Gloucester Horton Road Fireman - 1963

Also see Michael J Davis' Gloucestershire Railway Memories 'Gloucester Horton Road Fireman - 1963' 

In March 1963 I moved into the large relief link and had Harold Heggie as my regular driver. Harold was a great bloke and he looked after his fireman.

My first firing turn proper was on the evening Brimscombe banker with a good driver, Jim Bebell, on 2-6-2T 6137,I had a good week on this loco and we had no difficulties in banking three freights up the bank each night all week.

1-4-63

6947 Gloucester Central station pilot, then 9471 on 5/45 Stroud passenger and return at 6/30 as empty stock.

3-4-63

7921 station pilot, then 6381 on 5/45 Stroud.

The 5/45 was a peak time train put on to supplement the Chalford autos.

8-4-63

This was a Gloucester-Cheltenham Spa St James week with various prairie tanks – 4104, 5184, 4100. The numerous trains between Gloucester Central and Cheltenham St James were a mix of steam and diesel multiple units. Diesel locos had by this date taken over most passenger services from and to London, but the Gloucester - Cheltenham section was still mostly steam due to these trains reversing at Central station.

16-4-63

7919 Swindon freight, back with Collett 0-6-0 2244.

18-4-63

3860 freight to Yarnton near Oxford. Possibly this train was 11/10 Neath - Yarnton routed from Gloucester via Ashchurch, Evesham and Honeybourne.

22-4-63

3837 Swindon freight.

26-4-63

92004 Cardiff East Dock stone train.

29-4-63

Week of preparing engines with four or five each shift.

6-5-63

92204 Banbury- Llanwern iron ore train, back with BR Standard 4-6-0 75025.

7-5-63

92004 Banbury- Llanwern, back with 92203

9-5-63

6381 3/55 Gloucester -Hereford passenger, back with same loco on goods. The junction for Ross-on-Wye and Hereford branched off the South Wales line at Grange Court, which had quite a big station in its day.

13-5-63

Another week on Cheltenham locals with 2-6-2T 4142 - 2/14 to Cheltenham, 4pm back, 4/33 Cheltenham, back with 7pm goods. The passengers mentioned all had through coaches from or to Paddington. They did not stop at Churchdown station, but all called at Cheltenham Malvern Road.

I have misplaced my notes from June and July but can remember a trip to Swindon on 'County' 4-6-0 1000 on the morning pick up goods.

2-8-63

6989 9/25 engine and van to Leamington, back with the Fish train, 5T59 2.55 Leamington - Cardiff class C fast fitted freight.

8-8-63

6943 of 85B on excursion 1Z73 to Weston-Super-Mare and back, my first express trip. There was another excursion earlier, 1Z72 , hauled by 7929.

10-8-63

5979 5.20 Crewe – Stoke Gifford freight 5V19, then to Bristol West Depot, back with a Hymek D70XX diesel. 5V19 came down via Worcester and Ashchurch, changing crews and taking water at Gloucester South Junction.

14-8-63

5900 same job, back with D7008.

15-8-63

6982 same job, back with D7027.

19-8-63

3203 freight to Severn tunnel and return with 48101.

21-8-63

1608 light to Coaley Jct, this being the engine for the Dursley branch. Though the branch was a Gloucester Barnwood turn, the engine was often a Horton Road based loco. 1608 did not last long, being withdrawn at the end of September.

27-8-63

Woodford Halse goods – 92219 Gloucester – Honeybourne and return with 90516.

28-8-63

Woodford Halse goods – 92250 Gloucester – Honeybourne and return with 3854. 92250 was the best 9F I ever fired. This was the only class member fitted with a Giesl Ejector.

30-8-63

Woodford Halse goods – 2895 Gloucester – Honeybourne and return with 3804.

31-8-63

Woodford Halse goods – 92243 Gloucester – Honeybourne and return with 92244.

Quite a few of the workings via Honeybourne were iron ore trains between the Midlands and Oxfordshire ironstone quarries and South Wales steelworks.

I didn’t take notes of the date during September, just the loco number and turn we worked.

92210 Honeybourne

92219 Honeybourne

3823 Honeybourne

92238 iron ore to Cardiff.

