Looking through the shoe box of negatives of the colour print films taken of my family over the last thirty years I realised that there were also five strips of 126 instamatic black and white negatives. To my surprise these turned out to be railway shots which I can not remember taking or ever having had any prints from. I have been able to work out that the 126 negatives date from my week long 1973 Western Region Railrover holiday in July 1973

A shot from the “lost” five strips of 126 instamatic black and white negatives finds a row of four 08 shunters stabled at Radyr, South Wales, 8th July 1973. On this day according to my records five class 08’s were present at Radyr, the leading engine is 3434 with the other three being from 3256/57, 3595 and 3756.

Locomotive History
D3434 was built at Crewe works and entered traffic in May 1958, allocated to Duffryn Yard MPD, South Wales. It would spend the next eighteen years in South Wales with spells at Neath, Margam and Cardiff Canton. In January 1976 it transferred to Old Oak Common and this was followed by spells at Worcester, Gloucester, Landore before its final transfer to Cardiff Canton from where it was withdrawn in January 1983. It was broken up at Swindon works in October 1983.

Tags:   8th July D3434 08364

© All Rights Reserved

Looking through the shoe box of negatives of the colour print films taken of my family over the last thirty years I realised that there were also five strips of 126 black and white negatives from a Kodak Instamatic camara. To my surprise these turned out to be railway shots which I can not remember taking or ever having had any prints from. I have been able to work out that the 126 negatives date from my week long 1973 Western Region Railrover holiday in July 1973 and here we have stabled at the side of the shed at Laira 3808 (08641), 7th July 1973.

Locomotive History
3808 was built at Horwich works and entered traffic in January 1959 allocated to St Phillips Marsh MPD. Its stay at Bristol was short and two months later it transferred to Newport Ebbw Junction. The next ten years were to be in South Wales with spells at Newport Pill, Cardiff Cathays and Llanelly. It transferred to Newton Abbott in May 1971, Penzance in 1979 and Plymouth Laira in 1982 where it has remained ever since and is currently (January 2014) the depot pilot operated by First Great Western.

Tags:   7th July D3808 08641 Kodak Instamatic Epson 4490

© All Rights Reserved

When looking through the shoe box of negatives of the colour print films taken of my family over the last thirty years I realised that there were also five strips of 126 instamatic black and white negatives. To my surprise these turned out to be railway shots which I can not remember taking or ever having had printed. I have been able to work out that most of the 126 negatives date from my week long 1973 Western Region Railrover holiday in July 1973 and here is 1012 Western Firebrand on Landore MPD on the 8th July 1973.

Locomotive History
D1012 was built at Swindon Works in 1964 and entered traffic in November of that year allocated to Cardiff Canton MPD. Whilst the Class was successful British Rail policy was moving away from diesel-hydraulics and therefore the class became non-standard. Unlike the similar, but lower-powered, Warship class locomotives, most Westerns did receive air brake equipment in addition to their vacuum exhausters, thus significantly extending their working lives, however, as for the Warships, it proved impossible to equip them with electric train heating (ETH). The Western Region faced particularly stiff competition for its prime inter-city services in the mid 1970s from the M4 motorway, and it was generally felt within British Rail that significant speed and comfort increases on the prime Paddington-Bristol route were necessary. The lack of ETH meant the Westerns could not power the newly-introduced air-conditioned Mark IId/e/f coaches and class 50 locomotives with ETH were becoming surplus from the London Midland Region. This meant the end for the Westerns. D1012 was withdrawn after less than twelve years service in November 1975, with 1,296,000 miles to its credit and was broken up during April 1979 at Swindon Works.

Kodak Instamatic

Tags:   Kodak Instamatic D1012 8th July

© All Rights Reserved

Another shot from the “lost” five strips of 126 instamatic black and white negatives. Looking through the shoe box of negatives of the colour print films taken of my family over the last thirty years I realised that there were also five strips of 126 instamatic black and white negatives. To my surprise these turned out to be railway shots which I can not remember taking or ever having had printed. I have been able to work out that most of the 126 negatives date from my week long 1973 Western Region Railrover holiday in July 1973.

HELP REQUIRED - In May 1973 the Western Region made a start on withdrawing the most successful of the diesel hydraulic fleet, the class 52 Westerns and condemned two locomotives 1019 and 1032. The following month two more locomotives were condemned 1018 and 1020 followed by a further two locomotives in July, 1039 and 1042. I visited Laira MPD on the 7th July 1973 and all six of these locomotives were present and here is one of those six Westerns dumped in the scrap line with name and number plates removed. Any help in identifying this locomotive gratefully received. A couple of clues I have at the moment, although present on my visit on the 7th July 1973 1039 and 1042 were not officially condemned until the 21st July 1973 and 1018, 1019 and 1020 were all vacuum brake only when withdrawn and this appears to me to be a vacuum braked only engine.

The evidence indicates this is 1018 Western Buccaneer (my thanks to Don Kibey) which was built at Swindon Works and entered traffic in April 1963. It was one of four Westerns (D1017-D1020) that were not fitted with dual brakes and remained vacuum braked only. This was to lead to their early demise with 1018 being condemned on the 11th June 1973. It was also the first Western to be disposed of when it was broken up at Swindon Works during March 1974.

Tags:   7th July Kodak Instamatic D1018

© All Rights Reserved

Looking through the shoe box of negatives of the colour print films taken of my family over the last thirty years I realised that there were also five strips of 126 instamatic black and white negatives. To my surprise these turned out to be railway shots which I can not remember taking or ever having had any prints from. I have been able to work out that the most of the 126 negatives date from my week long 1973 Western Region Railrover holiday in July 1973 and here is 1052 Western Viceroy having arrived at Plymouth with an express from Paddington, 7th July 1973.

Locomotive History
Western Viceroy was built at Crewe works and entered traffic in maroon livery on the 4th February 1963. It retained its maroon livery until being painted corporate blue in March 1967. It was withdrawn on the 6th October 1975 (with @ 1,224,000 miles to its credit) and was broken up at Swindon works in April 1976.

Tags:   7th July D1052 Epson 4490 Kodak Instamatic

© All Rights Reserved