Tracing the ‘old’ BHR – East

Posted on March 3, 2010 by corwinb

Here’s a little post on some of the remaining items of the old BHR, which ran from Ashton Junction all the way through to Bristol Temple Meads.

Eerie fog in the morning at Wapping Wharf Car Park (Formerly the coal depot)

Steam crane just visible through the mist

Bristol Temple Meads – The old grosvenor hotel on the left, the goods only line to the docks passed over the road, on top of the building in the centre. This line was last used in 1962.

And the other side, BTM is behind the camera

The old station, still very imposing!

Back at the docks…

The Eastern extent of the BHR

First Day

Posted on July 8, 2009 by corwinb

Well, yesterday was my first day of work on the BHR. The main task was to prep the Peckett ‘Henbury’ for the weekends work, among others!

Bristol harbour has a military visitor

I arrived to find Henburys fire lit having been dragged out of the shed.

The wagons covering the pit had to be shunted out of the way before oiling could be completed, once the loco had steam up and I ineffectually tried to clean some grease off the wheels!

Rob dropped the clinker out

All oiled up and ready to go, Rob collected the coal wagon from the middle siding and brought it back to the crossing where coal was loaded into the excavator bucket

Then brought the train forward to the crossover to load the coal into the bunker

Then a short jaunt down to the end of the line (By Ashton Swing Bridge) to collect the flat wagon of sleepers Rob and David had sorted previously in the week.

Before bringing the lot back to the yard and stashing them in the middle siding.

Henbury dragged her stablemate out of the shed to drain the water and remove a pipe.

Then I had to run off to the office! But a very enjoyable day, thanks to David, Rob, Philippa and Rodney (For the loan of boots!)

First Footplate Ride

Posted on June 20, 2009 by corwinb

(This post was written in 2014)

This was the first day I properly interacted with the Bristol Harbour Railway. It had always been there, I vaguely remember riding it and visiting Bristol Industrial Museum when I was a child. In 2005 I had helped a friend take vehicles to the WW2 event, and in 2006, I remember sitting on a well wagon outside the silent museum as the clock struck midnight. In 2008 I recall driving by and seeing a fox running through the exposed interior of the building.

In 2009, I was fresh out of University and looking for jobs in Bristol centre. On my way back to the Whapping Wharf car park (Itself soon to become a thing of the past) I happened across ‘Henbury’ in the barn (The museum was closed and under redevelopment) and outside, a ship’s boiler on a wagon. There was a young man working on it, and I enquired as to how I could become a volunteer. He pointed me in the direction of the platform and told me to speak to the loco crew. I did so and was promptly invited aboard for a footplate ride on ‘Portbury’!

Whilst I had been aboard a steam loco before, I had never ridden on the footplate whilst it was under way, and it was at this moment that I knew this was something I wanted to get involved with.