Links to GB trainspotting logs can now be found at the following address
https://spottinglogs.co.uk/spotting-records-1950s-60s-70s-80s/
My trip to Bristol had been a great success, not least for the 20 Hymeks that I had seen during the day. My thoughts turned to trying it again before my weekly ticket ran out. Fridays and Saturdays were out because most trains needed compulsory seat reservation tickets, and on other days many required seat regulation tickets; but this rule only seemed to apply to journeys east of Exeter, so I was ok – not that I saw much of the ticket man anyway.
Friday was back to the Exeter routine, and produced –
22/8/1969
PAIGNTON
D1037
TORQUAY
D821
NEWTON ABBOT
D810 D813 D842
D4017 D4160
EXETER
D805 D806 D808 D811 D814 D816 D818 D819 D822 D823 D831 D832 D836 D837 D842 D844 D854 D862 D866 D867 D869
D1003 D1008 D1009 D1012 D1019 D1022 D1023 D1034 D1035 D1036 D1037 D1039 D1040 D1043 D1046 D1048 D1057 D1060 D1064
D1545 D1636 D1670 D1679 D1686
D4129
D6333 D6339
D6556
D7018 D7038
W50659 W50665 W50715 W59264 W59281
The Hymek was on a goods train, which proceeded up the hill to Central station, banked by a Warship (seen below).
In addition to the delights of seeing hydraulics on trains every few minutes, I discovered another delight in the buffet – the meat pie. I have no idea of the make of the pies they sold, but they were not the usual ‘all pastry, dried up filling’ affairs found closer to home. These were some of the best pies I have ever eaten; so much so that I developed an addiction, and on at least one day (whisper it quietly) I succombed to more than one.
Saturdays on the routes to the Southwest could be described as marginally short of chaos. And 23rd August was no exception. I caught a Paignton to Sheffield (I think) train that morning which spent about 20 minutes waiting at Newton Abbot for reasons unknown. The station seemed full of trains all waiting to leave. Eventually we did get away, but I never did find out the reasons for the delay.
23/8/1969 produced –
NEWTON ABBOT
D807 D813 D820 D856 D864
D1009 D1012 D1039 D1040 D1042
D1524 D1685 D1700
D4015
EXETER
D143 D152 D159 D190
D804 D806 D807 D808 D809 D811 D812 D816 D819 D822 D823 D826 D827 D828 D831 D832 D837 D841 D845 D847 D856 D859 D864 D869
D1003 D1005 D1008 D1009 D1014 D1016 D1017 D1019 D1021 D1022 D1030 D1035 D1036 D1037 D1038 D1039 D1040 D1043 D1050 D1054 D1057 D1059 D1060D1068 D1071
D1597 D1606 D1610 D1636 D1664 D1672 D1679 D1744 D1745 D1928 D1932 D1938
D4130
D6338
D6512 D6578 D6585
D7014 D7030 D7100
W51312 W51327
D0280 ‘Falcon’ arrives at Exeter, D4129 waits between shunting moves. Aug 1969.
A day off on Sunday, as I thought the reduced service was not enough of a lure for me to bother. I had been advised to go to Newton Abbot and change for Plymouth where I could see D800/1/2 stored at Laira, but my ticket was not valid west of Totnes; so I chickened out on that one.
Monday saw me back to the Exeter routine, but one point was becoming more apparent – I had now seen most of the locomotives passing by and was beginning to think of other destinations. At one point I left the station and walked a few hundred yards to a point where the line to central crossed over the road – from which point I took this photo. (Apologies for the white scratches).
I just wanted to hear a Warship pass on full power uphill, and it was worth the effort.
