20th June 2020

Truro Bonus
Trevor Tremethick

The first picture shows the old Truro 'A' signal box doing duty, as Roy Hart pointed out, as the S & T Office. The second picture shows a building very close by. When the late Keith Lloyd originally scanned the slide, he and I discussed this brick structure and decided it was an old stable block. However, this is up for confirmation - or otherwise! I should point out that these are from old Agfa CT18 stock which, as I have said before, have not aged well, the shadow areas becoming a bit blue over time. Both were taken in March 1973, so 47 years old. Best wishes Trevor Tremethick.  No worries over the pictures - they are excellent.

S and T Office (the old A Signal Box) March 1973. Copyright Trevor Tremethick

Thought to be the former stable block at Truro March 1973. Copyright T Tremethick

Many thanks Trevor - any additional comment Roy?

And true to form Roy Hart advises us -  ​The building certainly looks like a stable. It is shown on the 1906 revision of the 25 inch OS map, but not labelled.The GWR would have had several horses at Truro in the early 20th century, for local deliveries etc., but not for shunting. This is an interesting subject: several Cornish locations had horses well into the 1930s (Hayle wharves until about 1959). Who kept them? Where were they kept? Tresavean, Colcerrow, Newquay harbour were all horse-worked, for example. These three all closed (or traffic ceased) respectively in c1924, 1933 and 1926. Roy  Many thanks Roy.

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Newquay 1983
Clive Smith

45077 basks in the late summer sunshine on Saturday 3rd September 1983 with the 12.20 Newquay - Leeds at platform 3. The sidings are still in place and the CoOp Leos some years away.  This was my second peak of the week to Newquay having had 45144 there on the preceding Thursday albeit a one way trip. Loco hauled services during the 1970s and 1980s were almost  exclusively 'summer Saturday only' as far as I recall. The extension of Great Western and Cross Country services to summer weekdays and Sundays is a recent development in the last decade if I am correct. However during the 1970s and early 80s British Rail used to run a holidaymaker special on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the morning from Newquay to Plymouth, returning around 4.30. Usually a type 4 on load 6. As well as this there were occasional SAGA specials for those of a certain age of which I am now one. A question now which I am hoping your readership will be able to answer. We know thanks to Neil Phillips that D151 was the first peak to Penzance on 31-12-69, but what was the first ever peak to Newquay ?  Regards Clive Smith

Would you please put this on the website soon rather than 'in the bank' as I have posed a question which Roger Geach asked me today and this has created quite a bit of interest so I am hoping for a quick response ! 

Newquay 45077 stands at Platform 3 on the 3rd September 1983 with the 12.20 to Leeds. Copyright Clive Smith

Many thanks Clive.

Cardiff
Adrian King

On seeing another two excellent photographs from Guy Vincent at Cardiff this week I thought to send on two shots I took a few years ago at the same station.
Running through the centre road at Cardiff General Easter 1962  No. 5909 Newton Hall with a freight heading westwards and some interested onlookers with notebooks at the ready.
The second photo is of 6861 Crynant Grange ( a regular visitor to Cardiff in those days) about to set off with an express passenger service for Newport from Platform 2.
Best Regards Adrian 

Cardiff General Easter 1962 with 5909 Newton Hall. Copyright Adrian King

Cardiff General Easter 1962 with 6861 Crynant Grange. Copyright Adrian King

Many thanks Adrian

More History
Locomotive movements
Neil Phillips

​Dear Roger and Keith, Many thanks to Karl Hewlett for plugging ‘The First Class 08 in Cornwall’ gap – D3526 was still in Cornwall, at St Blazey, in November 1971, but would soon move to Bristol for many years where it was renumbered 08411. Since Karl has added the first Cornish Class 08, we might as well complete the shunter set with the lesser-known Class 03. Only three of these were ever allocated to St Blazey. The first was D2129 (7/10/61 – 11/4/65, to Landore), this was briefly joined by D2183 (21/4/62 – 19/5/62, to Laira). D2127 was next in (24/8/64 – 14/5/67, to Laira), quickly followed by a returning D2183 (8/11/64 – 14/5/67, to Taunton). Thus St Blazey only had all three Class 03s on its books for 5 months (8/11/64 – 11/4/65). Although the depot’s association with the class ended in April 1967 there was one further brief appearance in Cornwall – Laira’s D2177 reached Padstow on track-lifting duties on the North Cornwall line in March 1968. The only one of the four to escape withdrawal in 1968 was ‘Cornish first’ D2129 which migrated north and became 03129 under TOPS. Astonishly now looking back I was living in Lincoln and able to visit the Barrow Hill Open Day in October 1981 where I found 03129 on display inside the roundhouse alongside Class 25 25157 – I quickly recognised the latter as one of Laira’s early Class 25s (D7507) but was completely unaware that the former had been a St Blazey loco (at the time I only knew about D2127, thanks to one photo in a Bradford Barton album). 03129 was withdrawn for scrap just two months later. Alas I can't send you the photo I took as scanning the negative is still on my retirement to-do list! Apologies for the delayed follow-up to Karl’s submission, I’m having ‘a difficult week’..... Best regards, Neil Phillips

Many thanks Neil - enjoy retirement.

Boscarne
Andrew and Diane Jones

A delightful picture as 5552 runs around in April 2011 Copyright Andrew and Diane Jones.

Many thanks Andrew