The Measurement Train Penzance and St Austell
Jon Hird and Roger Winnen
Jon Hird and Roger Winnen
230310a Its noon as the New Measurement Train arrives at Penzance. Copyright Roger Winnen
230310b The NMT is stabled in Platform 4 at Penzance. Behind is the station car park and bus station with a number of double deckers in green livery visible/ Copyright Roger Winnen
Attached are a couple of quick photos I grabbed with my phone a few minutes ago of the NMT passing St. Austell en route to Paignton. The rear power car looks like it could use a bit of attention from the paint shop! Copyright Jon Hird
Passing through St Austell Station on route to Paignton. Copyright Jon Hird
Many Thanks Jon
33021 at Bath
Michael Adams
Michael Adams
Hello Roger, Thanks for dealing with the last pictures. I send a picture from Michael Adams of another class 33 ,this time 33021 at Bath with the 07.46 Portsmouth to Cardiff on 28 May 1981. Copyright Michael Adams
Many Thanks Michael
Nineteen Sixty Two
Part nine
Michael L. Roach.
Part nine
Michael L. Roach.
Marsh Mills and the Forder Valley Link Road
This series has visited the Marsh Mills area of Plymouth before in Parts 2, 3 and 4. The railway station was a quarter mile north of Tavistock Junction and was the first station on the line to Tavistock South and Launceston. Just south of the station the A38 trunk road (Bodmin to Mansfield – 292 miles) passed over the branch in 1962. From Marsh Mills the A38 went right through the centre of the city, including down Royal Parade, on its way to the Torpoint Chain Ferry. Part 4 of the series dealt with the Tramway Bridge 150 yards to the west of Marsh Mills Station. In image 5961 the rails of the Lee Moor Tramway can be seen set in the tarmac of Longbridge Road on a ninety degree bend. The next mile or so of Longbridge Road was narrow and with a section that was both narrow and steep. However this was the A374 road around the north side of Plymouth to Crownhill and St. Budeaux. The Tamar Bridge had opened in the autumn of 1961 and overnight drivers were using the bridge in preference to the Torpoint Ferry and they were also using the A374 and Longbridge Road in preference to going through the City Centre. Early in 1962 the City was offered a sum of money by the Ministry of Transport, underspent elsewhere, if they could spend it quickly in the spring of 1962. The City Engineer decided to spend the money on bypassing the first mile of the A374 westwards from Marsh Mills with a single carriageway 24 foot (7.3 metres) wide. The scheme was called the Forder Valley Link Road. and the budget for the construction works was in the region of £70 – 80,000.
The road was built by the City's direct labour organisation using mostly hired plant and in about 10 weeks. The road would later become part of the Plymouth Outer Ring Road twenty years later. I was the junior engineer dispatched to site to set out the horizontal and vertical alignment of the road and ensure the men and machines were not held up waiting for pegs to be driven into the ground. I was lucky to be expertly mentored by a senior engineer (Donald J.R. Butler) who was only six years older than me but already had a wealth of experince. He was a great engineer to work with and when he moved employer a couple of years later I followed him to that firm in Plympton. There was a lot of plant on-site to complete the scheme in only ten weeks, including many types that have now been superceded by the ubiquitous 360 degree hydraulic swing shovel; the first one of this type arrived in Plymouth the following year and was a Poclain demonstrator. Because the road was built mostly across a flood plain there were no less than six road rollers including a Marshall steam roller to compact the formation, the sub-base and the base of the road. In a twist of fate a new length of road was opened recently further up the same valley and was named The Platinum Parkway but the working title before opening was The Forder Valley Link Road. This new road is one kilometre long, took three years to build and cost £50,000,000.
The last time that an item of construction plant was shown it was appreciated by some viewers so here is one of the smaller items used on the site of the original FVLR. It is an International Harvester BTD 6 with a Drott 4-in-1 clamshell bucket. The machine was a British built version (in Doncaster) of the TD 6 made by IH in the USA. The bucket was made by Rubery Owen in Darlaston under licence from the Drott Company of the USA, and the International Drott was very popular in Britain from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s because it was so versatile particularly for site clearance, grubbing up trees and loading lorries. I even witnessed one Drott digging a trench by bringing each bucket load up a ramp out of the trench.
