet he newsymbolispointinglef t, toward thebow,which wast he of fcialpracticeonshipping, although contrary to itsother applications .One can’thelpbut be reminded of thepreviousera when thelion rampantfaced forwardonlocos ,soeit herlef torright ,and then doingt he same with aBRheraldicdevicesaw the CollegeofHeralds advising that as it is aheraldicdevice, thelionhad to face left at alltimes . Brit tonCollection

The frst British Rail- branded timet able for t he Southern Region’s South Western Division adver tised the arbour-Ryde Pier paddle steamer ser vice as running times out (06.0 0-21.35) and -22.20) from Ryde on June 26, 1965, t day of our St operational review, so t hat gives a measure of the visitors. The photograph has t British Rail double- arrow adorning paddle steamers on t heir por t side t new symbol is pointing lef t he bow, which was t offcial practice on shipping, contrar y to its other a pplications. One can’t help but t he previous era t he lion rampant faced for ward on locos , so eit her lef t or right , and t hen doing t a BR heraldic device saw t he College of Heralds that as a heraldic device, t he lion had lef t all times

TwoSomerset &Dorsetschool trips

Travelling with the CothamGrammar Railway Society, John Buxton made two journeys from Br istol (Temple Meads) to Bournemouthvia Bath (Green Park) and the Somer set & Dorset line in 1965, upbeatinMay, butmelanc holicinDecember,the S&D being down at heel andthought unlikely to sur vive the year

The frst of twoS&D sojourns with the Cotham GrammarRailway Society in 1965 wasonSaturday, May29, andorganised by histor yteacher Mr Janes, whowas undoubtedlyalong-timerailway enthusiast.Teschoolparty metnearthe oldBrunel/DigbyWyatt terminus platforms of Bristol(Temple Meads) station, before venturingintothe rather dark anddank trainshedwhere ourshort trainwas waitingat thefarthestplatform, Nos. 14/15. Comprising aMk. 1brake second (No. 15025), aBulleid semi-openthird(No.S3959S)and aBulleid frst/thirdcomposite coach(No.34237), plus aparcels van, it washeadedbyPeakclass 1Co-Co1Type4 diesel-electricNo. D128 Diesels, generallyusedon‘flling-in’turns, hadrecentlysupplantedsomeofthe British Railways Standard Class2-6-2tanks whichhad monopolisedthe Bristol(Temple Meads)-Bath (Green Park)ser vices fornearlyadecade.Te weatherwas dr yand fairly sunny, andeveryone in theparty wasexcited aboutthe prospectsfor theday ahead.

Whilet he me mber sofCot ha mG ra mm ar Ra il wayS oc iety we re as se mbling in Br is tolon Saturd ay,M ay 29,1965, da il ylifeont he Some rs et &D or setr ailway wa sunfolding much as it ha ddonefor deca de sbefore. At Evercreech Junc tion ,Ivatt 2MT2 -6 -2TN o. 41307h as shunte d it st ra in from thecentreroa dtot he pl at form ahea dofwor king the0 8.15 to High br idge .This wa st he return work ingoft he 07.0 0fromH ig hbridgea nd prov ided aconnect ionherew it ht he 06 .0 0fromB ristol (Tem pleM ea ds)toB ournemouth (Wes t) .G enerou sprovision fors undr ie s, pe rish able sa nd pa rcel tr af fc wa sa fe at ureoft ra inson‘ thebra nc h’ andref ec te dt he pa uc it yof pa ss enge rs Ke it hHB ar re tt Co llec tion

idla

to long -dis ta ncec ros s- countr ys er vice stoa nd from theM idla nd sa nd loca ls er vice stoB at h(Gree nPar k) .S oona fter le av ingTem pleM ea ds st at ion, Ba rrow Road engine shed wa spas se dont he left .The la st re doubtofs te am in thec it y, it swaning Midl andc ha ra cter wa sfur ther dilute dbyt he tr ansfer of engine sfromStPhillipsM ar sh shed when it clos ed on June 17,1964; Br is tol’sB at hRoa ds he dc lose ds omew hate ar lier,onS epte mber 12 ,1960, ahea dofconve rs iontoadie se ldepot .O ne of therefugee sfromStPhillipsM ar sh , Collet t5MT 4- 6- 0N o. 5955 Ga rt hH all is in awoe begone st ateint he ya rd at Ba rrow Road af te r it sw it hdrawa lint he we ek ending April21, 1965 .Coa lrecovered from thetende risa long side as theH allawa it st he ca ll to Bird s’ sc ra pyardatR isca ,w hich ca me on June 2. Rail -O nline

TheM

nd routeout

tolwas host

Four trains aday made thefull74-mile journeyeachway betweenBathand Bournemouth, most of whichwereadver tisedasstartingorterminating at Bristol( Temple Meads),but shor terworkings, of tenconnectingwithWestofEngland main line trains,ran to andfromTemplecombe.While thefrst southbound throughtrain from Bristolwas agreeablyearly,the frst northbound onefromBournemouth (West) wasnot until11.40,soany day-tripper wasbestadvised to studythe timetablebeforeventuring out. It wasprobablyamainlinedieselonafll-inturnthatarrived here at Bath (Green Park) with this train, the09.03 Bristol( Temple Meads) to Bournemouth( West)onJuly24, 1965,and aBRStandard5MT 4- 6- 0has nowbackedonready to head of foverthe Mendipswithits continuation south. Theguard checks with thedriverthatall is okay,the road aheadissignalled fordepar ture andthe splittingdistant beneathindicates that theroute will be theS&D at Bath Junction –a1-in-50 up gradebeyondthere on to thesingle-line needsasteady runup, with thecrewmindful that thereisa single -linetabletfor thesection to Midfordtopick-up as well Colour-Rail.com/22798

Ourtrain lef at 09.03, andonpassing Bristol’sBarrowRoadshedmyschoolfriends andInoted half adozen GreatWestern types, plus aStanier 8F andaBRStandardloco. All appeared to be in poor externalcondition,but theshedwas stillquite busy,despite thethen generalmanager’s ongoingconcerted eforts to eradicatesteam from theWestern Region Tiswas my frst runalong theold Midland RailwaylinetoBath(GreenPark), andI remember beingquite surprisedbythe size of thejunctionstation at Mangotsfeld.

