Happy Holidays

In 1963 we went to Somerset for our annual family holiday. We stayed at Home Farm in Curland, a village six miles south of Taunton in the Blackdown Hills. Goodness knows how my folks found these places. They must have got hold of a guide to remote farmhouse holidays in inaccessible places. It was very rural but luckily there was an escape route for me by bus to Taunton. I remember Mum getting very animated by watching “Steptoe and Son” on their TV. We were without television at home at that time, but I think this experience swung it for me and my sister as our first telly arrived the next year.

Starting from Liverpool Lime Street, we were hauled by Bo-Bo Class B electric E3082 as far as Crewe, where Bo-Bo Type 2 diesel D5017 took over, then onwards through the Welsh Marches from Shrewsbury, by Castle Class No.4087 Cardigan Castle and finally from Bristol to Taunton, by Hymek Class No. D7017. North west to south west trains still went along the border route with Wales, rather than via Birmingham, at that time.

On the following Monday, I went off from Taunton to Exeter behind Hall Class No. 4993 Dalton Hall. A quick spurt up the hill to Central from St David’s with Battle of Britain Class No. 34078 222 Squadron was followed by a trip out to Polsloe Bridge Halt, behind Standard Class 4 tank No. 80059.

Heaven awaited at the end of a short walk. In fact, I’m pretty sure I must have run all the way there. I did a lot of spontaneous running between places. These were to be my first Southern sheds and Exmouth Junction did not disappoint. Well, actually that is a massive understatement. I was ecstatic. Fifteen Pacific cops, including Merchant Navy Class, No.35026 Lamport and Holt Line. Back at St David’s station, I cabbed West Country Class No. 34002 Salisbury and I was finally taken back to Taunton by Warship Class No. D866 Zebra.

On 1/8/63 Dad took me to the County Ground in Taunton, to watch a day of the Championship cricket match between Somerset and Nottinghamshire. I remember Brian Bolus and the wonderful setting, but not a lot else, though more recent investigations reminded me that another famous name from the past was present that day, Fred Rumsey, the big Somerset fast bowler.

I spent three consecutive days on Taunton station. On the first of these I misjudged the exact location of the bus stop I was planning to alight at and when the bus jerked forward I fell from the rear platform into the middle of the road, just beneath the bridge next to the station. Undeterred by a shaking up and an odd cut and bruise, I scampered up to the station, sat on a platform bench and licked my wounds.

The following Saturday, I saw thirty-five different D800 Warship Class Type 4s, half the total of the class. On the Western Region main lines, diesels were already firmly in control. My repeat visit to Exmouth Junction the following week yielded no less than five more Merchant Navies.

On 8/8/63 I tried Bournemouth, because we went as a family on a day coach trip, ostensibly to visit my mum’s auntie. Another MN Class No. 35016 Elders Fyffes, was on the sheds, but it appears from my brief notes, that I did not get right round. Nevertheless, 441 cops for the holiday was not a bad haul.

On our journey home, our train, hauled by Warship Class Type 4 diesel hydraulic No. D845 Sprightly, passed two light engines parked just north of Pontypool Road station. Hall Class No. 4916 Crumlin Hall waits for its next northbound commitment, just ahead of Britannia Class No. 70054 Dornoch Firth on10/8/63. It appears that this was the only snap I took during the entire fortnight’s holiday.

[Adapted from my book Train Spotters]