90509 freight to Severn Tunnel Junction.

92208 Honeybourne

48088 Honeybourne

92246 Honeybourne

92218 Honeybourne

48002 Honeybourne

48415 Honeybourne

6920 Honeybourne

6913 Honeybourne

6944 Honeybourne

92223 Honeybourne

92225 Honeybourne

48474 Honeybourne, as one can see there were a lot of trips over the now preserved Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway route.

7-10-1963

6914 Margam- Leamington.

8-10-1963

2891 Barnwood-Leamington.

10-10-1963

2890 Barnwood -Leamington.

11-10-1963

3804 5.20 Carlisle -Stoke Gifford freight.

12-10-1963

4950 Oxford - Severn Tunnel Junction.

28-10-1963

6368 Gloucester – Hereford passenger.

31-10-1963

1014 on 4V78 11.0 Crewe-Bristol West Depot, D7088 back. 4V78 came down via Worcester and Honeybourne West. It took water and changed crews at Gloucester South, due between 5/50 and 6/5.

At this time Cheltenham Malvern Road shed closed, with crews and turns being transferred to Gloucester.

2-11-1963

9453 Cheltenham -Gloucester passenger trips.

6-11-1963

7251 10/40 Gloucester - Cardiff freight.

7-11-1963

5975 Gloucester -Severn Tunnel Junction freight.

8-11-1963

92236 1/35 Swindon - Severn Tunnel Junction, back with 92137 light engine to Barnwood.

9-11-1963

3805 Gloucester - Severn Tunnel Junction, return with 43958 light engine to Barnwood.

18-11-1963

4121 Gloucester - Swindon pick up goods. 4121 was ex-works, it was based at Tondu in South Wales.

20-11-1963

6943 coupled inside a Hymek from Gloucester to Swindon on up 1.10 mail to provide steam heating. This was 1A75, 6/50 Milford Haven - Paddington which conveyed sleeping cars and mail, so was a heavily loaded train.

23-11-1963

6987 10.15 Llandilo - Woodford Halse, failed at Malvern Rd, would not steam with dirty fire due to duff coal. Loco taken back to 85B, then took 48448 to continue to Honeybourne and return with 48650.

Monday 2 December 1963

Booked on at 12.30 and prepared 9453 for a Cheltenham passenger job, before going light engine to St James and back with 2/35 Swindon, then more preparation jobs.

I was getting 5056 ready for the 6/24 Paddington in place of a Hymek when the Foreman Johnny Jones shouted up to me “Have you made a good job of that? “. I replied “I think so, why?” He told me he wanted the passed fireman rostered for the 6/24 to do a driving turn and the only available fireman was me. I asked who the driver was, he told me it was Fred Antill and he didn’t think Fred would object.

I carried on getting 5056 ready and a bit later Fred arrived and asked me if I'd fired a passenger before and how old was I. I said I had and I was 16.

We then went down to Central station and our train, 2B29, came in from Cheltenham. I hooked us on and opened up the steam heating pipes,I think we had seven vehicles on which was a light load for our double-chimney Castle. As we went past South Box I started to fire her and she started to blow off,I tried the exhaust injector which was working well and had no trouble for steam. We roared up Sapperton and arrived at Swindon on time.I uncoupled us and we put 5056 on shed while a diesel continued to London. We brought 5306 back light engine to Gloucester.

I had the same job for Tuesday with a Hymek, back with 3212 on a freight and on the Thursday again with 5056, back on the cushions. I was knackered by the end of that week.

17-12-1963

6847 Honeybourne, 92228 back.

18-12-1963

90140 Honeybourne, 48611 back.

19-12-1963

92139 Honeybourne, 5936 back.

20-12-1963

6950 Honeybourne, 48336 back.

21-12-1963

2875 Honeybourne – Gloucester.

At the end of 1963 Lydney shed closed and the Forest of Dean jobs came to Horton Road. I personally didn’t like these turns as they were early mornings and all with pannier tanks which were always worked hard on the Forest jobs especially the Coleford and Cinderford branches. The engines on these jobs were coaled to full capacity and if you had hard coal it just about lasted back to Gloucester.

Continued in Gloucester Horton Road Fireman - 1964.