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Newton Abbot Roger Winnen  Newton Abbot West. As we like to remember it. Plenty of semaphores, the loco shed and the David and Charles coaches just glimpsed to the right. 1st April 1975 Copyright Roger Winnen Many thanks Roger
The Measurement Train Penzance and St Austell Jon Hird and Roger Winnen  230310a Its noon as the New Measurement Train arrives at Penzance. Copyright Roger Winnen  230310b The NMT is stabled in Platform 4 at Penzance. Behind is the station car park and bus station with a number of double deckers in green livery visible/ Copyright Roger Winnen  Attached are a couple of quick photos I grabbed with my phone a few minutes ago of the NMT passing St. Austell en route to Paignton. The rear power car looks like it could use a bit of attention from the paint shop! Copyright Jon Hird  Passing through St Austell Station on route to Paignton. Copyright Jon Hird Many Thanks Jon 33021 at Bath Michael Adams  Hello Roger, Thanks for dealing with the last pictures. I send a picture from Michael Adams of another class 33 ,this time 33021 at Bath with the 07.46 Portsmouth to Cardiff on 28 May 1981. Copyright Michael Adams Many Thanks Michael Nineteen Sixty Two Part nine Michael L. Roach. Marsh Mills and the Forder Valley Link Road This series has visited the Marsh Mills area of Plymouth before in Parts 2, 3 and 4. The railway station was a quarter mile north of Tavistock Junction and was the first station on the line to Tavistock South and Launceston. Just south of the station the A38 trunk road (Bodmin to Mansfield – 292 miles) passed over the branch in 1962. From Marsh Mills the A38 went right through the centre of the city, including down Royal Parade, on its way to the Torpoint Chain Ferry. Part 4 of the series dealt with the Tramway Bridge 150 yards to the west of Marsh Mills Station. In image 5961 the rails of the Lee Moor Tramway can be seen set in the tarmac of Longbridge Road on a ninety degree bend. The next mile or so of Longbridge Road was narrow and with a section that was both narrow and steep. However this was the A374 road around the north side of Plymouth to Crownhill and St. Budeaux. The Tamar Bridge had opened in the autumn of 1961 and overnight drivers were using the bridge in preference to the Torpoint Ferry and they were also using the A374 and Longbridge Road in preference to going through the City Centre. Early in 1962 the City was offered a sum of money by the Ministry of Transport, underspent elsewhere, if they could spend it quickly in the spring of 1962. The City Engineer decided to spend the money on bypassing the first mile of the A374 westwards from Marsh Mills with a single carriageway 24 foot (7.3 metres) wide. The scheme was called the Forder Valley Link Road. and the budget for the construction works was in the region of £70 – 80,000. The road was built by the City's direct labour organisation using mostly hired plant and in about 10 weeks. The road would later become part of the Plymouth Outer Ring Road twenty years later. I was the junior engineer dispatched to site to set out the horizontal and vertical alignment of the road and ensure the men and machines were not held up waiting for pegs to be driven into the ground. I was lucky to be expertly mentored by a senior engineer (Donald J.R. Butler) who was only six years older than me but already had a wealth of experince. He was a great engineer to work with and when he moved employer a couple of years later I followed him to that firm in Plympton. There was a lot of plant on-site to complete the scheme in only ten weeks, including many types that have now been superceded by the ubiquitous 360 degree hydraulic swing shovel; the first one of this type arrived in Plymouth the following year and was a Poclain demonstrator. Because the road was built mostly across a flood plain there were no less than six road rollers including a Marshall steam roller to compact the formation, the sub-base and the base of the road. In a twist of fate a new length of road was opened recently further up the same valley and was named The Platinum Parkway but the working title before opening was The Forder Valley Link Road. This new road is one kilometre long, took three years to build and cost £50,000,000. The last time that an item of construction plant was shown it was appreciated by some viewers so here is one of the smaller items used on the site of the original FVLR. It is an International Harvester BTD 6 with a Drott 4-in-1 clamshell bucket. The machine was a British built version (in Doncaster) of the TD 6 made by IH in the USA. The bucket was made by Rubery Owen in Darlaston under licence from the Drott Company of the USA, and the International Drott was very popular in Britain from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s because it was so versatile particularly for site clearance, grubbing up trees and loading lorries. I even witnessed one Drott digging a trench by bringing each bucket load up a ramp out of the trench. MLR / 8 March 2023  7019 Small prairie 5569 stands in Marsh Mills Station with the 10.15am Launceston to Plymouth on Easter Monday 23 April 1962. The china clay works was just out of the photo top left. Copyright Michael L. Roach.  7020 The train leaves Marsh Mills for Plymouth at 11.51am The ruins on the right are the remains of the corn mill that gave the area its name. The photographer is standing on the bridge carrying the A38 over the line. Copyright Michael L. Rgach  7004 The International BTD 6 Drott doing site clearance on the Forder Valley Link Road on 16 April 1962. The machine was built in Doncaster and supplied by Savile's of Stratford-on-Avon through their Exeter Depot.. Copyright Michael L. Roach.  7005 another view of this sturdy machine at work. Copyright Michael L. Roach. Many thanks Michael, such detail. I too appreciate your diversions onto engineering equipment. Heart of Wessex line Engineering Driver Alan Peters  Planned engineering works between Castle Cary and Weymouth saw engineering trains on the Heart of Wessex Line including Colas Rail 70803 in multiple with 66846 pictured at Maiden Newton where track panels were loaded onto Salmon wagons on 08/03/23 - Copyright Driver Alan Peters  After loading sleeper panels at Maiden Newton the train of 5 x Salmon wagons and 15 x Autohoppers headed back towards Yeovil Pen Mill, Colas Rail 70803 & 66846 are seen awaiting at Yetminster for a tamper to exit the possession on 08/03/23 Copyright Driver Alan Peters  A sign attached to the lampost of Yetminster station to let the public know engineering trains operating despite no passenger service 08/03/23 - Driver Alan Peters With many thanks to our good friend Alan Peters - your pictures are much appreciated.
