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FERROEQUINOLOGY
Summer Saturdays to the West (GWR)
The Starting Point (Paddington) - Barmouth, The Cambrian Coast
Most Fascinating Railway Book
"Summer Saturdays in the West", which describes how the Great Western Region of British Railways dealt with the massive demand for travel to Devon and Cornwall on summer Saturdays in the 1950’s, calling every locomotive and piece of carriage rolling stock into service, funnelling train after train down through one stretch of double track line from Taunton to Exeter, even timetabling trains where there was no timetable “path” for them, on the assumption that they would get through somehow. (Plus the section just south of Exeter shared with the Southern Region, where their holiday trains to and from North Devon and North Cornwall were going in the opposite direction to the corresponding Western ones !!) And then to deal with the all the empty carriages, and service the locomotives, and then the homegoing holidaymakers and their trains. I find it completely fascinating, especially how constant ingenuity is required to deal with late-running, lack of locomotives in the right place, trains which are the relief to a relief to a relief. All the more fascinating to me because at the time I used to go to a footbridge over the main GWR line out of London Paddington, at Southall, where westbound trains were beginning to get up a good speed, and watch the endless procession of steam-hauled expresses follow each other on very close headways out of London. Awe-inspiring.
A little bit before my time this - almost all trains were carrying reporting
numbers by the late 50s, but this catches the great western atmosphere
splendidly as 4082 Windsor Castle hammers through on the fast lines
with an express. Lovely lower quadrant paraphernalia too.
| PADDINGTON early 1960s.
The starting point for all those famous expresses. Here Castle Class 4-6-0 no 5077 "Fairey Battle" waits for the green light to set off with "The Merchant Adventurer" |
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PADDINGTON 16th May 1959
Here Britannia class standard pacific (4-6-2) no. 70023 Venus arrives with an express, probably from South Wales. There seems to be a headboard as well as a reporting number so this may be the up "Red Dragon", which often turned out a Brit. |
| PADDINGTON 16th May 1959.
Castle Class 4-6-0 no. 5091 Cleeve Abbey backs down onto its train. Platform 1 at Paddington, from where this photo was taken, was the favourite for trainspotters. No platform ticket needed - and one of the longest.
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PADDINGTON - early 1960s.
The beginning of the end. One of the early diesel hydraulics, possibly D801 Vanguard. Note the duffel bag, grey flannel shorts, and long socks on the train spotters. Also the long line of utility vehicles at the parcels bay in the distance. |
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THE CAMBRIAN COAST
We had at least two holidays in Barmouth, on Cardigan Bay, way out towards the fringes of the Western Region. "The Cambrian Coast Express" left from Paddington, of course and ran via Birmingham Snow Hill to Shrewsbury. For the first stage of the journey we had a "King" or a "Castle", but at Shrewsbury the exotica began. On a summer Saturday the "Cambrian Coast" was usually double-headed as far as Machynlleth if not beyond and usually turned out a "Manor" (a rarity for us Londoners), and a 43XX in green livery, or best of all one or two "Dukedogs", ancient 4-4-0 survivors from another century. Maybe we had another engine change at Machynlleth, I'm not sure.
Barmouth itself was a delight, a busy passing place on the single track up to Pwhelli, Caernarvon and Bangor, and the terminus of the push-pull to Dolgellau and Bala. There were also at least two daily freights, plus the romantic "North Wales Land Cruise" or "Radio Cruise." This latter ran in the summer, anti-clockwise from Bangor (I think) via Portmadoc, Barmouth, Dolgellau, Bala, to Rhyl, where it stopped for perhaps 3 hours, then continued anti-clockwise back to Barmouth, and possibly further. It usually had a Standard 75XXX or maybe 76XXX at its head. It featured the novelty of a "radio" commentary in each coach (open, not compartment), on the beauty of the scenery and the history of the area.
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These are for me, the classic Barmouth memories. A locomotive change on a southbound train (right) as 43XX 2-6-0 no 6392 relieves Standard 4-6-0 no 75020, and (above) a southbound freight behind surely one of the ugliest classes ever built, Standard 78XXX 2-6-0 no 78002, leaving the station across the level crossing which divided the town from the seafront. Both on a summer evening in 1958. |
| Prairie 2-6-2T NO. 4575 approaches Barmouth from the North with a freight. |  |
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This must have been one of the earliest locos on the Cambrian Coast to have the new BR roundel. Extremely clean 2251 class 0-6-0 no 2255 waits to head North from Barmouth on a passenger train. |
| On the left, BR Standard 78XXX 2-6-0 no 78005, with a freight in the down yard. On the right, one morning in summer 1958, ex GWR 2-6-0 no 7817 "Garsington Manor" in the up bay platform, which was separate from the main station, on the south side of the level crossing. |   |