"Keep up the great work with the website!"
Regards John Putley Learning & Outreach Officer
Gloucestershire Archives, Alvin Street, Gloucester, GL1 3DW
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GLOUCESTERSHIRE TRANSPORT HISTORY Celebrating everything connected with transport and Gloucestershire FEEDBACK LOOP "Doesn't sound very exiting does it? Yet within these pages can be found all manner of things such as the first British seaplane, the Bristol Freighter, Gloster jet fighter, Daleks, K-9, the Whippet tank, all sorts of locomotives, a Gloster Meteor with propellers and a Zeppelin or two" Kind words from Poliss, thecentralstation.myfreeforum.org
"I read the well set out article [Flying
Down to Tewkesbury] with some nice thoughts of
those days and still love them old
memories. Please accept this small note as a token of thanks, for without
you guys it would all be consigned to the scrap yards of Barry Island and
gone forever. Thank You."
Email from Arthur Kyle, retired driver,
8A Edge Hill,
Liverpool, pictured above in the early 1960s on the footplate of 45156
"Ayrshire Yeomanry"
Click on the picture above for an article on Arthur Kyle's career. "OMG how freaking AWESOME!!!!!!!!! What an honor!! Thank You Alan!!! " Kind words from Tammie on the Fly DC Jets Sign - Fan Page : and that's before the first McDonnell Douglas aircraft have even arrived!
And it's thumbs up for Gloucestershire Transport History joining The Professionals. More nostalgia with C.I.5's Cowley, Bodie and Doyle at http://www.mark-1.co.uk/Professionals/b06.htm
This flying wing concept with its "clip-on" passenger or freight capsules - which arrive and depart from the airport by rail - was exhibited at the 2013 Paris Air Show and - if it is ever built - could revolutionise transport as we know it. Layouts like Terminal 1 would become obsolete for a start! SCROLL DOWN FOR FORTHCOMING EVENTS CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE TO FIND HOW THIS LORRY LINKS HEREFORDSHIRE WITH GLOUCESTERSHIRE CLICK ON THE
LOGO ABOVE TO GET ON BOARD THE SUMMER
2012 CATALOGUE OF BUS AND TRAM KITS AND MORE!
AHOY THERE SHIPMATES! Gloucestershire Transport History is now the proud online home of the Gloucester Branch of the World Ship Society. Details of future meetings will be listed below and for reviews of 2011, 2012 , 2013 and 2014 click here. Gloucestershire Transport History is also the official website of the Gloucester Model Railway Exhibition. Click on the picture above for a review of the 2014 event. Click here for coverage of the 2012 Gloucester Model Railway Exhibition Click here for coverage of the 2013 Gloucester Model Railway Exhibition On 5 October 2013 The Gloucester Citizen reported: "A group of graffiti artists have tackled their biggest project to date - the decoration of a Boeing 737 passenger jet. It took Bristol based art collective HangFire seven days to give the disused Lucky Air jet at Cotswold Airport in Kemble a complete monochrome design featuring letters and geometric shapes" PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEN GUEST If you like high quality card mounted photographs of interesting aircraft - and more - then why not call Gloucester photographer Ken Guest on +44 (0)1452 413511 or email ken.guest@tiscali.co.uk? Prices start from just £5.00 for a 7" x 5" print and for a further selection of images click on the picture of Swiss marked Hawker Hunter F6 J-4015 at Kemble above. LOOKING FOR A TRANSPORT RELATED CELEBRATION CAKE? THEN WHY NOT VISIT www.silverliningcakes.co.uk FOR MORE TASTY DETAILS? On 15 August 2011 The Earlswood Press published GTH reader and London taxi driver Bill Munro's latest book - London Taxis : A Full History - at an RRP of £15.99. Bearing ISBN 978-0-9562308-2-9, the 240 page 200mm x 175mm paperback includes over 150 black and white photographs, some of which have never been published before, and traces the story of the London taxi from 1897. Some of the first of these Horseless Cabs, ordered and operated by Walter Bersey, were electric and built by The Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company Limited. Click on the picture for more details. Michael Clemens informs me that a large number of British Railways Western Region working timetables from the 1950s and 60s are now available in PDF format at www.michaelclemensrailways.co.uk For splendid monochrome and colour transport art - including this splendid cutaway drawing of a Gloster Javelin F (AW) Mark 1 - why not visit the website of Stuart Taylor ? For a consumer review of your latest book, DVD or other Gloucestershire and Transport related product or service why not email Alan ? REQUEST STOP
Huntley and Palmer's six plank 10 ton private owner coal wagon 21 was built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company Limited in October 1908 with a tare weight of 6-0-3 and internal measurements of 14' 6" x 7' x 3' 9". It was painted purple brown with white lettering shaded black, but does anyone know the livery, types, quantities and dates etc of the Reading, Berkshire, biscuit maker's fleet of covered railway vans? If so, please email any information to nwdeacon@live.com who is trying to write an article on the subject.
