Six Bells Junction

Loco(s)	Route
34067 +76079 (1)	Minehead – (West Somerset Railway) – Bishops Lydeard – Norton Fitzwarren – Taunton
76079 +34067 (2)	Taunton – (via Tiverton Down Loop) – Exeter St Davids– (via Reversible Down Line) - Exeter Queen Street (3)
76079 +34067 (2)	(4) Exeter Queen Street – Exeter St Davids (4)

Notes :
(1) locos both tender first 34067 leading.
(2) 76079 piloting 34067 both locos boiler first.
(3) Train stalled with front of leading loco under road bridge.
(4) Train set back (under gravity) to Exeter St Davids and charter terminated.

I am sure most people know this was a tour that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons; the initial problems getting onto NR metals from the West Somerset Railway and getting no further than Exeter before being terminated after failing to make it to the top of the incline into Central station. Much hot air has been expounded in the railway media and web forums about what caused the problems and being an ex-railman I will not go there. I much prefer for the dust to settle and the facts become known (please Network Rail – no secrecy).

Instead I will concentrate on how it was for me as in my advancing years I have been trying to turn back the clock and ink in some kettle mileage on what is left of my favourite member of the Big Four; the Southern. It especially appeals when it includes sections of the main line to the West Country (as that was where I was brought up close to a former SR branch) and involves a pair. However I am wary of booking these things these days owing to the cost of getting to and from the pick up and set down points and the impression that the train will be cancelled at the last minute or be spoon hauled for most or all of the day. Added to this is the nightmare scenario of heavy delays such that you get back to your starting point after all the public transport home has ceased leaving you stranded. I won’t mention operators that go bust or hide behind dubious conditions of carriage or I’ll frighten myself too much and never venture out again.

For these reasons (especially the thought of forking out for a spoon) I had delayed booking for the S&D Railtour despite the temptations of the Tangmere and 2MT combination, some new sections of route for steam for me to ink in and the prospect of a thrash up the 1 in 37 from St Davids to Central. Given the allowed top speed of 76079 of 60 mph and high speed running wasn’t going to be the order of the day and so the bank to Central would most likely be the highlight (little did I know). However I succumbed and duly rang the booking line at the beginning of the week the train was due to run. I was told we only have one place left how many seats did you want? (Don’t try to pin the extra two carriages on me please. I only took one seat honest).

Next thought. How to get to the train? Nothing for it but to sample the 57602 hauled Night Riviera along the B&H and bail out at Taunton at two in the morning. Great. What next? The bus leaves at 05:35. Of course do what anyone else would do and start walking towards Minehead in the pitch black trying to avoid the oncoming traffic and the thoughts of all the strange creatures lurking in the Somerset countryside (I wasn’t counting myself). Eleven miles later and I was gazing at a fine view of the Bristol Channel waiting for the bus watching newspapers being transferred from delivery lorry to newsagent (not quite the same as waiting for 73 haulage at one of London’s finest but I did save two quid on the bus fare).

47703 was visible on the blocks at Minehead station attached to the railtour stock as I staggered off the bus; best place for it next to it being cast adrift in the Bristol Channel (close but no cigar). A sense of foreboding enveloped me like a mist off the Bristol Channel but having got thus far there was no turning back. Strangely enough my first thought was how many coaches? Various kettles were being warmed up for the start of the WSRs now legendary weekend commemoration of the S&D and BoB and MT were simmering on the business end of the train. So far so good I thought as I followed instructions to locate my seat and claim my ticket. First problem to overcome was the wrong seat number which meant disturbing a PTR steward on the platform (well I am brave). "Not C16F but F16F. It’s the buffet car and you’re next to it". Sorted? Of course not. Instead of right seat but wrong coach it was right coach but no seat. The seats were numbered from 1 to 14 and then from 17 to 24. Back to the steward (I am also foolhardy) to point this out. The solution was to renumber the seats 17 to 24 as 15 to 22 using paper bags from the buffet moving people so I could sit down. (I myself being unworthy of office would simply have claimed an unoccupied seat 23 or 24 and saved a bag or two to add to the 2 quid). A nice touch to the WSR was the renaming of Minehead and other stations on the line after locations on the Somerset and Dorset. That would confuse anyone from abroad getting out the back of a lorry. 76079 was even renumbered to a long gone classmate allocated to the S&D; 76009.

All this excitement before the train had moved which it eventually did; some 17 or so minutes late. This didn’t much matter as when Bishops Lydeard was reached it became clear that all was not quite ready for the venture out onto the big railway on the other side of the fence. Everything was eventually in order and the simmering beasties were let out to run tender first to the last pick up of the day at Taunton for a run round and almost railtour standard time departure towards the next port of call; the erstwhile Tiverton Junction station and a pathing stop. Cue more time lost as pieces of apparently late running plastic and flying bananas were glimpsed through the carriage window heading for the English Riviera (unfortunately to return). A path finally cleared for our train and the end of the trip was nigh though we didn’t know it at the time.

