RCTS Reports

Some reports reflect the changes coming about after nationalisation with the creation of British Railways which took over from the four private main line companies. Familiar old engines went for scrap, being slowly replaced by new locos, some to the designs of the 'Big Four' companies, but also by BR Standard designs. Then the modernisation programme started with the intention of eliminating steam completely.

10 June 1948. Hawksworth 4-6-0 1028 'County of Warwick' of 82A Bristol Bath Road was on a Penzance - Wolverhampton express,believed to be first appearance by the class on the Honeybourne line.

10 July 1948. A Western Region excursion from Cheltenham St James to Weston-Super-Mare was worked by ex-LMS Compound 1058 of Barnwood shed with ten LMS coaches, possibly the first ever appearance by an LMS loco at St James.

31 July 1948. A visit to the newly nationalised Sharpness Docks found four steam shunting locos, the newest being 0-4-0ST Peckett 2060/1944.

November 1948. Dean Goods 0-6-0s are the largest locos using the Severn Bridge - two based at Lydney are for freights to Stoke Gifford and diverted Sunday passenger trains.

24 December 1948. A through passenger train from Coventry to Cardiff changed engines at Gloucester as LMR locos are not permitted on the South Wales line beyond Over Junction.

January 1949. 'Royal Scot' 4-6-0 46120 is on loan for trials at 17A Derby and working York - Bristol expresses.

February 1949. Bristol Barrow Road's 'Jubilee' 4-6-0s working through the area are 'highly polished'.

14 February 1949. From today some LMR trains are being worked by GW engines to avoid lots of light engine movements, including Bristol - Coaley Junction freight, with a 'Dean Goods';a Worcester - Ashchurch freight with an 0-6-0PT; 7.50am Worcester - Gloucester passenger and return 10.25am freight with a 'Hall' or 'Grange' 4-6-0. On the other hand, an LMR 4F 0-6-0 works the 2.15pm Worcester - Stoke Gifford freight via Honeybourne.

7 March 1949. Johnson 2-4-0 20216 has arrived at Gloucester 'to finish its days as station pilot at Cheltenham Lansdown.' It travels from and to Barnwood every day.(It was withdrawn by November 1949 and may have left the area earlier than that.)

23 April 1949. The 5.8pm Birmingham - Evesham - Ashchurch passenger was worked by 'Black Five' M4762 in BR experimental Southern Green livery.

September 1949. The Hereford - Gloucester line still sees 'Bulldog' 4-4-0s on passenger and 'Duke' 4-4-0 on freight workings.

9 September 1949. Brand new 0-6-0PT 8450 was on a westbound pick-up goods at Lydney.

16 November 1949. Ivatt 2-6-0 46413 was tested on the Severn Bridge, resulting in permission for the class to work over it.

27 November 1949. Several 85B locos were noted at Worcester Works, in for repair. 0-6-0T W2043, 2044, 2132; 0-6-0 3204; 2-6-2T 4534; 4-6-0 6917.

10/11 December 1949. Ivatt 2-6-0 46413 was on freight trials between Swindon and Gloucester.

February 1950. Change at Lydney shed with new 0-6-0PT 1612 and 1616 taking over from old timers 2045 and 2117.

1 March 1950. LMR Garratt 2-6-0/0-6-2s from Toton shed have started running to Westerleigh yard on an evening mineral train, before running light to Bristol Barrow Road shed, then returning on mineral empties next morning. Seven members of the class have been noted. ( From Summer 1950 they also worked occasionally to Over Sidings, Gloucester.)

March 1950. Malvern Road shed now has three large Prairie tanks allocated: 4141, 4174 and 5112. Consequently two former Malvern Road small 2-6-2T, 4567 and 5515, are in store at Swindon.

10 June 1950. While two Stanier 419XX 0-4-4T are in open store at Gloucester Barnwood shed, two much older Johnson 0-4-4T,1251 and M1365, have been returned to traffic, with the former seen on station pilot duties at Cheltenham Lansdown.

June 1950. Ex Cleobury Mortimer & Ditton Priors Railway 0-6-0PT 28, fitted with a spark arrestor, at Gloucester for a few weeks, but gone to other duties by mid-August.

9 December 1950. 0-6-0PT 9429 of 85A Worcester working local freight around Gloucester, first of the class seen regularly here.

9 December 1950. Fowler 2-6-2T 40040 of Barnwood shed seen shunting at Evesham with 'Flying Scotsman' headboard!

19 January and 16 February 1951. Despite new 16XX arriving, Lydney's old 0-6-0PT used in the Forest of Dean were still going through works. 2043 and 2144 were, surprisingly, going through Derby Works, not Swindon.

15 February 1951. Even though two immaculate 'Castle' 4-6-0s, 4079 and 7006, are allocated to Gloucester for the top London trains, the 4.55pm from Paddington was today worked by Horton Road's 'Saint' 2951 'Tawstock Court'.