RunningontoGreen Park station, I notedquite anumberoflocos on Bath shed, includingStanier 8F 2-8-0No. 48706,BR3MT 2-6-2T No.82041,Fowler 3F ‘Jinty’0-6-0T No.47544, plus twoBRStandard5 4-6-0s, Nos. 73054 and73068 –the latter wastobe

ourtrain engine.SoonaferarrivingatBath (Green Park), No.73068 backed down on to ourtrain in theS&D departure platform.Our service wasdue to departfromthe terminus at 09.53 and, as farasIcan remember,itlef on time.Ispent alarge part of thejourney with my head lookingout of adoordroplight,and it wasparticularlyatmospheric listeningto thelocomotiveclimbingthe banks, thefrst

of whichwas theclimb up to CombeDown Tunnel.Tis tunnel hada very restricted profle so that thelocochimney wasonly inches from thebrick-linedsoft. On entering thetunnel,Iimmediately retractedmy head from thedroplight window Ihad been lookingout of andfrmly shut it to reduce the cacophonyfromthe steamblastsimpacting on thelining; also,tocurtail theexcessive

Therewas anee dtorot ateout-s tationed engine sbet we en shed stoa ccommodate pla nned boiler wa sh -out sa nd ma inte na nce, thea ut hors ig ht ingFow le r3FN o. 4750 6r unning lightint he op posite direct ionfromhis ar riving tr ainatB at honM ay 29 –heret he 0- 6- 0T cont inue sonits waypas ta younga udie nceatt he sign alboxatWellowa sitm akes fort he su b- shed at Ra ds tock Thenor th endoft he S& Dc amefully unde rt he We ster nRegionfrom1958a nd although pa nnie r andCollett Good se ngines ha da rr ived to disp la ce theold Midl andorder in some area s, in the fn al ye ar smos toft he work ingf eetwas ma de up of BR St anda rd s. Theone enduring ‘M idla nd ’ cl as sweret he ‘J inties ’a lloc ated to Bath Gree nPar k, Nos. 47276, 4750 6a nd 47544in1965–t hey we re us ua ll ytobefound at Bath or in anda roundR ad stoc k, at Wr it hlington andN or tonH ill collie ries ,e ngaged as pilots ,s hunter sa nd on ba nk ingdut ie s. Ke it hH Barret tColle ct io n

amountsofsmoke andsteam that hadstarted to invade ourcarriage!

We picked up speedrunning downhill and on passingoverthe MidfordViaduct,MrJanes pointedout theformation of theold Camvalley line, informingusthatTeTitfeld Tunderbolt hadbeenflmed theresome12years or so earlier.Passingthe loco shed andsidings at Radstock,wenoted ‘Jinty’0-6-0T No.47506. I thinkthislocohad preceded us from Bath that morning, followingaboiler wash-out at Green Park shed. A‘Jinty’ wasstabled at Radstock each week to undertake theshuntingand tripping of coal wagons from thenearbycollieries at Writhlington andNortonHill; 8F No.48660 was also notedinthe vicinity

At 10.15 we passed BritishRailways4MT 2-6-4T No.80134, paused at Midsomer Norton stationwithanUpser vice,beforecoming to astopourselves at theDownplatform. No.80134 wasworking the09.05 stopping passengertrain from TemplecombetoBath (Green Park)and departedshortly afer our trainhad come to astand.Aferabrief stop at Midsomer Norton,No. 73068 pulled smartly away from thestation and, with only three coachesand aparcels vaninthe consist, climbing thegrade to Masbur ysummitwas achievedwithrelativeease.

Runningdownthe grade,our train made ascheduled stop at SheptonMallett andthenclimbedagain to Cannards Grave summit, before glidingoverPrestleigh Viaduct where, soon afer,wesaw construction work taking place to form thenew Bath &West Showground on thewestside of therailway. Onward ourtrain proceeded, passingthe junction with thebranchlinetoHighbridgeon theapproachtoEvercreechJunctionstation, whereInoted alineofbrake vans in the sidings. Ofen, locomotivestookwater here, andalthoughmymemor yisa little vague, I thinkNo. 73068 replenished itstender too. LeavingEvercreechJunctionontime, the runningwas much easier nowthatwewere clearofthe Mendip Hillsand,aferpassing over theGreat Western’sWestof Englandmain linenearWykeChampfowerand Wincanton, we were soon approachingTemplecombe.

Arriving at Templecombeat11.26, we alighted andlef theclassic 1930s-styleSouthern Railwaystation throughthe bookinghall, to walk to thelocoshed. Ashedpass, prearranged forthe groupbyMrJanes,meant that we would have no problemsgainingaccess.

At 11.48,the trainwehad earlier travelled on departed, beinghaulednorth,backout of thestation by BR-built Ivatt2MT tank pilot loco No.41216, towardsEvercreech, andthen stoppingclear of thejunction. Afer dropping of thepilot loco,No. 73068 restartedthe trainsouthwardsand took thelinetowards Blandford, passingusaswe‘spotted’ engines outside thelocoshed. On ourshedvisit I recorded alocobeingcoaledbymeans of an ancienthand-operatedhoist,lifingand then dischargingtubsofcoal into aloco’sbunker, probably No.80013, andIalsoclearly remember

Thea ut hor’st ra in to Bour ne mout h( We st)was time dtopas sanor th boundpas se nger tr ainat Ra ds tock (N or th)but instea de ncountered thel ate- runnings er vice at Mids omer Norton .H aule d by BR 4MT2 -6 -4TN o. 80134, thes amee nginea nd se rv ice–t he 09.0 0Tem plecom be to Bath (G re en Pa rk)–get sawayfromC hilcom pton at 10 .09onOctober 16 ,1965; next stop,M id some r Norton .The work ingbegan as the07.10 from Bour ne mout htoTem plecom be ,w he re it rece ss ed in theyardfor 30 minute sbefores hunt ingontot he re ar of the0 5. 58 Br is tol( Te mp le Me ad s) to Bour ne mout h( We st)int he pl at form fort he shor thop to Te mp lecombeJ unct ion, wheret he two tr ains sp littogot he ir se pa rate ways ,a neconomica rr ange me nt th at alleviated thenee dfor both tr ains to em ploy thes er vice sofadraw- ba ck engine .The Mond ay-to- Fr id ay work ings ta rted at Broa ds tone ,at07. 32 ,ins te ad of at Bour ne mout h. Mich ae lA ll en /R NS mi th Co ll ec tion