As is recounted in the Introduction to The Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company Limited elsewhere on this website, Bristol Road's Wagon Works contribution to Allied victory in World War II included building 764 Churchill tanks. However, the earliest A20 Churchill prototypes were built by Harland & Wolff in Belfast and the same company also built 550 tanks including Centaur, Matilda and Churchill Mark Is, Mark IIs and possibly Mark IIIs at Carrickfergus from August 1939 to November 1943. In Yorkshire meanwhile A22 Churchill tanks were constructed by Charles Roberts of Horbury, Wakefield and in the English Midlands both Metropolitan Cammell and Birmingham RCW also built Churchills with some of Birmingham RCW's first A22 tanks being used on the Dieppe raid of 1942. As discovered on various websites, the running number blocks of the Churchill tanks built by Birmingham RCW and Metropolitan Cammell are set out in the table below along with number blocks for 322 of the Churchill tanks built by Gloucester RCW. The Gloucester data comes from original Wartime documents recently released from The Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset.
However it will be noticed that the numbers T67868 to T67990 are claimed by both Gloucester and Birmingham RCWs. Could it be that numbers originally allocated to Gloucester were moved north? And what numbers were carried by the other 442 Churchill tanks built in Bristol Road? Incidentally, the 322 Gloucester RCW built tanks mentioned in the Bovington paperwork were identified as "assembly only" - constructed from components rather than built from scratch. Does anyone have a comprehensive list of British World War II "T" numbers with corresponding tank types and possibly the army units they were first issued to? If so, please email me! The beautiful painting of BUSHMILLS, a Churchill Mk I C5 armed with two 75mm howitzers, is reproduced above courtesy of Bracken Anderson, historian of the North Irish Horse, the only mechanized cavalry regiment of World War II to be issued with Churchill tanks. RED NOTICE CASE THE ANNUAL RALLY OF THE MODEL STEAM ROAD VEHICLE SOCIETY WILL BE HELD AT TEWKESBURY RUGBY CLUB ON SATURDAY 5 AND SUNDAY 6 JULY 2014. FOR DETAILS CLICK HERE THE CHELTENHAM SOCIETY OF MODEL ENGINEERS WILL BE OFFERING TRAIN RIDES AT THEIR GROUND IN HATHERLEY LANE, CHELTENHAM (NEXT TO ASDA) FROM 1400 TO 1700 ON SUNDAY 20 JULY 2014. ADMISSION IS FREE AND THERE WILL ALSO BE A DISPLAY OF MODEL BOATS ON THE LAKE THE GLOUCESTERSHIRE STEAM EXTRAVAGANZA WILL BE HELD AT SOUTH CERNEY AIRFIELD, SOUTH OF CIRENCESTER, ON FRIDAY 1, SATURDAY 2 AND SUNDAY 3 AUGUST 2014 WITH NEW N GAUGE LAYOUT CHURCH HISLOP SCHEDULED TO APPEAR IN THE MODEL TENT. FOR MORE SHOW DETAILS CLICK HERE THE CHELTENHAM SOCIETY OF MODEL ENGINEERS WILL BE OFFERING TRAIN RIDES AT THEIR GROUND IN HATHERLEY LANE, CHELTENHAM (NEXT TO ASDA) FROM 1400 TO 1700 ON SUNDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2014. ADMISSION IS FREE AND THERE WILL ALSO BE A DISPLAY OF MODEL BOATS ON THE LAKE THE CHELTENHAM SOCIETY OF MODEL ENGINEERS WILL BE OFFERING TRAIN RIDES AT THEIR GROUND IN HATHERLEY LANE, CHELTENHAM (NEXT TO ASDA) FROM 1400 TO 1700 ON SUNDAY 5 OCTOBER 2014. ADMISSION IS FREE AND THERE WILL ALSO BE A DISPLAY OF MODEL BOATS ON THE LAKE GLOUCESTER FILM MAKERS WILL BE HOSTING A FILM SHOW ENTITLED "A WORLD TOUR" AT ST GEORGE'S CHURCH CENTRE, BROCKWORTH, AT 1930 ON MONDAY 20 OCTOBER 2014. ADMISSION £5.00. SUPPORTING THE MEMBER'S TRAVELOGUES WILL BE UNIVERSAL WORKS IN "STEAM SUPERPOWER" THE CHELTENHAM GWR MODELLER'S EXHIBITION IN AID OF CLIC SARGEANT WILL BE HELD AT ST MARGARET'S HALL, CONISTON ROAD, CHELTENHAM, GL51 3NU FROM 1000 TO 1700 ON SATURDAY 25 AND 1000 TO 1630 ON SUNDAY 26 OCTOBER 2014. THE COTSWOLD MODEL RAILWAY SHOW WILL BE HELD AT THOMAS KEBLE SCHOOL, EASTCOMBE, ON 1 AND 2 NOVEMBER 2014. AMONG THE ATTRACTIONS AT THE 2013 SHOW WAS OXFORD ROAD, ABOVE. