Broad Gauge – Swindon to Bristol – Canon Brian Arman

RCTS – West Midlands Branch Meeting Report

Monday 21st October 2024 – Coventry

 

 

On Monday 21st October 2024 our speaker was Canon Brian Arman, the society President. Following previous Broad Gauge presentations when he took us from Paddington to Swindon and subsequently from Swindon to South Wales via Gloucester this talk began in Swindon before the very interesting journey to Bristol.

 

Brian has amassed a tremendous amount of archive images and ephemera from many sources and puts together superb shows. This talk included to development of Swindon Works describing the many different types of loco being produced. After many years a Broad Gauge operation it eventually became a mixed gauge railway before the advance of the standard gauge. The railway developed by Brunel was to get passengers from Paddington to Bristol and beyond as fast as possible.

 

Early photos of Wooton Basset, Chippenham and Bath were shown with some showing infrastructure that still exists today. Currently there is much controversy with the introduction of electrification through Bath particularly Sydney Gardens where progress will have to be accepted.

 

Having arrived on our journey to the ‘Train Shed’ in Bristol Brian gave us the an depth history showing the development of Temple Meads station. Being a great trading city Brunel was also developing his plans to include a Trans-Atlantic crossing to New York.

 

All in all a brilliantly presented show by Brian, and we eagerly await the continuation of our Broad Gauge journeys.