A Westbury Afternoon

43041 with 43142 powers an up working, 1A88 0845 Penzance to Paddington, approaching Fairwood Junction and will take the Westbury avoiding line.

I had noticed a few people about on other bridges but no one was at Fairwood when I arrived, but I was soon joined by two others who told me about this working. Former Southern Railway Battle of Britain class light pacific 34067 Tangmere comes round the avoider with 1Z94 0925 London Victoria to Minehead railtour. Then the battery in my camera dies.....awww crap!

A fresh battery and I carry on. Class 180 Adelante 180114 passes over Fairwood Junction and heads for Westbury station with 1A89 1207 Exeter to Paddington.

As 180114 heads for the station, a few miles away, the driver of 43071 gets his warning tone acknowledged by one of the three p-way men standing in the cess. The HST is working 1C82 1105 Paddington to Plymouth with powercar 43037 on the rear.

Freight action now and 66612 slowly approaches the junction with the heavy 6A75 1300 Westbury Virtual Quarry to Taunton engineers working. This is the High Output Ballast Cleaner train.

The heavy p-way train slowly gathers speed as the end of the train clatters over the pointwork. The track is level here for about half a mile before it starts to climb at 1 in 187. Taunton is 48 miles away and the train is likely to be put inside numerous times to allow faster passenger trains to overtake.

Approaching from the west is Foster Yeoman 59004 with 19 loaded JHA stone hoppers on the drawbar. This is 7B12 MWThO 1359 off Merehead Quarry to Wootton Bassett. These immensely powerful and reliable type 5 locos regularly haul stone trains in excess of 4,000 tonnes.

The train bears left at Fairwood Junction to pass through the station and it will keep left heading for Swindon via Hawkeridge Junction and then a right turn at Bradford Junction to join the GW main line at Thingley Junction.

Another freight rumbles in from the west only 7 minutes behind the previous one. EWS 66084 works 7C28 Exeter Riverside to Westbury Yard empty bogie boxes consisting of 13 empty JNA wagons and a solitary MHA wagon.

With the previous freight working just clearing the shot, 180108 accelerates away from Westbury station bound for Plymouth as 1C84 1218 from Paddington. The tall chimney sis for the cement works to the east of Westbury, it was demolished in September 2016.

A pair of South West Trains class 159 units, 159021 and 159011, departs Westbury and heads west with an unknown working.

A down fGW HST powers off the avoiding line with the driver on board lead powercar 43017 notches up to accelerate his train, with the help of 43139 at the rear, to the 100mph line speed. The train is 1C85 1305 Paddington to Plymouth.

An up express working passes over the pointwork of Fairwood Junction bypassing the station with 1A90 1001 off Penzance to Paddington. The lead powercar is 43026 but the rear one is not known.

The incongruous look of a Trans Pennine liveried class 158 unit so far away from its liveried part of the world. First Group now has the TP franchise and 158778 and others have been displaced by new class 185 units. The out of place unit is employed on 2V78 1251 Weymouth to Cardiff Central.

Another fast approaching stone train has a fine white trail of stone dust following the 32 well loaded JHA hoppers.

59102 is at the head of a very heavy class 7 working to Acton Yard, 1324 off Whatley Quarry, 7A21, this train weighs in at several thousand tonnes.

The doyen of the privately owned locomotives, 59001 carries a bell above the cab at its No1 end. Here it wheels round the avoider with possibly 7C77 1240 Acton to Merehead empty jumbo stone boxes. OR it could be 6C74 1315 TX Theale to Whatley empty boxes which is routed this way with 7C77 goes via the station.

Service 1A91 is the 1255 off Plymouth to Paddington and HST powercars 43125 and 43036 provide the motive power. The set has taken the station route and will call at Westbury.

66084 reappears working 6C35 1524 FX Westbury Yard to Whatley Quarry empty bogie boxes. The driver has brought his train to a stand at the signal protecting the junction, something will be due off the avoider.

Sure enough, 43150 rips round the curve off the avoiding line leading 1C86 1405 Paddington to Penzance.

With the HST well clear and the road set, the driver of 66084 gets the signal and he opens up his charge to restart his train. Whilst in the yard 66084 ran round its train and removed the single MHA wagon.

66094 comes off the station line with the late running 6V07 1120 MX Chichester to Merehead empty bogie boxes. With 12 empty JNA boxes on the drawbar, the train is about 30 minutes late.

