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<>Last update 21 August 2005

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The Last Two Summers of Cambrian Steam - by Andrew Bannister

The return of regular steam working the Cambrian Coast in August 2005, after an absence of many years is eagerly awaited by railway enthusiasts. (see our calendar page for details) The choice of 76079 as motive power for the trains will revive memories of the twilight of steam working on the Cambrian, when other members of the class worked on the line during the last summer Cambrian steam in 1966.

By 1965 steam was well in decline and had already been eradicated from many area; on the Cambrian its days were numbered. From 18 January that year, diesel multiple units had begun to operate many of the passenger services. Freight services were still steam hauled, as too were the Cambrian Coast Express and York – Aberystwyth mail trains. Machynlleth, Pwllheli and Shrewsbury sheds providing the motive power.  Shrewsbury’s allocation still included a number of ex GWR 'Manors' (formerly at Aberystwyth). By this time they were in a very sorry state and several ran without name or number plates. All had been withdrawn at the end of 1965 and the ubiquitous BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0s were almost in total control.  A few Ivatt-designed 2-6-0s were also still active as late as 1966 and one regular turn was cement traffic to Llanidloes, in connection with construction of the Clyweddog Dam. Right at the end, a new class made an appearance in the shape of BR Standard Class 4 2-6-0s, represented by 76038, 76043 and 76086.  Others members of the class such as 76047 worked into the area on Summer Saturdays.

Many photographers visited to the Cambrian to see the final summers of steam and Talerddig, summit of the main line to Aberystwyth, with steep climbs in both directions was an obvious place to record the action. The table at the bottom of this page (extracted from the LMR working timetables) gives us an insight to what could be seen.

The Cambrian Coast Express still had separate portions to and from Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. The down service left Paddington at 11.10, the through coaches for Aberystwyth and Pwllheli divided at Machynlleth. On the corresponding up working the two sections were combined at Dovey Junction. The Pwllheli portion ceased after the end of the Summer timetable on 3 September and a DMU replaced the Coast portion, connecting with the main Aberystwyth train for the final few months it had left to run. The remaining freight workings continued to be steam hauled until Class 24 type 2 diesels took over by the end to the year. The York Mails and Cambrian Coast Express utilising BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0s working from Shrewsbury shed, were the last steam diagrams and continued until 3 March 1967.

The following selection of is a view of what could be seen in those last two summers of Cambrian Steam, though the camera of Geoff Bannister.  Sadly Geoff passed away in 2000, but we are pleased to bring you this selection courtesy of his son Andrew Bannister.



On Shrewsbury and Welshpool section we see and unidentified Standard Class 4 4-6-0 75002 heading west past the site of Breidden Station, with the 08.20 (SO) Paddington to Pwllheli. Breidden was a passing loop but was closed in 1960.   Both the station building and former signal box can be clearly identified in this August 1965 view.    The former GWR / LNWR joint line to Welshpool cannot be regarded as true Cambrian territory, but provided a useful link to the Cambrian for trains from Shrewsbury and Birmingham. When this picture was taken, this route provided the only access to Mid Wales, the northern section of the Cambrian route from Whitchurch and Oswestry to Buttington junction having been closed to through traffic from 18 January 1965.



From the same viewpoint, but looking in the opposite direction, we see another Standard Class 4 climbing the gradient from Buttington,  near the site of Briedden station with up train train on a summer Saturday in 1966. Shrewsbury-bound trains were presented with a stiff climb out of the Severn Valley, passing between the Breidden Hill to the north and Long Mountain to the south. Though not as steep as the eastbound climb to Talerddig, it did nevertheless have sections of gradient as steep as 1:53

Our heading picture to this feature shows a receding view as the same train as it approaches the site of Breidden station on the climb to Westbury summit on the Shropshire / Montgomeryshire border.



On 3 September 1966, the last Saturday of the Summer timetable, an LMS designed Class 2-2-6-0 46446 approaches the remains of Moat Lane Junction at 9.25 am with a cement train bound for Llanidloes. This section of the Mid Wales Line from Moat Lane to Llandiloes remained open until 1967 specifically for this traffic, in connection with the dam construction work in the upper Severn Valley; the rest of the route to Brecon via Rhyader and Builth Wells had already been closed all traffic at the end of 1962.



The 10.10 Paddington-Pwllheli approaches Carno behind Standard class 4 4-6-0 75016 on 27 August 1966.



