Keith Bannister's Gloucestershire Railway Memories

'WHO CAN UNDERSTAND DRIFTING DOWN FROM CLEEVE TO ASHCHURCH ON THE FOOTPLATE OF A STEAM LOCOMOTIVE, THE CRACK OF DAWN AND OLD RENARD AND HIS MATE CHASING OVER THE FROST COVERED FIELDS, ONLY WE KNOW.' KB

Keith Bannister transferred from 55D Royston, Yorkshire, to Gloucester Horton Road shed in 1962/63 as a cleaner.

He has detailed his steam turns in 1966:

18-1-66

Gloucester – Kemble with 48296. At Kemble we pushed a coal train onto the Cirencester branch, then returned light engine to Gloucester. Just a stub of the Cirencester branch remained (as it still does in 2021) at Kemble station. (48296 was shedded at 8C Speke Junction, so probably didn't get to Kemble very often).

20-1-66 Book on at 10.15, spare on shed, prepare 92001 and 45426.

21-1-66 Prepare 48556 and 44683. (44683 worked the 17.00 local passenger from Gloucester Central to Cheltenham Lansdown).

22-1-66 Book on at 10.15, Sapperton banker with 92083.

28-1-66 Stoke Gifford – Crewe fast freight, from Barnwood to Worcester with 45207 from 55D Royston, my old shed.

Above: Keith fired 45207 on 28 January and it is seen here at Cloddy bridge, Cheltenham a few days later, 4 February, on an up freight. Photo Guy Sheppard

2-2-66 Book on at 4.0, spare, prepare 92152 and 92228.

(On 3-2-66 a visitor to Gloucester was 'B1' 61173)

7-2-66 Steam heating carriages with 45001.

9-2-66 Steam heating carriages with (probably) 45001.

10-2-66 Steam heating carriages with (probably) 45001.

11-2-66 48056 Gloucester – Worcester and back.

12-2-66 Steam heating carriages with (probably) 45001.

23-2-66 48522 light engine from Grange Court to 85B.

24-2-66 Book on 22.00, 48522 to Duddeston Road, Birmingham, by Saltley shed. Booked off at 10.35 25-2-66.

(26-2-66 another 'B1' visitor to Gloucester was 61035).

2-3-66 Prepare 92046 on shed.

15-3-66 48335 (2F) on a freight from Gloucester to Swindon. We had to turn the engine on the Works turntable which caused a bit of a stir with people coming out of the Works to watch. I cannot say why we used the Works turntable. I am pretty sure the driver was Harold Heggie, one of Jim Irwins old mates. We returned light engine.

16-3-66 10.00 on duty, 48056 light engine to Bristol, then worked the Avonmouth-York back to Gloucester.

5-4-66 18.00 on duty, 48705 to Grange Court and back light.

27-4-66 21.30 on duty, worked 48393 to Stourbridge, off duty at 05.30.

2-6-66 Booked on at 01.00, worked 48752 to Stourbridge, off at 12.00.

23-6-66 19.30 on duty, worked Branston-Bristol West Depot with 48266, returned light engine to Gloucester.

1-7-66 Hymek D7019 failed at Cheltenham, we took over with 48276 and worked to Lawley Street, Birmingham.

1-9-66 Book on at 14.00, prepare 44693, work 45349 at 17.30 light to Worcester, then freight to Washwood Heath, Birmingham. Book off at 23.30. (44693 was due to work 19.55 Barnwood – Washwood Heath freight, but headed north light engine as the freight was cancelled.)

Keith with 'Black Five' 44693 which he prepared for its duty at Horton Road on 1 September 1966, by which date steam was very thin on the ground at Gloucester.

From October 1966 Keith - and Derek Smith - went on loan from Gloucester as firemen at Eastleigh on the Southern Region, working there until the end of steam in July 1967.

Keith has listed his turns at Eastleigh on my other website https://sites.google.com/site/railwayselsewhere in section 1, England, Scotland and Wales/Eastleigh Fireman 1966/67.