Acou pleofwee ks before thejourney deta iled in this ar ticle, BR St anda rd 5MT4 -6 -0 No.730 68 ca ll satW inca nton with thes amewor king,t he 09.03B ristol (Tem pleM ea ds)toB ournemouth (Wes t) on May15, 1965 .The S& D’sdis pa raging nick na me wa sget ting ever clos er to thet ruth af te rt he ce ss at ionoflong- dist ance tr ains andd aily Pine sE xpre ss at thee nd of thes umme r1962 timeta ble. This left thelinew it ha re sidu al timeta bleconsist ings toppingt ra insa nd at be st ,s emislow se rv ices .For exam ple, this throug ht ra in took ju st over four hour storea ch thes ea side at Bour ne mout h. DavidE sau/ Bl ue be ll Rail wayM useu mA rc hi ve

Af te rc alling at Te mp lecombes tation andindulging in thepilot engine as sisted dr aw-bac kout to Te mp lecombeJ unct ion, No.730 68 is letloose againa nd he ad ss outh on thes ingle- line to Bl andfordFor um with the09. 03 from Br is tol( Te mp le Me ad s) to Bour ne mout h( We st)onM ay 15 ,1965. TheWes tofE ng la nd ma in line is on thehor izon andt hist ra in wa st imed to ma ke connec tion at thes tation with the09. 20 from Exeter (Centr al )to Sa lisbur y, whic hont he occa sion of thea ut hor’sv is it twowee ks late rwas ha uled by Ty pe 4War ship dies el -hydra ulic No.D 866 Ze br a.S &D se rv ices didatlea st st illprovide au sefulinterch ange with tr ains on this line butdemot ionoft he Sout hWes te rn routetos econda ry st at us by theWes te rn Region from thes ta rt of thew inte r1964t imet able ha ds ee nt he endofs te am work inga nd theint roduct ionofareduced se mi -f as tt imet able of fe ring fewe rt rave lopt ions betwee nt he twolines . DavidE sau/ Bl ue be ll Rail wayM useu mA rc hi ve

alineofstored/withdrawn locos. Notedonthe shed were thefollowing locomotives:

Serviceable

Collett5700 0-6-0PT:4631

Ivatt2MT 2-6-2T:41208,41214, 41216, 41223, 41243

BR 5MT 4-6-0: 73051

BR 4MT 4-6-0: 75072

BR 4MT 2-6-4T:80013,80041,80059,80146

Stored and/orwithdrawn

Collett2251 0-6-0: 3201, 3205

Collett5700 0-6-0: 9647

Ivatt2MT 2-6-2T:41242

BR 4MT 4-6-0: 75003

BR 4MT 2-6-4T:80067

Returningtothe station, we boardedthe stoppingser vice to Bournemouth(West)that departedat12.23. Te manoeuvrewas as described earlier,withour trainpulledback outofthe stationinthe Evercreech direction by apilot loco,No. 41216, this stopping clearofthe junction.Aferuncouplingthe pilotloco, No.41208 then took over andwe headedsouthwardstowards Blandfordand Bournemouth(West). At Blandfordstation,we

Te mp lecombes he dwas ju st as hort wa lk from thes tation andw hile st illver ymuc hatt he ce nt re of oper at ions it al so beca me as torage pointfor outofwor korw it hdrawn engine sa st he us eof stea mwas wounddow ne ls ew he re .O nJ ul y22, 1965 ,B RSta nd ard4 MT 2- 6- 4T No.8 0041 ha s be en positioned at therea roft he shed with thebunke rlined up re ad yfor coalingbyt he hois t. A prea rr ange dgroup visitbac kinM ay sawt he ap pa ratu sinu se andt he inte rludeoffered abre ak in thejour ney down to Bour ne mout h. KP aye/ Kidd er mi ns ter Rail wayM useu m

Ivat t2 MT 2- 6-2T No.412 08 ha sa rr ived at Te mp lecombew it ht he 09.4 5fromH ig hbridge, deta ched andr un forwardintot he ya rd on Thur sd ay,M ay 13,1965; thes amee nginetookt he sc hool pa rt yfor wa rd on the12. 23 Te mp lecombetoB ournemouth (Wes t) afew we ek sl ater.I nt he dist ance ,a BR St anda rd 4MT2 -6 -4Tism ar sh alle dons tock ,mos tlikel yfor the12. 05 to Bath (G re en Pa rk), andaB R5MT 4- 6- 0com pletes thesce ne .The re wa ss till some freightbus ines sbut ac tivity in theyardisgre at ly re duce dfromits heyd ay andmuc hofw hatwas left he re on theS &D wa sope rate d in ar at he rdis jointed ,loc alis ed ma nner betwee nEve rc re ec hJ unct ion, Poole, Bl andfordFor um andYeovilJ unct ion.

Apigeonbas keta nd mope da re on the nort hbound platfor ma sIvatt 2MT2 -6 -2T No.412 83 ar rive satB la nd ford Forumw it ht he 12 .30fromTem plecom be on Augu st 13,1965. Afew va ns in thegoods shed aretes ta me nt to good sf ac ilit ie ss till be inga ct iveherea nd although theprovision wa sw it hdrawn at the inte rmediate st at ions from April5,1965, thepas sing loopsatSta lbridge, St ur mins te r Newton andS hillings tone re ma ined in us e to brea ku pt he 16 -miles ingle- line sect ion from Te mp lecom be Junc tion .Fromhere, eightmiles of double -t ra ck followed to CorfeM ulle nJ unct ion, before as hort ,f na l sect ionofs ingle- line to Broa ds tone ,w he re double -t ra ck Sout he rn meta ls took tr ains on to Bour ne mout h. Although thea ut horwas able to te rmin ateatB our ne mout h( We st)at thee nd of May, S& Dt ra inscea se du sing the te rminus at thebeginning of Augu st ,s ot wo we ek sprior to this view Jo hn Bird

