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British Railways 1972

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Two freight trains crossing at Lydd on the Dungeness branch

1972?



Trying to couple a 4-SUB (Screw couplings) and a 4-EPB (Buckeyes)!

1972?



A dying man's last view (of a 4-EPB)? (!)

1972?



A "Holiday Preview" excursion to Teignmouth awaits departure from Filton Jn

Febuary 1972



Looking back towards Filton Jn from the chord round to Filton West Jn

Febuary 1972



Filton West Jn looking towards Bristol Parkway

Febuary 1972



Passing the Brabazon Hanger at Filton

Febuary 1972



Entering the tunnel down to Avonmouth

Febuary 1972



Hallen Marsh Jn

Febuary 1972



Hallen Marsh Jn

Febuary 1972



The remains of a mishap at Yatton, with the trackbed of the Clevedon branch

Febuary 1972



A "Western" approaches Teignmouth with a down train

Febuary 1972



A "Peak" leaves Teignmouth with a train for the North East

Febuary 1972



A dmu for Exeter enters Teignmouth

Febuary 1972



Dawlish Warren

Febuary 1972



A class 119 leaves Exeter St Davids with a class 33 on a Waterloo train in Platform 3

Febuary 1972



Exeter St Davids

Febuary 1972



Exeter fuelling depot

Febuary 1972



Crediton

Febuary 1972



Okehampton train about to leave Crediton

Febuary 1972



Arriving at Okehampton

Febuary 1972



Okehampton

Febuary 1972



Okehampton

Febuary 1972



Sampford Courteney (I think!)

Febuary 1972



Bristol Bath Road

Febuary 1972



A blurred shot af a Bakerloo train near Neasden. This is now the Jubilee Line

Febuary 1972



Cricklewood

Febuary 1972



Copper Mills Jn. The stock of this "Holiday Preview" excursion to Clacton was branded "Paddington - Bristol - Weston SM"!

Febuary 1972



Temple Mills yard, the Eurostar depot is now on this site

Febuary 1972



Clacton with a train branded as "Paddington - Bristol - Weston SM" in the platform

Febuary 1972



Clacton

Febuary 1972



Ipswich

Febuary 1972



Felixstowe branch train arrives at Ipswich

Febuary 1972



The signalman holds the tablet at Westerfield Jn

Febuary 1972



Trimley

Febuary 1972



A blurred shot of the junction for the Container terminal at Felixstowe

Febuary 1972



Felixstowe

Febuary 1972



Felixstowe

Febuary 1972



Derby Road

Febuary 1972



Derby Road

Febuary 1972



Ipswich with a London train arriving

Febuary 1972



Colchester St Botolph's (now Town) - note the semaphore signals

Febuary 1972



The shed at Radstock which held the collection owned by the S&DR society. When the site was demolished, they de-camped to the WSR

May 1972





May 1972



Kilmersdon Colliery with Peckett 0-4-0ST 1788 shunting wagons. These would then be taken to the top of a rope-worked incline down to the old North Somerset branch from Frome

May 1972



Kilmersdon Colliery, one the last in Somerset closing in the following year

May 1972



Kilmersdon Colliery

May 1972



A Hymek shunting tar wagons at Cranmore, now the headquarters of the East Somerset Railway

May 1972



Merehead Quarry, very big even 40 years ago!

May 1972



Class 10 shunting at Merehead

May 1972



The quarry itself

May 1972



Conveyor belts at Merehead

May 1972



Loading apparatus at Merehead

May 1972



A load of ballast leaves Whatley Quarry en-route to the BR exchange sidings at Mells Road. This line has now been upgraded and mainline locos can now get right down to the quarry.

May 1972



One of the tight curves on the Whatley Quarry line.

May 1972



View ahead on the approach to the Severn Tunnel

May 1972



Llanelli

May 1972



Carmarthen, note the new colour light signals ready for commissioning

May 1972



Carmarthen

May 1972



Whitland with the Pembroke Dock branch connection on the right

May 1972



The Milford Haven train leaves Whitland

May 1972



Tenby in the rain

May 1972



Tenby

May 1972



Opening the gates at Manorbier

May 1972



Pembroke Dock

May 1972



Pembroke Dock, with the disused line to the dockyard in the foreground

May 1972



The Cleddau Bridge under construction. 2 years previously a span collapsed killing 4 construction workers.

