Post Box 2 Re Woodborough
Guy Vincent
Guy Vincent
Woodborough. Literally located 'in the middle of nowhere' it seems odd that it was ever thought necessary to provide a passenger station hereabouts but today the goods loops and engineers sidings are very well used with a number of freight trains held back to allow faster passenger services to pass. One example is the 6B33 1335 Theale-Robeston empty bogie tanks usually powered by a class 60 which is booked into the down goods loop for around 10 minutes until the 1C84 1404 Paddington-Penzance has overtaken.
Woodborough Station c1905 Postcard views of the station looking east with the road bridge visible at the Newbury end of the platforms . Guy Vincent Collection
Woodborough Station looking west from the same bridge. Guy Vincent Collection
B & H Woodborough Goods Loops, western end, 79m30ch from rear of down Turbo 26.06.2013. Copyright Guy Vincent .
Rail Ticket Trowbridge-Woodborough Rtn. Fare was 6 Shillings in the old money and 30p in todays coinage Guy Vincent Collection
The service in the winter timetable for 63/64 gave departures at 06.58 and 08.27 arriving Woodborough at 7.37 and 09.06 respectively. Having got there there were two trains back at 08.41 and 17.39 arriving Trowbridge at 09.13 and 18.45 respectively. The rail journey according to the timetable was 18.25 miles whereas the journey by road much the same. The return ticket at six shillings works out at 1.97 pence per mile.
Many Thanks Guy
Three days of lovely sunshine so it's
Out & About
with Craig Munday
Out & About
with Craig Munday
Hi Keith
A varied week with a trip on our very own test train!
Earlier in the week 70801 visited Truro with the Fugro test equipment fitted. The loco was seen at Crugwallins and Coombe on return.
The 8th saw a (work) opportunity to travel through the county on the Friday NR test train. Not the NMT this time, but the PLPR service. This is an electric mixture of mark 2 and mark 1 coaches, including the Mentor test car. The ensemble was headed by former EMR power cars making a rather non-uniformed look to the train. A stop at R31 signal allowed a quick photo near Chacewater.
To finish the week prior to a week on stage with St Austell AOS with our performance of SHREK the musical, I had a shift at Goonbarrow. Some beautiful light once more and some pictures obtained in the area.
Best wishes for now, Craig
A varied week with a trip on our very own test train!
Earlier in the week 70801 visited Truro with the Fugro test equipment fitted. The loco was seen at Crugwallins and Coombe on return.
The 8th saw a (work) opportunity to travel through the county on the Friday NR test train. Not the NMT this time, but the PLPR service. This is an electric mixture of mark 2 and mark 1 coaches, including the Mentor test car. The ensemble was headed by former EMR power cars making a rather non-uniformed look to the train. A stop at R31 signal allowed a quick photo near Chacewater.
To finish the week prior to a week on stage with St Austell AOS with our performance of SHREK the musical, I had a shift at Goonbarrow. Some beautiful light once more and some pictures obtained in the area.
Best wishes for now, Craig
70801 Dowgas 7th April 2022. Copyright Craig Munday.
70801 Crugwallins 7th April 2022. Copyright Craig Munday
Crugwallins 7th April 2022. Copyright Craig Munday
Plymouth 1Q18 43172 8th April 2022. Copyright Craig Munday
1Q18 43272 stops at R31 for a signal check near Chacewater. 8th April 2022. Copyright Craig Munday
Par 1Q18 43272 8th April 2022. Copyright Craig Munday
Goonbarrow 9th April 2022. Copyright Craig Munday
Looks like a heavy April shower is pending!! Goonbarrow 9th April 2022. Copyright Craig Munday
66165 plus buffer stops and black cloud make for a dramatic picture. 9th April 2022. Copyright Craig Munday.
Many thanks Craig for a delightful collection, I suppose we'll have to accept you advert for SHREK the musical. Hope all goes well.
Langford Bridge
Paul Barlow
Paul Barlow
47791 heads the 14.25 Okehampton to Victoria seen from Langford Bridge. 27th April 2003. Copyright Paul Barlow.
Langford Bridge is about one and quarter miles northwest of Cowley Bridge Junction on the line to Barnstaple / Okehampton.
Many thanks Paul.