20 February 1951. Fitted ballast trains from Gloucester for a relaying weekend on the Lickey Incline were unusually worked by GW locos, two 'Halls' and a Churchward 2-8-0. They turned on the Lifford triangle at King's Norton.

March 1951. 0-6-0PT 5417 is working Berkeley Road - Lydney passengers in place of old 0-6-0PT 2080 and 2132. By March 1952 the Cinderford service was also being worked by the 54XX.

18 May 1951. New BR Standard class 5 73000 first noted at Bristol on the 11.45am arrival from Derby, returning on 5pm express.

7 July 1951. New BR Standard class 4 75000 at Gloucester with the 9.28am ex Swindon, returning on the 2.40pm passenger.This train was regularly used for running-in new and ex-works locos.

9 July 1951. 0-4-4T 58071 was working the Ashchurch - Malvern passenger train. Other locos used are 0-4-4T 58051, 2-6-2T 40040 and 40116, a Stanier 419XX 0-4-4T and 3F 0-6-0s. Tewkesbury shed also hosts Stanier and Fairburn 2-6-4T, Horwich 'Moguls', Ivatt class 4 2-6-0s, 4F 0-6-0s and 8F 2-8-0s off Evesham line passenger and freight workings.

16 July 1951/27 August 1951. Docks shunter at Gloucester 0-4-0T 41537 was in poor condition on the first date. By the second date it was in Derby Works for overhaul and 41533 had been drafted in, complete with 18D Staveley shedplate, to cover for it.

8 August 1951. Despite large 'Prairie' tanks being available, the important 8am Cheltenham - Paddington was hauled today by 0-6-0PT 7741 which achieved 52mph at Churchdown running bunker-first with ten carriages.

11 August 1951. 'Britannia' 4-6-2 70019 'Lightning' worked the 2.40pm Gloucester - Swindon passenger, said to be the first appearance of a 'Pacific' engine at Gloucester. Members of the class, all built at Crewe, that were allocated to the Western Region - 70014 to 70029 - became familiar as they were run-in on trains from Swindon.

November 1951. Eastern Region WD 2-8-0s from 38A Colwick and 38E Woodford Halse are seen regularly in the area on Western Region trains to Bristol.

16 November 1951. A special working from Manchester Openshaw to Avonmouth Docks, seen at Yate, had two new 3'6'' gauge Beyer-Peacock Garratt 4-8-2/2-8-4 locos being consigned to Western Australia.

January 1953. The last Midland Railway built Compound 4-4-0, 41025, was withdrawn from Barnwood shed and was being cut up at Derby Works on 21 January. It was last reported in use, as Eastgate station pilot, on 13 December 1952.

January 1953. GW 'Mogul' 6341 is now working the Lydney - Stoke Gifford goods over the Severn Bridge.

23 - 26 February 1953. The 'Cornishman' was worked by 'Castle' 7026 or 5008, both equipped with self-weighing tenders.

24 February 1953. A trial of 2-6-0 6341 over the Severn & Wye Joint line from Lydney Town to Cannop Colliery and Mireystock was cancelled, as was the trial of 0-6-0PT 7723 and 7741 on the same route.

27 February 1953. A 66XX 0-6-2T was trialled to Mireystock and on the Coleford branch, but not very successful.

16 April 1953. 'Castle' 7034 was tested on the LMR route into Bristol via Mangotsfield in preparation for the 'Cornishman' using the line from Summer 1953.

4 July 1953. New BR Standard class 4 2-6-4T 80063, allocated to 21A Saltley, worked the 9.35am Ashchurch - Evesham - Birmingham New Street passenger.

7 August 1953. Relief train M988 from Gloucester to Manchester Mayfield was worked throughout by 22B's Compound 40934, as per the diagram.

29 August 1953. The last 'Saint' 4-6-0 2920 of 85C Hereford worked the 10.45am Paddington - Gloucester express.

September 1953. From early September Southern Region 'U' class 2-6-0s have taken over the following MSWJ trains: 7.50am Andover - Cheltenham and 1.56pm Cheltenham - Southampton passengers; 10.10am Southampton - Cheltenham passenger and 3.20pm Cheltenham - Eastleigh freight. Noted so far - 31613, 31795 and 31810.

12 November 1953. BR Standard class 3 2-6-0 76007 of 71A Eastleigh was on the 10.10am ex Southampton to Cheltenham and the 3.20pm Cheltenham - Eastleigh, believed to be the first time one of the class had worked beyond Swindon Town over the MSWJ.

20 January 1954. Gloucester's 0-4-4T 58071 in Derby Works for an intermediate overhaul. Being the last of the class with a round top boiler, it could well have been withdrawn instead, but came back for more service on the Ashchurch - Upton line.

20 February 1954. Two of Gloucester's Compounds - 41047 and 41058 - in Derby Works for 'special examination'. Both were withdrawn. 41047 had been badly damaged at Birmingham New Street station when BR Standard 73003 overran a signal and hit it.

