8th June 2020

A Nodding Donkey to the Rescue.
Roger Winnen

It is most unusual to see a Nodding Donkey in Cornwall. This could be the first and last time one enters the sidings at Penzance to rescue a sprinter unit which was not driveable this evening to convey it to Exeter St David's T&RS Depot.

200608a 143603 Enters the sidings at Penzance most probably the first and last time that a 143 Pacer will enter these sidings. Copyright Roger Winnen

200608b 143603 is seen coupled to the Class 150239 sprinter for its onward journey to Exeter St David's T&RS Depot. Copyright Roger Winnen

​200608c The pair are seen crossing Hayle Viaduct in the evening sunlight. This Nodding Donkey had half of its windows smashed at Dawlish during a storm last year. Copyright Roger Winnen

Its Sunday Morning 
​in West Cornwall
Andrew Triggs

Good afternoon Roger/Keith,
Another selection from down Far West from today for CRS on a very changeable Sunday morning weather wise
All the Best Andrew

​ 08645 outside of A Road at Longrock Depot, zoomed in from Ponsandane Footbridge. Copyright Andrew Triggs

43153/042 passing 57605 on Old Bank, Ponsandane while working 5A83 from Longrock T&RSMD Copyright Andrew Triggs

Departing 1A82 09.15 Penzance-London Paddington with 802018/0034
​Copyright Andrew Triggs

​43122/097 working 2C43 08.55 Plymouth-Penzance at Marazion Copyright Andrew Triggs

Thanks Andrew

Unusual views at
Teignmouth
Paul Barlow

These were taken from a private garden called 'Jasons' garden which was open the public in connection with the National open gardens scheme that day.
It has very good views from the top of the cliff towards Sprey point and Teignmouth. Sorry, I do not have the id of the services but they were taken around 14.30 on Sunday 24th July 2011.    Regards Paul Barlow 

View from 'Jasons Gardens' - private. A class 142 unit heads towards Sprey Point at Teignmouth on the 24th July 2011. Copyright Paul Barlow.

An up HST in much the same position Teignmouth 24th July 2011. Copyright Paul Barlow.

Looking the other way towards Teignmouth beach Paul catches the tail end of an HST - the power car is 43070. Copyright Paul Barlow.

Many thanks Paul.

Naming
'City of Truro'
Neil Phillips

I thought it worth mentioning that 8th June 2020 marks 55 years since Brush Type 4 D1660 was named ‘City of Truro’ at Truro station. Although there are pictures of the naming of 37196 ‘Tre Pol and Pen’ at Truro’s Platform 4 20 years later I have so far failed to find any photographic record of D1660’s naming ceremony, which I would assume took place in the bay Platform 1, not used by Falmouth branch trains at that time (they used Platform 3), so there’s a challenge! D1660 was surely the first Class 47 to be seen in Cornwall - if there was a prior clearance test run I’d love to know which loco did it, considering that with regard to the Cornish diesel-electric invasion we know the identities of the first Class 46 (D151), first Class 45 (127), first Class 25 (5180), first Class 50 (50027) and first Class 37 (37142), in order of arrival! As I mentioned in an earlier post regarding the short-lived by comparison 47515, D1660 is still in service with GBRf numbered 47749 and was recently restored to ‘BR Blue’ livery. A truly astonishing survivor. Preservation must beckon at some point, but where? (Accepting that they already have a Class 47, would the BODMIN & Wenford Railway ever accept a loco bearing the name ‘TRURO’…….old rivalries and all!!) I always found the loco to be somewhat camera-shy – two attempts to photograph it at Truro in the early ‘70s failed (poor camera, poor light) and shots I did take over the ensuing years were never that great. Nevertheless I attach a couple of typically dull photos (!), the first at Oxford on 19th May 1973 and the second at Reading on 30th December 1976 – the first shows the result of its first repaint into blue, believed to have been undertaken by its home depot Old Oak Common in summer 1971, with the running numbers in the wrong location and in the wrong old block serif font (unique for a Class 47 – it ran like this for two years); the second a close-up of the long-damaged nameplate – the missing part of the rimming was eventually repaired during overhaul at Crewe in November 1984 when it became 47625. Best regards, Neil Phillips