Thec ha ra cter of thelinea sit woundits way throug ht he Dors et countr ys ideprovide d cont ra st to theroute nort hofTem plecom be . BR St anda rd 4MT4 -6 -0 No.75072 he ad s wh at is probably the11. 40 Bour ne mout h (Centr al )toB ristol (Tem pleM ea ds)pas tt he sing le pl at form at He ns tr idge in Nove mber 1965 .Thiss er vice wa sbooke dtopas st he 12 .30Tem plecom be to Bour ne mout hat St albr idge so wa sc le ar ly runningl atew he n thes amee nginea nd work ingwerepas se dat Bl andfordbac kinM ay.J us tafew mile ss outh of Te mp lecombe, tr af fc ne ed satH enst ridge neve rjus ti fed prov is ionofa pa ss ingloop. Co lo ur-R ail .com /S D160

passed BR 4MT 4-6-0No. 75072 on the11.40 Bournemouth(West)toBath(GreenPark) service –Irecall that No.75072 wasblowing of steamasweentered theplatformloop. We arrivedatBournemouth (West) at 13.49 andquicklychangedtrainsfor arun to Bournemouth(Central), whereanother pass

Bour ne mout h( We st)s tation wa sa lwaysregarde dbyt he we ll -to- do as thec iv ilis ed st ar ta nd endofat ra in jour neya st he re wa snourgency when joiningorleaving at ra in .H owever,itoffered minima linteres ttoa grou pofe nt hu sias ts from Br is tol, as therea la ct ionwas at Bour ne mout h (Centr al )w he re as he dv is it ha dbee na rr ange d. So,a fter ar riva lfromB at h, thenextava il able Up se rv icewas ta ke n, it sroute tr aver sing thev ia duct on thee as ts ideoft he tr ia ng le at Br anks ome–wejoina simila rjourney as it ne ar st he ma in line junc tion at Ga swor ks Junc tion sign albox. Jo eKen t/ Bl ue be ll Rail wayM useu mA rc hi ve

allowed us to seethe wide selectionofSRmotive poweronshed. Notedespeciallywerea dozen or so Bulleid Pacifcs andmanyStandardtypes. Tese locos were generallyinbettercondition than theWestern Region ones we hadpassedat Bristol. Iclearly recall standing on theash piles at thedepot with my friendStuartMullinsto view theBournemouth Bellepullingawayon its short journeytothe terminus at Bournemouth (West), hauled by Merchant Navy loco No.35022 Holland-AmericaLine.Whatajoy to watch the atmosphericefortsofthe engine andtosee the beautifulumber andcream Pullmancoaches pass us by.Itwas trulyaninspiring sight to behold, andstill,aferall theseyears,the sceneisdeeply embeddedinmymemory. Aferwards, we caught thefollowing traintoBournemouth (West).

Ourreturnjourney departedontimefrom Bournemouth(West)at15.40. Tiswas thesame consistasour earlier journeyfromBath, again hauled by No.73068,and Iunderstandthatthe parcelsvan wascarryingmails fortransferto the19.25 BristoltoNewcastle train. Icannot remember clearlybut at either Wincantonor EvercreechJunction, No.41243 attached acattle wagontothe rear of ourtrain,which,inviewof theloudbraying andlowingofthe beasts, must have unsettledthe cattle.While Wincantongoods yard hadclosed in spring 1965, thereisevidence in Jefery Grayer’s book,Sabotaged andDefeated –AfnalGlimpse: Burnhamto Bournemouth, of a2-6-2tankshuntingvansintoWincanton’s sidings afer ofcial closure. So,thisshunting

manoeuvrecould have occurred at Wincanton butwas more likely to have been carriedout at EvercreechJunction.

At EvercreechJunctionstation we passed No.75072 again, this time headingupthe 16.35 Bath (Green Park)toTemplecombe service. I

remember that twoofthe older boys in theparty, oneofwhomwas StephenPooley, managedto persuade thedriverofour traintolet them have a cabride on No.73068fromEvercreechJunction forpartofthe way–lucky devils!Proceedingon, we arrivedatBath(GreenPark) on time at 18.56

BR St anda rd 4MT4 -6 -0 No.75072 runs into Evercreech Junc tion with the16. 35 from Bath (G re en Pa rk)toTem plecom be in 1965 –a tr io of thes e engine swerejus tafew mont hs oldw he nt heya rr ived on thelineinJ une1956a nd soon beca me af xt ureons er vice s. This enginea nd cl as sm ate No.75073 we re condemne datTem plecom be at thee nd of 1965 ands ubse quentl ys tore datB at h. Sold to TW Wa rd ’s sc ra pyardatR ingwood, BR foundits el fc ha sing ar apidly clos ingw indowtoavoid alonga nd tort uous alte rn at iveroute when thepairlef tB at hjus tbeforenoononFriday, Ma rc h4 ,1966, be hind BR 4MT2 -6 -0 No.76026 .Theyrea ched Te mp lecombes he dt hatd ay andt he n, on theS unday, hitc he dalif ttoB la nd ford ForumbehindB ullied 4- 6-2s Nos. 34 013a nd 34 057ret ur ning lighttoB ournemouth af te rwor king af arewelltoura nd become thever yl as t move me nt over thes ec tion to Bl andford, whic hwas st ay ingope ntofre ig ht worked from Poole. Su bs eque nt ly,B R4 MT 2- 6- 4T No.8 0146 move d thepairtot he bayp latfor matW im borne, from wheret he da il ygoods tr ip pe dt he montoR ingwood. Thes et wo andB R4 MT 2- 6- 4TsN os .8 0096 and8 0102 we re theonl ye ngines broken up at Ring wood ,a lt houg hl arge sect ions of ot he re ngines most ly cutu patE as tleigh ha dfound theirway to theyardpreviou sl y. To ny Doyl e/ RNS mi th Co ll ec tion

andsoended averymemorable daytripdown theline. My abidingrecollectionofthe Somerset &Dorsetwas that,eventhoughthe linewas under threat of closure, it wasstill very much a well-run, functioningrailway

Te runbacktoBristol (TempleMeads)was behinda BrushType4(laterdesignatedClass

Co al is no wr at he rd ep le te di nt he te nd er fo rt he ru nu po ve rt he Me nd ip sa sB RS ta nd ar d 5M T4 -6 -0 No .7 30 68 ge ts aw ay fr om Ev er cr ee ch Ju nc ti on in mi lk ye ve ni ng li gh tw it ht he 15 .4 0f ro mB ou rn em ou th (Wes t) to Br is to l( Te mp le Me ad s) on Sa tu rd ay,M ay 15 ,196 5. Lo ca te do nt he A371 be tw ee nE ve rc re ec ha nd Ca st le Ca ry an dw it hl it tl ep op ul at io ni

47), departing at 19.03 andreachingTemple Meadsat19.44. IthencaughtaNo. 5Bristol Omnibustomyhome. Iknocked at thefront door,whichmyfatheropenedwitha startled look –bothheand my mother were quite shocked to seetheir sonwithaface as blackas the‘ace of spades,’asmyfatherdescribed me.I wasquite oblivioustothe soot andsmuts which hadadhered to my face followingsomanymiles lookingforward from thedoordrop-lights behindsteam locomotives. Ican,however, clearlyrememberthe smutsand particlesof ashthatlodgedinmyeyesduringthe journey –someofwhichtookalot of blinking and rubbingtoremove. Greatmemories!