21 April 1954. New BR Standard 2-6-0 77007 noted on an up goods through Gloucester.

24 April 1954. 'Castle' 5017 renamed in a ceremony at Gloucester Central station.

May 1954. Midland 1F 0-6-0T 41720 and 41748 usually work the Dursley branch in commendably clean condition.

13 May 1954. Up 'Cornishman' was hauled by 'Star' 4-6-0 4056 'Princess Margaret' from Bristol to Wolverhampton, returning next day on the down 'Cornishman'. Stated to be 'probably the first 'Star' to work over the LMR section between Yate South and Bristol.'

May/June 1954. 9F 92002 noted en route from Swindon Works, where it had been in store, to Newport. There was a problem with the early batch of 9Fs on the Western Region - the regulator linkage was faulty in design, resulting in uncontrollable slipping when hauling heavy ore traffic from Newport to Ebbw Vale Steelworks, so 92002 and other members of the class had been receiving remedial attention at Swindon.

August 1954. The Fridays only 11.40am Bournemouth - Derby express is worked by a Barnwood Compound from Gloucester as it has been for the past four summers. Return working is the Saturdays 9.22am Derby - Gloucester semi-fast.

17 September 1954. Barnwood's 41195 is the first Compound to receive a general overhaul at Derby Works for over six months.

29 September 1954. Southbound 'Pines Express' seen at Yate behind a 2P 4-4-0 with ten coaches, running 33 minutes late. (Probably due to the original engine failing at Gloucester?)

13 November 1954. Dursley branch being worked by 2F 0-6-0 58206. There is a picture of it on the passenger at Dursley in the section 'Some Unusual Loco Workings at Cheltenham and Gloucester'.

13 November 1955. At Worcester Works was 'Grange' 4-6-0 6865 of 85B Horton Road, where it was shedded from October to December, the only member of the class ever allocated to Gloucester. As it was in the Works here for at least part of the period, did it ever do anything at Gloucester?

22 March 1958. During this week new diesel hydraulic D600 worked the 12.45pm Old Oak Common - Neyland fish train to Gloucester and the 7.12pm Gloucester - Swindon semi-fast.

October 1959. A rare visitor was J39 0-6-0 64789 on the 2.40pm Westerleigh - Washwood Heath freight. The loco was allocated to Peterborough Spital Bridge.

November 1959. B1 4-6-0s from 41C Sheffield Millhouses appear about once a week on the 10.44am Sheffield - Bristol, returning on the 6.47am Bristol - Gloucester slow or fitted freights.

16 November 1959. V2 2-6-2 60954 of 50A York was very unexpected on a Washwood Heath - Westerleigh freight; it returned north light engine.

18 November 1959. Fairburn 2-6-4T 42182 of 15C Leicester was seen arriving on a freight at Stoke Gifford from the Gloucester direction.

21 November 1959. K3 2-6-0 61961 of 36A Doncaster had a Washwood Heath - Stoke Gifford freight, going back light to Gloucester Barnwood shed.

I saw it at Gloucester Eastgate station that afternoon, with one other loco present - B1 4-6-0 61152 of 41C. Two Eastern Region types at the same time!

21 November 1959. Ashchurch - Upton trains are being worked by ex-GWR 0-6-0PT, including 7723. Former power on the branch, 0-4-4T 41900 is stored at Barnwood (seen there by me that day.)

27 November 1959. Horton Road's 'Mogul' 2-6-0 4358, oldest member of the class, has been sold for scrap to Cashmore's Newport. (Not at Gloucester on my visit of 21 November 1959, presumably already gone to the scrapyard.) It had actually first been listed for withdrawal in 1950/51!

11 December 1959. Another V2 appeared at Westerleigh, this one was 60839 again from 50A.

April/ May 1960. Eastern Region 'L1' 2-6-4T 67740/71 with two brakevans filled with enginemen and guards have been running route learning trips on Sundays between Woodford Halse and Honeybourne ahead of the opening of the new curve at Stratford-upon-Avon Racecourse connecting the SMJ and Stratford- Honeybourne lines. (There was an unconfirmed report that the 'L1' tanks reached Gloucester on at least one occasion.)

19 February 1961. Lydney sub-shed today: 1623/7/31/2/42, 2289, 3721, 6415,7741. 1431 and 6394 are stored, the Mogul formerly worked the Stoke Gifford goods via the Severn Bridge (now out of action).

6 June 1961. 6415 is receiving attention in the local workshops at Gloucester (Horton Road).

6 August 1961. 'Hymek' diesel D7003 failed on the 8.50am Cheltenham - Pddington due to loss of coolant water and was towed from West Ealing to Paddington by 0-6-0PT 9642. (9642 is now based at the GWSR Toddington and was previously at the Dean Forest Railway).

September 1961. Ten Sulzer 'Peak' diesels D33 - D42 are now allocated to 82E Bristol Barrow Road replacing 'Jubilees' .

4 November 1961. 3653 was on the 12.44pm Oxford - Fairford train with only two passengers making the whole 25 mile trip, most passengers only going as far as Witney. The 12.12pm Fairford - Oxford had 2221 while the branch freight was headed by 9653.

More to come