THE
VIEW FROM THIS SIDE
West
Midlands and Wales
From
Gloucester to Holyhead via Birmingham and Llanelli.
Locations
are Gloucester, Chalford, Stratford on Avon, Birmingham Snow Hill, Shrewsbury,
Welshpool and various Cambrian line places inc. Vale of Rheidol at original
Aberystwyth terminus, then Cardiff, Pembroke, Fishguard & Goodwick,
Llanelli and some Central Wales stations, Wellington (Telford), the Shrewsbury
- Chester line, then Chester to Holyhead plus Blaenau Ffestiniog North.
Loco
and traction types include:-
Steam:-
Great Western 0-4-2 auto tanks, pannier tanks, 'Manors', a 'Hall', 2 'Castles',
Black 5s, ex Crosti 9Fs, BR Standard class 5 and 4 4-6-0s, BR Standard
2-6-2 Tank, Ivatt class 2 2-6-0s (two in green).
Diesel:-
Swindon Cross Country (class 120), Swindon InterCity (class 123) and various
other DMUs, mostly in green and almost new. Classes 24, 37, 40, 47, almost
all green.
Special,interesting
or otherwise rare features include:-
GW
Auto trains. A 'Blue Pullman' at Birmingham Snow Hill. Some locomotives
are pictured that have since been preserved. Vale of Rheidol trains at
the original Aberystwyth terminus with a comparison modern view. The Llynclys
ballast arriving at Gobowen, with a pair of Ivatt 'Mickey Mice'. A meat
train at Llanfair PG. Final days of the Paddington-Birkenhead service,
including a glittering 'Pendennis Castle' on one of the specials.
60532 'Blue Peter' passing through Llandudno Junction in 1966.
Samples
from this show. These images are compressed. Actual images on the CD are
high resolution:-
Barmouth
28th November 1964. Full of trains, and all steam. Platform 1 (right) has
2-6-2T 82035 on the 1545 to Pwllheli, Platform 2 (centre) has 2-6-0
46520 on 1341 ex Dolgellau, Platform 3 (left) has 4-6-0 75002 on the 1250
ex Pwllheli and 2-6-4T 80080 on an earlier arrival. Beyond the level crossing
unseen in the former GW platform is 75029, and behind the camera,
again unseen, is a ‘Manor’ on a freight.
Shrewsbury 4th March 1967.
The gaberdinery at work. Class 4 4-6-0 75021 being dressed with a
wreath partially made of leeks prior to working the last steam hauled ‘Cambrian
Coast Express’, the 0910 London Paddington - Aberystwyth.
Blaenau Ffestiniog North
27th May 1966. The 1626 DMU from Llandudno Jn. has just landed. On the
right Sulzer type 2 (later class 24) D5008 waits for a path back to the
rest of the world with the branch freight. A nuclear flask (for or ex Trawsfynydd
PS) can be seen centre background.
Gloucester
Central 30th October 1964. 0-6-0PT 6412, later to be preserved, at
the head of the stock for the 1120 auto train to Chalford, on the last
day of the service.
Penrhyndeudraeth 26th
May 1965. I’ll give you mine if you’ll give me yours…. 75002 heads the
Pwllheli portion of the 0910 from London Paddington, the down ‘Cambrian’.
Note the gunpowder vans, extreme left.
Holyhead 20th August 1966.
Black 5 4-6-0 45310 at the rear end of the stock from the 1015 ex Manchester
Exchange.