May 1972



View of the Cleddau estuary from the Neyland - Milford haven bus

May 1972



View of the Cleddau estuary from the Neyland - Milford haven bus

May 1972



Milford Haven station

May 1972



Milford Haven station

May 1972



Looking back on departure from Milford Haven

May 1972



Junction to Waterston oil refinery near Johnston

May 1972



Johnston

May 1972



Haverfordwest

May 1972



Clarbeston Road, with the line to Fishguard on the right

May 1972



Cardiff Queen St, Brunal House now occupies the site to the right

July 1972



Cardiff Queen St

July 1972



Cefn Onn with the tunnel through to Cearphilly beyond. This station was replaced by Lisvane & Thornhill in the 1980s

July 1972



Aber Jn with the line up from Taffs Well on the left leading on to Senghenydd and the main line to Rhymney on the right

July 1972



Ystrad Mynach with the line to Cwmbargoed on the left

July 1972



Approaching Bargoed

July 1972



Bargoed

July 1972



Rhymney, there was a dmu fuel point in the headshunt beyond, but this did not last long

July 1972



Rhymney looking back down the valley. This station is around 800' above sea level

July 1972



On (by bus) to Merthyr

July 1972



The Merthyr branch had been singled by this time with a crossing loop at Black Lion, the junction for Aberfan Colliery (on the right)

July 1972



The south end of Black Lion loop

July 1972



Abercynon with the (then freight only) line to Aberdare on the right

July 1972



Passing a coal train near Pontypridd

July 1972



Pontypridd, reduced to only one platform at this time

July 1972



Taff's Well

July 1972



Passing one of the piers for Walnut Tree Viaduct south of Taff's Well

July 1972



Approaching Radyr, then a major loco stabling point

July 1972



Approaching Cardiff General past the back of Canton depot having been routed via what is now known as the "City Line".

July 1972



The approach to Cardiff General

July 1972



Llandeilo Jn, Llanelli heading for Shrewsbury

August 1972



Morlais Jn, then still a full "flying" junction with the southbound CWL running under the Swansea District line in the centre

August 1972



Hendy Jn, the north end of the triangle

August 1972



Pantyffynnon, the junction for the GCG branch

August 1972



Llandeilo

August 1972



Crossing at Llandeilo, the line was operated using the Staff & Ticket system under a Light Railway Order

August 1972



Llandovery

August 1972



Cynghordy Viaduct on the climb to Sugar Loaf

August 1972



The Sugar Loaf

August 1972



Views around Sugar Loaf

August 1972



Views around Sugar Loaf

August 1972



Llandrindod Wells

August 1972



The crossing loop at Llandrindod Wells was then situated at the level crossing about a mile north of the station, and the south end of a 32 mile section through to Craven Arms.

August 1972



Dolau, with ex-LNWR signals protecting the crossing

August 1972



Looking down from Llangunllo to Knucklas Viaduct

August 1972



Joining the main line at Craven Arms

August 1972



Shrewsbury

August 1972



An ex-works class 47 at Shrewsbury

August 1972



Crewe Junction at Shrewsbury

August 1972



Cambridge

28 October 1972



Barnwell Jn, Cambridge

28 October 1972



Chesterton Jn

28 October 1972



Ely

28 October 1972



Ely

28 October 1972



Ely

28 October 1972



Ely North Jn

28 October 1972



Ely West Jn

28 October 1972



March

28 October 1972



March, the junction with the "Joint" line to Spalding

28 October 1972



March West Jn

28 October 1972



Peterborough East, note the nasty dog-leg left after rationalisation

28 October 1972



Peterborough East

28 October 1972



The Nene Valley line at Peterborough

28 October 1972



Peterborough, with the new fast lines under construction

28 October 1972



My notes say that this is the 14.00 King's Cross - Edinburgh at Peterborough

28 October 1972



A class 31 arrives from the south with a local train at Peterborough

28 October 1972



The Bristol University Railway Society arranged a Brake Van ride to Hemyock, here we are setting off from Exeter Riverside

15 November 1972



Cowley Bridge Jn waiting for a train from Barnstaple to cross

15 November 1972



Near Stoke Canon

15 November 1972



Approaching Hele & Bradnich

15 November 1972



Entering the loop at Hele & Bradnich

15 November 1972



Shunting Hele & Bradnich

15 November 1972



Leaving Hele & Bradnich with the down "Cornish Riviera" passing

15 November 1972



Waiting in the loop for the up "Cornishman" to pass

15 November 1972



Approaching Tiverton Jn

15 November 1972



Tiverton Jn, where some more shunting was carried out

15 November 1972



Tiverton Jn with a "Western" passing on an up train of empty steel wagons

15 November 1972



Tiverton Jn with a class 31 passing on a down ballast train

15 November 1972



Tiverton Jn

15 November 1972



Leaving Tiverton Jn en-route to Hemyock

15 November 1972



On the Hemyock branch near Tiverton Jn

15 November 1972



Near Uffculme

15 November 1972



Closing the gates at Uffculme

15 November 1972



Culmstock

15 November 1972



Shunting at Hemyock

15 November 1972



Hemyock in near-darkness

15 November 1972



Hemyock in near-darkness

15 November 1972

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I was born in 1953 and educated at Tonbridge and Bristol University. Since then I have been employed on the Railways, most of the time in the West Midlands. From 1980 I lived in Wolverhampton, and for the last 20 years in Bridgnorth