​Roger’s photos of ‘City of Truro’ at Penzance in May 1982 have exposed a gap in my knowledge! (In my defence I was ‘off-region’ 1977-81.) Clearly the nameplate was repaired earlier than 1984 – an online search has turned up photos of 47076 at Crewe in August 1980 with black ‘domino’ headcode panels and additional damage to the plate, the ‘U’ and ‘O’ in ‘TRURO’ were missing. Roger’s photos show a yellow headcode panel, restored nameplate rimming and those replaced letters can just be detected – from its average condition I’d say the nameplate was repaired during a works visit in 1981.

Best regards,
Neil Phillips 

820503b 47076 City of Truro awaiting departure from Penzance atation. Copyright Roger Winnen

820503a 47076 (D1660) Heads the Cornwall Railway Society special to Haywards Heath & Brighton on 3rd May 1982. Copyright Roger Winnen

D1660 seen at Oxford on the 19th May 1973. Copyright Neil Phillips

47076 City of Truro at Reading 30th December 1976. Note the damaged nameplate. Copyright Neil Phillips.

Thank you Neil for your very full details concerning the history of this locomotive. 

Boundary marker at
Devonport
​Paul Burkhalter Graham Mann

Devonport GWR Boundary Marker. Copyright A. Nonymous.

Remember the query raised yesterday by A. Nonymous concerning this boundary marker. Well quick as a flash Paul Burkhalter comes up with and answer - he writes :-
Hi all, In response to the item in today's news (7 June 2020) about the GWR boundary marker. The marker illustrated on Albert Road is probably to mark the GWR tunnel below the pavement. A comprehensive list of GWR boundary markers in Plymouth is on the Plymouth City Council Heritage section, which has 25: <https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/visitorsandtourism/museumsandheritage/boundarys tone/privatepropertyandmiscellaneousmarkers> https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/visitorsandtourism/museumsandheritage/boundaryst one/privatepropertyandmiscellaneousmarkers Scroll down for the Railway section. The Albert Road one is GWR 6.
​                   Keep well and safe. Regards, Paul Burkhalter

Many thanks Paul for your quick and detailed reply I hope our contributor is fully satisfied.

Further on Boundary Markers Albert Road Graham Mann kindly writes :- Just reading about this boundary post, I’m not sure if it’s relevant or not but directly across the road, I believe just out of sight on the right side of the picture there were/are 2 Railway owned cottages, when I joined BR in 1972 I had the opportunity to rent one of them which I turned down, they were unusual because they weren’t constructed parallel to the road but on an angle to the main road, this was due to them being built directly on top of the tunnel and due to construction constraints they had to be square on top of the line of the tunnel. Not sure if there’s a connection or not. I live in Plymouth but I’m blowed if I can remember if these cottages are still there or not ! Regards Graham Mann Mob. 07920155651

Hi again, In answer to Graham Mann's musings about the pair of railway houses in Albert Road, I can advise that they were demolished between 6 and 10 years ago. Also the link to the PCC website has become corrupted, and should be: https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/visitorsandtourism/museumsandheritage/boundaryst one/privatepropertyandmiscellaneousmarkers Regards, Paul

Thanks for that info too Graham - I'm afraid that as Paul tells the houses have gone!

Severn Tunnel
Electrification complete

'The electrification of the Severn Tunnel has finally been completed. Network Rail said it means an electric railway will run, for the first time, from Cardiff and Newport in south Wales, through the historic tunnel and all the way to London Paddington. The project was delayed, partly due to problems with cables becoming corroding in the salt water environment within the tunnel. The 134-year-old tunnel between Wales and England has its own pumping station which brings out an estimated 14 million gallons of water (64 million litres) a day to prevent it being flooded by an underwater spring. Mark Langman, Network Rail’s managing director for Wales and Western said he was "absolutely delighted". “It has been a hugely complex task to electrify the tunnel but I’m thrilled that the final piece of the puzzle is now complete," he said.