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS THE THORNBURY MODEL RAILWAY SHOW WILL BE HELD AT THE CHANTRY, THORNBURY ON 29 AND 30 NOVEMBER 2014. AMONG THE ATTRACTIONS AT THE 2013 SHOW WAS PIXASH LANE, ABOVE. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS THE WESTON SUPER MARE TRAIN SHOW WILL BE HELD AT LOCKING CASTLE ON SUNDAY 11 JANUARY 2015. AMONG THE ATTRACTIONS AT THE 2014 SHOW WAS BUTTERMERE, ABOVE. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS THE ANNUAL SHOW OF THE GLOUCESTER BRANCH OF THE INTERNATIONAL PLASTIC MODELLING SOCIETY WILL BE HELD AT CHURCHDOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE GL3 2JH FROM 1000 TO 1630 ON SUNDAY 10 MAY 2015. ADMISSION £2.50 CONCESSIONS £1.00 FAMILY TICKET £5.00. Set at the lowest natural crossing point on the River Severn, Gloucester has always been a focus for travellers and as a result both the City and County have a rich transport heritage. First came the Romans with their roads, which evolved from the pathways of the Ancient Britons and grew into the complex of trunk roads and Motorways that we enjoy today. These roads not only allowed Welsh livestock to be driven to London but also accessed the coal, iron and timber of the nearby Forest of Dean As the centuries passed too, the Severn was also exploited for the movement of goods, leading Queen Elizabeth I to grant the Letters Patent that made Gloucester a Port in 1580. Indeed, the trade on the Severn was so busy by the reign of Charles I that his imposition of Ship Tax helped the citizens of Gloucester decide to stand against him in the English Civil War. After decades of manual labour, the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal also opened in 1827, allowing the dangerous sandbanks of the river to be bypassed by ocean going vessels. The longest, widest and deepest ship canal in the World – as it was when new – also brought an abundance of timber to the Cathedral City. This in turn laid the foundation for such firms as Morelands – the "England’s Glory" match manufacturers – the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company Limited and H.H. Martyn's of Cheltenham. From Gloucester's tradition of blacksmithery and pin making too, sprang Cotton Motorcycles and – ultimately – the Gloster Aircraft Company. Among this company's illustrious products were the Gloster E28/39. In 1941 this became the first Allied jet aircraft to fly and led directly to the development of the Meteor and Javelin fighters. Indeed, prior to the creation of the new counties of Avon and South Gloucestershire in 1973, Gloucestershire also embraced Parnall's of Yate and the Bristol Aeroplane Company with its omnibus building ancestry. From the latter's base at Filton, the British prototype Anglo - French Concorde first flew on 9 April 1969. With Brian Trubshaw at the controls, G-BSST landed at RAF Fairford - still a part of the transport infrastructure of Gloucestershire today and host to the annual Royal International Air Tattoo. Gloucestershire also boasts a rich heritage of railway operations, having been the Nineteenth Century battleground of the gauges between the factions of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and George and Robert Stephenson. As a result, the county still has direct links with Cardiff, Bristol, Swindon and Birmingham. Indeed, Gloucestershire can also lay claim to preserved railways,horse drawn tramways, narrow gauge and miniature railways as well as a thriving model transport enthusiast community. This includes the Gloucester branch of the International Plastic Modelling Society which meets at Churchdown Community Centre on the first Tuesday of every month. For further information please contact Mr Barnfield on 01242 862826. CHARITY CORNER The Jet Age Museum still needs further donations to continue and expand the opening of its new home to the public on a regular basis. For details click on the picture above. Have you got a future charity event with a transport connection? If so, then why not email me and have it considered for inclusion here! LEFT OR RIGHT?
