RCTS Logo

Branches

Westbury observations - 25th June 2009

  
43148 has arrived on the 17.06 Paddington to Westbury, which will form the 19.20 return to Paddington. In the foreground is 43028 which is about to depart with the 17.33 Paddington to Paignton.
  43148 has arrived on the 17.06 Paddington to Westbury, which will form the 19.20 return to Paddington. In the foreground is 43028 which is about to depart with the 17.33 Paddington to Paignton.. Paul Udey
The annual observation evening at Westbury coinciding with the arrivals for the Glastonbury Music Festival heading for Castle Cary by service trains and HST extras took place on 25th June. With sweet strawberries and cream on an unusually warm evening, the members watched the throngs of Festival goers in jubilant mood although a distant thunderstorm, rain during the festival is almost inevitable, had already started over the festival site with its thousands of tents. Again Castle Cary was the railhead with a large FGW staff presence and a fleet of buses transferring festival goers between the station and the Pilton festival site at Worthy Farm some six miles away on both the 24th and the 25th with returning departure on the 28th and 29th. A further Society member, a FGW Conductor, was seen on duty with a Class 150.

Gone are the days of loco hauled extras and the Hastings demu from various origins and now all extras are FGW HST’s. From Paddington the 11.15, 13.15 and 15.15 departures to Cardiff ran as 1Z31/32/33 taking the booked path to Swindon and then via Melksham to Castle Cary instead of to Cardiff. Return was ecs via both Melksham and Hants & Berks to Paddington. 43150/029 with the 13.15 Paddington returned ecs 15.48 Castle Cary to Paddington via Melksham and was seen later on the 18.36 Paddington-Exeter SD. The 19.30 Paddington-Weston-super-Mare as 1Z28 was extended to Taunton, reverse, to Castle Cary departing ecs at 22.57 to SPM. The 15.15 from Paddington arrived Westbury 12 mins. early with 43145/091 and returned via Hants & Berks.

43195/43097 made four departures from Temple Meads at 09.48, 12.48, 15.48 and 18.48 as 1Z50-53 via Taunton, reverse, to Castle Cary then ecs via Westbury to Temple Meads except the last circuit which was to SPM arriving 01.05.

The 12.51 Great Malvern-Weymouth with 150249, 15.36 ex Westbury, was terminated at Westbury platform 2 at 16.08 with mechanical problems. It was moved to the Up Sidings and the 14.42 Gloucester- Westbury with 158769 was extended to Weymouth at 16.34. It was important to have a unit at Weymouth as the 17.30 return working loads heavily with commuters and day trippers. Return back at Westbury was 20.01 instead of 19.17 so it had picked up 14 mins. The 15.06 Paddington-Penzance with 43009/137 running ten mins. late and very heavily loaded, picked up many off the failed 15.36 and departed 16.32 (scheduled 16.22) very full with those who would not change from platform 1 through the subway back to platform 2 with the 16.28 being announced as extended to Weymouth waiting to depart immediately after the HST. Passengers invariable will board the first to depart.

59001 passes stabled 66232 with train 7A15 Merehead to Acton Yard
  
59001 passes stabled 66232 with train 7A15 Merehead to Acton Yard. Paul Udey  
Probably to enable 158953 to be at Marsh Jct for unplanned maintenance, the 18.30 Cardiff-Portsmouth 158953 was terminated at Westbury due 20.01 and the 18.22 Portsmouth-Cardiff 158798 was terminated at Westbury due 20.08. Passengers were cross platform transferred between trains which both departed simultaneously at 20.12 in the direction from which they had just arrived. This gave an unusual departure to Portsmouth from platform 3.

Passenger services were reasonably to time with a mixture of Class 150’s including the ex-Silverlink 150127 and Arriva liveries, Class 153’s, 158’s, 159’s and HST’s. Many 158 units ran with windows open inferring air conditioning problems. The 15.52 Temple Meads-Waterloo had 159020 running to time. Freight were 59/0, 59/1 and 66/0. Services seen were 59001 7A15 Merehead-Acton, 66144 6V41 Eastleigh-Westbury, 59005 6V64 Bow-Merehead, 59103 6V12 Woking-Westbury thence Merehead, 66144 6A02 Westbury-Hinksey and 59002 LE 0C54 Whatley-Westbury.

In the Up & Down yards 08711, 66031/206/232 were identifiable.

01/07/09