LAST TRAIN FROM EVERCREECH JUNCTION
Memories of the S&D
with Ian Bunnett #2
A rough journey: learning the hard way - Problems with a 9F
It was June 12th 1965 I was to work a special to Bournemouth from Bath Green Park, it was for the Warwickshire Railway Society. The engine for it was a 9F number 92238 that was brought over to Bath and had to be ‘serviced’ by the fitters etc. However because it was late onto the shed and it was a Friday the fitters, in their wisdom decided a quick once over would be sufficient. However, they were wrong. Come Saturday morning I came in to work it, and I had to prepare it. It was overcast and drizzling, I had to coal and water it. I took it to the coal stage and back onto the boat road by the sandpit. I then had to fill the sand boxes, believe you me it is quite a climb to get on and off the plate with sand bucket. Taking over 30 minutes just to do that. Then I had to go looking for fire irons, and then build the fire up. I was soaked in sweat by the time I had cleaned the footplate. By then it was almost time to leave the shed. In a rush I just had time to run down to the cabin make tea and get back on the engine ready to come off the shed. We went to the station and backed onto the train, we had a couple from the society to record the journey plus an inspector. It was crowded on the footplate and I had a job to move around, then the engine started to ‘blow off’ to stop this I started to top the boiler up. I only did it because I got a rollicking about an engine blowing off in the station. I was only about 17 or 18 years old, worrying and trying to do everything right. We left the station and at Bath Junction I took the tablet in, got the catcher in. However that was the start of my problems for as we started to climb the engine started priming, we just about got up to Moorfields and struggled to Devonshire tunnel. We crawled up through there we started to run down through Combe Down tunnel out over Tucking Mill viaduct to Midford. At Midford station we gave up the tablet. By this time we were a few minutes late and I was struggling to make steam which was all the harder because of so many on the footplate. We were able to go through to Radstock where started the climb to Midsomer Norton however by the time we got to ‘Norton’ we were struggling which continued until Binegar. Here it was suggested by the Inspector we stop for a blow up, my driver - Ray Adams agreed. I did everything I could to put the fire right so off we went, it was all downhill to Evercreech Junction and wasn’t too bad a run. At Evercreech Junction I filled the tank . We set off once more, however, by the time we got to Cole (for Bruton) we were again struggling for steam, the steam pressure was just enough to keep the brakes free. By this time I was feeling weak and embarrassed, I had also been uttering expletives and I’m ashamed to say I ruined their recording because of it. To this day I am sorry. I can only hope that I have been forgiven. We struggled to Bournemouth arriving two hours late. I think their tour was altered because of our lateness. We had to come back to Bath light engine. We got back as far as Midford with no trouble took the tablet and were looking forward to getting back to shed. Just as we got to the Midford side of Combe Down tunnel I decided to close the dampers, as I did so we entered the tunnel and the fire blew back into the cab Ray was behind the A.W.S . so he didn’t notice I couldn’t go anywhere because the tunnel was only just wide enough for engine clearance ( If I tried hanging off the side I would have been part of the tunnel wall!) I shouted but I think it was luck that Ray looked up and put the blower on harder and kicked the fire doors closed, he also opened the regulator. The ‘blow back’ took off my eyebrows, singed the front of my forehead also giving me a few superficial burns. Back at Bath Green Park they took the engine out of service for examination. It was found that the steam tubes were blocked, we had a piston problem plus a few other problems. I got the blame for the trouble we had, they said my firing was not right. A few weeks later I had an Inspector McCarthy ride with me who said he couldn’t fault my firing. I didn’t get an apology for being blamed falsely. The society gave me a couple of pictures. I have been told it was the last time a 9F went over the Somerset and Dorset.
Boredom, Stamp, Bunnett = Mischief
John and I had been working a coal train of about ten wagons back from, I think Writhlington.. It was a nice sunny afternoon at about four O’clock and we had got back as far as Midford where we had to stop as the signal was on. We knew there was a train to Templecombe due from Bath at 4:20’ish.and once that went Midford should let us go onto the single line for Bath. However this train was about five minures late, and as a result we would also have to wait until the 4:37 Bath to Templecombe had gone before we could move. We were stopped by a grass bank with a lot of bramble and undergrowth. John said we’ll have to wait so let’s see if the bramble will burn, Iwas a bit cautious but John grabbed a shovel full of fire and threw the fire onto the bank. It most certainly burned, it was like an inferno. John said “I wonder how that happened”? The fire died down quickly it suddenly it burnt itself out and all it had done was to burn a patch about of about ten feet. As the train we were waiting for still hadn’t gone through John said there still a lot left let’s see if it will burn! He threw another shovel full of fire on it and this time really burning, it was out of control. As it happened the Templecombe train went past and we were given the road so off we went. I asked John what happens if anyone says anything, he said must have been the other train as they were pushing it with the regulator wide open, it must have been their hot ash that had done it. We got to Bath and the 4:37 train was just leaving - late. We didn’t hear anything about it but the notices did give out warnings about fires being started because of using the regulator too heavy!
More Cork Cutters
About eighteen months before in the bad Winter of 1962/63 I used to have to walk to work because I didn’t have any transport. I lived at that time in Batheaston which was about three miles from Bath. Any turn after midnight until 07:00 in the morning I had to walk it as the last bus was at 11:00 at night and first bus in the morning at 06:30. The road at that time was unlit and you would hear things and wonder what it was. I was about seventeen and thought that I knew it all. The walk usually took me about an hour however, the night the snow started it took me two hours walking to get home.