Until the French Revolution at the end of the 18th Century, all the World passed on the left. This dated back to at least Roman times as it allowed marching legions to easily draw their swords and fight with their right hands unimpeded. However, to spite the overthrown aristocrats, Robespierre ordered all civilian and military traffic in France to move to the right and this practice spread to countries conquered by Napoleon such as Holland, Switzerland, Germany Poland and Spain. France also influenced the practices of the nascent United States when it sent General Lafayette and several thousand troops to fight against Britain in the War of Independence. As a result, a keep right law was passed in the new Land of The Free in 1792 although Canada remained on the left until 1920. Similarly, traffic in Austria went over to the right in March 1938 following the Nazi Anschluss although many European colonies and other nations throughout Africa, the Middle East and Asia continue, like Britain, to drive on the left. EXTREMELY DODGY
According to The Sun of 15 June 2013 no less than 120 000 passengers are dodging fares on Britain's railways every day - or 43 million train journeys every year - at a cost of £240 million a year to train operating companies. A cost that has to be borne in part by honest ticket holders. But with so many open stations and so few ticket inspectors, the risk of being caught without a ticket has never been lower. The line from Severn Beach to Bristol, for example, is known locally as the free train line. And a failure to collect fares has the knock on effect of train usage being under reported and strategic infrastructure projects thus not implemented. Some of the most original excuses for not buying a ticket - as compiled by the Association of Train Operating Companies include: "I just got out of jail and the police said I could travel for free" "My mum's got my ticket and we buried her this morning" "I only got on the train to use the toilet and it left while I was in there" "I fell through the door and landed on a seat" "I've just been getting my nails done and I'm not going to get them broken by buying a ticket" "The bloke told me last week to buy a ticket but this week I forgot" "The guy at the station said you don't need tickets for these trains" "I don't need a ticket as I'm getting a lift back" "I've never paid before so I don't see why I should pay now" "I thought it was free on a Sunday" "Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another." "Take your Byron, who commemorates the defeats of Man. Give me Bradshaw who commemorates his victories!" G.K. Chesterton 1874-1936 "Conata Perficere [ Achieve What You Set Out To Do ] Julius Caesar "By God, the old man could handle a spade Just like his old man... But I've no spade to follow men like them. Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests. I'll dig with it" Seamus Heaney 1939 - 2013
"In the kingdom of the bland, the intolerant man is king" Nick Cohen, The Observer
Faster than fairies, faster than witches Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches; And charging along like troops into battle All through the meadows, the horses and cattle: All of the sighs of the hill and the plain Flying as thick as the driving rain; And ever again, in the wink of an eye, Painted stations whistle by. Here is the child who clambers and scrambles, All by himself and gathering brambles; Here is a tramp who stands and gazes; And here is the green for stringing the dasies! Here is a cart runaway in the road; Lumping along with man and load; And here is a mill, and there is a river; Each a glimpse and gone forever! Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson 1850 - 1894
"Cattle die, kinsmen die, and so shall you die too. But one thing I know that never dies: the fame of a dead man's deeds" Brass plaque, Shetland Town Hall
Thank you for visiting GLOUCESTERSHIRE TRANSPORT HISTORY I know you've got soul!
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