Par
Nick Trudgian
Nick Trudgian
Three locos for the price of one - an interesting picture at Par. It's the 16th May 1981. The locos a 50009 Conqueror, 45016 and in the siding 37142. Copyright Nick Trudgian
Postbox 1
Mark Howells & Neil Phillips
Mark Howells & Neil Phillips
I hope that Mark and Neil won't mind me publishing their letters - however they are connected - by a very long footbridge at Patney & Chirton.
Firstly from Mark - I'd noticed a lot of blue coloured drain covers on the National System and wondered why.
Evening Keith,
Indeed, it’s an absolute honour to cover the entire Western Route. Especially considering how many great railway engineers have gone before me.
I’ve been doing this job for 10 years now and in the railway for 13 years. Starting in Reading in various P.Way roles all for Network Rail.
Very happy to explain the rationale for the blue grated covers, as follows:
Another few weeks in the West Country coming up from next Monday. Numerous locations including Exeter, Plymouth, Devonport, Laira, Torquay, Teignmouth plus more... pictures for CRS will of course be forthcoming.
I realise I'm very privileged, albeit there are often very long and anti-social hours. Let's just say I have a very tolerant and understanding wife!
I have an absolute passion for drainage and all things railway. Still can't believe the company pays me to travel so widely in both a works vehicle and of course by train.
Enjoy your weekend.
Mark Dennis Howells BEng (Hons) MPWI MIAM
Senior Asset Engineer (Drainage & Lineside)
Western Route
Network Rail
Indeed, it’s an absolute honour to cover the entire Western Route. Especially considering how many great railway engineers have gone before me.
I’ve been doing this job for 10 years now and in the railway for 13 years. Starting in Reading in various P.Way roles all for Network Rail.
Very happy to explain the rationale for the blue grated covers, as follows:
- Reduces the time needed for inspections, the previous covers were solid reinforced concrete.
- Reduces manual handling for inspections. Obviously for maintenance work(s) it makes little difference as you still have to remove the cover.
- Covers are much less heavy, each old concrete cover weighed on average 25kg (3no per catchpit generally). The new grated blue covers are circa 12kg for the entire cover.
- Blue is normally associated with water, for example water mains are all blue. Blue is generally more visible, even after UV degradation.
- The covers are made from recycled glass and plastic which is combined with resin to produce a glass reinforced plastic (GRP) making the cover both light (relatively) and strong.
- As you've noted, making the covers blue also makes them visible to staff and drivers etc.
Another few weeks in the West Country coming up from next Monday. Numerous locations including Exeter, Plymouth, Devonport, Laira, Torquay, Teignmouth plus more... pictures for CRS will of course be forthcoming.
I realise I'm very privileged, albeit there are often very long and anti-social hours. Let's just say I have a very tolerant and understanding wife!
I have an absolute passion for drainage and all things railway. Still can't believe the company pays me to travel so widely in both a works vehicle and of course by train.
Enjoy your weekend.
Mark Dennis Howells BEng (Hons) MPWI MIAM
Senior Asset Engineer (Drainage & Lineside)
Western Route
Network Rail
- and from Neil Phillips recently retired to Par.
Hello Keith,
I was out for a walk on Thursday and while crossing the road bridge at the east end of Par station I noticed a Class 70 with Fugro equipment attached standing on the down loop, the first time I have seen anything on those rails since I moved back to the area over two years ago. It was parked too far away to get the number (and I feel photos from that side of the bridge are not safe as it’s on a blind corner with little to stand on) but I knew somebody would report its visit to the CRS and Mick House duly obliged. However the article reported its arrival back in Plymouth at 14.30 and my sighting was at 16.30, so it made another trip back into Cornwall? I made my way to the footpath alongside the line west of Par hoping to get a nice low-angle close-up of the loco and Fugro gear as it passed by but it resolutely refused to budge and at 17.15 I gave up and went home!
Mark Howells’ impressive photo of a Class 59 at Patney and Chirton is the kind of view I’d hoped to obtain – however for me the steel footbridge visible in the background has a special significance, because at 22.15 on the bitterly cold but clear evening of Saturday 26th February 1977 I watched the passage of D1023 Western Fusilier and D1013 Western Ranger from this perch as they headed the final leg of the final ‘Western Tribute’ tour back to Paddington, marking the end of the diesel-hydraulic era. It was very dark and perhaps not surprisingly I was the only one there......!