Saturday,December 4

Te second 1965 Cotham GrammarRailway Societyschooltripwas quitea contrast to our earlier excursion. Congregating just before 09.00, theday begancoldbut dry, ourparty glad to boardthe trainatBristol (TempleMeads)and feel thebeneft of thesteam-heatedcarriage. Tistimethe 09.00 trainfromTempleMeads lef behindPeakclass dieselNo. D34. Te train consistwas similartoour earlier trip,witha brake second,athirdand afrst/thirdcomposite coach, plus theregularvan carrying mail.Lessthana mile from Temple Meadswepassedthe sadscene of an emptyBarrowRoaddepot made redundant during thepreviousmonth,the last steam locomotive having departedonNovember20.

On theapproachtoBath(GreenPark), Stanier 8F2-8-0s Nos. 48760 and48732 were notedon shedand pannier No.3681 was, Ithink, on station pilotduties, butthere wasalineof out-of-steam locos alongside theMidland shed,including agrimy,green-liveried BR Standard 3MT, No. 82004. Also spottedwas BR 4MT 2-6-4T No.80059, aHornbyDublo modelofwhich I recalled seeinginthatcompany’s catalogue. Standard5MT 4-6-0No. 73001 was, however, blowingofsteam outside of thestation,waiting forour traintoberth in theS&D departure platform. Subsequently, followingour arrival, this

On agreyd ay in late 1965 ,N o. 48760moves of ft he S& Ds he datB at h. St anie r8 Fa nd ‘Aus te rity ’ 2- 8- 0s we re tr ia lled on theS &D in the1950s butweredis miss ed at thet imedue to in adequate br ak inga bility.N onet he le ss ,Sta nier 8F Nos. 48436a nd 48471werea lloc ated to Bath in Oc tobe r 1961,a nd furt he rexa mp le sm aderedunda nt from theCentr al Wa le slinedis pl aced thel as toft he S& D’sown 7F 2- 8- 0s in 1964 .Byt he nt he re we re four work ingdiagr am scovered by Br is tolt rips Nos. 953-956. From Se ptem be r1965, No.953 worked twod aily tr ipsfromB at htoWrithling ton Collie ry at thes ta rt ande nd of thediagr am .I nbet we en thes e, thee nginedid twot rips ta king em pt ie stoN or tonH illCollier y, ret ur ning with loaded coal ,a ll with exte ns ivetende rf rs t running, as therewas no me ansoft ur ning thee ngine. Tr ip work ings Nos. 954a nd 955r an of f theS &D or we re loca ltoB at ha nd Br is tol, whileN o. 956r an to theB ristol area butt he ndid the eveningfre ig ht from Bath to Winc antona nd ba ck again. Co lo ur-R ail.co m/13124

loco backed down andcoupled up to ourcarriages inthe platform.Our partyalighted from thetrain ontothe platform to inspectNo. 73001. Iwas surprisedtosee thepoorexternalcondition of this loco.Ihad witnessedmanyengines in arun-down condition over previous years, butnever so bad asthis4-6-0, with itsrusty exterior, particularly around thesmokebox.

Although we didnot know it at thetime, this loco hadfailedatMidsomerNortonthree days earlier whileworking the09.53 Bath to Bournemouth service.Tedoyen of S&D photography, IvoPeters, had been travelling on thefootplate at thetime, and hesubsequentlyrelated howthe cabhad become

engulfed in steamfromasevereblow-backdue to a fracturedblowersteam pipe.Fortunately,neither Ivo northe crew were injured.

Gettingbacktoour main story, with No.73001 nowfullyrepairedand having agood

BR St andard 4MT2-6 -4TNo. 80 059pre -heats empt ystock in thecentreroadatBat h(Green Park)station,its days as oneofthe poster boys forHornbyDublo modelrailwaysnow over af terparentcompany Meccanocalledint he receiverst he previous year.The engine wasnot so gainfullyemployedont he occasion of the author ’s fnal outingovert he S&DinDecember 1965 butwas oneoft he many engines awaiting itsfateont he nearby shed Colour-R ail.com/19243

Theweather ha st ur ne ds ince sett ingout ,but ares pect able turnoutofpas se nger sawa it the ar riva lofB RSta nd ard5MT 4- 6- 0N o. 73001 on the09. 00 from Br is tol( Te mp le Me ad s) to Bour ne mout h(Ce nt ra l) at Winc antonon Dece mber 4, 1965 –t heyw illh avetoconte nd with me mber sofCot ha mG ra mm ar Ra il way Societ yonboa rd if they wa nt as pa ce at a drop lightw indow, though .I ncommonw it h ma ny inte rmediate st at ions ,gener al good s tr af fc fnis he dherefromA pr il 5, 1965 ,but Clinke r’sRegis te rindic ates th at aprivate siding agre ementkeptt he siding sope n untilt he line clos ed .The re wa st imet abling prov is ioninB ristol tr ip 956, whic hlef tB at hat 15 .0 0a nd ret ur ne dfromW inca nton at 18 .35, butw hether anyt ra ffca ct ua ll yr an beyond Evercreech Junc tion in this pe riod is not know n. Hu gh Ba ll an ty ne /R ailP ho to pr int s

head of steam, we departedfromGreen Park stationontimeat09.53. Te loco climbedwell, thoughnoisily throughCombe Down Tunnel, andweswept down throughMidfordand later Iseemtorecallpassingalight loco runningon the Up linetoBathinthe vicinity of Shoscombe. Passingthe workingcoalmineatWrithlington and runningonwards towardsRadstock, the‘Jinty’ 3F 0-6-0T that wasusuallytobe seen in theyard did notappeartobepresent.Iunderstandthatthis wasbecause of theincidentonDecember1,when No. 47276 wascalledupontohaulthe failed BR Standard5MT to Bath.Evidently, No.47506had been sent from Bath to deputise, workingout the lastcoupleofdaysofthe workingweekon local coal trafcduties. Ibelieve this mayhavebeen thelight loco that we hadpassed10minutes or so earlier on itsway back to Bath

