19th December 2023

GWR 5521
John Hutchinson

Although living in Norfolk (Norwich) I regularly enjoy perusing the Cornwall Railway Society website 'Latest Input' items. I was delighted recently to find Michael Roach's item featuring the history of ex-GWR Small Prairie tank 5521. The reason? At the North Norfolk Railway Gala in September 2009, 5521 was a guest loco at the event (along with 0-6-2T 6619) and I took a few photographs of them both. The first one that I have attached has been my monitor Screen Saver picture ever since that time.
 
It is taken at Weybourne, with 5521 piloted by 6619, plus the added bonus for me of former Eastern Counties 1950 Bristol/Eastern Coach Works LL718 (KNG 718) passing over the bridge at just the right moment, en route from Sheringham to Holt as part of the Gala event. The vehicle is part of the Eastern Transport Collection's fleet, currently awaiting major restoration. The other attachment shows L150, alias 5521, at Rayners Lane on the Uxbridge branch of the Metropolitan/Piccadilly Lines in 2013 during the 150 years of London Transport celebrations; the photo source is unknown. 
 
I originally contacted Michael on this matter and he suggested that your esteemed Society might be interested in the above.
 
Kind Regards
 
John Hutchinson (Norfolk Railway Society member)

John Hutchinson collection

John Hutchinson collection

Many thanks John for your write up mentioning the Cornwall Railway Society and the enclosed photographs of 5521& 6619 which are most interesting.  Roger Winnen

Rob Barnes Remembered
Clive Smith

A few magnificent photos that were taken by my old friend Rob Barnes who sadly passed away in July 2020.  About forty years ago Rob gave me about two dozen of his slides from his extensive collection that were duplicates and here are some of them.        
I’d known Rob since the mid-1970s when I and a number of other spotters in our mid-teens used to gather at Plymouth station in the adjacent ‘back lane’ as we called it that ran parallel to the railway. We would congregate there after school and often on a Friday evening to view the 4B10 parcels hoping for some rarity. Rob was a little bit older than most of us and already had his own car, a yellow and black Ford Capri mark one which he would pull up in.  Not only that but he was good looking with attractive girlfriends and was a railway enthusiast to boot, something we found incompatible with our hobby so we were highly envious of him.  

Rob was first and foremost a photographer and a very good one and his photos were on a par with the best photographers from our area. He was prominent in capturing the Westerns in their heyday and also their end as well as travelling the country in search of other classes. I had the pleasure of driving around in the Capri with him to various spots, particularly for railtours.

His online obituary in the Plymouth Herald contained just one photo. A lovely picture of D1009 Western Invader.

Regards Clive

1023 at Exeter St Davids in late 1976 on the 4B10 15.50 Bristol TM - Plymouth parcels. Copyright the Clive Smith collection

1033 at Plymouth 30th October 1975 on the 1A35 19.20 Penzance - Paddington postal. Copyright the Clive Smith collection

What a superb picture of Western Pathfinder in a busy Friary Yard in Plymouth on the 15th July 1975 with vanfits in the sidings, bitumen tanks in the distant old station beyond the Beaumont Road viaduct and NCL vehicles parked up to transport goods. The train is the 7B64 13.02 Friary - Exeter Riverside mixed goods, a train I sometimes used to pop down on my lunch break at my nearby school to see . There was often an 03 or 08 in the yard which worked trips over to Plymstock or Cattewater. Highlight of the week for me as a young spotter was the 6094 08.35 Friary - Fawley empty bitumen tanks on a Thursday hauled by a class 33, usually an Eastleigh one, sometimes Hither Green and on one remarkable occasion I saw it, 33208. The incoming bitumen tanks was always double headed with a type 4 loco from Newton Abbot to Friary over the banks and I saw a few Westerns piloting the 33. Copyright the Clive Smith collection

D1064 Western Regent powers past the washing plant at Mount Gould approaching Laira with a well loaded mixed goods the 7B64 13.02 Friary - Exeter Riverside on 9th July 1975. Copyright the Clive Smith collection

This was taken on the 16th July 1975 by Tot Hill playing fields opposite the then Shellstar loading facility by the former Lucas Terrace Halt. D1037 Western Empress heads a short 7B64 13.02 Friary - Exeter Riverside mixed goods. Nowadays there are a lot of trees here but this part of the line to Friary still exists as far as the throat that fanned out to the sidings. It is essentially a long siding extending from the Mount Gould washing plant and coaching stock platform at the southern end of Laira. The only thing that has been along here in the last three years or so since the line was truncated has been the Midland Blue Pullman HST set stabled on a couple of occasions the nights before and after operating a very long day excursion from Plymouth at 05.xx.. Copyright the Clive Smith collection

Many Thanks Clive for the Rob Barnes collection

A day out
Dennis clarke

Hi Keith / Roger, Hope all is well with you both. Here are a free pictures that I have taken today on my travels. The 10 CDAs at St Blazey awaiting the cutters torch. 375102, preserved at St Blazey. Several signals, soon to disappear, and their replacements at Par snd Lostwithiel. Shame the clay didn’t run today, Regards, Dennis.

18th December 2023.

Par 18th December 2023. Copyright Dennis Clarke.

375102 waits by the turntable. 18th December 2023. Copyright Dennis Clarke.

Par semaphores awaiting their fate. 18th December 2023. Copyright Dennis Clarke.

Lostwithiel - the old and the new. 18th December 2023. Copyright Dennis Clarke.

Many thanks Dennis.

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