Over recent years the track layout at Exeter St Davids has been remodelled and so the ascent to Central Station is now approach controlled at 15mph along platform 1 or 3 (unlike my previous non stop run up the bank along the through road hauled by 40118). The layout at St Davids is also such that using platform 3 means starting the climb to Central on what was the down line in the good old days when the place was awash with mechanical signals. Thus the seeds were sowed. Walking pace was attained on exit from the tunnel still on the down line to ease drag. The leading loco,76079, got its nose under the bridge at the west end of Central station but just as you began to believe you would reach the top the leading engine went for a spin and that was that; stuck on the bank well and truly bowled. I’ll leave Network Rail to explain.

Eventually gravity came to the rescue and a sorry bunch of inCANXiduals were unceremoniously turfed out onto platform 3 as the train was allowed to propel back into St Davids station. Then came the final farce of the day to round off the disappointment. The original message put about was that the reason for being detrained was to allow the train to be propelled into a siding to get a diesel attached to the rear to assist the train up the bank. People left their bags on the train because of this and waited patiently around the station (assuming that the nice shiny 66 in Riverside Yard was the assisting loco). And waited and waited and waited. A couple of hours passed before an announcement was made that people could travel back to Taunton on service trains at no cost to themselves. No mention of terminating the train was made though it was obvious that this was your lot. To cap it all those that had left bags on the train had to wait even further until a path could be found to allow the train out of the siding (with no sign of a diesel) and back into the station. Not a lot of happy bunnies it had to be said. I headed off to drown my sorrows and take a side trip to Exmouth and back for the hell of it before heading home in a 159 (well I got to Yeovil Junction unlike a lot of other disgruntled souls).

In fairness to PTR a letter of apology was sent out in the post with an offer of a complimentary ticket on one of their future charters. However, if mention of this had been made at Exeter and curtailment of the trip had been announced more clearly a lot of mental anguish (and some just mental) may have been avoided. I understand road transport was arranged from Taunton back to Minehead.

The one train on offer that appealed to me was one I was going to book on anyway; the Strong Countryman with a pair of kettles from Salisbury to Weymouth and return a few weeks later. It was even picking up at my current home station so in the end I saved considerably more than just £2. Even the booked spoon turned out to be a pair of Goyles but that’s another story. Not bad for the last seat in the thirteenth coach.

Location	Booked (out)	Actual	Booked (rtn)	Actual
Minehead	07.20d	07.37	18.37a	CANX
Blue Anchor	07.33d	?	18.24a	CANX
Washford	07.40d	?	18.17a	CANX
Watchet	07.48d	?	18.09a	CANX
Williton	07.54d	?	18.00a	CANX
Crowcombe	08.10d	?	17.43a	CANX
Bishops Lydeard	08.20a ~ 08.36d	?	17.23a	CANX
Norton Fitzwarren	08.46a ~ 08.51d	?	16.48a ~ 16.52d	CANX
Taunton	08.56a ~ 09.25d [P2]	09.44a ~ 10.19d [P2]	16.41a ~ 16.43d	CANX

Location	Booked	Actual
Tiverton Parkway	09/43	?
Tiverton Junction (DPL)	09.47a ~ 10.16d	10.52a ~ 11.38d
Cowley Bridge Jn	10/36	?
Exeter St Davids	10/39	11/56 [P3]
Exeter Queen Street Bridge	n/a	12.03a ~ 12.27d
Exeter Central	10/44	reverse
Exeter St Davids [P3]	DIV	12.41a [P3]
Exmouth Jn	10/48	CANX
Pinhoe	10/53	CANX
Honiton	11.12a ~ 11.21d	CANX
Chard Junction SB	11.43a ~ 11.52d	CANX
Yeovil Junction	12.13a ~ 12.33d	CANX
Yeovil Pen Mill	13.01a ~ 13.27d	CANX
Castle Cary	13/44	CANX
Blatchbridge Jn	14/02	CANX
Clink Road Jn	14/07	CANX
Fairwood Jn	14/14	CANX
Westbury	14/23	CANX
Bradford Jn	14/34	CANX
Bathampton Jn	14/48	CANX
Bath Spa	14/52	CANX
North Somerset Jn	15/07	CANX
Bristol East Jn	15/09	CANX
Bristol Temple Meads	15.11a ~ 15.16d	CANX
Bristol West Jn	15/21	CANX
Worle Junction	15/46	CANX
Weston super Mare	15.51a ~ 16.06d	CANX
Uphill Jn	16/11	CANX
Highbridge and Burnham	16/19	CANX
Bridgwater	16/27	CANX
Cogload Jn	16/35	CANX

Locos Used	steam : 76079 (runnning as 76009) and 34067 'Tangmere'
Stock Used	Load 13 (450 tons)