Freight Trains of the Western Region in the 1980s – Book Review

The 1980s witnessed great changes in the railway system of Great Britain, especially in terms of freight traffic. Air braked stock was replacing vacuum braked stock and there was a major reduction in the transport of bulk commodities such as coal. Moreover, new services resulted in rationalisation and reorganisation.

Kevin Redwood’s Freight Trains of the Western Region in the 1980s published by Amberley provides a fascinating pictorial record of those times. Most of the photographs were taken by Redwood himself with a few contributed by his friend and colleague Roland Carp and one by his late brother Steve Redwood.

A pictorial record of freight trains in many locations

The photos cover many key sites in the south west and Wales. Largely grouped together by location, the collection begins in west London before sweeping out down to the south west of England and finally west Wales. Each page contains 2 photographs, mostly in colour, making over 180 in total. Every image is amply annotated with information on the date, locomotives and rolling stock depicted and location background.

Being employed from 1980 to 1986 in the Area Freight Centre at Bristol, Kevin Redwood was ideally placed to compile this pictorial history of Western Region traffic. His collection of photographs cover a wide variety of locomotive classes and rolling stock which he describes with knowledge and insight. Some interesting photographs involve the associated lineside activity. Of note is the manual unloading of beet pulp nuts (new to me!) and the handling of Guinness beer barrels at Kingsland Road Bristol.

Pictures of the all too brief sunset of South Wales coal trains

Around one third of the book is devoted to South Wales and the Marches (specifically Hereford). Places range from the Severn Tunnel Junction in the East across to Whitland in the West. The collapse in coal traffic from the area typifies the change experienced in the 1980s. During the 1970s in South Wales there were over sixty pits producing coal to be transported by rail. By 1989 this figure had collapsed to just six!

One feature which would benefit the book is a map of the Western Region showing the major sites depicted. Similarly, a broad categorization of the images would help readers interested in specific areas. Although finely detailed sections would be inappropriate, some broad contents page or index structure would enable the reader to more quickly return to pictures of interest.

In Summary

An engaging book packed with photographs documenting a time of rapid change in railfreight transport. A wide range of images from bulk minerals and oil to the unloading of an individual van makes this a particularly valuable addition to the reference library of railway modellers of the Western Region in the 1980s.

About the Author: Kevin Redwood

Kevin Redwood was born into a railway family in Exeter within sight of Exmouth Junction Steam shed, close enough to hear the shunting, which started a lifelong love of trains. His thirty year railway career started at Bristol in 1977 and over the years he travelled the network extensively, taking many photographs.

(from Amberley Publishing)

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