Tales from the Steam era on the Coley Branch Line

Edward (Eddie) Price by Colleen Thatcher (nee Price)

My father spent his last 18 months with the GWR (then British Railways Western Region) as a driver on the Coley Branch. Prior to working the 'Coley Goods', my father was mostly on the mainline run from Paddington to Bristol / Devon.

He refused to drive what the footplate men of the time called 'new fangled cars on rails'. They classed them NOT proper engines and most wanted nothing to do with them, thinking things will never be the same. How right they were!

During the mid 1930's, Eddie spent some time on another small GWR branch - the Newbury and Lambourn Railway. The line ran from a bay platform at Newbury with a connection into the main London-bound platform, and ran parallel to the double track main line west of the station for half a mile (800 m) before veering to the north. It was single-track throughout with passing loops at several of the intermediate stations, terminating at Lambourn.

Driver Edward G Price retired in 1960.

Driver Eddie Price in 1936
©Colleen Thatcher

Driver Eddie Price (top centre) - Newbury to Lambourn Railway c1935
GWR Locomotive 1334 (Dübs 2-4-0)
©Colleen Thatcher