Andover men worked over the MSWJ on the 10.10am Southampton Terminus to Cheltenham Lansdown passenger and the 3.20pm Cheltenham High Street to Eastleigh class 'H' goods*.
After the early 1950s the diagram changed from being worked by a GW 'Mogul' to a Southern Region engine, possibly brought about by closure of the ex-GW shed at Andover Junction, leaving just the Southern one, a sub-shed of 71A Eastleigh. The regular engines were the 'U' class Mogul, but BR 76XXX 2-6-0s appeared from time to time after brand new ones were allocated to Eastleigh.
For some years the 10.10am was a class 'A' train, downgrading to a class 'B'. After arrival on the 10.10am,at around 1.35pm, the loco went to Cheltenham St James to use the turntable, then to Malvern Road shed for servicing by the crew. Apparently the loco did not always take coal, if it had been well coaled before leaving Andover shed with the first part of the diagram, the 7.30am to Southampton.Then light engine to Cheltenham High Street via Lansdown Junction again to pick up the freight with a scheduled departure at 3.20pm. So there was a lot to do at Cheltenham in a short time.
Another MSWJ turn worked by Andover crews was the 4.10am Cheltenham High Street – Southampton freight, which they took over at Andover from Cheltenham Malvern Road men. The loco was usually a 63XX 'Mogul' or a 'Manor' 4-6-0. After arrival and servicing at Southampton, the loco and crew returned on the 11.30am Bevois Park – Cheltenham High Street freight, 'always 30 to 40 coal wagons' with Malvern Road men onwards from Andover.
Meanwhile the Cheltenham men off the 4.10am worked home on the 7.50am class 'B' passenger from Andover, usually a Southern Region class 'U' Mogul, though BR Standard 76XXX class 3s 2-6-0s also appeared.
Andover men were also rostered for the 10am passenger from Cheltenham Lansdown to Southampton Terminus on which they relieved the Cheltenham crew at Andover. The crew and loco came back at 4.36pm from Southampton, with Cheltenham men working home from Andover. 'Very often the fire (of the 10am ex Cheltenham) was very dirty, clinkered, which had to be cleaned for the return working as well as getting a good pile of coal forward.' The turn was normally a 'Manor' or GW 'Mogul' , also there was a month's trial with BR Standard 4-6-0 75029 in November 1954, on which Andover crews worked.
The loco which worked the 7.50am Andover – Cheltenham returned on the 1.56pm class 'A' (later class 'B') passenger from Cheltenham Lansdown worked by Malvern Road men to Andover, where the latter's crew took over for the run to Southampton Terminus. After servicing at Southampton the same loco and crew worked back to Andover on the 7pm freight for Cheltenham. Once again, a Malvern Road crew - who worked up on the 5.25pm passenger to Andover - came on at Andover ( though the engine was probably changed, being worked back by the one off the 5.25pm passenger.)
Most turns vanished with the cutbacks of 1957 and 1958, when all through freights between Andover and Cheltenham were withdrawn and through passenger services were reduced to just the 7.50am ex Andover and the 1.56pm back from Cheltenham, now worked by an Andover crew, with Cheltenham men losing all their turns over the MSWJ. ^
There is comment about comparison between the 'U' and 76XXX locos when working the 3.20pm goods on the climb out of Cheltenham up the 1 in 60 gradient to Andoversford. ''The full load was usually equal to 36 wagons which meant either class of engine was worked with full regulator and 40 - 60% cutoff. The steaming capabilities of both classes was about the same (provided the fireman had cleaned the fire well at Cheltenham). The 'U' was better at maintaining the water level in the boiler because the fireman could set the injector and maintain steam pressure against it, whereas the 76XXX had a different injector which could not be set fine enough to leave it on all the time. Therefore when the injector was on, steam pressure fell, so you had to put it on and shut if off all the way up the bank. After passing Andoversford either class was OK.'
'In other respects, the 76XXX was favoured by crews especially when it came to cleaning the fire, having drop grates and rocker bar as opposed to using a clinker shovel. The cab environment was better, the driver having a padded seat, there was less dust from the closed-in tender and cab side windows helped in wet or wintry weather.'
Footnotes:
* For pictures of the 10.10am and 3.20pm with a 76XXX Standard, see 'John Blyth's Gloucestershire Railway Memories'.
^ For pictures of MSWJ passenger services, see 'MSWJ Cheltenham - Southampton passenger service 1959 to 1961'.