Standish Junction & Stonehouse
Standish Junction is situated seven miles south of Gloucester and is where the lines to Swindon
and Bristol diverge. On 4 June 1986, 50 024 heads for Bristol.
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This view shows 47 220 heading northbound from the Bristol direction on the evening of 6 June 1988. The line to Swindon,
via Stroud is seen curving away to the left. In the distance, the town of Stonehouse can just be made out. There is a station on
the Swindon line, but not on the Bristol Line.
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I have spent several evenings at Standish Junction and there were always plenty of freight trains to see on the Bristol route. Often, the
only freights to be seen coming off the Swindon line were the empty car parts trains from Swindon to Longbridge and such a train is seen here
on the same evening headed by 47 308. Eventually, these trains were often routed via Oxford.
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About a mile south of Standish Junction on the Bristol line was Stonehouse coal depot. 37 230 is seen shunting there on 4 June 1986.
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This view shows the private industrial shunter at Stonehouse coal depot on 4 June 1986. The loaded coal hoppers
had been dropped off a few minutes earlier by 37 230. Oldends Lane level crossing can just be glimpsed on the main line in the background.
When the depot closed in 1987, the loco was preserverd albeit not locally.
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37 506 is seen heading south at Stonehouse in October 1986.
The train is slowing
down and will drop off loaded coal wagons into the coal depot on the right. After shunting at Stonehouse has been completed, the train,
which includes a nuclear flask for Berkeley, will
proceed to Sharpness.
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This picture shows a southbound train hauled by 50 021 passing Midland Road, Stonehouse on an unrecorded date during 1987. In
the foreground are sidings belonging to the coal depot. I still
use the footbridge several times a week on my walk to work but nowadays I never find myself waiting around to take pictures
of passing passenger trains! I wonder why.
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