Visiting a superb example of a Great Western Coach dating back to the 1870-1880s at Ashton nr Helston
By kind permission of Glen Winfield and thanks to Ken Babbage
Roger Winnen
By kind permission of Glen Winfield and thanks to Ken Babbage
Roger Winnen
240317a Details of the coach 306 now 106 was built aroun 1870-1880. After 40-50 years these coached were sold off for a princely sum of £10
240317b Elizabeth Richards purchased this coach in 1931 Once this coach was on situ the remaining part of the house was constructed around it. Copyright Roger Winnen
240317c This coach has been beautifully restored by the owners over the years. Copyright Roger Winnen
240317d Michael Portillo on his great railway journeys visited this coach on his rail travels in the South West. Copyright Roger Winnen
240317e Here we see an LMS notice in the coach. The LMS railway was formed at the Grouping of the railways in 1922 so this notice is false in many respects. Many thanks to Roy Hart.. Copyright Roger Winnen
240317f Another part of the coach decorated up for the children. Copyright Roger Winnen
240317g Looking into the end of the third class carriage. Copyright Roger Winnen
240317h Chasing the train in the painting.. Copyright Roger Winnen
240317i The lounge outside of the coach as we take our leave thanks to Mr Glen Winfield
Cravens DMU
Paul Barlow
Hello Keith
Another DMU picture from 1995. Bishops Lydeard. Cravens DMU was working the 1200 shuttle to Norton Fitzwarren . This unit was a resident at the WSR for a only a short time.
Kind regards
Paul
Another DMU picture from 1995. Bishops Lydeard. Cravens DMU was working the 1200 shuttle to Norton Fitzwarren . This unit was a resident at the WSR for a only a short time.
Kind regards
Paul
Cravens DMU Bishops Lydeard 6 May 1995. Copyright Paul Barlow.
Many thanks Paul, an interesting photograph. Does anybody know what became of the DMU?
Par Signal Box - a brief history of
Roy Hart
Par was the last box on Network Rail to have signalled broad gauge trains.
The box opened in 1879 when the Cornwall Minerals Railway (by then controlled, but not owned by the GWR) opened a new double track link from St Blazey to Par. The CMR was, of course, standard gauge, while the GW main line was broad gauge from Exeter to Truro.
As opened, Par box was 19 feet in length (a glance at the back of the building today reveals the brick flue of the longgone stove: this was at the centre of the original structure). As opened, the box would have had a frame of about 20 levers, controlling very basic signalling on both standard and broad gauge.
The main line layout (i.e.the broad gauge) was very basic: just a refuge siding at either end of the station and a crossover road midway along the platforms. The platforms were much shorter then and the box was free-standing, some way from the platform.
At the eastern end was a broad gauge siding which curled behind the platform to terminate in the goods shed. The goods shed also had a standard gauge track to facilitate transfer of goods.
With the conversion of the gauge in 1 892, the basic layout at Par was unaltered, but signalling was new and much more elaborate: this required a new lever frame of about 40 levers. This meant that the box needed to be extended at the western end to a total length of 38 feet.
With the track layout unchanged from the past, operations could be very difficult. There was no direct connection between the down main and the branch, for example and down trains had to perform a reverse shunt in order to reach St Blazey. At the west end there was no link at all.
All of this was finally resolved in 1913 when the layout was comprehensively remodeled. There were now compound crossovers at both ends of the station, linking branch to main. The box also acquired its third (and last) frame, of 57 levers, equipped with 3-bar tappet interlocking.
The second world war brought further change: in the run-up to D-Day vast amounts of materials were shifted to westcountry ports and rail facilities expanded to cater for it. At Par the down refuge siding was extended eastwards to form a goods loop and 'calling-on/ arms were added to three of the up branch and main signals to ease the combination of trains from branch and main for the journey east. The new goods loop was even provided with a water column, for wartime freights were often trapped in such loops for hours at a time.
The frame was relocked in 1943 with 5-bar tappet locking, full track circuiting was installed, together with an illuminated diagram (it survives, though much-altered, in the box today). The end of steam brought inevitable changes including the loss of local freight. The old goods yard was cleared and replaced by a short-lived container freight scheme.
In 1974 the layout was remodelled and simplified, losing no fewer than five compounds and diamond crossovers.
The most significant change in the postwar era was in 1986, when Burngullow box was abolished and the line from there to Probus singled, controlled by a miniature panel at Par. This act of breathtaking corporate folly had to be put right when double line was reinstated (at vast expense) 1 5 years later.
Par signal box closed in 2024 after 145 years of service - not a bad innings!
The structure is listed grade Il by English Heritage.
Copyright Roy Hart 2024
The box opened in 1879 when the Cornwall Minerals Railway (by then controlled, but not owned by the GWR) opened a new double track link from St Blazey to Par. The CMR was, of course, standard gauge, while the GW main line was broad gauge from Exeter to Truro.
As opened, Par box was 19 feet in length (a glance at the back of the building today reveals the brick flue of the longgone stove: this was at the centre of the original structure). As opened, the box would have had a frame of about 20 levers, controlling very basic signalling on both standard and broad gauge.
The main line layout (i.e.the broad gauge) was very basic: just a refuge siding at either end of the station and a crossover road midway along the platforms. The platforms were much shorter then and the box was free-standing, some way from the platform.
At the eastern end was a broad gauge siding which curled behind the platform to terminate in the goods shed. The goods shed also had a standard gauge track to facilitate transfer of goods.
With the conversion of the gauge in 1 892, the basic layout at Par was unaltered, but signalling was new and much more elaborate: this required a new lever frame of about 40 levers. This meant that the box needed to be extended at the western end to a total length of 38 feet.
With the track layout unchanged from the past, operations could be very difficult. There was no direct connection between the down main and the branch, for example and down trains had to perform a reverse shunt in order to reach St Blazey. At the west end there was no link at all.
All of this was finally resolved in 1913 when the layout was comprehensively remodeled. There were now compound crossovers at both ends of the station, linking branch to main. The box also acquired its third (and last) frame, of 57 levers, equipped with 3-bar tappet interlocking.
The second world war brought further change: in the run-up to D-Day vast amounts of materials were shifted to westcountry ports and rail facilities expanded to cater for it. At Par the down refuge siding was extended eastwards to form a goods loop and 'calling-on/ arms were added to three of the up branch and main signals to ease the combination of trains from branch and main for the journey east. The new goods loop was even provided with a water column, for wartime freights were often trapped in such loops for hours at a time.
The frame was relocked in 1943 with 5-bar tappet locking, full track circuiting was installed, together with an illuminated diagram (it survives, though much-altered, in the box today). The end of steam brought inevitable changes including the loss of local freight. The old goods yard was cleared and replaced by a short-lived container freight scheme.
In 1974 the layout was remodelled and simplified, losing no fewer than five compounds and diamond crossovers.
The most significant change in the postwar era was in 1986, when Burngullow box was abolished and the line from there to Probus singled, controlled by a miniature panel at Par. This act of breathtaking corporate folly had to be put right when double line was reinstated (at vast expense) 1 5 years later.
Par signal box closed in 2024 after 145 years of service - not a bad innings!
The structure is listed grade Il by English Heritage.
Copyright Roy Hart 2024
Many thanks for sharing this interesting and insightful article with us, Roy. It will also be added to the Par section of the website in due course.