1960s steam at Staple Hill and Mangotsfield

Some help please, for a friend.

He recalls as a small boy in the mid-1960s being taken to see steam at, he thinks, Staple Hill station. I know bits - WR steam ended in 1965, some ex-GWR power came onto the ex-LMS lines from Bristol at some point, Staple Hill lost services in 1966 and the lines out that way lost all services around 1969. I'm not sure what steam would have been seen around then and until when. Can anyone tie my limited knowledge together and fill in the gaps?

Many thanks

Patrick

 

We made a spotting trip to Gloucester from Bristol 20th April 1963 , I remember stopping at Staple Hill as it was a local stopping train . The loco hauling the train was BR Standard class 5 No 73015 of Bristol Barrow Road shed ...this was Midland track so locos noted enroute were 4Fs , 8Fs , Jubilees , Ivatt 2MTs , BR Standard 9Fs and Stanier Black 5 s ......the return trip was a fast service was Peak diesel hauled D133, but not stopping at Staple Hill.

 

The Colin Maggs book on the (ex-Midland) Mangotsfield-Bath line records the following as allocated to Bath Green Park MPD (82F) in May 1965:

BR 2-6-2T 82004/41
BR 4-6-0 73001/51/54/68
Ex-LMS 3F 0-6-0T 47276, 47506, 47544
Ex-LMS 4F 0-6-0 44558
Ex-LMS 8F 2-8-0 48309, 48444, 48525, 48660, 48737
Ex-GWR 57XX 0-6-0PT 3681,3758
WR 94XX 0-6-0PT 8436, 8486

These may all have been seen on Bath (Green Park) - Mangotsfield - Bristol turns. In earlier years, Class 2P 4-4-0s, Ivatt 2-6-2Ts and LMS Class 5 4-6-0s had also been in use, plus the S&D 2-8-0s. In the last few years of steam, GW Hall and Manor 4-6-0s and 28XX 2-8-0s, plus diesel-hydraulics were also seen on the route.

 

Shed Bash UK is a good place to visit for that type of question. There are multiple entries for Bristol Barrow Road and Bath Green Park. If you could narrow the year down, that would help you.