Best regards, Neil Phillips.
I was out for a walk on Thursday and while crossing the road bridge at the east end of Par station I noticed a Class 70 with Fugro equipment attached standing on the down loop, the first time I have seen anything on those rails since I moved back to the area over two years ago. It was parked too far away to get the number (and I feel photos from that side of the bridge are not safe as it’s on a blind corner with little to stand on) but I knew somebody would report its visit to the CRS and Mick House duly obliged. However the article reported its arrival back in Plymouth at 14.30 and my sighting was at 16.30, so it made another trip back into Cornwall? I made my way to the footpath alongside the line west of Par hoping to get a nice low-angle close-up of the loco and Fugro gear as it passed by but it resolutely refused to budge and at 17.15 I gave up and went home!
Mark Howells’ impressive photo of a Class 59 at Patney and Chirton is the kind of view I’d hoped to obtain – however for me the steel footbridge visible in the background has a special significance, because at 22.15 on the bitterly cold but clear evening of Saturday 26th February 1977 I watched the passage of D1023 Western Fusilier and D1013 Western Ranger from this perch as they headed the final leg of the final ‘Western Tribute’ tour back to Paddington, marking the end of the diesel-hydraulic era. It was very dark and perhaps not surprisingly I was the only one there......!
Best regards, Neil Phillips.
Many thanks Mark for drainage covers information and your job details - it all makes for interesting reading, it's good to be settled in an enjoyable job. Also thanks to Neil for more details and a mention of the long footbridge at Patney. Another common factor is that in April 1966 my wife and I spent some time there witnessing the last train from Devizes,
Postbox 2
Chris Bellett and Colin Burges
Chris Bellett and Colin Burges
Chris Bellett and Colin Burges Teign Valley Railway have been conversing via our postbox which makes for interesting reading.
Firstly from Chris Bellett concerning the operations at Bodmin General Signalbox.
The two Annetts Key release instruments at Bodmin General are currently utilised as Train Staff release instruments, one for the Bodmin Parkway Line (Train Staff Annetts Key Configuration ‘A’) and one for the Boscarne Junction Line (Train Staff Annetts Key Configuration ‘E’). The plan is that next Winter 2022/2023 that they will be replaced by Key Token working with proper token instruments which are currently being refurbished (Key Configuration ‘B’ for the Bodmin Parkway Line and Key Configuration ‘C’ for the Boscarne Junction Line). These will work on the ‘No Signalman key Token’ (NSKT) principle as we don’t have any signal boxes at Bodmin Parkway or Boscarne Junction!
The two Annetts Key release instruments at Bodmin General are currently utilised as Train Staff release instruments, one for the Bodmin Parkway Line (Train Staff Annetts Key Configuration ‘A’) and one for the Boscarne Junction Line (Train Staff Annetts Key Configuration ‘E’). The plan is that next Winter 2022/2023 that they will be replaced by Key Token working with proper token instruments which are currently being refurbished (Key Configuration ‘B’ for the Bodmin Parkway Line and Key Configuration ‘C’ for the Boscarne Junction Line). These will work on the ‘No Signalman key Token’ (NSKT) principle as we don’t have any signal boxes at Bodmin Parkway or Boscarne Junction!
And secondly from Colin a link to a very interesting piece on Signalling - this is amongst a vast quantity of information and articles obtainable from Colins Website. Please click below for the link:-
A question from Colin to Chris which is, I believe answered in the paragraph from Chris Bellett above. Are the key boxes along the line still used, I wonder? Or are the keys simply used for ganger's occupations and returned to the signal box?
If you have a moment or two, I'd be grateful if you'd cast your expert eye over what I have written to see if you think it accurate.
https://www.teignrail.co.uk/production.php#KeyBox
Thanks, Colin Burges, Christow Station.
A question from Colin to Chris which is, I believe answered in the paragraph from Chris Bellett above. Are the key boxes along the line still used, I wonder? Or are the keys simply used for ganger's occupations and returned to the signal box?
If you have a moment or two, I'd be grateful if you'd cast your expert eye over what I have written to see if you think it accurate.
https://www.teignrail.co.uk/production.php#KeyBox
Thanks, Colin Burges, Christow Station.
Many thanks to both of you. don't forget to click on the link from Colin - you will be well rewarded.