During the 1966 summer timetable, 1J18, the 08.35 Manchester Piccadilly – Barmouth and 1H19, 14.28 return working was diagrammed for an English Electric type 3 (later Class 37). This train may have been dismissed by many steam cameramen at that time, but we are fortunate that Geoff Bannister took this shot of D6951 (later 37 251, scrapped in 2001) passing Talerddig station on 6 August 1966 with the outbound working. The Class 37s only worked on the Cambrian for one season and did not reappear on regular services until 1985.



The 06.35 (SO)  Knowle & Dorridge – Barmouth hauled by a grimy Standard Class 4 4-6-0 has topped the summit at Talerddig and threads the 120-feet-deep rock cutting to begin the 14 mile descent to Machynlleth on 6 August 1966.



BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0 75002 storms towards Pontdolgoch, on the eastern climb to Talerddig with the 10.10 Paddington – Pwllheli on 7th August 1965.



The classic view of an eastbound train approaching Talerddig cutting. In this picture, taken on 6 August 1966, the locomotive was BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0 75002, hauling the 07.30 (SO) Pwllheli- Paddington. The train is on the last stage of the near continuous 14 mile ascent from Machynlleth for eastbound trains, which culminated in some three miles at 1:52 /1:56 between Llanbrynmair and the summit, 693 feet above sea level. Present day visitors to Talerddig will be disappointed to find that nearly forty years of unchecked vegetation has made photography at many of the classic viewpoints difficult if not impossible.


 
A BR Standard Class 2 2-6-0 hauls an eastbound inspection saloon from Machynlleth, and is pictured climbing the 1:52 section of Talerddig Bank near Bell’s Bridge on 9th June 1966.



1966 saw a new class appear,   in the shape of Standard Class 4 2-6-0s. They initially worked in from Shrewsbury and Oxley sheds, but Machynlleth received an allocation of three 76’s during the summer of 1966. Here 76038 and 76047 appear in fine fettle as they storm up the bank at Commins Coch with the 10.30 Pwllheli - Paddington on 27 August 1966. The leading engine appears to have received some unofficial cleaning by visiting enthusiasts.



75024 heads the 08.20 Paddington-Pwllheli approaching Commins Coch on 28 August 1966.

The Cambrian, a very personal reminiscence - by Charlie Hulme

Ah, 1965-66: the years of Bob Dylan's classic albums Bringing it All Back Home,  Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde ... and the years in which my lifetime obsession with railways and the Cambrian Lines in particular  became fully formed. From 1955 to 1965 my father, mother and I had a series of annual summer 'wakes fortnight' holidays at resorts chosen from those essential British Railways 'Holiday Haunts' books, always travelling by rail and always dispatching our suitcases, sewn into sacking to protect them, by the BR Passenger Luggage in Advance system, the Wednesday before we travelled.

In 1965 our destination was Criccieth and the Glaslyn Holiday Flatlets, where I can be seen in the picture self-consciously posing with a map planning our next outing. (Little did I know at the time that the lady I was to marry 20 years later spent many happy times in this period as a child in her family's holiday cottage not half a mile away!) We travelled on the Manchester - Barmouth service, and I well recall the sight of 7812 Erlestoke Manor (which I'm happy to say is still with us today) at Shrewsbury station waiting to take us forward; steam hauled passenger trains were already something of rarity. I also recall a humungously long wait to cross another train at one of the closed stations, possibly Montgomery or Abermule. 1965 was the first Summer that the Railway had attempted to handle the Cambrian Coast holiday traffic without the 'axed' Caernarfon - Afon Wen and Ruabon - Morfa Mawddach lines, and to be frank they weren't making such a good job of it.

Fast forward to Summer 1966, and my father was no longer well enough to make long journeys, so I set out to have a Cambrian Coast Holiday on my own, to celebrate my 17th birthday.  Armed with a suitcase and my birthday present, a Halina 35mm camera with one Ilford slide film to last me the week, off I went on a Friday night to board the York - Aberystwyth 'Mail' at Stockport, the plan being to travel overnight to Welshpool, the first point of validity and sale of  the Cambrian Lines Holiday Runabout Ticket. What an adventure! The only snag was, of course, that the train arrived at Welshpool at 04-something and it was a long wait for the next train west. However, I was rewarded by the sight of a standard class 4 loco arriving with the freight train from Shrewsbury and being turned by the crew on the manually-operated turntable opposite the station.

Later that morning I found myself at Dovey Junction watching the arrival of the two portions of the Up 'Cambrian Coast Express' (although it carried no headboard by this stage), and the shunting work involved in combining them. I know I've alluded to this before, but I feel like rambling on in more detail.



