Cornwall  Railway  Society
  • March 21 Home Page
  • February 21 Home Page
  • INDOOR & OUTDOOR MEETINGS PROGRAMME
  • CORNWALL RAILWAY SOCIETY GENERAL INFORMATION CONTACTS & WEBMASTERS MEMBERSHIP FORM ETC.
  • LATEST INPUT , NEWS & OLD PICTURES ETC.
  • FEATURES, MAIN INDEX & OUTDOOR EVENTS REPORTS.
  • CORNWALL GALLERIES
  • DEVON GALLERIES
  • North & East of TAUNTON & HONITON
  • Military and Industrial Tramways & Light Railways
  • Pleasure Tramways & Light Railways
  • RAILTOURS, AERIAL VIEWS ,MISCELLANEOUS
  • CORNISH RAILWAYS WAR DIARY
  • LOCAL YOUTUBE
  • Historical Outdoor Events INDEX
  • ARCHITECTURE
  • INDEX TO ARTICLES WRITTEN BY COLIN BURGES
  • ARTICLES SECTION.
  • ENGINEERING PLANT DIARY
  • News reports Jan to Aug 2012
  • Links
  • MAPS, PHOTOS, AERIAL VIEWS
  • Official Documents available to the General Public
  • Public notices and posters collection
  • February 21 Home Page

29th January 2021

29/1/2021

 
An update on the Trollies at
Meldon Quarry
​Jon Kelsey
Picture
Hello Keith

We're interested in the recent postings by Brian Pibworth, particularly the earlier one entitled Meldon Trollies. I'm afraid we can't offer any authoritative  insights, as they pre-date most of the current regulars. but we've got a few thoughts.

The steam locomotive cab roof in the scrap pile looks as if it came from the privately owned Hudswell Clarke PLA 0-6-0 tank restoration project which has been in Meldon yard for a long time. The owner must have rebuilt the cab - it has had one since 2009 at the latest. It seems likely that the dome belonged to it too. (The boiler has been off site for many years).

We're pretty sure the Wickham trolley is Wickham Works Number 10841, the regular Dartmoor Railway trolley. The trailer is Wickham Works number 8385, originally built as a skip trailer for work on Sevenoaks tunnel, converted to dropside form long before it came to Devon. Both are/were assets of Dartmoor Railway Community Interest Company, in administration since Feb 2020. We don't yet know the outcome. The third vehicle in that view is a Permaquip Mk3 Jackapacka, either BP053 or BP054. In the long view is also a Robel trolley.

I wonder if you would mind passing these sketchy notes on to Brian, or putting us in touch with him.

kind regards

Jon Kelsey

Secretary and Website Editor - Dartmoor Railway Supporters' Association 

Many thanks Jon - your most interesting notes have been forwarded to Brian.
Newbury
Michael Forward.

Picture
50043 ‘Eagle’ ,at speed, with the 11.30 from Paignton to Paddington.. 28th June 1996. Copyright Michael Forward
Many thanks Michael.
​

'Merl Evans'
Swindon
Driver Alan Peters

Colas Rail 37099 named 'Merl Evans' at Swindon Platform One with 1Q15 PLPR top and tailed with 37175 vice the NMT, the train had originated at Derby and worked to Hereford, then to Swindon where it is pictured before working to Swansea via Gloucester on 26th January 2021. Merl Evans was the former head of research and development at Bachmann who sadly passed away on 16th August 2016, the locomotive was named at Derby in recognition of his outstanding contribution to British model railways during his career at Palitoy and Bachmann Europe PLC, also of note is the 89C shed plate (Machynlleth) where Merl Evans grew up. 
There is a Bachmann 00 model version available of this particular Colas class 37, one of which sits on my shelf at home.

Driver Alan Peters
Picture
Merl Evans at Swindon on the 26th January 2021. Copyright Driver Alan Peters.
Picture
Picture
Mel Evans at Swindon on the 26th January 2021. Copyright Alan Peters.
Many thanks for your report and pictures Alan.
​

Calling
Guild Train Managers
Jeff Vinter

Dear CRS,
 
I am writing to ask permission, please, to use Mike Roach’s photograph (as above) in a forthcoming special newsletter to South Western members of Railway Ramblers.  With successive lockdowns, our annual programme of walks, both here in the SW and across the UK, has been devastated, and I have started to issue occasional newsletters to keep alive our sense of community, and to help lift local members’ spirits at a difficult, restricted and monotonous time.  I will, of course, give a clear credit to both Mike and the CRS.
 
I will be happy to send you a sample of my first ‘Lockdown Newsletter’ if you wish to see the sort of thing that I am issuing.  (It’s a lot of work, so I do not propose to continue these newsletters when life is back to normal, or significantly more normal than it is now.)
 
On a completely different subject, many years ago I was Treasurer and then President of Exeter University Railway Society.  In the latter capacity, I served as ‘Guild Train Officer’, responsible for organising and staffing special trains from Birmingham New Street and Paddington to Exeter at the start and end of University terms.  I was just one in a long line of Guild Train Officers (previously ‘Managers’), who during this third national lockdown have got to together to record the history of these unusual charter workings.  However, we have a gap between 1965 and 1970.  We believe that Guild Trains operated during these years, but we have no idea who the Guild Train Officers/Managers were.  In the hope that some from this noble breed have settled in Cornwall, or at least support your excellent society, I wonder if you could appeal for our ‘lost’ officers/managers to come forward so that we can complete our account?
 
With all good wishes,
 
Jeff Vinter
SW Area Organiser
Railway Ramblers

www.railwayramblers.org.uk
Are there any previous 'Guild Train Manager' (Officers)  out there - please get in touch.
​


Comments are closed.

    Archives

    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011