10th May 2019

Don't forget tomorrow afternoon a visit to the Moseley Heritage Museum - details below - plenty to do and the forecast is good.  CU

Also don't forget tomorrow evening Saturday May 11th there is a Cornwall Railway Society meeting. 
            This will be a two part evening :-
(1) The Photographic Competition results
​                                        presented by Ian McKey
                          followed by the
(2) The Annual Quiz presented by Roger Winnen.
The meeting commences at 6.30PM for details of the venue please click here,

70th Anniversary
Avonwick Labels
​Mike Roach

2812 - Avonmouth to Avonwick on 10 May 1949. This was part of a regular flow a couple of days a week. Wagon 227762 was an LMS open wagon. From the Mike Roach Collection - Copyright. (Note - This label is 70 years old today)

2813 - Sharpness Docks to Avonwick on 12 May 1949 was a much less frequent flow, more like once a month. Wagon 104044 was a GW van. Note the use of the word BLOOP which is taken to mean Berkeley road LOOP. From the Mike Roach Colletion - Copyright

Mason & Baker were agricultural merchants with their main base at 96 - 100 High Street, Totnes. There was just one loop siding with headshunts each end at Avonwick Station so it probably suited Mason & Baker to have a constant flow of one or two incoming wagons each day. There was also a regular flow of one or two wagons a couple of days a week from Plymouth Cattewater Harbour. Mason & Baker were the main users of Avonwick goods yard, providing about 90% of the business in 1948 and 1949. At the time the country was recovering from World War Two, with petrol and diesel still rationed until May 1950. The goods yard closed on 11 June 1956 when the station became an un-staffed halt.
     Regards, Mike.        Many thanks Mike - very interesting.

Time is running out
Rattery
Clive Smith

On the 9th May 2019 in glorious afternoon sun 43172 Harry Patch leads the 14.03 Paddington - Penzance at the summit of Rattery Bank with Inter City liveried power car 43185 on the rear. Thursday May 16th is the last time this train will be an HST. Time is running out. Copyright Clive Smith

Many thanks Clive

Wheal Busy
Jacob Hampson

The same train much nearer its final destination. A perfect picture against a perfect sky. A lovely Cornish evening. 43172 heads the 0C55 towards Penzance at Wheal Busy crossing 43185 brings up the rear. 9th May 2019 Copyright Jacob Hampson

Many thanks Jacob 

Turnchapel Ground Frame
​A query from Chris Osment

 A query that perhaps you could post for me on the website?
 
Spotted in the latest GCR auction catalogue at http://www.gcrauctions.com/sale262/lot440.html  a nameplate for ‘Turnchapel Ground Frame A’.
 
The style is BR(WR), but to what was it fitted? Apart from the actual signal-box at Turnchapel, the only GF of which I know in the area was the one for Bayly’s Siding – was it perhaps used there, with the signal-box being GF ‘B’ (rather as happened at Callington), or were there changes to the arrangements at Turnchapel in BR days which have not been recorded elsewhere?
 
     Regards, Chris Osment.   Can anybody help please?  See below *

* Hi team,
The enquiry from Chris Osment about the auction item took me to look in the relevant books, viz: Tony Kingdom’s Turnchapel Branch; Larry Crozier’s Plymouth Signalling; and Tony Cooke’s Track Diagrams. None of them show a Turnchapel GF A.  The signal box at the station remained in use until closure of the branch, and as Chris rightly states, the only other GF in the area was to Bayly’s, and this is always recorded as Bayly’s Siding.  My immediate reaction to seeing the image of the auction item, was that it looked extremely clean and fresh for something in use over 60 years ago.  Did BR use embossed aluminium at that time? Make of it what you will.
  Cheers,  Paul Burkhalter    Thank you for your prompt reply Paul.