The Aberystwyth train arrived first, hauled by 4-6-0 75016, which was detached and headed into a siding east of the station. Then the Pwllheli train arrived, with 2-6-0 76043 in charge,  as seen in the my picture, the fireman no doubt wondering what the kid was up to as they prepared to pull their train forward and back it on to the Aberystwyth coaches. Note the travel-weary LMS-style corridor coach. The ex-Great Western 'Manor' locos had been withdrawn in the autumn of 1965; by the next summer, 1967, the London services had been transferred from Paddington station to Euston, and through trains from Manchester had been given up as a lost cause.



During the week I presented myself at the door of various B & B establishments, ate a lot of fish and chips, and managed to travel on all the narrow-gauge lines along the coast as well as all of the remaining Cambrian system. This other survivor from that precious film shows BR 2-6-2T 7 Owain Glyndŵr standing in the old Vale of Rheidol terminus at Aberystwyth, with the canopies of the main line station in the background.

Since those far-off times 40 years ago I have visited the Cambrian line many times, as it avoided closure in the 1970s, and again in the dark days of the Barmouth Bridge closure and became the modern radio-controlled air-conditioned (when it works) railway of today. It's great to see the resurgence of  diesel and steam loco-hauled trains this year too: long live the Cambrian lines and all they stand for.

The loco-hauled timetables, Summer Saturdays 1965-66

Down loco-hauled trains at Talerddig : Summer Saturdays 1965
Time  
Reporting Number     Train details     Notes
05.56  
 1M41      21.50 (Fri) York – Aberystwyth  Mail & passenger
10.30     1J06     07.55 Birmingham Show Hill - Aberystwyth   10 July – 7 August
11.10     1J08     08.05 Birmingham Snow Hill – Pwllheli    10 July –28 August
13.43    1M06    08.20 Paddington – Pwllheli  19 June – 4 September
14.40    1J18    11.05 Manchester Piccadilly – Aberystwyth/Barmouth   26 June – 28 August.
15.13    1M11    10.10 Paddington – Pwllheli     19 June – 4 September
16.05     1M12    11.10 Paddington – Aberystwyth    Down 'Cambrian Coast Express'




Up loco-hauled trains at Talerddig : Summer Saturdays 1965
Time          Reporting Number Train details
Notes
10.25
1V16   07.30 Pwllheli – Paddington   19 June – 4 September
11.15  
1V18 
09.50 Aberystwyth – Paddington    Up Cambrian Coast Express
13.09  
1H07   11.20 Barmouth – Birmingham Snow Hill  24 July – 21 August
13.44  
1V22    10.30 Pwllheli – Paddington   19 June – 4 September
14.18   1H10   
10.55 Pwllheli – Birmingham Snow Hill 17 July – 4 September
14.39  
2J57    13.05 Aberystwyth - Shrewsbury (loco-hauled 10 July - 28 August)
19.22  
1N71   
18.05 Aberystwyth – York 
Mail & Passenger




Down loco-hauled trains at Talerddig : Summer Saturdays 1966
Time  

Reporting Number    Train details    Notes
05.56   
1M41    21.50  York – Aberystwyth  
Main & passenger
09.41 
1J06    06.35 Knowle & Dorridge – Barmouth  16 July – 13 August
11.10  
1J08   08.05 Birmingham Snow Hill – Pwllheli  9 July – 27 August
12.02    1J18   
08.35  Manchester Piccadilly – Barmouth 
25 June – 27 August.
EE Type 3 diesel
13.43   
1M06    08.20 Paddington – Pwllheli 18 June – 3 September
15.11 
1M11    10.10 Paddington – Pwllheli 18 June – 3 September
15.59   
1M12    11.10 Paddington – Aberystwyth    Cambrian Coast Express




Down loco-hauled trains at Talerddig : Summer Saturdays 1966
Time   

Reporting Number 
Train details    Notes
10.23   
1V16  07.30 Pwllheli – Paddington   18 June – 3 September
11.12  
1V18   09.45 Aberystwyth – Paddington    Up Cambrian Coast Express
13.42  
1V22     10.30 Pwllheli – Paddington
18 June – 3 September
14.18 
1H10 
10.55 Pwllheli – Birmingham Snow Hill 16 July – 3 September
14.42  
1H07    12.40 Barmouth – Birmingham Snow Hill   16 July – 13 August
16.31   
1H19    14.28 Barmouth – Manchester Piccadilly 25 June – 27 August
EE Type 3 diesel
19.22      
1N71
18.05 Aberystwyth – York
Mail & Passenger





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