Oddities and things around
Truro Station this Afternoon
Roger Winnen
Truro Station this Afternoon
Roger Winnen
230612b The Falmouth Bay Platform. Copyright Roger Winnen
230612c An IET departure departs Truro for Penzance. Copyright Roger Winnen
230612cc The compound at Truro Station holding supplies for the resignalling of the Cornish Main Line from Truro together with facilities for both Ladies and Gentleman.. Copyright Roger Winnen
230612d 150234 Arrives at Truro on a working from Falmouth. Copyright Roger Winnen
230612e The return 150 working to Falmouth in Truro Platform 1. Copyright Roger Winnen
230612ee The Black bridge built 1893 at Wednesbury 130 years ago by the Patent Shaft & Axletree Co. Copyright Roger Winnen
230612f These steps lead down to a lane then branches into a housing development. Copyright Roger Winnen
230612g This odditie stands below the iron Footbridge possibly a mess hut. Copyright Roger Winnen
230612h This view is taken from the bottom of the bridge steps. Copyright Roger Winnen
Cooling Off
Michael Adams
Michael Adams
Hello Roger, I hope you are well and that you enjoyed your visit to the Helston branch. Here is a picture ,from Michael Adams, which might help us to feel a little cooler! It shows the 09.17 service from Paddington to Oxford ,arriving at Reading, which was regularly double-headed at that time as it was on 20 January 1987 with 47501 and 47590. Many Thanks & Copyright Michael Adams
Many Thanks Michael I am now cooling down!
Cliffs Vale to Exeter Riverside Freight
Portebello Junction
Tony Shore
Portebello Junction
Tony Shore
The Cliffe Vale Freight passing Portebello Jct Wolverhampton 15.25 on route to Exeter Riverside and eventually the Parkandillack Branch. Copyright Tony Shore
Many Thanks Tony
NINETEEN SIXTY TWO – PART 24
An afternoon at Great Aish
Michael L. Roach
An afternoon at Great Aish
Michael L. Roach
The village of Aish is a short distance north-west of the town of South Brent which once had a railway station - the junction station for the Kingsbridge Branch. Aish is now one of Network Rail's timing points because of its emergency crossover located there. Great Aish is a large house south of the village looking out onto the railway line. Leaving the site of South Brent station heading west the line passes under an overbridge carrying Vicarage Road over the railway. In 1962 this was a good place to see if there was a train in the up passenger loop to the west of the station. The line passes over the River Avon on its journey from Dartmoor to the estuary at Kingsbridge and immediately embarks on a long left hand curve which takes the line through 90 degrees from facing almost west to almost south. The radius of the curve is a little over 20 chains. The line here is on gently rising gradients to a minor summit at the site of Wrangaton Station.
The outside of the curve at Great Aish is ideal for photographing trains in the afternoon from about 14.00 hours onwards. I decided to spend much of the afternoon of 2 June 1962 in the fields to the west of the railway. It was a Saturday two weeks before the start of the summer timetable that year and some extra trains had started to run. I knew that there were very few regular scheduled steam trains left at this time as dieslisation was about 90 percent complete at the time but I was usually optimistic that some steam power would appear. I was there in the fields at Aish from about 3.15pm to 6.00pm and saw just four steam engines of which three were lucky extras. On the way to Aish I had stopped at Stowford Bridge, Ivybridge to see a train I hoped would produce steam, and it did in the shape of a Grange and a King. At this time steam double-headers and King-class locos were both very rare on the South Devon main line. As the afternoon wore on and the sun went round I moved northwards to get a different view of the curve. The sight of the afternoon was 5917 on a 10-coach train heading westwards. The limit for a Hall on Dainton and Rsttery banks was 275 tons (about 8C) so it should have had assistance from Newton Abbot to Brent, after which it was allowed to take 392 tons (about 11C). 5917 had been based at Laira until May 1962 when it moved to Exeter. The last train to be seen was a down freight train which could have been the 10.00am from Avonmouth running more than 90 minutes late or the 4.55pm from Hackney Yard running 20 minutes early. Both terminated at Tavistock Junction Yard. I think the former is more likely in view of the St. Phillips Marsh loco hauling the train. Readers are recommended to look at the OS 25-inch plan on NLS Maps, particularly the 1873-1888 series where it can be seen that the main line was then single track and Brent Station had just one platform because the Kingsbridge Branch did not open until 1893.
CAPTIONS
7139 At 2.54pm on Saturday 2 June 1962 6841 Marlas Grange (82B – St. Phillips Marsh) and 6015 King Richard III head west at Stowford Bridge. 6015 had been based at Old Oak Common Shed for the whole of its life starting on 15 June 1928 but moved to Stafford Road Shed, Wolverhampton on 4 June 1962, just two days after this photo was taken.
7140 At 3.42pm 5917 Westminster Hall heads around the curve with a westbound extra train of ten coaches. I am in the field (969) opposite Great Aish House and the milepost is 230¼. The feature in the background is Brent Hill. It is believed that the later emergency crossovers would be behind me.
7141 At 4.48pm Laira's 2-8-0 no 3849 heads slowly down the gradient with a heavy permanent way train which was put into the up loop.
7142 At 5.05pm 5917 (seen earlier) heads back up the line light engine.
7143 At 6.01pm Churchward Mogul 6312 (82B – St. Phillips Marsh) passes the end of the loop with 34 wagons. The loco was withdrawn three months later.
7228 This is what Brent Station looked like in 1962 taken from Vicarage Road on 7 July 1962 looking east towards Totnes and Newton Abbot.
