Returning Steam to the Avon Valley
A collection of image of the line from Bristol to Bath before closure in the early 1970's
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This is Bath Green Park Station
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Bitton Signal Box, a Midland Railway timber type 2B which opened on 19/7/1894, replacing an earlier box. Note the `Bitton` sign on the front of the box, which in later (BR) days was replaced by a smaller nameboard above the door on the side. The box closed on 19th July 1965, and was demolished in the late sixties/early seventies.
This shot, taken in March 1962, shows Bitton Station in the last year of through expresses - from September 8th 1962 the Pines Express` and all other through trains were diverted via Reading and Oxford and six months later the infamous `Beeching Report` named the station, along with the whole of the Mangotsfield to Bath branch and the Somerset and Dorset Railway, as due for closure.Bitton Station was opened, along with Mangotsfield, Warmley, Kelston, Weston and Bath, on Wednesday August 4th, 1869. Built by Samuel Robertson at a cost of £1,326 9s 9d, it was constructed out of local pennant stone, much of it quarried from the deep cutting immediately to the north of the station. The room nearest the camera was the Stationmaster`s room, with a small room for the porters just off shot to the right. The centre room was the booking hall, with a single hatch opening into the Stationmaster`s room. The third room was the Ladies Waiting Room, and included a toilet, whilst barely visible beyond this room was a coal store and gents toilet. There was never any footbridge, passengers crossing the line by means of a barrow crossing situated at the Bath end of the platforms, behind the photographer. At the turn of the century staff at the station comprised the stationmaster, porter, porter/signalman, junior porter and two signalmen.This photo clearly shows that the down platform (for three quarters of its length) was raised by several inches - although the up platform remained at its original height until closure. Note also the ornate barge boards on the station which were long gone by the time preservationists arrived - although the similar Weston (Bath) station still carries these to this day.Behind the station can be seen the goods shed which opened a month after the station itself, on 1/9/1869. Again, built by Samuel Robertson, it cost £628 10s 0d. Now this building is used to house the working locomotives of the Avon Valley Railway. A line ran through the good shed, a second ran around the outside and into the cattle dock, and there were also two long coal sidings. The line through the goods shed was removed in 1964, and the rest of the yard closed on 19/7/1965.In the distance can be seen Bitton signal box, with the up starter (controlled by lever 10) in front of it. The box is a Midland Railway timber type 2 with MR block instruments and was opened on 29/4/1894, presumably replacing an earlier one. It closed along with the goods yard sidings, on 19/7/1965, and was also demolished long before preservationists arrived on the scene. An almost identical signal box (from Painswick Road, Gloucester) was purchased and erected on the site by the Avon Valley Railway, although never commissioned. This in itself was dismantled a few years back, and will eventually be replaced by a box mounted on the up platform, which will be more suitably sited for current train operations.Other buildings at Bitton (not seen in this picture) included a stone built waiting room on the up platform, stables, weighbridge and office, plus a hand operated crane - all of these structures having now vanished. Bitton closed to passengers on 6th March 1966, although the station still saw freight pass through until 1972 as coal trains serviced Bath Gas Works. In 1973 the `railway builders` descended on the site and began the long job of restoring the station from the vandalised state it was in at that time.Photograph by Ronald E Toop.
©2005 Simon Whittingham - All rights reserved.A picture of Fishponds Station in Victorian Day(?).Many Thanks to Simon Whittingham for this photo (http://simon71.fotopic.net/)
Photograph: Clive Moore
An unidentified Great Western `Mogul` passes Mangotsfield Station Junction Signal Box, a standard Midland Railway timber type 4D, and the last M.R. box built, in 1922.The loco would have been one of 5393, 6346, 6350 or 6376, which were all allocated to Bristol Barrow Road (82E) in December 1958.The train was a Class `K` unfitted freight from Westerleigh Sidings (9.50 SX) to West Depot, due to pass through Mangotsfield at 10.03. At 10.10 the train would have stopped at Fishponds to have the brakes pinned down, prior to descending the bank.Photo - R. E. Toop.
Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45614 ‘Leewards Islands’, waits at Mangotsfield with the 5.00 pm ex Bristol in April 1962. The engine was Derby in 1962 until week ending 7th April, when it was transferred to Burton. The driver hangs out of the cab, looking back for the flag (and whistle) from the platform, whilst the fireman is obviously getting as much coal on as he can before they start, doubtless with the blower on - hence the particularly thick black smoke. The name of’Carsons’ on the factoiy records a piece of history in itself of course. The demolition of the factory itself has now taken place with the site being used for housing, with the new section of the Avon Ring Road running along the route of the ‘Pines’ line which ran behind the factory. The cars would now be well and truly vintage - several people parked here regularly and went to Bristol on the train. The train was a Derby engine turn.The loading dock in the bottom right is not completely shown; although it was not used with any regularity to load or off load as I recall (not at all in fact in my time - post 1953/4). The rail spur was occasionally employed to hold an RAF vehicle on a low loader wagon, en-route from somewhere on the Somerset and Dorset to Quedgeley; and also SR horseboxes appeared from time to time.The wooden garage was a ‘late comer’, built by and for the occupier of the station house - Mr Payne. Also in the picture is the ground frame for the point for the siding under the Rock, to the right of the dock wall, near the telegraph pole. This was closed in (for security) by the box structure seen. The foremen jealously guarded their right to hold the key to the lock and operate the ground frame for entry and egress of pigeon train stock. Known officially as the Horse Dock Ground Frame, the point it controlled was also bolted by lever A in Mangotsfield Station Box.The swing gates at the entrance to the lane are sheer nostalgia. If I had a pound for every time I’d swung my bike over my head and manoeuvred through these!! I can still feel the doing of this even now. The garden at the left contains a number of fruit trees, some of which were just close enough to the lane to be reached when one stood on the garden wall - as long as you knew the owners were absent! There was an occasional raid into the garden itself at night. In the background the remains of Carsons Siding, removed in the spring of 1961.There is a theory, which I believe in, that the original ‘main’ road ran straight down over the railway close by the bridge, through where the short piece of brick wall can be seen, next to the buffer stops, and on along what we knew as a lane which gave access to the triangle for the farmer. This flat crossing was removed later, seen in the process of finishing the works in a photo in the National Railway Museum, with the replacement bridge (not the one shown in this picture) in the background. The new section of wall is obvious in the NRM photo.Photograph by Ronald E Toop. My thanks to Richard Strange for much of the additional details regarding the locomotive and station itself.
An Ivatt Class 2 2-6-2 tank locomotive arrives with a northbound stopping train, probably the 2.05 pm from Bath Green Park to Bristol Temple Meads. The wooden foot crossing was for use of railway staff only. Sand or grit to cover the boards in wet or frosty weather was contained in the bin on the left. For some reason, an oil drum has been placed in the bin. The sand bin is still present, adjacent to the ground frame levers at the new Avon Valley Railway station. North Street Bridge was structure No. 10 on the Mangotsfield to Bath line.
An up express hauled by a Stanier Class 5 approaches the station. This photograph - unintentionally - shows the supports of a large sign reading `Oldland Common Station` and an arrow. This was clearly visible from High Street. A similar board was on the opposite side of the line facing up North Street.
A British Railways Standard Class 5 passes under North Street Bridge. The notice on the right of the photograph is a sign instructing passengers to "cross the line by the bridge".
A Stanier Class 5 on a Down Express. I seem to recall that this was taken on an afternoon so may possibly be "The Pines Express" but more likely to be one of the Summer Saturday only trains. This photograph was taken from the down platform shelter. One of the platform lamps can be distinguished. The platform construction of timber sleepers can be seen, and on the opposite side the concrete supports.
