LOCO HAULED SERVICES:

Most music fans will remember the once yearly event of the Glastonbury Festival for loud music, good bands, camping, mud and a good weekend, many however will forget how they got to and from the event. For many years the start of the Glastonbury Festival was marked on the railways several days before the festival weekend by the appearance of of locomotives and coaching stock. Taunton and Westbury were once used as a gathering/ interchange points to allow festival goers to travel on a dedicated services to Castle Cary for onward bus transfer to Glastonbury. Often two shuttle services would operate between Taunton and Westbury, each one each direction, crossing in the Castle Cary area. These services provided additional capacity to booked train services and were locally known as 'Hippy Ex' services. This practice occurred for many years, each year providing something a little different for enthusiasts to capture. Class 37's, 47's and Mk2 stock were part of the normal operations, but even the Hastings Unit was used for several years.

2007 was the final year of the Glastonbury Festival 'extras'. These services used EWS Class 67's on two sets of coaching stock. 67006, 67013, 67015 and 67029 were all used on various diagrams over the festival period. First Great Western no longer provide dedicated services for the Glastonbury Festival, choosing only to transport customers on their own scheduled services, with a few additional through HST services. Details of the workings from 2007 can be found on our Archive Page.

After a long period with no booked locomotive haulage in the Taunton area, it came as a complete surprise when First Great Western decided to employ a pair of EWS Class 67's and 4 Mk2 coaches to work booked diagrams between Taunton and Cardiff. The set would be based at Bristol Barton Hill depot. The loco hauled option was provided as a temporary solution after a shortage of FGW's own DMU's/ Units was identified. The 'temporary solution' lasted nearly two years and provided a second diagram after 2009.

Coaching stock for the First Great Western Class 67 hauled diagram was formed of former Virgin Trains Mk2 stock which was owned by Cargo D. The stock was fully repainted into the ubiquitous and striking BR Blue livery. Interiors still carried the former Virgin Trains moquet seat covers. They were built at Derby between 1972-73 and contain 60 seats per coach. The coaches sit on B4 bogies and were fully air conditioned. A 4 coach top and tailed set provided around 210 seats (approx 60 more than the standard Class 150 unit) and generally produced an additional 360 seats per day on the Taunton - Cardiff corridor.

From December 14th 2009 a second loco hauled diagram was added by First Great Western to cover for further unit shortages. The second diagram would be operated by First GBRF using Class 57/3's (Which carried Virgin Trains livery). The Class 57's would work the original 2008/09 diagram, working between Taunton and Cardiff. The only difference being that the sets would be serviced at Bishops Lydeard on the West Somerset Railway during the week, returning to Cardiff for maintenance at the weekends. The Class 67's (operated by DB Schenker, formerly EWS) would switch to a new diagram which would see them work between Cardiff and Paignton in the morning, returning to Taunton and Bristol in the evening. The allowed the Class 67's to reduce the amount of empty stock movements as they would start and finish their day closer to their Bristol depot.

The Class 57/3's combined with coaching stock from Riviera Trains proved to be a troublesome combination, after only 6 months there had been so many in service failures, faults and operational issues the contract with First GBRF was revoked and given to DB Schenker. As a result from the 5th July 2010 Class 67's were working both loco hauled diagrams.