A rare visitor to Bristol Temple Meads. The English Electric ‘whistle’ reverberates around the station as 40069 awaits departure with 3S15, the 12.10 SX Penzance to Glasgow parcels on 25th March 1983. The class 40 had just coupled to the train, having spent much of the day on Bath Road depot. Image credit: Stewart Jolly

37796 & 37702 make an impressive sight (and sound!) as they head up Filton bank with 6B12, the 14.35 SO returning coal empties from Westbury Cement Works to Barry on 1st June 1996. Image credit: Stewart Jolly

Headed by power car 43086, the 06.20 Plymouth to Newcastle 'Armada' passes beneath the A38 road bridge at Parson Street on 31st May 2002. The bridge was rebuilt in 1933 as part of a scheme to widen the railway through Bristol, which included construction of the platforms on the eastern side of Temple Meads outside the main overall roof. Image credit: Stewart Jolly

Two services for Plymouth are pictured departing simultaneously from Bristol Temple Meads on 26th February 2010. 43303 heads the slightly-delayed 06.00 from Leeds, while 150239 forms the 09.00 stopping train from Cardiff Central. Although this might be regarded as a 'modern' image, the motive power pictured here has all been superseded: Cross Country services to the South West are now worked exclusively by Voyagers, while IETs have not only replaced the Paddington-bound HST in the background, but have also taken over most of the stopping services between Cardiff and the South West - levelling up indeed! Image credit: Stewart Jolly

During the Winter 2001/Spring 2002 timetable, prototype ETS-fitted class 57 conversion 57601 regularly worked a Monday to Friday diagram comprising the 06.30 Plymouth to Paddington and the 15.42 Paddington to Exeter St. David's, both via Bristol. On 24th April 2002, the down working is pictured passing Bedminster as it accelerates away from Temple Meads. Image credit: Stewart Jolly

Pilning before electrification. Immaculately turned-out 60002 heads down towards the Severn Tunnel with 6M51, the 16:34 TThO Exeter Riverside to Chirk timber on 2nd July 2015. Image credit: Stewart Jolly

Between December 2008 and November 2010 FGW operated a topped-and-tailed loco-hauled set on one of its Cardiff - Bristol - Taunton diagrams. 67016 & 67017 were nominally allocated to the service during the initial period of operation by DB, though other members of the class would often appear. On 3rd July 2009 the 14:00 Cardiff Central to Taunton arrives at Patchway headed by 67017 with 67016 dead at the rear. Today this view is dominated by lineside shrubbery and OLE. Image credit: Stewart Jolly

Throughout the Summer of 2023, Transport for Wales Stadler class 756 units have worked test/mileage accumulation runs between Cardiff and Swindon. 756007 & 756006 are pictured on 1st June on the split level track between Patchway and Pilning, running as 3Q41, 16.14 Swindon to Cardiff Canton Sidings. Image credit: Stewart Jolly

Mid-July 2023 saw several ballast workings from Westbury to Pontypridd in connection with the Core Valley Lines upgrade. On 20th July, returning empties running as the 13.00 from Pontypridd are seen approaching Filton Abbey Wood headed by 66550, with 66514 just visible at the rear. Image credit: Stewart Jolly

On 13th September 2023, a few days before Cross Country withdrew its HST fleet from regular service, 43304 and 43303 are pictured approaching Parson Street station with 1V50, the 06.06 Edinburgh to Plymouth. The overgrown land to the right of the picture was formerly Malago Vale carriage sidings. Image credit: Stewart Jolly

The Hitachi class 8xx series is rapidly becoming the UK’s standard stock for Inter-City services. The first of the type, class 800, entered revenue-earning service with GWR in the Autumn of 2017, prior to which on 24th August that year 800005 is seen passing Pilning on a test run from Reading depot to Newport. Waiting in the down loop is 70807 with 6C37, 15.28 Westbury to Aberthaw cement works. Image credit: Stewart Jolly

A second view of 800005 on 24th August 2017 at Pilning, descending towards Ableton Lane Tunnel on a test run from Reading depot to Newport. The works livery contrasts well with the lineside vegetation, unlike the GWR dark green currently carried by the fleet. Image credit: Stewart Jolly

On 28th October 2016, amid Autumn colours and evidence of advancing electrification work, 66956 makes steady progress up the 1 in 100 ascent towards Patchway from the Severn Tunnel with 4O51, 09.56 Cardiff Wentloog to Southampton Freightliner. The different gradient profiles of the up and down lines between Pilning and Patchway are of interest. The down line on the left follows approximately the profile of the original 1863 single-track branch to New Passage Pier, whereas when the route was doubled with the opening of the Severn Tunnel in 1886, the up line was laid on a longer but less severe gradient for traffic climbing away from the tunnel. Image credit: Stewart Jolly

67017 & 67016 at rear are pictured passing Pilning with the 11.02 Taunton to Cardiff Central on 10th November 2010, as 150248 speeds through in the opposite direction with the 12.00 Cardiff to Taunton. Locomotive haulage on these services finished after 12th November. The station footbridge from which the photograph was taken was partially dismantled during electrification of the route, and the down platform is no longer accessible. Image credit: Stewart Jolly

During the 2000s First Great Western was chronically short of DMUs, leading to periodic sub-leases from other operators. In this view taken on 19th April 2009, 150281, one of several class 150/2s on loan to FGW from Arriva Trains Wales at the time, has just departed from Sea Mills working the 14.52 (Sun) Avonmouth to Bristol Temple Meads service. Image credit: Stewart Jolly

For several years First Great Western operated a small fleet of 3-car class 158 DMUs formed by splitting several 2-car sets. They usually worked the Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour service, as in this view of the 12.30 Cardiff to Portsmouth taken on 8th April 2009, photographed near Pilning on the climb from the Severn Tunnel to Patchway. In the years since the photograph was taken, electrification of the line and growth of vegetation have made lineside photography here much more difficult. Image credit: Stewart Jolly

On 27th March 2024, Locomotive Services' 57311 is pictured at Bristol Temple Meads stabled with empty stock, class 47 D1924 (47810) being out of sight at the other end of the train. The pair had worked an excursion from Bristol to Canterbury and return the previous day, and the train would depart as empty stock that afternoon for Eastleigh. To the right of the picture, 802109 waits time at platform 15 with the 08.30 Paddington to Weston-super-Mare. Image credit: Stewart Jolly