Downendian

Ah we're getting there. Need a WTT to identify the Cardiff-Bournemouth and return reporting codes. There are plenty of shots of Hymeks at Bournemouth - some were used on trains to BNS and the North. Here's D7032 in 1971 on 1O26. http://www.railblue.com/pages/Photo%20Galleries/David%20Mant%20Collection/DMC_D7032_BT_230271.htm If loco hauled then certainly would explain a balancing move. Neil

I picked this up from eBay for a tenner - mislabelled as "old sign" probably a house clearance. It cost £15p+p, one for renovation and to go on my garden pub wall. I suspect it's worth considerably more than that. One day will get some replica D800 and D1000 plates that's for sure, for now have made do with some D plates from a variety of stock including a Swindon built van, freightliner flat, a diag 1/108 mineral and a catfish ballast wagon. Neil

I've just had the 1974/5 all line timetable delivered. A quick look reveals it was much the same as the previous year, but no weekday Cardiff-Portsmouth just Saturday and Sunday. The Cardiff-Bournemouth service remained. Neil

Just had this from Hattons re preorder of D6130 Dapol have confirmed that the Recommended Retail price for this item is now £151.94, resulting in an new sales price of £129.15. This has been due to the change in the terms of supply to all retailers by Dapol, and follows similar changes by other companies in the model rail industry, therefore we will unable to provide this item at the original retailing price. Preorder cancelled, at that price I'll need to have a good look at it first. SLW class 25s will probably be out by then, money will go there instead, and wait to see what the product is like after the class 73 saga. Neil

I did see a class 123 (two pairs) on a Swansea-Paddington relief, in 1975/6 passing through Bristol Parkway, so that may be a source of some Cardiff spottings, I have the precise date but will need to look it up. Neil

This post from our very own forum made me smile yesterday - thanks griffgriff http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/111009-why-is-everything-you-tubed/?p=2298888 Neil

I think early 1974 is a possibility, and will look at the renumbering dates. I remember seeing at least one 33/0 that hadn't been renumbered in the summer that year. Neil

I found this on Flickr https://flic.kr/p/yCxRYy 33 118 with 4TCs 416 and 423 at Temple Meads 18/9/76. So they did work that year, but doesn't resolve the 33/1 in Andy's photo as it had just a single number by then, as have all photos I've seen of 33/1s following renumbering. Neil

I think they were all renumbered by 1974 Andy, so it would be before that. There was one service in 1973/4 that was timetabled to stop at both Temple Meads and Cardiff post Hymek. I think this would be it from yours and Gwiwer's descriptions. Neil

Lovely pic Andy, but I think the date is incorrect with 1976. The 33/1 looks to be pre-TOPs? They were all renumbered by then. Neil

OK I've gone back and photographed a relevant page of the timetable as evidence for you Gwiwer. It is rather self explanatory but illustrates the point that some of your statements on Cardiff-Portsmouth/Bournemouth services in 1973/4 are incorrect.1. The Bournemouth service was not a Weymouth train, those were separate services and see the timetable which shows both Cardiff service trains here. 2. There were also Cardiff-Portsmouth services that did not call at Bristol, but did at Bath Spa. They were different services to the Temple Meads ones. Again timetable shows this. 3. You state that 3H DEMUs were not permitted through the Severn tunnel. Although not frequent they did do so in this era, I actually saw one on its way to Cardiff in 1974/5 and there are reports from other Bristol spotters of the same in the identical timeframe. If there was a ban I'm sure Mike (stationmaster) would have mentioned it too. 4. Unfortunately my spotting notes are bereft of details regarding service trains. Those 9-car formations were regular in 1973-1975 but ceased around 1976/7, and were not Thumpers but I suspect classes 116/117 or 119/120s. I don't think they were Merrymakers, but reiterate I'm very interested in what stock formed the Cardiff-Portsmouth and Cardiff-Bournemouth trains in the attached timetable. I don't have any information as to whether these 9 car sets were Portsmouth services, but are possible candidates. I've just won a 1974/5 timetable and will be interested in what happened to these trains the next year. Neil