158771 is another unit cascaded away from its former area following the introduction of class 185 units on the Trans Pennine routes. Here the sprinter is employed on 2O90 1400 Cardiff Central to Weymouth.

Named trains are a rarety these days and FGW is one of the few TOC's which regularly puts a name on a service. A pair of unknown powercars takes The Torbay Express, 1A92 1415 Paignton to Paddington, onto the avoiding line with the famous white horse prominent on the hill in the background.

An Army Air Corps Westland Lynx flies overhead. This aircraft will be based at the Middle Wallop airbase.

This class 180 unit has been seen before on its way west. Now after a station dwell 180108 is returning to the the capital with 1A93 1510 Exeter to Paddington.

59002 comes away from the station and yard towards the junction with a rake of empty bogie boxes. I was given a headcode of 6V67, which means it has come from out of the Western Region, but I could not find a 6V67 to identify it.

This liveried sprinter is more common to this part of the world, 150263 heads for the station at Westbury. From there it will go left at Hawkeridge and run via Bath and Bristol and the Severn Tunnel to its destination of Cardiff Central. The service is 2V83 off Weymouth.

43009 is the rear powercar with 43028 up front, and the HST gains the down main at Fairwood Junction. The working is 1C87 1505 Paddington to Penzance.

One of two C130-J variant Hercules transport aircraft flying in close formation. These new versions of the venerable airframe will take them well into the second half of a century of flying, with the first flight being in August 1954.

The J variant has improved engines and a six curved bladed propeller, no air to air refuelling probe and no underwing fuel tanks. Note the partially extended flaps for added lift at slow speed and the rear ramp partially lowered and top door fully up.

Back on the ground and 66084 is seen for the third time, now running light as 0C35 Whatley Quarry to Westbury yard. It has dropped off the wagons for reloading and runs back to its home shed.

EWS class 59 59203 comes west with a lengthy rake of 40 empty JHA bogie hoppers running as 6V18 1243 Hither Green - Whatley empty jumbo. National Power originally bought 6 class 59 locos in 1994 and 1995 for their coal and limestone trains but all were later bought by EWS for more general use.

As the warm sunny afternoon wears on, the sun is coming round and is starting to favour westbound trains from the north side. 43022 leads, with an unknown partner, a working form Plymouth to Paddington, 1A94 1500 off the city.

Under the ever watchful gaze of the Westbury white horse 43145 with 43094 powers round the curve off the avoiding line with 1C88 1605 from Paddington to Penzance.

Note the change in gradient from 1 in 187 falling to level located at the level crossing.

59001 returns past Fairwood Junction with an unidentified eastbound working of 18 loaded JYA bogie boxes. The former GWR signalbox was located where the small bushes are this side of the gravel pile. My how the scene has changed since 1975. https://www.flickr.com/photos/deadmans_handle/4373982277/

Another driver and loco finished for the day, 66094 runs for home as 0V07 Merehead Quarry to Westbury Yard light engine.

A late running up class 1 working from the farthest south westerly point on the network, Penance. 43034 front service 1A95 1400 off the Cornish capital.

Sprinter 150234 ambles along to join the main line at Fairwood Junction with class 2 working 2O94 1600 Cardiff Central to Weymouth.

The next train to leave Westbury station is a class 1 working with Adelante 180103 forming 1C89 1633 Paddington to Exeter.

The sun is now in the perfect position for westbound trains coming off the avoiding curve. Plain blue liveried 43154 has 43031 at the rear and they power 1C90 1703 off London Paddington to Penzance.

Another class 2 working comes away from the station at Westbury with 150261 forming 2O97 1748 Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth.

66180 heads west on an unknown duty and the traction motor blowers kick up a flurry of dust as it passes over onto the main line and the driver powers up the loco.

Service train 2V89 1721 Weymouth to Bristol Temple Meads is formed by a pair of class 158 sprinter units. 158771 is in Trans Pennine colours and 158871 is in the silver Alpha line livery.

The last train of the day before heading back to Wareham was the return railtour from Minehead to Victoria, 1Z95 1645 off the West Somerset town. Motive power is preserved English Electric type 4 50049 "Defiance". The train approaches from the west.

Whilst the outward steam tour used the avoiding line, the return diesel working goes via the station. It is always nice to see heritage traction on the main line. A great afternoon.