Embedded Files
The Stroud and Nailsworth Branch Freight - A Horton Road Fireman's Views
Extract from the September 1964 - June 1965 Working Time Table for the Stroud and Nailsworth branch freight, which ran Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only.
The distance from Stonehouse (Bristol Road) to Nailsworth was approximately five and a half miles.
My friend Dave Smith was firing on these trips from Stonehouse through Dudbridge Junction to Stroud and Nailsworth in July 1965. He took his camera with him on a couple of occasions and kindly made these pictures available. 78004 was his loco on Wednesday 21 July and 78001 two days later.
Assistance is required with the locations please, not sure I have them all correct.
A Pub In summer 1965, Gloucester Horton Road had three B R Standard class 2 2-6-0s - 78001, 78004 and 78006 - available for local freight work and Dave has pictures of the first two in this sequence. More traditional motive power in the form of Midland 4F 0-6-0s were also around at Gloucester during that summer, they were seen on the branch in 1964, and quite possibly in 1965, though the 78XXX were the officially diagrammed engines.
78004, left and below, is at Stonehouse level crossing on 21 July 1965. A pub is by the crossing while the short Stonehouse Wharf line went off left on the far side of the crossing. Looks like a gent attending to his allotment by the signal pole, apparently oblivious of the approaching train!
The track between Stonehouse and Dudbridge.
Above and below: 78004 shunts at Dudbridge Junction. The down platform of the station, closed in 1947, can be seen. Beyond the bridge was the mile long branch to Stroud. In the top picture a coal wagon and brake van left on the running line are probably for the Stroud branch, which, according to the working time table, was serviced on the outward trip.
The branch to Stroud Wallgate left the Stonehouse - Nailsworth line at Dudbridge Junction and this picture shows the line curving round from Dudbridge Junction to Stroud. There was a checkrail on the sharp curve. With a double tracked viaduct and a big embankment on this short branch, it was a most expensive line to build.
The pictures above and below are at Stoud Wallgate.The wagons are probably for Stroud Gasworks coal.
78004 reversing at Stroud, above and below, with the closed station platform in the centre and the viaduct beyond. The siding going off to the right used to serve cattle pens.
On 23 July 78001 was on the working, seen left storming away from Dudbridge the very short distance to Dudbridge Junction with wagons for the Stroud branch that it is about to fly shunt - an interesting operation!
The two pictures below at Dudbridge Junction show, on the left, 78001 has drawn clear of the points with the wagons running over the junction - if they stopped there it would block the points. But they run on well clear as shown in the right hand photo, with the guard in the brake van controlling the operation. 78004 will reverse back to the junction and propel the train to Stroud.
78001 finds its way through the undergrowth at Nailsworth. The locomotive water tank is just out of sight on the left. The goods yard, accessed via the straight line seen here, was at a lower level to the passenger station.
Footnote:
http://www.gsia.org.uk/reprints/1987/gi198702.pdf has a history of the Stonehouse & Nailsworth Railway and the Midland branch to Stroud by Michael Hoy.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse