Derek Smith's  Gloucestershire Railway Memories

I started my working career with steam as a locomotive cleaner at Gloucester Horton Road loco shed (85B) on 8th May 1958.  As well as engine cleaning, I served behind the booking on/off office window hatch in the loco shed, checking men on and off for their turns, plus occasionally going out on the shed call bike with messages for crews.

I qualified as a passed cleaner prior to the Spring of 1959, but as there were no fireman's vacancies, I transferred to the number 4 roundhouse at Old Oak Common, on the GW main line outside Paddington, staying there until moving to my local home town depot of Cheltenham Malvern Road, a four road sub-shed of 85B. 

On Monday, 12/12/60, I booked on at 9.30am at Old Oak to travel as passenger (A.P.) on the 11.15am Paddington - Cheltenham, right through to my new workplace, alighting at Malvern Road and boldly walking forward, away from the footbridge, to access the shed via the boarded crossing at the east end of the station, booking off at 2.50pm.

On Tuesday, I was marked on the shed roster sheet as starting duty at 6am, R.T.F.("Report To Foreman"). I rode from the shed to St. James' goods yard on the footplate of newly prepared Prairie tank 8107, which worked the 6.30am stopping passenger service to Kingham. At the goods yard I was to relieve a Gloucester fireman on 0-6-0PT 9471 as the booked Cheltenham fireman 'had done it in' (hadn't turned up!). I have it recorded that we shunted from about 6.50am until 7.15am when the late running fireman appeared! During this time, I'd put just two shovelfuls down the front of the firebox. I was then instructed to travel over to Gloucester on the 7.35am train, to attend Horton Road shed, staying unused/spare in the cabin, until catching the 1.20pm train back, booking off in 8 hours at 2pm. Easy first day! 

The next day was much better. On at 6.15am to prepare 5173 to go off shed for 7am. I then worked the 7.35am, having ridden in the train the previous day, stopping at Malvern Rd, Churchdown and Gloucester (Central). The rest of the day with our two coach load was: 9.30am to Cheltenham, add a wagon to the formation before working the 10.50am branch train, all stations to Kingham, 25 miles. At Stow-on-the-Wold, the wagon was poled off the rear of the train into the Goods siding there, before completing our journey. We later worked the 12.36pm passenger back, arriving at St.James' around 1.40pm before uncoupling and LE (Light Engine) to Cheltenham shed "run" for the fire dropper/coal man/shed man to clean the fire for late turn and coal it up. We left it "screwed down" and booked off in the lobby at 2.10pm. I also recorded such items as: we had the same coaches all day with around 40psi steam heat, our engine was green, lined out with the new(er) BR crest, facing Gloucester and with yellow side numbers and, in dirty condition. My Driver for this duty was a real old school hard man, W.J.(Bill) Dix. Hadn't seen it before, nor worked with anyone after, but he had an old thick glass beer bottle with a screwed in stopper full of black tea, which he placed above the brake/ejector fitting, and drank from that all shift. He had hardly any teeth and wasn't backwards in stating he'd never been to a dentist, but had either pincered old teeth out himself, or they'd been self-extracted one way or another!! Whilst he was a gnarled old boy, no evidence that he'd actually had any of them knocked out came to my ears!

Thursday 15th I was on duty at 4.45am and prepared 8491 for 5.30am off shed to work St James' station passenger pilot. Around 11.55am,we swapped footplates with 9471 in order that 8491 could get over to Gloucester shed, possibly for boiler washout, something which wasn't undertaken at Cheltenham. Noted that day was SR 31791 of 71A (As Eastleigh's shed code was then), in on the three coach ex MSWJR train.

Friday saw me booking on at 5.30am to prepare Collett 0-6-0 3203; we went off shed at 6.15am, waited for a guard then LE to Cheltenham High Street via reversal at Lansdown Jct., did a bit of running around getting some wagons and a brake van up together, retraced our steps and back at Malvern Road, picked up two brakes and four open ('Grampus') ballast wagons before setting off for Winchcombe, with our "Engineers train". However, there were those who had different plans, and we were stopped at Bishop's Cleeve and told to back into the up siding, run round, and then head back to Malvern Rd in order to go up the branch over Dowdeswell viaduct, through the tunnel and to Andoversford instead, having stopped at one point to pick up three gangers. Whilst up at Andoversford on this date, BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0 76011 (of Eastleigh) was on the MSWJR service. We worked back and forth between Andoversford and the viaduct, until going back down with eleven wagons and two brakes to Malvern Rd sidings, then onto shed, this time filling up the boiler etc. and leaving it on the "Sand furnace road", as it was to be taken over to Horton Road for servicing. I booked off at 4.35pm so made 11hrs 51.5mins for payment, taking into account pre-6am enhanced hours, and the 3hrs 5mins overtime at enhanced time and a quarter rate too. 

Saturday was a Rest Day but on the Sunday, 18th, I voluntarily attended a Mutual Improvement Class (MIC). I seem to recall it was held in a side room in the "Kings Arms" pub in Gloucester Road, near to the shed. Noted on shed that morning - 4100, 6137, 8409, 47422 (High St. pilot, sub-shedded at ours from Barnwood), 6341 and 2895. Thus ended my first week at my home town depot, being just about six minutes walking time from my birthplace, near the "Gasworks' Clock" in Tewkesbury Road.

The second week, I got lie-ins, with a 5.30pm start all week!

I remained at Malvern Road from 12/12/60 until it was closed around the end of October 1963 when I opted to go to 'the other side', the ex-Midland/LMS roundhouse shed at Gloucester Barnwood, 85C, (22B when the WR took it over in 1958, becoming 85E until the end of 1960.) I thoroughly enjoyed just over six months there before the merger with my original shed down the road, 85B, Horton Road, from 4/5/64. When it first happened, all the remaining sets of men, engines and work came together, thus for a few months in 1964, 85B had an allocation of over 100 steam engines again.

The variety at 85B was marvellous as, besides the various WR engines, you had the ex-Barnwood stud of BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0's and 2MT 2-6-0's, the Fowler 4F's/Big Goods (Western men unkindly referred to them as 'Ruptured 4's' or 'Ruptured ducks'), along with all the ex MR steam which worked in and out from Birmingham (Saltley and Tyseley), Western locos too from the latter and from Oxley and Banbury, plus those from farther afield. Plenty of BR Standard 9F's from and to South Wales on ironstone and coal trains, mixed in with Churchward/Collett and Stanier 8F 2-8-0's. Black 5's were as plentiful as the 'Halls', 'Modified Halls','Granges' and a smattering of 'Castles' and 'Jubilees' although by this stage, the Paddington's were largely dieselised and the Black and Std. 5MT's and "Jub's (5X's as MR men referred to them) were rapidly being displaced by Peaks and Crompton diesels on the Bristol-Derby-Sheffield-Leeds-York jobs.

One nice job we had was 23.59 on duty (no, not midnight!), walk to Eastgate, relieve Bristol men on an up perishables/parcels job (C Class/3 headcode), the 2pm Penzance – Crewe. At the time, Oxley provided the motive power and we invariably had one of the fast dying 'Castle' class, starting to gradually lose a number or name or shedplate here and there. One week I recall we had 5089 Westminster Abbey, a single chimney one, then 7014 Caerhays Castle with a double chimney. We worked the turn to Dudley via stops at Cheltenham Lansdown, Worcester Shrub Hill and Stourbridge Junction, fantastic! At Dudley we had a few hours break including a lovely doss near the red hot glowing 'Romesse' stove, before relieving an ex Derby, generally Crompton hauled, parcels back to Gloucester. One morning though, I was chuffed to hear the unmistakable hiss and clank of a Black 5 instead! I of course I couldn't escape the Secondman's chair, but I did try to swop to a steam job if I knew in advance my job was to be diesel worked.

On the subject of 'Castles', I remember preparing 7012 Barry Castle at Oxford to work an ironstone (loose linked) freight from Yarnton Yard. My mate told me it was withdrawn about three weeks later, in November 1964.

From Gloucester I've worked steam to places such as Cardiff, Swindon, Bath Green Park, Bristol West Depot, Bordesley Junction via both routes from Bearley, and Wolverhampton Low Level. (once), Water Orton (Birmingham), Rowley Regis (towards Smethwick on the Lye and Cradley Heath route from Stourbridge Junction), to Oxford via both Honeybourne and the Ashchurch-Evesham branch. We also had a turn to Leamington Spa too, turning right at Hatton Jct. I hardly managed any trips in the Forest of Dean with steam but did venture on steam along the Stroud, Dudbridge and Nailsworth branches from Stonehouse, the Coaley Jct to Cam and Dursley line, these only with freight. I also did a couple of freights with steam (78XXX 2-6-0) from Ross on Wye as far as Lydbrook Jct.

I had one of Barnwood's 14XX's on the temporally introduced passenger service between Berkeley Rd and Severn Bridge station, as the damaged bridge over the Severn stopped the service to and from Lydney Town. Until the start of the Summer Service 1965, it was nice to get to get the stopping passenger jobs to Birmingham New St via Worcester and Droitwich Spa, and in the other direction, Eastgate to Bristol Temple Meads, generally going into the old roofed terminus platforms, there on the far right! On the subject of 2-8-0's, we had 2854 and 3848 allocated to us, as were a trio of WD's (Austerities/Wobblers/Dub Dees, as you may), these latter mainly for the Woodford Halse jobs. Cardiff Canton and Newport Ebbw Jct sheds often turned one up for jobs, latterly working them to the exchange yard/sidings at Honeybourne West. There we'd have a break and later, swap footplates with Woodford men on a South Wales bound job, generally with one of their WD's, or a WR one returning home. One thing that was always apparent to me, was the ease with which they steamed with Eastern Region hard coal, and the comparative 'struggle' you often had with soft Welsh coal, even good stuff. Depth of fire and the sometimes quite soft exhaust had something to do with it! Western men were well known for thick back end fires but, given my time over again, I would definitely have tried the light and bright/little and often method with a WD and soft coal. 

We also used to get 9F's and the remnants of the WR 4-6-0's and 2-8-0's on these turns. All were the same, in that you had to be prepared for the fireman from the Woodford job keeping his own shovel and, if he had one, keeping his handleless brush wrapped up in a wiper. There had been a few occasions where I had to go back to our incoming loco, and rescue the necessary, especially if the Woodford loco hadn't got a decent second shovel!

 Another thing I've not touched upon yet is tank engines. I fired a few 14XX Autos, generally in 'non-auto coupled mode', all the Pannier Tank classes including the 84 and 94XX's, the occasional 42/52XX and larger 72XX, we also had two or three, over time, 66XX (6669, 6690 and 6696), all the 41,51,61 and a couple of 81XX large Prairies, and the 55XX, as well as the last working 4500 small tank class member, 4564. We had a short dalliance with displaced Bristol 82XXX BR Standard 2-6-2T, whilst I only rode home on a few Shrewsbury 80XXX on ex-Hereford branch jobs. We also had jobs on 22 and 32XX 0-6-0's and the Moguls. (53,63,73 and a renumbered 93 (ex 9313, now 7335). There were also the odd turns on a 54 and 64XX 0-6-0PT and, en-route from Stourbridge to S. Wales, (after a sojourn stored at Malvern Rd), a 74XX.

Saturday/Sunday 2 and 3/1/66 saw the end of steam at Gloucester and from Monday 4/1/66, other than for the delayed former S&DJR Line and depot closures, we were without an allocation of steam, the last steam shed, along with Worcester (85A) in the Western Region. However right up until the end of Summer 1966, steam from the Midland Region depots continued to slip through the border to us and, especially in the early part of that year, the visitors were frequently requisitioned for other duties. Indeed, a supply of coal was still dispatched to us for use from our coal stage to top up the fuel if required. 

After an earlier rejected attempt, on 10/10/66, a fellow steam mad fireman and I had been granted an unusual, for then, inter-regional transfer to go on loan to the Southern Region where we started on the 11th at Eastleigh (70D, formerly 71A). After a fantastic time, getting as many steam turns as we each could, Sunday 9/7/67 saw me on my last duty there. The following day, 10/7/67, the first full day of the elimination of Southern Region steam, both my colleague and I were going home with free passes - 'No longer required'! I stayed at Horton Road then as a Diesel Secondman until packing it all in on 2 May 1970 for the princely sum of £333-16s, this being £300 lump sum resettlement and £33-16s outstanding holiday pay. 

A 'Please Explain' incident

It was Saturday 9th September 1961 and notable in being the final day of passenger services between Southampton Terminus and Cheltenham Spa (St James) via Andover, Swindon Town, Cirencester & Andoversford over the old M.S.W.J.R.  (Midland & South Western Junction Railway) route, known locally as the 'Tiddly Dyke'.   I was in my ninth month as a Cheltenham Malvern Rd fireman and booked on duty this day at 6:15 am for turn 276A.  I was with Driver George "Jolly" Alsopp and our engine for the day was 6126 of 85B, Gloucester Horton Rd, our parent depot.  Following preparation, we went off shed light engine the short distance to St James' station where I coupled up to "4 for 124 tons" in the bay arrival platform. This formed the 7.35am stopper to Gloucester Central, which we duly worked. 