Ourjourney continuedwithout incident, to Templecombe. We weren’tplanning to visit Templecombedepot this time butnoticeda number of BR 2MT and4MT tank locosonshedaswewere running into thestation.Herewealighted to seethe pilot locomotive,BR4MT 2-6-4T No.80037, couple up to therearofour train. Te driver kindly allowed us to ‘cab’thisloco. LeavingTemplecombe,frstly hauled by thepilot loco before changing direction andheading onwardstowards Bournemouth headedbyNo. 73001, thejourney wasuneventful, buton this occasion we went directlytoCentral station rather than Bournemouth(West)asthe latterhad closed to S&D trains in August Ourjourney over theratherdesolate-looking S&D linecameintosharp contrast once we enteredontothe Southern main line, whichstill hadthe look of abusysteam-workedrailway.At

Bournemouth, as forour earlier trip,weagain visitedthe depot,whichwas packed with Southern Pacifc locos (15 noted), andBRand LMS Standard types(19 noted). However, we were somewhat disappointed to seethe Down BournemouthBelle in thehands of aBrush Type 4loco. LeavingBournemouth (Central)atabout twenty to four,the runbacktoBath(Green Park)uneventful, particularly as theevening startedtodrawinsoonaferour departure Accordingly, most of thejourney wasthrough dark landscapes andratherboring, theonly exception beingthe obligatory shuttlingofthe trainatTemplecombe.Onthe way, as we called at thecoldand lonely lookingstationsenroute andlater pulled in to theratherdesolate-looking GreenParkstation,myschoolfriends andI pondered over theimpendingdemise of the

Aftermakingthe Templecombecalland undertakingthe draw-backout to TemplecombeJunction, BR 5MTNo. 73001heads southunder theWestofEngland mainlinewiththe 09.00Bristol (TempleMeads)toBournemouth (Central)onDecember24, 1965.The joke aboutatimetable beingaclosely guardedsecret isatleast partly true with theS&D –by1964, timetablingwas spread acrosst wo regionsand threeworking timetables,all of whichseemtobesubject to multiplesupplementissues! Thefullpublictimetable,however,doesappearinboththe Westernand Southern region booksbut wasrenderedsubject to ‘alterations’ aftertrainswerediver tedtouse Bournemouth(Central) when thelinebet ween Branksomeand BournemouthWestJunctionwas takenout of usefromAugust1,1965. This enabledtrack work alterationsfor thenew electric depotatBournemouth West Carriage Sidingstoget underway,a busser vice, meanwhile,maintaining apretence that thelinewas stillopen. This wassoonfollowedbycessation of passengertrainsbet ween Gasworks Junction and Bournemouth (West) from September6,althoughoffcial closureofWeststation wasnot untilOctober 4, 1965. PJ Lynch/Kidderminster RailwayMuseum

The12S&D menatBrank some shed were transferredand absorbed into thelinks at Bournemout hshedinthe winter of 1963 when theirshedshut. TheBournemouth (Central)204hp Drewry pilothas drawnt he stockoft he newly- arrivedS&D servicefromBristol (TempleMeads)out of the plat form andintot he carriage sidingsont he Up side ,BRStandard5MT 4- 6- 0No. 73001now free to runontot he shed forser vicing in late 1965.The cabsidenumberhas been cleaned, andahand- paintedsmokeboxnumberhas restored some dignit ytot he Bath (Green Park)allocated engine ,but thelocal St andard 4MT2-6 -4Tont he shed remainsanonymous as it awaits itsnextdut yalongside BR 4MT2-6 -0 No.76010.Noneoft hese Moguls were allocatedtot he S&Dbut they were frequent visitors ,especiallyafter Bournemout hshedgainedafew turnsoverthe S&D. Colour-R ail.com/19258b

Whileapairofinc re as ingl ydec re pitB ritish Ra il ways St anda rd 5MT4 -6 -0 swerea ct ive at Bath Gree nPar km aint aining se rv ices over theS &D as be st they could, av is it to Bour ne mout hs he dprovide dacontr as t in fort unes –ingru bbybut rather better sh apewef nd Ea st le ig h- allocate dc la ss mate No.73170 ca ug ht in thea fter noon sunlig ht in late 1965 . Co lo ur-R ail.co m/19 259a

line. Te infrastructurewas clearlyin afar more run-down conditionthanwehad experienced earlier in theyear, anditwas clearthatthe line hadalready enteredits deaththroes.

Having againenjoyed haulagebehindBR 5MT No.73001,itisworth digging alittledeeper intothat4-6-0’sblow-backincidentatMidsomer Norton on December1.Itappears that afer a relativelyshort interval of 20 minutes or so,the debilitatedNo. 73001was movedtothe goodsyard andStanier 8F 2-8-0No. 48760, whichhad been lurkingoncoaltrain duties at thenearbyNorton Hill Colliery, wassummoned to take over the train, the09.53 Bath (Green Park)-Bournemouth (Central). Tisheavy freight engine took the train forwardtoEvercreechJunction, wherethe tender wasreplenishedwithwater.Tetrain then continuedtoTemplecombe,but Iamnot sure if the8Fcontinued on from there, or if exchanged for anotherloco. However, Iunderstandthatthe service arrivedatBournemouth (Central)justover anhourlate. In thecircumstances, this wasquite a creditable performance– it wasindeed lucky St anie r8 F 2- 8- 0N o4 8309 lift samixed good sont he up gr adet hrough Mids omer Norton (S outh)s tation as it ma ke sits way up andove rt he Me ndips, sout hbound in the spring of 1965 .The re areafew va ns at the re ar,but theloa dismos tl ycoa l. Although unrecorded ,t he work ingislikel ytobet ra in 7C11,t he 06 .2 0fromB at h(Gree nPar k) to Yeov il Junc tion ,w hich this engine worked as fa ra sTem plecom be .This, howeve r, wa sa n er aofret re nc hmenta nd freque nt timeta ble revisions, timing sont ra inss uc ha st hisr arel y re ma inings ta blefor long. Co lo ur-R ail.co m/ SD4 45

