News Archive for May 2020

Daylight China Clay & Vegetation Clearance

Published on 31st May 2020

The onset of the Covid19 Pandemic has seen many freight and passenger rescheduled in recent months.

China Clay services normally pass Taunton under the cover of darkness, however, DB Cargo has retimed its scheduled bulk China Clay service to operate directly from Parkandillack. 6Z60 Parkandillack - Bescot has been passing Taunton at just after 18:00 on Thursday evening, providing the rare sight of a China Clay train passing Taunton in daylight hours

In conjunction with these operations Network Rail has been busy with large amounts of vegetation clearance between Taunton and Whiteball. Several former photographic locations in the Whiteball area which had previously become overgrown, have now been reopened by the removal of trees and large amounts of vegetation which had previously been allowed to grow.

Our Taunton Trains Database has recorded these most recent workings, and has links to other images.

(Photo: S A Ginn)

(Photo: Simon Harling)

Wellington Station a Step Closer

Wellington Signal Box was situated at the former Wellington Station, and is pictured after closure on the 9th March 1986. The adjacent stopping loop lines had been removed as long ago as 1964. It's perhaps a tad ironic that residents in Wellington continue their campaign to have the station re-opened to provide better transport links for the tow when the original demise of the station was the car and construction of the M5. It's worth noting that several items from Wellington Box (including the door) went on to be salvaged from disposal and helped to restore Blue Anchor Box, on the West Somerset Railway.

(Photo: Jeff Treece)

Making its first appearance hauling the Moorswater Cement, Colas Class 70 No.70803 passes the former Wellington Station site on Thursday 28th May 2020 operating 6C36 06:10 Moorswater - Aberthaw empty PCA cement tanks. Recent vegetation clearance in the Wellington area has also revealed more of the former station site.

(Photo: Chris Penney)

Published on 28th May 2020

After the Government announcement made earlier this week by the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps at the daily Coronavirus Press Conference, the application to reopen Wellington’s Railway Station has been approved and is on track to progress to the next stage.

The Rail Minister, Chris Heaton Harris MP, confirmed that after evaluation by the Department for Transport, the joint application to open a Rail station in Wellington and Cullompton has progressed to the next stage.

There will now be additional work to complete to specify the details of the work, the funding required and promoters will be asked to work with the Department. The Rail Minister has asked his team to work with officials from Somerset West and Taunton County Council and Mid-Devon District Council in the coming weeks to agree on potential research remits and appropriate joint governance and timescales.

Colas Lockdown Cement

(Photo: Russell Ayre)

Published on 23rd May 2020

Having been unloaded at the Aggregate Industries terminal at Moorswater the previous day, Colas Rail Freight returned their PCA cement empties north on the 21st May 2020.

Colas Class 70 No.70802 exits from Whiteball Tunnel hauling 6C26 06:178 Moorswater - Aberthaw cement empties, seen passing Marlands.

To view the gallery, please click here.

Rolling Stone

Published on 23rd May 2020

The eagle-eyed readers amongst you may have noted the addition of a new gallery to the Taunton Trains website.

Images first submitted ten years ago and hosted on our Rolling Stone Website, have now been remastered and added to this new gallery addition. This is another part of images being transferred and rediscovered for your viewing enjoyment. Heavy Stone trains operating from the Mendip Quarries to Minehead first operated in 1997/98 in conjunction with sea defence work at Minehead. Since then there have been several flows of heavy stone for other similar projects at Doniford and Stogumber.

Our new Rolling Stone gallery is located in our photo archive for your enjoyment and viewing.

(Photo: Peter Slater)

Rare Daytime China Clay

Published on 21st May 2020

Still wearing its twenty-year-old livery with original paintwork DB Cargo Class 66 No.66015 operated a rare daylight loaded China Clay working on Thursday 24th May 2020.

With 7 loaded Imerys wagons in two the No.66015 passes operating 6Z60 11:51 Parkandillack - Bescot.

To view the gallery, please click here.

(Photo: Phil Izzard)

Weedkilling at a Social Distance

Published on 20th May 2020

Having spent recent days in the southwest on weedkilling duties, DB Cargo operated No.66155 and No.66017 are pictured with the unusual sight 'top & tailing' Network Rail MPV DR98906 and DR98956 crossing the Somerset levels at Oath on Tuesday 19th May 2020 working 3Z15 11:47 Exeter Riverside to Didcot Fueling Point.

The locomotives had been used to allow weed killing duties to continue but also respecting the current social distancing rules to separate drivers from the weed-killing operatives.