MLR / 8 March 2023
This series has visited the Marsh Mills area of Plymouth before in Parts 2, 3 and 4. The railway station was a quarter mile north of Tavistock Junction and was the first station on the line to Tavistock South and Launceston. Just south of the station the A38 trunk road (Bodmin to Mansfield – 292 miles) passed over the branch in 1962. From Marsh Mills the A38 went right through the centre of the city, including down Royal Parade, on its way to the Torpoint Chain Ferry. Part 4 of the series dealt with the Tramway Bridge 150 yards to the west of Marsh Mills Station. In image 5961 the rails of the Lee Moor Tramway can be seen set in the tarmac of Longbridge Road on a ninety degree bend. The next mile or so of Longbridge Road was narrow and with a section that was both narrow and steep. However this was the A374 road around the north side of Plymouth to Crownhill and St. Budeaux. The Tamar Bridge had opened in the autumn of 1961 and overnight drivers were using the bridge in preference to the Torpoint Ferry and they were also using the A374 and Longbridge Road in preference to going through the City Centre. Early in 1962 the City was offered a sum of money by the Ministry of Transport, underspent elsewhere, if they could spend it quickly in the spring of 1962. The City Engineer decided to spend the money on bypassing the first mile of the A374 westwards from Marsh Mills with a single carriageway 24 foot (7.3 metres) wide. The scheme was called the Forder Valley Link Road. and the budget for the construction works was in the region of £70 – 80,000.
The road was built by the City's direct labour organisation using mostly hired plant and in about 10 weeks. The road would later become part of the Plymouth Outer Ring Road twenty years later. I was the junior engineer dispatched to site to set out the horizontal and vertical alignment of the road and ensure the men and machines were not held up waiting for pegs to be driven into the ground. I was lucky to be expertly mentored by a senior engineer (Donald J.R. Butler) who was only six years older than me but already had a wealth of experince. He was a great engineer to work with and when he moved employer a couple of years later I followed him to that firm in Plympton. There was a lot of plant on-site to complete the scheme in only ten weeks, including many types that have now been superceded by the ubiquitous 360 degree hydraulic swing shovel; the first one of this type arrived in Plymouth the following year and was a Poclain demonstrator. Because the road was built mostly across a flood plain there were no less than six road rollers including a Marshall steam roller to compact the formation, the sub-base and the base of the road. In a twist of fate a new length of road was opened recently further up the same valley and was named The Platinum Parkway but the working title before opening was The Forder Valley Link Road. This new road is one kilometre long, took three years to build and cost £50,000,000.
The last time that an item of construction plant was shown it was appreciated by some viewers so here is one of the smaller items used on the site of the original FVLR. It is an International Harvester BTD 6 with a Drott 4-in-1 clamshell bucket. The machine was a British built version (in Doncaster) of the TD 6 made by IH in the USA. The bucket was made by Rubery Owen in Darlaston under licence from the Drott Company of the USA, and the International Drott was very popular in Britain from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s because it was so versatile particularly for site clearance, grubbing up trees and loading lorries. I even witnessed one Drott digging a trench by bringing each bucket load up a ramp out of the trench.
MLR / 8 March 2023
7019 Small prairie 5569 stands in Marsh Mills Station with the 10.15am Launceston to Plymouth on Easter Monday 23 April 1962. The china clay works was just out of the photo top left. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
7020 The train leaves Marsh Mills for Plymouth at 11.51am The ruins on the right are the remains of the corn mill that gave the area its name. The photographer is standing on the bridge carrying the A38 over the line. Copyright Michael L. Rgach
7004 The International BTD 6 Drott doing site clearance on the Forder Valley Link Road on 16 April 1962. The machine was built in Doncaster and supplied by Savile's of Stratford-on-Avon through their Exeter Depot.. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
7005 another view of this sturdy machine at work. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Many thanks Michael, such detail. I too appreciate your diversions onto engineering equipment.
Heart of Wessex line
Engineering
Driver Alan Peters
Engineering
Driver Alan Peters
Planned engineering works between Castle Cary and Weymouth saw engineering trains on the Heart of Wessex Line including Colas Rail 70803 in multiple with 66846 pictured at Maiden Newton where track panels were loaded onto Salmon wagons on 08/03/23 - Copyright Driver Alan Peters
After loading sleeper panels at Maiden Newton the train of 5 x Salmon wagons and 15 x Autohoppers headed back towards Yeovil Pen Mill, Colas Rail 70803 & 66846 are seen awaiting at Yetminster for a tamper to exit the possession on 08/03/23 Copyright Driver Alan Peters
A sign attached to the lampost of Yetminster station to let the public know engineering trains operating despite no passenger service 08/03/23 - Driver Alan Peters
With many thanks to our good friend Alan Peters - your pictures are much appreciated.