MLR / 6 June 2023
The outside of the curve at Great Aish is ideal for photographing trains in the afternoon from about 14.00 hours onwards. I decided to spend much of the afternoon of 2 June 1962 in the fields to the west of the railway. It was a Saturday two weeks before the start of the summer timetable that year and some extra trains had started to run. I knew that there were very few regular scheduled steam trains left at this time as dieslisation was about 90 percent complete at the time but I was usually optimistic that some steam power would appear. I was there in the fields at Aish from about 3.15pm to 6.00pm and saw just four steam engines of which three were lucky extras. On the way to Aish I had stopped at Stowford Bridge, Ivybridge to see a train I hoped would produce steam, and it did in the shape of a Grange and a King. At this time steam double-headers and King-class locos were both very rare on the South Devon main line. As the afternoon wore on and the sun went round I moved northwards to get a different view of the curve. The sight of the afternoon was 5917 on a 10-coach train heading westwards. The limit for a Hall on Dainton and Rsttery banks was 275 tons (about 8C) so it should have had assistance from Newton Abbot to Brent, after which it was allowed to take 392 tons (about 11C). 5917 had been based at Laira until May 1962 when it moved to Exeter. The last train to be seen was a down freight train which could have been the 10.00am from Avonmouth running more than 90 minutes late or the 4.55pm from Hackney Yard running 20 minutes early. Both terminated at Tavistock Junction Yard. I think the former is more likely in view of the St. Phillips Marsh loco hauling the train. Readers are recommended to look at the OS 25-inch plan on NLS Maps, particularly the 1873-1888 series where it can be seen that the main line was then single track and Brent Station had just one platform because the Kingsbridge Branch did not open until 1893.
CAPTIONS
7139 At 2.54pm on Saturday 2 June 1962 6841 Marlas Grange (82B – St. Phillips Marsh) and 6015 King Richard III head west at Stowford Bridge. 6015 had been based at Old Oak Common Shed for the whole of its life starting on 15 June 1928 but moved to Stafford Road Shed, Wolverhampton on 4 June 1962, just two days after this photo was taken.
7140 At 3.42pm 5917 Westminster Hall heads around the curve with a westbound extra train of ten coaches. I am in the field (969) opposite Great Aish House and the milepost is 230¼. The feature in the background is Brent Hill. It is believed that the later emergency crossovers would be behind me.
7141 At 4.48pm Laira's 2-8-0 no 3849 heads slowly down the gradient with a heavy permanent way train which was put into the up loop.
7142 At 5.05pm 5917 (seen earlier) heads back up the line light engine.
7143 At 6.01pm Churchward Mogul 6312 (82B – St. Phillips Marsh) passes the end of the loop with 34 wagons. The loco was withdrawn three months later.
7228 This is what Brent Station looked like in 1962 taken from Vicarage Road on 7 July 1962 looking east towards Totnes and Newton Abbot.
MLR / 6 June 2023
7139 At 2.54pm on Saturday 2 June 1962 6841 Marlas Grange (82B – St. Phillips Marsh) and 6015 King Richard III head west at Stowford Bridge. 6015 had been based at Old Oak Common Shed for the whole of its life starting on 15 June 1928 but moved to Stafford Road Shed, Wolverhampton on 4 June 1962, just two days after this photo was taken. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
7140 At 3.42pm 5917 Westminster Hall heads around the curve with a westbound extra train of ten coaches. I am in the field (969) opposite Great Aish House and the milepost is 230¼. The feature in the background is Brent Hill. It is believed that the later emergency crossovers would be behind me. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
7141 At 4.48pm Laira's 2-8-0 no 3849 heads slowly down the gradient with a heavy permanent way train which was put into the up loop. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
7142 At 5.05pm 5917 (seen earlier) heads back up the line light engine. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
7143 At 6.01pm Churchward Mogul 6312 (82B – St. Phillips Marsh) passes the end of the loop with 34 wagons. The loco was withdrawn three months later. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
7228 This is what Brent Station looked like in 1962 taken from Vicarage Road on 7 July 1962 looking east towards Totnes and Newton Abbot. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Many thanks indeed Michael - we very much look forward to Part 25.
Severn Tunnel
Driver Alan Peters
Driver Alan Peters
Colas Rail 70814 awaits with 6F05 the concrete sleeper train at the entrance to Severn Tunnel on the English side in connection with engineering works to relay the 'UP' line on 10th June 2023. Copyright Driver Alan Peters
The 4 mile Severn Tunnel between England and Wales is a inhospitable place to work and to take pictures, the line was closed to relay the 'UP' on the English side where Colas Rail 70808 is pictured inside the tunnel the 12th June with 6F04 originating from Westbury, of note is the overhead wires inside the tunnel. Copyright Driver Alan Peters
Copyright Driver Alan Peters.
Many thanks Alan - your pictures are very much appreciated.
Plymouth & Dartmoor Railway
Leigham tunnel
Paul Burkhalter
Leigham tunnel
Paul Burkhalter
On 5th June 2023 I found myself on the trackbed of the P&DR by Leigham Tunnel, and attach two images for your readers to enjoy.
The southern tunnel mouth is welded closed, and general rubbish abounds. However milestone 3 survives intact. The track is a woodland path for public use, if you know how to access it!
Regards, Paul Burkhalter
The southern tunnel mouth is welded closed, and general rubbish abounds. However milestone 3 survives intact. The track is a woodland path for public use, if you know how to access it!
Regards, Paul Burkhalter
P and DR Leigham Tunnel south 5th June 2023 Copyright Paul Burkhalter
P and DR milestone 5th June 2023 Paul Burkhalter
Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway. Leigham Tunnel, or Cann Tunnel as it is also known, is one of the earliest built tramway tunnels in the country. It was built in 1820. And it's still there today,
Many thanks Paul