Ok so I'm trying to get to the bottom of what happened post demise of the Hymeks on this route in 1972, and when the class 31s resumed loco hauled services around 1977. I'm in the process of buying passenger timetables for that intervening period, and have two so far, May 1972- May 1973 and May 1973- May 1974 both have brought some surprises to me. So what I'm wondering is what operated these services- I sat there and watched them from a distance (sat at Parkway and watched various trains about a half a mile away on the Patchway-Filton junction line). I did see class 205 and 207 paired together on one occasion and remember 9 car DMUs around 1974/5, which were most probably Portsmouth Cardiffs. The 1972 service was very scarce to say the least, and hugely transformed in the 1973 timetable. In 1973 I was intrigued to see that the service was "split" with trains Portsmouth-Bristol (predominantly class 205s) but what were on the Portsmouth-Cardiffs that called at Bath and skirted through Dr Day's junction towards South Wales? Were these the 9 car DMUs or were they also sometimes but rarely class 205s? A forty year mystery has probably been solved - I remember being puzzled at seeing class 205s (or may have been 207s) in the distance at Temple Meads and never entering the station - probably it was these trains? For completion I've also included the Bournemouth Cardiff Saturday service, which might also be a candidate for the 205/207 combo seen at Filton Junction, and most probably the service that brought class 33/1s with 2X4 TC through Bristol in that period. Rather than just photograph the timetables - I've put the selected data here- hopefully the formatting works -it looks OK on screen! Comments warmly appreciated as my layout is based on the Parkway-Filton-Patchway movements in the mid 1970s. If anyone can help with the reporting codes that would be most helpful too. Portsmouth-Bristol, Cardiff services Timetable 30 Sept 1972 – 6 May 1973 M-F Sat Sun Portsmouth Harbour 1725 1020 1320 1520 1725 1120 1720 Salisbury 1900 1150 1448 1645 1900 1250 1850 Bath Spa 2011 1254 1551 1752 2011 1400 1956 Bristol Temple Meads 2030 - - 1808 2032 1422 2014 Cardiff General 2136 1403 1700 1908 - 1535 2125 Swansea - - 1821 - - - - M-S Sat until 23/9 Sun Cardiff General 0907 1245 1040 1750 Bristol Temple Meads 1006 1343 1200 1900 Bath Spa 1020 1400 1213 1914 Salisbury 1128 1508 1327 2027 Portsmouth Harbour 1306 1638 1502 2202 Portsmouth-Bristol, Cardiff services Timetable 7 May 1973- 5 May 1974 M-F-(Sat from 6/10) Sat until 29/9 Sunday Portsmouth Harbour 0550 0656 0856 1056 1256 1456 1620 1656 1249 1256 1456 1620 1656 1120 1656 Salisbury 0737 0845 1045 1245 1445 1645 1750 1850 1416 1445 1645 1750 1850 1250 1845 Bath Spa 0845 0954 1151 1354 1551 1751 1902 1955 1531 1551 1751 1902 1955 1358 1957 Bristol Temple Meads 0859 1010 1207 1411 1607 1807 - 2011 - 1607 1807 - 2011 1419 2014 Cardiff Central - - - - - - 2000 - 1642 - - 2000 - 1535 - Swansea - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - M-F-(Sat from 6/10) Sat until 29/9 Sunday Cardiff Central - - - - - - - - - 0820 1053 - - - - - 1750 Bristol Temple Meads 0650 0908 1118 1300 1305 1518 1705 1908 0650 - - 1300 1518 1705 1908 1210 1900 Bath Spa 0707 0922 1132 1319 1319 1534 1723 1922 0707 0922 1154 1319 1534 1723 1922 1224 1914 Salisbury 0816 1043 1243 1443 1443 1643 1843 2043 0816 1029 1256 1443 1643 1843 2043 1334 2027 Portsmouth Harbour 1015 1218 1418 1618 1618 1818 2018 2218 1018 1204 1426 1618 1818 2018 2218 1518 2204 SO SX Bournemouth-Cardiff service 1972/3 Sat until 23/9/72 Sat until 29/9/73 Bournemouth 1330 1330 Salisbury 1514 1514 Bath Spa 1626 1631 Bristol Temple Meads - - Cardiff Central 1735 1743 Swansea - - Sat until 23/9/72 Sat until 29/9/73 Cardiff Central 0953 0953 Bristol Temple Meads - - Bath Spa 1100 1058 Salisbury 1215 1214 Bournemouth 1404 1404

Swifts in Bristol this morning and Swallows in South Devon earlier in the week. Dare I say summer is here? Neil

Well checked the records and although I have no dates, the class 207 seen at Filton heading to Cardiff was the now preserved 1302. It was coupled to a 3H which was one of the following 1101/2/5/24/25/27/29/32. All these 205s were seen in the Bristol Parkway-Filton-Patchway triangle 1974-6, most were however operating the shuttle service from Stapleton road to Parkway when the Badminton route was shut for the HST upgrade. Neil

Superb - what a beast. Neil

I'm not so sure about this. I vividly remember them on at least one occasion (must have been around 1974/5) working through Filton junction heading West on the South Wales route. Admittedly very uncommon but a 3H was coupled to a class 207, my first sighting of one. If I hadn't have seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it. I have also seen Brian ( Br2975) reporting a 205 working a Pompey-Cardiff in 1970. Neil

Interesting consist behind D7054 too, a couple of planked opens, two grampus, what's looks like a Tunny and the rest mermaid side tipping ballast. Neil

No problems at all Mike. The more hydraulic threads the better, hope you're enjoying the Spanish move. Neil

A few more to scan this coming weekend. A win tonight on eBay quite pleased - coupled with a win of a condemned LMS porthole in 1968 in BR maroon (come on Bachmann). D600 and D601 at Woodhams scrapyard in 1968. I went there in 1976 and clambered all over D601, alas D600 had long since gone. Neil

Good grief http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=191847351984&globalID=EBAY-GB

It is a strange phenomena. I was after a non-"Talisman clips" blue Dapol Western, and saw one on eBay minus a few bits that I thought would make it a possible bargain. Wrong, it went for more than you can buy them brand new. Neil

One of my most ancient of railway memories is seeing the reverse blue-grey Pullman, before I started spotting. First whilst playing cricket on Winterbourne down, overlooking the line East of Bristol parkway, then secondly whilst picking up a friends dad at Bristol Parkway in what must of been 1972. Enough for me to have bought the Bachmann model, but haven't got round to the decision to repaint as the Nanking blue livery looks so pretty. Neil

Two recent bargains Bachmann blue class 105 £46 (advertised in N gauge section) Bachmann class 42 DCC fitted D827 last version before class 43s arrived, £41.50 plus £10 p+p which I'm sure put bidders off. D827 even came with etched plates. Bargains can still be had, well pleased. Neil

This was posted on a fishing website that myself and Mr Bullock subscribe to. I had to look twice, but all good fishermen use optical tricks to "enhance" their fishermen's tales. Neil