My grandparents used to live in Marlborough Road just opposite Broome Manor Lane. As a kid, I used to play around that area at weekends and there were sheds on the tracks there just behind the bus stop area where there was a 'house missing' in the row, so one could walk through to the railway line. Actually, for anyone interested, in that row of houses lived the mother of the famous actress Diana Dors if I remember rightly. From my Uncle's bedroom on the other side and facing Marlborough Road, one could clearly see 'through that gap', the freight trains passing. I am 63 now, so this was perhaps 55 years ago, maybe a little less.
I loved this. When we were children we used to run to the end of our garden in Belmont Crescent to wave at the steam trains. The guard in his van at the end of the train often waved back. What happy memories!
Wow, thanks for posting this, I just found it. It was the highlight of the week to go on this journey on a Saturday morning. On arrival, we would go along Newport Street to get the best tasting chips we ever had! Then get a train back to Swindon junction. No drugs then, we did not need them anyway, we got high just doing the simple things like this. I really think that youngsters now are missing out today. I would prefer that era to what they have today.
Used to travel to Old Town station on the 1:05 on a Saturday, then stayed on the platform for a return train about an hour later. Was on one of the last trains from Swindon Junction to Old Town, think it was on a Sunday afternoon. On arriving there we were allowed a visit to the signal box before taking the bus back home. The line remained open for a while for goods traffic before the track was dismantled. In the early 1970s ballast for the M4 was offloaded somewhere past the station.
My grandparents used to live in Marlborough Road just opposite Broome Manor Lane. As a kid, I used to play around that area at weekends and there were sheds on the tracks there just behind the bus stop area where there was a 'house missing' in the row, so one could walk through to the railway line. Actually, for anyone interested, in that row of houses lived the mother of the famous actress Diana Dors if I remember rightly.
From my Uncle's bedroom on the other side and facing Marlborough Road, one could clearly see 'through that gap', the freight trains passing.
I am 63 now, so this was perhaps 55 years ago, maybe a little less.
I loved this. When we were children we used to run to the end of our garden in Belmont Crescent to wave at the steam trains. The guard in his van at the end of the train often waved back. What happy memories!
The landscape has changed dramatically since then, and continues to change!
Wow, thanks for posting this, I just found it. It was the highlight of the week to go on this journey on a Saturday morning. On arrival, we would go along Newport Street to get the best tasting chips we ever had! Then get a train back to Swindon junction. No drugs then, we did not need them anyway, we got high just doing the simple things like this.
I really think that youngsters now are missing out today. I would prefer that era to what they have today.
Used to travel to Old Town station on the 1:05 on a Saturday, then stayed on the platform for a return train about an hour later. Was on one of the last trains from Swindon Junction to Old Town, think it was on a Sunday afternoon. On arriving there we were allowed a visit to the signal box before taking the bus back home. The line remained open for a while for goods traffic before the track was dismantled. In the early 1970s ballast for the M4 was offloaded somewhere past the station.
Just found this classic clip. Memories of the loop and my childhood. Fantastic archive. Thanks so much.
Fantastic find, thanks to Mark Keen for sending me the link and thanks for uploading. 👍👏
Great film. That "Daimler ambulance" was an Austin Princess ambulance.
Top class. Love It. Thanks
Why can I remember this? I wasn't even born..
Rode that on bike in the lockdown
Sad End!
Someone has the film to Marlborough. Anyone know of it?