Items added on 9th April 2017 Those added most recently come first

 Southampton Town Quay
Roger Salter

170401a Railway lines still visible at Town Quay Southampton which is now a Car Park. Copyright Roger Salter

170401b Railway Lines at Town Quay, Southampton. Copyright Roger Salter

The Sun Rises over Long Rock
Roger Winnen

170408a The sun rises above Long Rock TMD viewed from the 06.50 Penzance Paddington service. Copyright Roger Winnen

170408b With the rising sun we pass the wash plant at Long Rock. Copyright Roger Winnen

170408c Looking back to Long Rock depot we see the enormous extension being added to the building. Copyright Roger Winnen

Melksham
Guy Vincent

Three pictures showing the former GWR station at Melksham taken approximately 112 years apart.  Picture 1 shows a busy scene with an 'up' passenger train standing at the Chippenham-bound platform in about 1905.  This platform (and the footbridge) was demolished along with all buildings in 1969-70 following closure of the station to passengers from April 18th 1966.     The train has a clerestory coach in it's formation and beyond the railway the tall chimney of Spencer's Engineering Works in Beanacre Road dominates the skyline.  The firm moved here in 1903 from a much smaller site in the town and for several decades was a major local employer.  Their output included heavy engineering works such as girder bridges which were sent all over the world in kit form for on-site assembly.  The company was taken over by the Elliot-Automation Group of Companies in 1962, later this became GEC who closed the Melksham factory in April 1988. Much of the site was cleared and redeveloped as housing from 2003 as can be seen in picture 2.  
 
Happily the passenger trains returned to Melksham from 13th May 1985 and although only a short section of the down platform is currently in use there are plans to extend it at the Chippenham end to accommodate the class 165-6 Turbo trains when they are cascaded to the Bristol area.  The passenger service has had a very chequered history over the years but seems to be on the up at last and the line's prospects are probably better and stronger now than at any time since the early 1950s.

Picture 2 was taken on Saturday April 8th 2017 and shows brand new Colas loco 70813 on it's first revenue-earning working heading 6C26 1123 Hinksey (Oxford) - Bristol East Jctn engineers train consisting of seven open flat 'Salmons' loaded with new concrete sleepers plus one other empty wagon. 70811 is out of sight at the rear of the train (See P3). Both these locos were unloaded at Seaforth Docks, Liverpool on Thursday March 30th and, following checks and commissioning made their way south, first to Shrewsbury (Coleham) on Wednesday 5th then onto Bescot behind 56096 on the afternoon of 7th.  Today (8th) the two locos ran light as 0Z67 0801 Bescot-Hinksey to begin their careers on the national network.  The sleepers are for a renewal job taking place between Twerton Tunnel and Newton St Loe between Bath and Bristol.  Due to other works involving closure of Bath Spa station the train was routed via Swindon, Melksham, Westbury and Castle Cary to Taunton where it reversed, 70811 then heading via Bridgwater, Nailsea and Bristol Temple Meads to the work site. 

Guy Vincent                        
​Many thanks to you Guy for this very detailed account of life and the future of Melksham station.

Melksham GWR Station c1905 with Train A superb postcard from the Guy Vincent collection

70813 heading the 6C26 1123 Hinksey-Bristol East Jctn via Taunton. Melksham. 8th April .2017 Copyright G Vincent

Melksham 70811 tailing 6C26 1123 Hinksey-Bristol East Jctn via Taunton. 8th April 2017 Copyright Guy Vincent

Melksham - flash back to 1967

Melksham station just over a year after closure to passengers. This is fifty years ago now. We're looking towards Trowbridge and the road bridge from which Guy took his pictures can be clearly seen. Copyright Keith Jenkin. Much has changed and not for the better. Your 'down' picture illustrates how the former up track was retained as the running line with the former down line cut off beyond the A365 road bridge and slewed into the siding that used to serve the Wiltshire Farmers Ltd Grain silos.

Reference the above. For comparison from the same viewpoint. Melksham on the 9th April 2017 (Down) Copyright Guy Vincent

Melksham in 1967. Note the goods shed and signalbox. Copyright Keith Jenkin Also, haphazard and piecemeal demolition of the up platform face has already started but the running-in board frame and lighting apparatus are both still in place.

Reference the above. For comparison from the same viewpoint Melksham (Up) on the 9th April .2017. Copyright Guy Vincent

Glorious sunshine again today and Portsmouth-Cardiff trains diverted to terminate / start back from Swindon due to engineering works around Bath Spa. 150002, now 33 years old and in ex works condition, found itself working a diagram over the Trowbridge-Chippenham single line via Melksham. This was captured passing through the station non-stop on the 1F20 1308 Portsmouth Harbour-Swindon (rear of train nearest camera). 9th April 2017 Copyright Guy Vincent,

Beanacre
​Guy Vincent / Keith Jenkin

From closure in April 1966 until the latter part of 1968 one passenger train service ran over the line Monday-Saturday.  This was the 14.55 Westbury-Swindon (2B70 or 2B73) calling at Trowbridge and Chippenham and usually worked by a 'Hymek' pulling a couple of passenger coaches / parcels vans.

Hymek, Roger Geach suggests 7007) at Beanacre in January 1968. This must have been the working which Guy refers to above. Fancy that - discovering what this train, unknown as far as I was concerned is. Many thanks to Guy for his detective work. Picture by Keith Jenkin.

The same train heads on towards Thingley Junction January 1968. Note the pill box guarding the military sidings at this location. One wonders if the pill box is still there?

Cookham at Taunton
John Cornelius

It was built in 1938 at Swindon Works, withdrawn from service in December 1965 and purchased directly from British Railways for preservation by John Mynors, a member of the Great Western Society, in 1965-66. Initially it was stored at Ashchurch, until moving to Didcot in August 1970. Copyright John Cornelius