A couple of recent expeditions to the Midland Line at Cam and Dursley/Coaley to picture steam movements got me thinking about the former Coaley Junction station 60 years ago, featuring one of the very same locomotives that I pictured, writes Ian Thomas.
On Friday, May 23rd there was a light engine movement featuring the 1990-2008 built 4-6-2 A1 Pacific 60130 Tornado en-route from Orton Mere (Nene Valley Railway) to Bristol in order to work the Railway Touring Company’s Royal Duchy tour from Bristol to Par and return.
The following day, GWR-designed, but British Railways 1950 Swindon-built Castle class 4-6-0 locomotive 7029 Clun Castle was powering a Vintage Trains tour 1Z40 from Birmingham to Minehead and return. Nice to see a Western engine and chocolate and cream coaches combination and also a throwback to summer Saturday holiday trains to the south-west.
My thoughts went back 60 years to Coaley Junction when the very same locomotive (7029), by then a Gloucester allocated locomotive, was working the Western Venturer tour on February 6th, 1965, from London Paddington to Gloucester via Bristol.
It stopped at Coaley for photos to be taken. I have a picture of this taken by the late Norman Preedy that day, also to note the signalman on duty that day was the late Gilroy Kerr who told me that because not all coaches were in the short platform, some punters opened doors on the wrong side of the train, just as a Bromford Bridge to Avonmouth Esso tank train was approaching on the down line.
A lot of shouting from Gil saw the doors shut and the passage of the oil train unimpeded. 7029 was taken off the tour at Gloucester and GWR 4-6-0 No 6848 Toddington Grange attached for a run via the Honeybourne line to Birmingham Snow Hill. From there GWR 7820 4-6-0 Dinmore Manor taking the train to Worcester Shrub Hill (via Dudley and Kidderminster) and 7029 back to the capital via Kingham and Oxford.
What a cracking day out. I was only nine years old back then and wished I was that much older -anyway, dream on.