Access to Norton Hill Colliery at Midsomer Norton wasvia ashunt over atrailingconnectionont he Down line.Southboundempties from Bath would draw to ahaltint he st ationand were hauled into thecollier ysidings by aBRpilot engine.Fowler3F0 -6 -0TNo. 47276isondut yand conversely brings aloadedtrain,completewit hbrake van, outoft he colliery andintot he st ation, whichwillthencontinueonits waytoBat hbehinda St anier8 F2-8 -0, the‘Jint y’ returningtot he colliery sidings. Much of theout putfromt he Somerset coalfeldswenttoPor tisheadpower st ation. Af tertransferfrom Bromsgrove shed in April1964, No.47276 wasone of atrioof‘Jinties’ at Bath,which shrunk to apairfromDecember1965but nonethelessremained active untilthe fnal dayinM arch 1966.The colliery also employed itsown engine ,which at this late st agewas a1931Hunslet Engine Co Ltd0 -4 -0T (Works No.1684),but itstimeherewas briefast he pitclosedatt he same time as theS&D,a victim more of manpower shor tagesrat hert han production issues .The Hunsletsur vivesand hashappily recent ly been sold to theMiddleton RailwayinLeeds . RN Smit hCollection

that No.48760 wascloseathandwhenNo. 73001 failed.Moreseriously,itisimportant to realise that thecircumstances couldhavebeensomuch worse, as both thecrewand IvoPeterscould so easilyhavebeenbadly scaldedbythe blow-back. Continuingwiththe otherinteresting aspects of this story, afer thedeparture of No.73001’s erstwhiletrain, thelocolimpedto Radstock shedfor assessment,but it wasnot possible to undertake therepairthere,sosubsequentlythe Standard5 washauledbypristine‘Jinty’ 0-6-0T No.47276 to Bath forftters’ attention. Apparently, afer itsrepair, No.73001 ranevery 09.53 BathBournemouthservice (and theafernoonreturn train) rightthrough to December31without a boiler wash-out!Tis wasbecause theonlyother serviceable Standard 5, No.73068, waswithdrawn onDecember2,soNo. 73001 soldiered on alone, regardless. In theknowledge that it only hadafew weeksoflifelef, it seemsthatadecisionwas made to abandonthe weekly wash-outs, as longer-term serviceabilitywasn’tanissue!

ReturningtoNo. 47276 –why wasitsoclean andtidy? Well,acoupleofmonthsearlier this 3F wasspeciallypainted green(on oneside only) to take part in theflmingofthe Ealing Studios productionWrong Box, whichwas setin theearly 1900s andstarred PeterCook, Dudley Moore

andMichael Caine. Once theflmingwas over, thecontractrequired theflm companytofully repaintthe loco in BR blacklivery, completewith newnumberand emblem transfers, so thereafer No.47276 wasone of thesmartestlocos on the linefor itslastfew months in service. Interestingly, thecoaches used forthe flmingwerethree venerableBurry Port &GwendraethValleyRailway (BP&GVR) vintagevehicles, whichwiththeir fatter, curved roofslookedjustthe part forthe setting of theflm. Te roofs, by theway,wereoriginally formed in this waysimply to cope with thevery restrictedloadinggauge of theBP&GVR. It was apity, therefore, that thelocoand coachesonly actually appear in theflm forafew seconds. During the period of theflming, IcycledovertoBath, was givenafascinatingtourofthe depot,and hadsome very interestingdiscussions with thefriendlyshed stafwho showedme, amongthe otherlocos on shed, No.47276 in itstemporary guise.

With ourexpectation that theS&D routewould be closed by theend of themonth,our trip on December4was tingedwithsadness, in contrast to thefrstexcursionwhenwehad amorepositive disposition in thehopethatthe linemight be reprieved. Acontemporary Modern Railways article gavesomeoutlinedetails of apossibledieselised (DMU) service that might have been implemented if theMinister forTransport refusedpermissionto closethe line. Hadthishappened, enablingthe line to continue into thefuture, theroute’s operatingcosts would undoubtedlyhavebeensubstantiallyreduced. However, as some of ourgroup hadtaken ‘passenger

counts’ateachstation on both trips, it wasclear that asubstantial fnancial subsidywould still have been necessary.Without doubt, theimplementationof abettercustomer-focussed timetablewithbetter connectionswould have helped, though Regrettably, it wasnot to be.However, unexpectedly, thelineclung on foranother three months,withareduced‘emergency’ service operating from January3,1966, duetoproblems licensingthe replacementbus services.Atthe time,withmymelancholy impressions of theline inits moribund statefromour Decembertrip, I feltnoinclination to travel on or even seethe S&D again. My only regret, lookingback, is that Inow wishthatI’d snappedout of this stupor andmade theefort to seethe specialenthusiasts’excursions Shortage of pocket moneyfor busfares,however, wasdoubtlessanother factorinmydecisionmaking, butinretrospect, Ishouldatleast have cycled to Lyncombe Vale or Midfordfrommy Bristol home to watch thespecialsgoby!

Finishingonapositive note, Iamjustso pleased that Ihad theopportunity to travel on the Somerset &Dorsetonthese twooccasions.While Iwas tooyoung to have experiencedthe halcyon daysofthe early1960s, with theS&DJR 7F 2-8-0s and BR Standard 9F 2-10-0s on summer Saturday holiday extras, IamgratefulthatIrodeonthe line. I trustthisarticle demonstratesthatthere wasstill muchofinteresttosee andexperienceevenduring its last year of service. Iwouldn’t have missed these trips foranything, andIshall be forevergratefulto ourhistory teacher, Mr Janes, fororganisingthem!

WesternRegionmanagementhad done allit could to work towardsanannouncementthat steamwould be eliminated from theregionfrom thestart of 1966 butthe last-minutewithdrawalof an operator foraplanned replacementbus service forced BR to implementanemergency timetable on theS&D,withthe retention of steamuntil thesituation couldberesolved. Needless to say, it wasevenmorefragmentedthanthe existing timetableand of ferednothrough trains at all, but ultimately does perhaps, serveasametaphorfor WesternRegionattitudetowards theline.

