Rodbourne to Bath

After a night at Rodbourne in the motel Del Astra the new day dawns bright with a clear sky. An unknown HST heads east into the early morning sun with the first up train of the day from Swansea, 0400 off, 1L05 to Paddington.

This was a surprise at 0715 as 66534 came into view with the daily 4V50 0501 Millbrook to Wentloog freightliner. This clagging 66 has replaced the usual booked class 57.

Moving on from Rodbourne on the line to South Wales to Langley Burrell on the line to Swindon and Bath. A footbridge gives height even if steps are required to see over the tall sides! Perfect timing for 31459 and 5 pink liveried Wessex Trains mkII coaches with pink 31601 on the back. This is a train in connection with the Glastonbury Festival and is 2M82 0720 Frome to Swindon.

In lovely morning sunshine 43002 leads 1C10 0730 Paddington to Bristol HST with 43195 on the back.

A going away shot of an up service with powercars 43171 and 43135 and nine mkIII coaches forming 1A08 0730 Weston Super Mare to Paddington.

Services off Bristol to London are half hourly with some running in from Weston Super Mare. This class 180 unit, 180110, is from Bristol only, 1A09 0830 Bristol Temple Temple Meads to Paddington, passes in perfect morning light conditions.

A pink ped and pink coaches, who would have thought it?? 31601 and 31459 return with its train 2Z83 Swindon to Castle Cary with another load of festival goers to Glastonbury.

A last shot here at Langley Burrell and 43021 fronts 1A10 0900 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington with 43036 pushing at the rear.

Moving again to the west side of Chippenham and Thingley Junction is where the line to Westbury via Melksham and Trowbridge bears off. 43134 and 43143 leans into the curve on the main line with 1C16 0900 Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads.

Turning round on the overbridge looking towards the west and 43132 fronts 1A12 0930 off Weston Super Mare to Paddington, 43169 is the rear powercar. A long lifted third side of a triangle was to the left giving west to south access.

Another up train comes by Thingley with 43177 passing milepost 96 1/2 from Paddington fronting 1A13 1030 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington. I'm not sure what the land to the right of the view once was.

The lead powercar is unknown but the rear one is 43170. Train 1C22 1000 Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads passes the very rarely used yard at Thingley Junction. It was built during the Second War War as the marshalling yard for the three nearby Central Ammunition Depots Tunnel Quarry, Monkton Farleigh and Eastlays Quarry. The vehicles parked up look like they have been there for several years.

A move to Bathampton Junction as the sun wasn't right for Box Tunnel west portal. Class 150 Sprinter 150246 comes off the Trowbridge line with 1F12 0922 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central. That is a long way in a class 150!

A short time later another class 150 passes by but heading in the opposite direction. 150265 negociates the junction with 2O89 1140 Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth.

Due to the foliage on the right a somewhat head on shot is the only one available for down trains. 43190 leads a Bristol bound working, 1C24 1030 off Paddington with about 20 - 25 minutes if its journey left.

The lead powercar is unidentified, the rear is 43129, of this up working 1A16 1200 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington. On the right is the up loop which Trowbridge bound train can use to allow faster up trains to overtake.

Another train comes off the Trowbridge line with three car class 158 Sprinter 158965 forming 1F14 1022 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central. This unit would have been more comfortable than the class 150 set seen earlier.

The view from the bridge at Bathampton for up trains is better as this going away shot shows. Sequentially numbered powercars 43018 and 43017 and their 8 mkIII coaches form the 1230 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington departure, 1A17.

The sun had come round more and I moved east to Box to spend some time at the western portal of Brunel's famous tunnel under Box Hill. But the first couple of trains are viewed looking the other way!! Adelante unit 180112 powers up the 1 in 100 grade away from Bath heading for London's Paddington station with 1A18 1230 off Weston Super Mare.

Another up train comes up the gradient and in the background is the short 198 yard long Middle Hill . Tunnel. This unidentified First Great Western HST set is rostered to 1A19 1330 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington.

Crossing the busy A4 road and looking onto the tunnel the sun is now on the portal, it wasn't when I called here earlier. A down HST with 43162 leading comes out of the tunnel with 1C36 1300 off Paddington to Bristol.

66002 exits Box tunnel on an unknown journey. It is said Brunel aligned the tunnel so the rising sun would shine through the tunnel on his birthday on April 9th, whilst this does happen it is a few days ahead of his birthday and again for a few days in September.

Service 1A20 1400 from Bristol to Paddington enters the 1 mile 1452 yard long tunnel climbing all the way at 1 in 100 to just clear of the eastern portal. There is an official view point for this location but due to tree and bush growth the tunnel can not be seen!! So to get these shots I had to dice with death and stand on the busy A4 road with no pavement.

A final shot here and a pair of class 180 Adelante units clear the tunnel with 1C42 1400 Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads. I waited a little longer in the hope of catching the Freightliner worked binliner. But when I decided to leave and turned my back to cross the road, the train emerged....and I missed it!!

So having missed it at Box by mere seconds I drove to Oldfield Park in Bath to record 66527 shunting the Bath portion of 4V60 1055 Calvert to Bath and Bristol empty binliner at the city's refuge transfer sidings.

An up HST service passes 66527 as it goes about its aromatic business. The passenger train is 1A24 1600 Bristol to London Paddington and it will be stopping shortly at Bath Spa station.

66527 slowly propells a set of empty containers into the refuge loading point. As it does so, 43151 with 43165 passes by and accelerates from its Bath stop working 1C45 1430 Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads.

The eastern approach to Bath station runs through the beautiful Sydney Gardens and are the only remaining eighteenth-century pleasure gardens (or Vauxhall) in the country, they were laid out in the 1790s. 43028 leads 1C48 1530 Paddington to Bristol service through the gardens.

On the back of 1A26, 1700 Bristol to Paddington is 43151. Just a low wall separates the railway from those who enjoy the gardens. Brunel designed the retaining walls and one of the footbridges.

A silver liveried Wessex Trains three car class 158 158968 comes under one of the many bridges on this stretch of the line through the gardens. The train is 1F26 1522 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central.

Another up fGW service, 1A27 1730 off Bristol to Paddington, comes by with 43030 leading and 43004 at the back. The Kennett and Avon Canal also cuts through the gardens and the walls and bridges connected with the canal and railway are listed buildings.

Originally I thought this to be a Bristol to Weymouth working but the destination blind says Portsmouth Harbour. So I am going with 150266 working 1F27 1630 off Cardiff Central to Portsmouth.

43128 emerges from the shadows as it slowly runs through the gardens heading for Bristol with 1C49 160 from Paddington.

The liveries applied by Wessex Trains to their units are colourful to say the least and many depict the routes along which they travel. 150268 is one example and is rostered to 2V85 1627 Southampton to Bristol Temple Meads.

The last shot of the week and 43136 heads away through Sydney Gardens amongst the sun and the shadows towards its Bath stop working 1C50 1630 Paddington to Taunton. Time to head off to Dorset.