Seen from the top of the down platform approach path, a "Jubilee" heads south, the shadows indicating mid-morning. The Up side waiting shelter can be seen. Down and Up shelters were of corrugated iron construction with a timber bench seat and poster boards inside. At the time that I remember them, they were painted the standard Western Region colours of cream and brown. The path to the platform is no longer there, having disappeared under 36 years of vegetation, although the entrance at North Street Bridge still exists leading to a more recent footpath along the top of the cutting above and behind the new Avon Valley Railway platform.
Photographed from the Up Platform, a Stanier Class 5 is seen on a Down Express, probably about mid-day judging from the position of the shadows.
Standard Class 3 2-6-2T No. 82004 draws into Staple Hill station with a three coach stopper from Bristol to Bath.The 82000 Class tanks came about as a result of several routes having maximum axle loadings of sixteen tons post nationalisation, thereby barring the use of the heavier Class 4 engines. Unlike the 84000 Class 2 2-6-2T`s, which were based on the popular Ivatt 2-6-2T`s already operating the Bristol to Bath locals, there were no suitable, modern Class 3 tanks from the former `Big Four` on which to base the design, so a `scaled down` version of the Class 4`s was built, utilizing the same frames, cylinders and driving wheels as the 76000 2-6-0`s, but adding a smaller, lighter 200 lb/sq in boiler derived from the GW 5100, 8100 loco`s. Sadly none of these fabulous little tanks survived into preservation, although the Bluebell are attempting to build one out of the shell of an ex-Barry BR Std 2-6-0.Designed and built at Swindon, 82004 went into traffic on 14th May 1952, and was allocated to Tyseley, Barry, Newton Abbot, Wellington and Shrewsbury before being transferred to Bath on 24th October 1959, where it was to stay until withdrawal on 1st October 1965. The loco is pulling a three coach Bulleid set, with a set number of 967. The S.R. gave all their coach sets a number, and this was usually carried on the corner of the leading vehicle, as in this case.Staple Hill Station was opened on 1st November 1888. Its main offices were on the road above, with the platforms themselves reached by the path that can be seen in the photograph. On the up platform (which is where the train is running into) was a waiting room, wooden built but standing on a brick base, whilst the down platform also had a small ticket office. In common with other stations on the line, Staple Hill was gas lit. The other major feature of Staple Hill was the lattice footbridge crossing the line and joining the two platforms, from where this photograph was taken.Unlike other stations, however, Staple Hill was not a block post, and therefore did not have a signal box. The signal seen in the photograph is the Fishponds distant, controlled by Fishponds Signal Box and (unusually) was pulled off mechanically, rather than motor worked. Pulled by lever No. 24, a massive 909 yards separated the signal from Fishponds Box. It was known locally as `the Sunday Signal`, because it was usually left `pegged` on Sundays after the morning trains had passed. This distant is on the `wrong side` of the track to give drivers of trains coming out of Staple Hill tunnel, and with the line curving around to the left in the station itself, additional time to see it.Immediately after leaving the station the train would have plunged into the 515 yard long Staple Hill Tunnel. Built in 1834 as part of the Bristol and Gloucester Railway, it was widened from its original 12ft to its present double track width of 26ft. It can still be traversed today, by cycling or walking through it as part of the Bristol to Bath Railway Path. The platforms still remain at Staple Hill, along with the sloping paths down to them. A few yards to the right of the photograph, as the station path climbed again in the other direction, at the top of the retaining wall, was a boundary stone (it was still there some years ago) separated by an upright, indicating the boundary between the old Bristol and Gloucester Counties. One wonders just which County actually collected the rates for the station in years gone by!!Photograph by Cliff Burnham. My thanks to Doug Edwards and Richard Strange for much of the additional details regarding the signals, locomotive and station itself.