25th August 1969
PAIGNTON
D809
D1021
NEWTON ABBOT
D0280
D810 D813 D820 D831 D856 D869
D1700
D4015 D4160
EXETER
D803 D805 D806 D807 D809 D811 D812 D818 D819 D828 D826 D827 D831 D832 D836 D838 D839 D859
D1004 D1005 D1008 D1009 D1012 D1016 D1017 D1020 D1022 D1024 D1030 D1035 D1037 D1043 D1047 D1049 D1050 D1057 D1058 D1060 D1064 D1065
D1627 D1672 D1675
D4014 D4016 D4129
D6337 D6338
D6589
D7014 D7031 D7042
W51314 W51329 W55034 W59481
26th August was the final day of my ticket, and so Bristol it had to be. With hindsight, I probably should have taken the advice of a fellow spotter on Temple Meads station and made a quick trip to Severn Tunnel Junction; but that would have cost more money and I would not have had much time there. Anyhow, it was a sunny, warm day and the comings and goings at Bath Road were decent entertainment for me.
Bath Road view 26/8/69
PAIGNTON
D1022
NEWTON ABBOT
D155
D839 D842 D852
D1047
D6308
EXETER
D0820
D809 D813
D1047
D4129
D7019 D7020
TAUNTON
PWM650
D803
D1050
D4015 D4166
D7009 D7060
W50693 W50738 W51056 W51069 W51084 W51097 W59415 W59428
WESTON SUPER MARE
D7000 D7004
BRISTOL TEMPLE MEADS
D12 D23 D75 D91 D95 D146 D149 D151 D170 D176 D190
D805 D816 D821 D823 D836 D859
D1014 D1021 D1027 D1029 D1032 D1033 D1034 D1053 D1055 D1059 D1065 D1067 D1071
D1637 D1661 D1672 D1673 D1834 D1935
D2128 D2136
D3185 D3303 D3355 D4005 D4019 D4022 D4169
D6310 D6354
D7003 D7005 D7008 D7010 D7014 D7015 D7017 D7020 D7033 D7041 D7060 D7064 D7080 D7088 D7095
W50673 W50724 W50854 W50907 W51067 W51069 W51095 W51097 W51577 W51581 W51585 W51586 W59284 W59346 W59426 W59428 W59583 W59587
The family were in for a surprise later in week, because one evening my Dad found a lawnmower at the holiday bungalow and cut the grass. When the owner came round to check all was ok, she was very impressed and because she had no booking the following week she invited us to stay over the Bank Holiday weekend at no extra cost. (That year was unusual in that August Bank Holiday Monday was actually 1st September).
This meant that I could possibly sample a Bank Holiday Saturday at Exeter, if I could rustle up the 8/- return fare; which I did.
My last hydraulic hurrah. While on the station that day, another spotter was showing everyone an article which stated BR had earmarked all hydraulics for early withdrawal. That was the final straw for me. I had not recovered from the sheer wasteful slaughter of thousands of steam locos. Now barely 12 months later the innovative WR diesels which replaced them were going to the scrapheap as well. At the end of August 1969, I gave up trainspotting in disgust.
30/8/1969
PAIGNTON
W50666 W50712 W55027
EXETER
D25 D27 D67 D184
D806 D809 D810 D813 D815 D818 D821 D822 D825 D828 D831 D832 D836 D844 D854 D856 D861 D862 D867 D868 D869
D1002 D1004 D1006 D1010 D1011 D1012 D1014 D1017 D1018 D1020 D1021 D1022 D1023 D1029 D1030 D1035 D1036 D1037 D1040 D1042 D1043 D1044 D1045 D1046 D1047 D1049 D1051 D1052 D1054 D1055 D1057 D1059 D1060 D1064 D1067 D1072
D1589 D1598 D1603 D1628 D1650 D1684 D1697 D1700 D1721 D1948
D4167
D6333 D6334 D6339
D6524 D6565 D6569
D7027 D7060
W50868 W50918 W51128 W51141 W51302 W51314 W51317 W51329 W51345 W51346 W51387 W51388 W59357 W59365 W59469 W59481 W59497 W59498
Trainspotting data from 1947 until 1980 