I was on the shed because the 23:29 Westerleigh goods didn’t run on Saturdays. Again it was John Sawyer who came in. I left the shed to start walking towards Batheaston. As I was walking I heard strange noises, I couldn’t hurry because the snow was too deep. A few weeks later, talking in the cabin I mentioned it . A few drivers including Ted Smith were in there, he said those noises were the cork cutters and they were talking about watching me get home okay. But because they watched me I owed my life to them and they could take any reward when they wanted to! I laughed but everyone there agreed he was right, it left me wondering but I then forgot about it. Fast forward by about eighteen months Ted had remembered but I forgot until then. I mentioned my thoughts about Ted’s parentage to him, we had a good laugh about it.
Fireman Ian Bunnett is busy filling the tanks at Shepton Mallet (Charlton Road) - on the reverse the picture describes the situation as 'B..... Freezing'! Note the 'fire devil' used to keep the water column from freezing and the signalman watching the proceedings from the comfort of his cabin. 6th February 1963. Copyright the late John Stamp, from the Ian Bunnett collection
During the Freeze
One of my jobs was to go light engine to Midford during the 1962/63 winter. We had to go to and pull a passenger train in. The injectors on that train had frozen and they couldn't put water into the boiler and so they dropped the fire and waited for us. My driver was a northern chap -Davy Jones. We got to Midford and the shunter was there and coupled us up. We had to run back tender first, it was a standard 4, we had a tarpaulin covering the gap between the tender and the engine, the fire doors open, I stood in front of the fire I was wearing a great coat, a jacket, a dust jacket, overalls and a cardigan, shirt and vest and was still freezing. I had to lean over the side to give up the tablet (wrong way to put the catcher out). We got on the shed and I went to the cabin and thawed out - happy days!
Meeting the Wife
I had to fire a train which was the 18.:27 to Avonmouth . I think my driver was Charlie Hamilton. We had an 8F and went from the shed to the goods yard, when we got over there and were told we didn’t have a guard and there was no spare available. Therefore we got sent back to shed. that made us automatically spare, so me being a young lad eighteen years old thought there wasn’t anything to cover on the shed and all the mainline jobs were covered (i.e.) the 21:05 to Templecombe passenger. I thought perhaps if I ask the foreman (who I think was foreman/ driver Jimmy Machin) nicely he might let me wander up the town for an hour. I asked him and was told to wait until the 20:30 relief fireman (John Sawyer) comes in and you can go for an hour then. (It was a preparing and disposing job). John Sawyer came in and I saw Jimmy Machin and was told to be back at 22:00.
I wandered into town to see my mates in the ‘Crystal Palace’ to have a pint. I was sat chatting to them when two young ladies came in. I knew one of them (Rosie) and said hello and exchanged a few pleasantries. They went to get a drink and I turned to my mates and said I’m going to marry her. They thought I meant Rosie, I said “Oh no not her, her mate”. I hadn’t even spoken to her friend and they said some choice words about my sanity! After all I didn’t know her at all. Rosie and her friend sat down and I started talking to her friend whose name was Janette, she preferred to be called Jan. My mates were taking the rise out of me over my statement. As the night progressed but I found the nerve to ask her for a date, we agreed to meet on the Saturday we went out then for a fortnight.
I got back to shed about 23:00 and was sent home with my sheet signed for 20:00. Charlie had gone home and still got his 8 hours. I was a tearaway at the time and after 14 days Jan had had enough and called it a day for the next ten days. I couldn’t eat - only drink. I went to work and at one time my mind not on the job I slipped and put my hand in the fire but luckily only had singed the hairs on my hand. Eventually I saw Jan in the ‘Crystal Palace’ with Rosie and I summoned up the courage to ask her back out, she agreed and I felt like I could have pulled the ‘Pines’ over the Mendips with my bare hands. That was October 1964 and in March 1965 we were married. Jan and I have been married at the time of writing this (March 2015) for fifty years. John Sawyer has had the long running joke that if he hadn’t have come in that night I wouldn’t have met Jan and had four kids, so I should charge him maintenance!!!
What, No Brakes!
I remember one evening my driver - John Stamp and I were booked to work the 7.:05 p.m. passenger Bath to Bournemouth. We got relieved at Templecombe and I recall Bournemouth men worked it on. Our workings were for us to pilot our train back to the signal box, using a local Collett, release it and it would then go on to Bournemouth. Our engine for piloting had been used during the day and the fire had been ‘run down’ because it was going to have its fire dropped. We were to take the loco to shed. The boiler pressure had dropped to about 60lb, and there was very little pressure to work the steam brake. Having piloted our train to Templecombe Junction and uncoupled, we watched ‘our train’ on its way then made our way back light engine to the number 3 junction where we reversed. From this junction there was a drop down to the shed so we had to go steady. We were going tender first down to the shed instead of as normally engine first. The working (duty) was for the engine to be left on the turntable and for us to get relieved and have our food.
At Number 3 Junction John opened the regulator and headed off towards the shed. Very quickly John realised we had a problem, he shut off what steam we had, tried braking but nothing happened John said “ I hope the table is in place”, and I said, “So do I”! We came down to the table and were relieved to see that it was set for our road. On the far side of the table there were stop blocks. Out of control we went straight in over the table at about 4 or 5 mph (It seemed to me more like 50mph!). Just before we hit the blocks John said “Grab the tea can”, which I did. We hit the block and fire irons, coal and everything that wasn’t screwed down went everywhere. Fortunately neither of us were hurt. The staff in the cabin came running out to see two ‘idiots’ stood on the plate covered in dust laughing like maniacs. They asked us what happened, John nonchalantly said “Brake failure” and we went into the cabin had our food and then waited to work our train back to Bath. We ever heard anything about it!