Severn Tunnel Junction to Chipping Norton

Another early morning at Severn Tunnel Junction after a night in the car and first up is 57005 running through the station with its usual lightly loaded 4V50 0501 Southampton Millbrook to Cardiff Wentloog Freightliner.

A class 180 Adelante unit, 180106 speeds by the site of the former diesel depot and yards west bound with Cardiff as its destination. Service 1C01 left Paddington at 0543.

This working is a Mondays Only turn, 6M96 MO 0555 Margam to Corby loaded steel coil and is booked for a class 60. This Tuesday morning 66006 fronts the service running a day late for what ever reason.

An overnight Enterprise working rolls through the station with 66152 at the head end of 6V19 1804 Immingham to Margam. It conveys steel girders on BEA flats. This working shunts at Scunthorpe, Bescot and Newport ADJ yards. It is running late today.

Another west bound loaded train of steel slabs rumbles through STJ with EWS liveried class 60 tug 60065 hauling 6V35 0051 from Lackenby to Llanwern. Time to move on.

Over on the English side of the River Severn and I have located the English portal. An unknown HST forms a down service, 1B20 0945 Paddington to Swansea, and drops down the 1 in 100 grade and approaches the blackness of the 4 mile 628 yard long Severn Tunnel.

The driver of 43128 may well still be blinking in the sunlight after a good 5-6 minutes below ground. On the back of the set is 43154 and the train is 1L51 1055 off Cardiff to Paddington.

A close look at the English portal with 158854 clearing the tunnel with 2C77 1100 Cardiff Central to Bristol Temple Meads. The black pads on the tracks allows road/rail vehicles to access the tracks.

I had hoped to get the Wentloog to Southampton Freightliner but it took to long to find and get to this location. But a worthy shot in lieu is 66027 grinding up the 1 in 100 pull with 6C01 0915 Newport ADJ to Bristol East Depot well loaded steel........nice!! The train is running late as the steel is worked in on 6V19 and dropped off at Newport ADJ.

A wide angle shot of the vast cutting which shows the amount of spoil that had to be removed before the required depth was reached and the tunnel proper was started. 430090 and 43139 powers 1L52 1030 Swansea to Paddington.

Moving to Patchway and more tunnels. 43023 leads 1L54, 1155 from Cardiff to Paddington out of the newer Patchway tunnel. It is 1,762 yards long and is at a lower level than the older original bore. This was done to give heavy east bound coal trains an easier time climbing out of the Severn Tunnel.

Down train 1B27 1115 Paddington to Cardiff is powered by 43151 and 43161. The HST is heading towards the original single line tunnel which is 1,246 yards long. Work is progressing to regrade the slopes and improve drainage.

Bursting out of the eastern portal on the new tunnel is 43135 fronting 1L55 1130 Swansea to Paddington. The down road here is falling at 1 in 80, easing to 1 in 90 in the tunnel then dropping to 1 in 68 to Pilning. The new tunnel was opened on 1st September 1886.

A footbridge over the line at Coalpit Heath is the setting now on the line from Bristol to Swindon. THree car 158962 forms a class 2 local service 2G18 1342 Bristol Temple Meads to Cheltenham Spa.

A down Paddington to Swansea working passes by with 43190 leading 1B35, 1245 off the Capital.

Tilting class 221 Super Voyager 221124 speeds past Coalpit Heath with a cross country service running a little bit late. 1V47 0935 from Newcastle to Bristol Temple Meads is due at Bristol just a few minutes from when it passed me but it still had a few miles to go.

An up working passes the narrow industrial estate build on the site of Coalpit Heath station and yard, it closed on 3/4/1961. The service is 1L65 1355 Cardiff Central to Paddington.

The sound of something different coming from the west heralded a loaded MGR climbing the 1 in 300 grade with 66068 working hard with 6F35 Parc Slip to Didcot.

10 minutes after the previous coal train another different sound had me looking west in pleasure as 47841 approaches running light from Bristol to Swindon. I would see it again the following day.

Moving east to Chipping Sodbury now and an overbridge looking down into a deep cutting. 67022 approaches and clatters over the pointwork for the west end of the up goods loop and crossover with four empty flats in tow. The working is 6M33 1622 Avonmouth to Wembley Enterprise.

From the high bridge with tall parapets which require a step ladder to see over, an unknown HST climbs the steady 1 in 300 grade passing the site of Chipping Sodbury station. In the yard is OTP 73925 which I saw at Coalpit Heath. The up train is 1L76 1530 Swansea to Paddington.

In the distance half hidden behind the next bridge is the western portal of Chipping Sodbury Tunnel, 2 miles, 926 yards long and maintaining the 1 in 300 climb for east bound trains. An unknown HST powers DOWN the gradient with 1B51 1545 off Paddington to Swansea. Nothing remains of Chipping Sodbury station which closed on 3/4/1961.

I could hear this train coming for quite a while before it appeared such was the noise from the usually quiet class 66 hauling 25 loaded HTA hoppers. 66167 grunts upgrade at 1 in 300 with 6D17 1553 Avonmouth Docks to Didcot Power Station. The bank starts at Stoke Gifford and finishes at Badmington 10 3/4 miles away.

The upside loop is available to both up and down trains as there are crossovers at either end. Class 180 Adelante 180105 speeds towards the tunnel rostered to 1L88 1755 Cardiff Central to Paddington.

A long lens going away shot from the high bridge. It is not possible to read the powercar numbers from up here so all sets are unidentified. The working however is known, 1B63 1715 from London Paddington to Swansea. Now off to Dorset for the night.