Industrial interlude: 1965

Forsome enthusiasts ,the quest to witness steamatworkin 1965 embraced the industr ial scene ,whic hoffered var iety in motivepower,the type of traffc andthe setting, be it withinan industr ial complex,urban or rural.

Glim ps es of an indu st rial loco at work ,e spie dfromapas sing tr ain, maytem pt av is it to inve st igate– this we st-f ac ingsce ne includes theS et tle& Ca rlis le line cros sing Long MegV ia duct ,but ce nt re st ageisa Br it is hGypsum- ow ne d0 - 4 - 0ST. On Augu st 27,1965, Andrew Ba rc lay, Sons &Co Work sN o. 2361 wa sbooke d0 6. 00 -23. 00 Mond ay-Friday, tr ip ping allt ra ffcfromL ongM eg mine to BR exch ange siding sjus toff to thelef toft his scene. Beyond gr ub by,t he ‘gaf fe r’ st ated th at theliver yisolive gree n, with ye llow lining,red bu ffer be am s, bl ac kbuf fe rs and‘ W. S. T.’ont he side ta nk s–W illiam Steu ar tTrimble wa salea ding lightoft he Long MegPla ster &M iner al Co Lt d. It ss itemoder nisation sawan ar rowgauge line re pla ce d, this 0 - 4 - 0STa rr iv ingonJ une10, 1954 ,bra nd -new.The site’s pre- histor yisto188 0, andw it hreope ning in 1922 fora nhydrite extr ac tion , while1939s aw at akeove rbyB ritish Pl as te rB oa rd Lt d( late rB ritish Gy ps um Lt d) .M oret ha nf ve milliontonne sofa nhydrite we re ship pe dfrom he re to Widnes by thet imet hiss itec lose dinJ anua ry 1976 ,a lt houg ht he Ba rc laywas away to Cock la ke sWor ks ,Cumwhinton, in 1969,a nd most ly st andbytoadie se lt he re ;ith as be en at theB owes Ra il ways ince 1980 butisnot in se rv ice. Ke nt Pl an t/ Indu st ri al Rail wayS oc ie ty

Once againaBRlineisinview–WenningtontoMorecambe andHeysham –asanother ‘Barclay’catches theeye,Works No.1950of1928. Oneoft wo 0 - 4 - 0FsemployedatLancaster PowerStation,freless locosmadegooduse of theample steamavailable on site.OnNovember6,1965, we areona footbridgetothe southsideof theLuneAqueductofthe LancasterCanal,withthe RiverLunecrossed.Thissiteisbothsouth andnor th of thecanal embankment, with thelocopropellingempties towardsastockingarea. CEGB -owned,branded clothing is visiblethrough arearspectacle plate.The power station wascreated as part of the33-acre Vicker ’s National Projectile Factor yonCaton Road,its construction underway in September1915and usefrom November1916until 1922 .Two yearson, LancasterCorporation bought thepower station, ahigh-pressure operationwas addedin1942, andthe industry was Nationalised in 1948,the plantcapacit ybythe mid-1950sbeing 50.25MW; thesiteclosedonOctober 25,1976. John Marshall/Kidderminster RailwayMuseum

TheM anchesterShipCanal Co bought no less than 54 locosfromHudswell, Clarke &CoLtd –No. 67 (Works No.1369of1919) is at work at Traf ford Park TradingEst ateonM ay 11,1965. Theshipcanal opened in 1894 ,and land to itssouth side ,acrossfromSalford Quays, wasprime forindustrial development. Traf ford Park EstatesLtd wasformedinAugust1896tocapit aliseont hisand companiesweremovinginby1898. From 1908 ,t he internal railwaywas MSC- operated andlinkedits busy canalwit htraders here ,aswellasall thenearbymainlinerailway companies. At itspeak, immediatelypostwar,t he site hadanestimated work forceof75,000,wit hlocos such as No.67designedtonegotiate thetighter curves on thesystem with provisionoffangeless centre wheels ,Car ta zzia xleboxes on theleading wheelset andalsohingedcouplingrods. Itslat teruse included theRoch Valley RailwaySociety/LCG B‘ Mode WheelRailTour’ on October29, 1967,bywhich time MSCwas fush with a0 - 6 - 0dieselfeet; Mode Wheelwas the main shed andworks forM SC .Subsequently, No.67reached preser vation;the MiddletonRailway is nowhome. MJ Re ade/Colour-R ail.com/ 23234

St anton&Stave leyLtd -ope rate dt hree site s in 1965:H ol we ll Ironwork s, ne ar Me lton Mowbray; Riding sFoundry,atA lfreton; and St anton Ironwork s, ne ar Ilke ston .The latter twoe mp loye dt hatpeculia rity of indu st ry, cr anet anks .R idings Foundr ywas home to as ingleexa mp le andapairof0 - 4 - 0s ad dle ta nk s, whileSta nton Ironwork s, whic hh ad at onet imeope rate dmoret ha n30s te am engine s, ha dl arge ly ch ange dove rtodie se l oper at ionbut wa ss till home to fvec ra ne ta nk s. No.24, Andrew Ba rc layWor ks No.1875, wa sbuilt in 1926 andiss ee nins te am ne ar thes torage shed within thewor ks on Ja nu ar y23, 1965 .I ronpipes produced by the work s, line thep latfor mbehindt he engine and awaitloa ding into wagons .Tod ay,t he 0 - 4 - 0CT is pres er ve da nd on disp layatt he Matt hew Kirt leyM us eumatt he Midl andR ailway Ce nt re Co lo ur-R ail .com /234 02

Thel as td aysofs te am ha ul agewerep laying outont he Ox ford shireI rons tone Company system in thee ar ly mont hs of 1965 ,a fter the ar riva lofas econdbatch of Se nt inel dies el locomotive s. Pecket t&S onsLtd 0 - 6 - 0ST Si rC ha rl es ,Wor ks No.1943of1938, gets away from thewor ks siding satWroxton with loaded iron orewagonstot he exch ange siding sw it h BR on Ma rc h29, 1965 .U nu su ally,r ig ht-h and runningwas in us eont he im pres sive 3½-mile long sign alle ddou ble- tr ac km ainline .O re wa sconveye dfromt he pittot he work sove r roug hl y- la id tr ac ks in side -t ip ping buckeyecoup le dwagonsa nd then tr ansfer re dto thes em ainlinewagonsfor onwa rd shipme nt Co lo ur-R ail.co m/1194 57