After various moves on arrival, we awaited our ex Hereford train atop the Chalford auto-car in the up bay.  7811 Dunley Manor duly arrived from Hereford and passed us on its way to shed.  We then moved out and trundled half way along the long up platform where I coupled up to our "3 for 94 tons" train.   At 9.30 am, right away back to Cheltenham calling at Churchdown and Cheltenham Malvern Rd stations on the way. 

Our train terminated at the main line arrival platform at St James and I uncoupled before drawing up nearer to the stops to get the road to run round via operation of the bell code push situated at the platform end. The uncoupling move was an unofficial agreement with the shunters. This was so as to expedite our change to the other end of the stock, thus enabling us to snatch a brew and have a little longer for our bait (sandwiches or whatever).  In between though, we had to take water from the column on the arrival bay run round road.  It was from here on that things started to go awry! 

I clearly remember my mate squeezing up the buffers on our stock on the main line arrival to assist the lifting on of the coupling, and me winding on the hand brake.  Then I climbed out onto the bunker, lifted off the headlamp from the top bracket, then going atop the engine and tanks to put the lamp on the chimney bracket for our third class B stopping train of the day.  Things were much busier than usual due to the end of the M.S.W.J.R. services and I recall seeing U class 2-6-0 31791 arrive in the adjacent platform with its three coach train and about six or seven people on the footplate.  

Now I can't recall who actually 'officially' was responsible for coupling us up to our 10.50 am train, all stations to Kingham,  but suddenly, it's time to go, whistles were being blown, the road was set and we hadn't even started creating the brake!   As George created the vacuum, I struggled to unscrew the handbrake, never that easy unless the brake has been applied a little before.   Frank Walker, our guard, was in his compartment towards the rear of the train waving his green flag so, as the brake was released, we tooted an acknowledgement and off we went, leaving as it turned out not just the throngs behind. 

I remember seeing the distant signal off for Malvern Rd West box, just before we plunged under St George's Rd bridge.  I also recall looking up at Malvern Rd East box as we passed with nothing to be seen, put a couple of shovels full round before my mate shut off to run into our first stop, Malvern Rd.  As we ran in they were announcing the ;10:53 all stations to Bourton on the Water, Stow on the Wold and Kingham. Change at Kingham for stations to Oxford and London.'  As we drifted under the footbridge that linked the station booking office area and concourse with the platforms, some strange excess of light emanating from the rear open cab/bunker doors caused my mate to go a horrible white with traces of purple and exclaim "F... me, we ain't got no b...... coaches". 

With all the activity back at St James and the rather hasty departure, we'd overlooked the coupling up. Inspector Huxley told us to put a tail lamp on and run round to Malvern Rd West dummy (ground signal) in order to return from whence we had come.  This we started to do, only to find that following the points being pulled for us to go from the down line to the up line, the dummy wouldn't come to the off/clear position properly; it just moved slightly and that was it.  After scrambling down and giving the point blades a few frustrated kicks, all seemed alright, so with the bobby leaning out of his sliding window calling us back, we resumed our bunker first run to the scene of the crime.

As we clattered over the Malvern Rd East junction, what should we see but the down 'Cornishman' express waiting at the signals to come off the Honeybourne line to take its rightful place in the platform at Malvern Rd.  Oops!  We, somewhat cowed, resumed our rightful position in St James and were coupled up by George Leighton, one of two passenger shunters on duty that morning.  We have since been told that our guard's face was a picture, after he'd slammed his door, leaned out, waved and whistled and listened to the exhaust of our disappearing loco with no appropriate forward movement of his stock.   

 A few 'interviews' took place as a result of the incident - delaying the down 'Cornishman' meant that nobody was going to be able to square away this one. The driver was responsible for my oversight, the station master for the guard, the guard for not checking that the setter (emergency brake) worked before we left and also the two shunters, though one stated that he was elsewhere, so he escaped. The station signalman reckoned that he flung the signals back to danger down by St George's Rd bridge when he saw us leave without a tail lamp or a train, but they were off when I looked and there was no red flag being held out of the East box either.  But there we are, the deed was done. 

The rest of the day went alright as it happens, we arrived at Kingham only three minutes down.  We ended up the day by working the 12:38pm departure back all stations Kingham to Cheltenham.  After arrival back home, I recall seeing the 1:50pm, Saturdays only, the last 'Tiddly Dyke' service  passenger train, leave, again with 31791, whilst we waited at the dummy off the pilot road to go to the shed.  I know that photographers at Andoversford, Notgrove and Bourton captured our train that day, but we had some coaches coupled up to us by then.