D1003 at Warmley in 1969.Although the Mangotsfield to Bath branch closed to passenger traffic on 6/3/1966, freight continued to traverse the line, mainly to feed the hungry gas works at Bath. Intially this comprised five freight trains daily, however this reduced gradually over the years until by 1969 there was just one daily freight train. The double track formation could, by this time, no longer be justified, and the branch was `singled` on 5th May 1968, with the former down line being removed during the summer of 1969 - although the two tracks across Warmley Level Crossing remained, rather than disturb the road surface, as can be seen in the photograph. Warmley Signal Box, seen on the extreme left, continued to be manned after withdrawal of the passenger services, although on 5th May 1968 it was reduced in status to that of a ground frame - at the same time a 40 mph speed limit was introduced on the branch; previously this had been 65 mph. On 1st December 1968 the box became unmanned, which necessitated the crew stopping the train to operate the level crossing gates.On Monday to Wednesday 24th to 26th March 1969, D1003 `Western Pioneer` worked the daily northbound freight from Bath. From 2nd December 1968 the level crossing gates at Warmley were operated by the train crew and this involved stopping at the rear of the gates for them to be opened, with a further stop, usually with the front of the train overlooking Stanley Road, whilst the gates were closed.On Tuesday 25th March 1969 we see `Western Pioneer` about to run across the Warmley level crossing, the gates having just been opened. The locomotive, which entered traffic on 14/4/1962, is in maroon livery, with a small yellow warning panel at each end. The class carried cast nameplates and cast numberplates, the latter being carried on diagonally opposite corners of the locomotive - on the opposite corners the loco carried a B.R. `coach roundal` as applied to coaching stock. A red route availability spot was carried under the nameplates. D1003 was withdrawn from traffic in 1975 and cut up for scrap at Swindon works in August 1977 - just fifteen years old.Photograph by Alan Hireson.
A detailed look at the up platform buildings which, unlike the stone built structures on the rest of the line (Bitton, Kelston and Bath Weston) were built of timber - possibly as an economy measure. Beyond is the steel footbridge, erected in 1929 to replace an earlier, timber built structure. Access to the bridge was from both the platforms and the road, allowing pedestrians to cross the line when the gates were shut to allow a train through.Beyond the bridge again can be seen Warmley signal box.
Traffic on the A420 (London Road) is halted by the Warmley Signalman, who has closed the gates in readiness for a train to pass through.This picture, taken from Warmley signal box, shows the main gates, the gates for pedestrians, and the footbridge, which could be used by those on foot who were too impatient to wait.The lorries are owned by D J Baker, who had a yard adjacent to the line at West Street Bridge, Oldland Common.
A Hymek diesel hydraulic arrives at Warmley with the 3.30 p.m. from Bristol Temple Meads to Bath.The number of the loco is unknown - it could possibly be D7000, the doyen of the class, which hauled the very last passenger train on the branch, just a month later, on Saturday 6th March 1966
On December 2nd 1968, the day after Warmley signal box closed, Western Class 52 No. D1048 `Western Lady` stands south of the box as one of the train crew manually opens the gates across London Road - the A420. This picture is taken from the footbridge (part of which is seen in the bottom right hand corner). Warmley box can be seen top left, along with part of the Station Masters house (also to the left). Both structures are still standing, although the Station Masters house has now been much extended. Note the wicket gates (middle left) and the path which led to the down station platform and also the footbridge, which allowed pedestrians to cross the line whilst the main gates were closed across the road and pavement. No such luck for traffic on the London Road however - with a more lengthy gate opening and closing routine than when the signal box was open, and increasing road traffic in the late 1960`s, there must have been some pretty large queues on London Road at that time.
With the gates now closed across the London Road, D1048 `Western Lady` hauls the freight over the level crossing and through the now closed Warmley Station. Incidentally, the level crossing rails are still in existence at Warmley, albeit buried under several inches of tarmac - possibly the only original rail still to remain on the branch ???
This picture, taken on the spur of the moment by Alan, is looking north through the platforms of Warmley Station as D1048 hauls the coal train towards Siston Common where it will stop to allow the guard to close the gates and allow a no doubt frustrated set of motorists to continue their journey. This picture shows the down platform waiting shelter, which is also still standing, and now used as a refreshment stop for Railway Path users. Prominent at the end of the platform is the tall Warmley Down Home signal which was soon to be demolished.
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last updated: andy stone, Sat 31st Dec 2005
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