25th July 2019

The Castle Class HSTs
Roger Winnen

During this last week on 17th July 2019 an exhibition has been staged at the GWR Steam Museum Swindon before an invited audience showing the cast nameplates to be afficed to the four car Class 255 Castle Class HSTs.
A list of names have been released covering Castles and Stately Homes in Cornwall including the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Somerset and South Wales.
The list includes Chepstow Castle-St Mawes Castle-Cromwells Castle-Chun Castle- Tregenna Castle-St Michaels Mount-St Cathrine's Castle-Castle an Dinas-Trematon Castle-Launceston Castle-Kingswear Castle- Compton Castle-Berry Pomeroy Castle-Okehampton Castle- Castle Drogo- Powderham Castle- Rougemont Castle- Taunton Castle- Dunster Castle-Walton Castle- Cardiff Castle-Caerphilly Castle & Newport Castle plus one other name.
It is understood that most of the existing names will be removed from the fleet.
Below you see the 4 car HSTs in Cornwall today between 11.00 and 15.00 hrs

190725a 43097 The Enviroment Agency arrives at Redruth its 14.10 hrs. Copyright Roger Winnen

190725b The nameplate at Redruth Station. Copyright Roger Winnen

190725c 43093 Old Oak Common departs Camborne on the 13.22 service. Copyright Roger Winnen

190725d 43198 Driver Stan Martin 25th June 1960 - 6th November 2004 brings up the rear at Camborne.. Copyright Roger Winnen

190725e One of the few remaining slam door HST stock works the 11.41 Penzance to Newton Abbot. Copyright Roger Winnen

Cornwall in the 1980's
The way it was
Clive Smith

(1) 50004 arrives at Par with the 15.40 Penzance - Milton Keynes on the 19th July 1986. A class 142 pacer can be seen on the Newquay platform in chocolate and cream livery. BR Western Region called them 'Skippers' and they represented the new dawn of DMUs on the Cornish branch lines, although 'Squealers' would have been a better description due to the noises from their wheels on the tight rail curves. Their introduction thankfully was short lived. Copyright Clive Smith.

(2) 45150 crosses Hayle Viaduct on the 16th April 1983 with the 10.20 Plymouth - Penzance. . The land behind the viaduct pillars is now of course a large ASDA built a few years ago. Copyright Clive Smith.

(3) 50003 & 45118 at Penzance on the 7th May 1983 with the 13.45 Penzance - Bristol TM. No failures here. Probably returning the 50 to Laira and saving a path. Copyright Clive Smith.

(4) 45124 crosses the Royal Albert Bridge into Saltash station on the 23rd April 1983 with the 10.20 Plymouth - Penzance conveying parcel vans at the rear. Copyright Clive Smith.

(5) Class 118 DMU set B472 (W51315, 59482 and 51330) leave the then open spaces of Falmouth Docks station with the 11.30 to Truro on the 11th January 1986. Copyright Clive Smith.

Respryn
Chris Harvey

Here is a flashback to the July of seventeen summers ago that you might be able to use - the last year of the Virgin XC 47s.

On a sunny 20th July 2002, 47 810 races around the curve at Respryn with the 0848 Penzance - Manchester.

                Best Regards, Chris Harvey, Bodmin. 

Chris specialises in photographs in the country and in this shot has caught the striking 'Virgin Red'  against the lush green of the trees beautifully.  Many thanks Chris.

Respryn 47810 respondent in Virgin Colours 20th July 2002 Copyright Chris Harvey.