To view the gallery, please click here.

(Photo: S A Ginn)

First Day of Summer Timetable

Published on 17th May 2020

The first day of the Summer Timetable is normally a day in the railway calendar which marks the start of the summer getaway for additional passengers using extra train services to visit holiday destinations across the country. 2020 however will see station car parks and platforms remaining eerily quiet with GWR urging passengers to keep their services clear for keyworkers and those who really need them.

They have also advised train services should not be used as part of daily exercise to visit destinations.

While train services are now scheduled to increase passenger numbers using Taunton Station are expected to stay low while the lockdown continues. Images taken on Saturday 16th May 2020 at the station car parks show how the advice to stay and home and avoid public transport are being followed by the general public. It should also be noted that Killkenny Car Park is council operated so any parked vehicles may be there for other reasons.

The new GWR car park which is being constructed on 'down' side of the station is nowhere near completion, even before the Covid19 outbreak it was clear the project as around 18 months behind schedule, despite GWR initially announcing it would be built and open for Spring 2020, it's clear the new multi-story car park won't be ready for at least another year.

(Photo: Brian Garrett)

Statesman Rail to resume charters in July

Locomotive Services Ltd superbly-restored locomotives revisited Taunton on Saturday 31st August. No. 47593 'Galloway Princess' and No. 47501 'Craftsman' top and tailed 'The Statesman' charter. The 1Z86 05:12 Nottingham - Kingswear passes Norton Fitzwarren at full power heading to the Devon Riviera.

(Photo: Brian Garrett)

Published on 15th May 2020

Statesman Rail has confirmed that subject to no adverse changes to Government guidelines, it plans to recommence charter operations from 18th July 2020 the first being The English Riveria Statesman charter, which will pass through Taunton.

The company says there will be alterations to the carriages enabling social distancing and a reduction in seating numbers by 40% with a maximum of four passengers across each bay of six seats. There will also be hand sanitizers available in every carriage, an increased level of staffing, additional housekeeping in the toilets throughout the journey, regular cleaning of handles and doors, and a minimum of two toilets in each carriage.

Class 60s from the Ninety's and Noughtie's

Published on 9th May 2020

During recent housekeeping of our Taunton Trains Email account, we have stumbled upon several sets of images that have been lost in time.

A set of Class 60 images was first sent to Taunton Trains by Alan Randle some ten years ago. We are pleased to say these 35mm slide scans have now been saved, edited and have been put together in a gallery for your enjoyment. The images capture a period of time from the late 1990's through to the early 2000's when trainload freight had been privatized to become Transrail and later EWS. The British built Class 60 was a regular sight on china clay and heavy scrap metal flows in the South West at a time before the General Motors Class 66 had started to make an impact on locomotive-hauled freight in the UK. We hope you enjoy this look back in time.

To view the gallery, please click here.

(Photo: Alan Randle)

April Statistics

by Sclub

Published on 3rd May 2020

During April Taunton had 37 locos make an appearance, the second-highest month of the year after January when we recorded 38.

The loco count is as follows: 3 x Class 37, 2 x Class 57, 3 x Class 59, 13 x DB Class 66, 7 x Freightliner Class 66, 3 x GBRf Class 66, 1 x Colas Class 66 and 5 x Class 70.

Considering these locomotives have been operated during the Corona pandemic, these are healthy figures for the month. Had the GWR 'Night Riviera' service been running, we would have expected to have had move locomotives through Taunton than seen in January.

The large number of locos seen passing Taunton was helped by extra out of course trains which operated, such as the Colas moving log wagons for storage, the Network Rail Weedkiller and Rail-vac moves plus test trains and also stock moves from GWR.

The total number of locos through Taunton in 2020 is currently at 104 (up to 30.04.20). This is as follows: 2 x Class 33, 6 x Class 37, 2 x Class 50, 6 x Class 57, 5 x Class 59, 39 x DB Class 66, 25 x Freightliner Class 66, 6 x GBRf Class 66, 5 x Colas Class 66 and 8 x Colas Class 70.

Our Database is now able to keep track of the monthly fluctuations, so for a more detailed look please do visit our Taunton Locomotive Database

News from March 2015

Published on 3rd May 2020

We are currently continuing our progress through the older news pages and have now completed news and over twenty more image uploads for April 2015.

Why not take a look at the March 2015 News Page which is now live.

(Photo: Jeff Treece)

(Photo: Phil Izzard)

(Photo: S A Ginn)

To view news stories from April 2020 click here, or for news from June 2020, click here.