Stroud
47 488 is seen pulling away from Stroud station with a morning Cheltenham to Paddington train on 7 March 1986. The sidings in the foreground have since been disconected, but at the time they did still see some very occasional use. I remember seeing a class 47 with an engineers train in these sidings in October 1988.
This picture was taken about half an hour later and shows 31 466 passing through Stroud, heading towards Swindon
with a breakdown crane. In the background, a Cheltenham bound class 120 diesel multiple unit has
stopped in the station.
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Three miles east of Stroud is Brimscombe where the railway runs alongside the Thames & Severn Canal. On 23 May 1986 an HST from London is seen a few minutes before stopping at Stroud.
The former signal box at St. Mary's Crossing, Brimscombe remains open to manually control the crossing gates over a no-through-road. In fact I believe it is a listed building. On 23 May 1986 a DMU passes heading towards Swindon.
47 647 at Frampton Mansell with the 18.15(Sundays) Cheltenham to Paddington train on 10 May 1987. I believe
this was the very last timetabled loco-hauled train on this line and HST's worked all London trains from the following morning.
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