27th August 2019

Kingswear Station
Martin Duff

190826a Not often seen outside of the overall roof at Kingwear this former DMU centre carriage is used for the exhibition of the Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway and the ships operating on the River Dart. Copyright Martin Duff

190826b 37275 is seen shunting the coal wagon at Kingswear. Copyright Martin Duff

Thanks Martin

Exploration by bike.
Honiton to Taunton 
Colin Burges

On Wednesday  21st August 2019 I caught the train to Honiton and after immersing myself in an old-fashioned hardware store on High Street, I climbed out of the town along a quiet back lane onto the plateau.

At Dunkeswell Aerodrome, opened as R.A.F. Dunkeswell in 1943, I came upon a raft of grounded banana vans.

Former RAF Dunkeswell, grounded vans. 21st August 2019. Copyright Colin Burges

A wonderful view of the Culm Valley is had before hurtling down the hill into Hemyock, where I ate lunch while watching a bowling team setting up for a match. The station site was closed, the purpose of which was unclear. However, locals were using the riverside path so I followed them in.

Hemyock Station site with concrete sleepers strewn about. Lines into the dairy once crossed the public road on either side of the camera. 21st August 2019. Copyright Colin Burges

I do hope that neither Colin or Mike will mind but I include a picture taken 56 years ago from more or less the same location - I wondered if the small brick pillar was a relic of the old platform?

Hemyock on the 7th Sept 1963. Copyright Mike Roach

Looking across the station site towards the former dairy. 21st August 2019, Copyright Colin Burges,

The remaining dairy building, housing the offices now used by the Blackdown Hills A.O.N.B. Partnership, still carries a steel frame in the shape of the St. Ivel badge. One line passed across the road and ran to the right of this building; another crossed the road further to the right; I remember seeing them in 1974 or '75, before the branch was closed. St. Ivel Gold and Utterly-Butterly were once produced here. One of the area's most famous sons is Amyas Crump, the well-known railway historian. His father was manager here for many years and resided in this building. Among Amyas's many remarkable finds was the original Hemyock engine shed. 21st August 2019. Copyright Colin Burges.

Then I climbed up to the Blackdown ridge from where a great expanse of Tone Vale can be seen.

This is only a bit of what is revealed by the trees at one viewing point. Wellington lies to the left. The Quantocks going right hide Bridgwater Bay. In reaching them, three lines of railway would be crossed: the G.W. main line and the Barnstaple and Minehead branches. Just behind the camera is the Devon and Somerset border. 21st August 2019. Copyright Colin Burges.

A little further west is the Wellington Monument, a landmark for train passengers passing through Tone Vale and the Levels. It is only just inside the Somerset border. In fact Taunton Station, in the county town, is only six miles from the border. 21st August 2019. Copyright Colin Burges. This monument is to receive a considerable amount of restoration shortly.

Then I meandered through Wellington, Poole and the back lanes via Victory Crossing into Taunton (43 miles), where I was robbed of £4.45 for a cup of tea and a marshmallow in the wretched Upside Starbucks. My first ride in a Hitachi followed, about which I have nothing to say.

Cheers, Colin.  Many thanks Colin - thank heavens you are still fit and able to share with us your days out.

Blue on White Signs
Roy Hart

Roger is wise not to mention the exact location of this sign!

Blue-on-white enamel signs were common on the GWR in the late nineteenth century. I have a 'Ladies Waiting Room' done in the same style, which came from Praze and probably dates from the opening of the line (1887). By 1900 all signs on doors and gates etc. were of cast iron, produced at the Swindon foundry. The Perranporth branch (1903/5) had all cast iron signs, so the change must have happened around 1890-1900. I have 'Waiting Room' from Shepherds  (it cost me 2/6) and it is cast iron in the style of GW signal box nameplates. Another common enamelled sign which survived into the 1960s in many places was SEASON TICKETS MUST BE SHEWN HERE (note the archaism)-this spelling was GW standard on all documents till 1948!

    Roy  Many thanks Roy. N.B. Roy lives in Rangoon so I think the location of his valued collection is pretty safe!!  (See example below)