33113 on Weymouth Quay Michael Adams  Hello Roger, On 15 April 1980 Michael Adams captured 33113 on film traversing the Weymouth Quay line. Period cars and buses make for a most interesting shot. Thanks , Michael. Copyright Michael Adams Many Thanks Michael What a drag! Craig Munday Received 8th March 2023 Hi Keith A particularly soggy night saw the Night Riviera in trouble at Treesmill, near Par. The loco 57605 suffered a loss of power and declared a failure. Single Line Working (SLW) was implemented Par to Lostwithiel over the down main line for the Voyager 2C80 caught behind. I was Pilot, and colleagues including Gareth Dood kindly assisted clipping up the points at Lostwithiel with no facing point locks (FPLs). Two facing crossovers to the movement made this procedure relatively straightforward. It was eerie passing the sleeper train at a stand enroute, fully lit and warm with the 57 purposefully humming away on the front. SLW was cancelled and arrangements made to propel the train back to Par to allow the coupling of a Castle set scrambled from Long Rock. The short bar coupling expertly coupled on by GWR's Steve Cocks. The delicate manoeuvering of the Castle set to stop inch perfect to allow the coupling pin to be attached in appalling weather by Driver Keith was skillful to say the least. The ensemble got away around 3am and was replaced by a Hitachi set at Plymouth for the journey onward. It could have been worse had we seen snow! Cheers, Craig Munday  Par coupling up. in early hours 8th March 2023. Copyright Craig Munday.  Par. Copyright Craig Munday  Many thanks Craig - a busy night!!
Penmere Sign Roger Winnen In need of some TLC???  Penmere Platform. 31st March 1975. Copyright Roger Winnen Thanks Roger. Falmouth Docks Roger Winnen  Falmouth Docks 31st March 1975 Roger Winnen. The station was closed on 7 December 1970 when a new station, also named 'Falmouth', was opened 845 metres (924 yd) away and nearer to the town; on 5 May 1975 the latter was renamed 'The Dell' and the 1863 station was reopened under its original name. On 15 May 1989, both were renamed: 'Falmouth' (this station) became 'Falmouth Docks', and 'The Dell' became 'Falmouth Town'. Passengers now have a choice of three stations in the town: Falmouth Docks. (Courtesy Wikipedia) Thanks Roger
Almost a year on but Pendennis Castle at Didcot Neil Phillips I saw Andrew Jenkins’ photo feature on GWS Didcot on 4th March and noted 4079 ‘Pendennis Castle’ front and centre in the group shot in front of the shed. In one of those strange coincidences in life, a week or so ago I had found and retrieved my own photos of 4079 at Didcot with the intention of sending them in shortly – now seems good! The Birmingham - Didcot 'Great Western Envoy’ marked 4079’s last UK run before export to Australia and as can be seen, a lot of people turned up to witness the event, some no doubt with misgivings about the whole idea. If I recall correctly the red dots visible below the nameplate and ‘Great Western’ on the tender contained the initials of its new owner, Hamersley Iron, one of the largest iron ore producers in Western Australia which had its own 240-mile long ore-carrying railway, and who had funded its restoration at Carnforth, where it had been sat awaiting repair. The locomotive’s departure from Didcot saw the kind of ‘mass trespass’ on the railway which wouldn’t be tolerated these days! 4079 departed for Australia shortly after this special. The full story of what happened to it between then and its eventual return to the UK can be found online, but its final run in Australia occurred on 14th October 1994 after which it went into storage. It would finally come home on 8th June 2000, and its careful restoration by 20 volunteers at Didcot would eventually see it steamed for the first time in 27 years on 13th August 2021, with the official relaunch on 2nd April 2022. Perhaps I’m sending these photos in nearly a year late then, apologies for missing the event! Best regards, Neil Phillips  Pendennis Castle at Didcot. May 1977. Copyright Neil Pjillips.  Pendennis Castle at Didcot. May 1977. Copyright Neil Pjillips  Pendennis Castle at Didcot. May 1977. Copyright Neil Pjillips  Pendennis Castle at Didcot. May 1977. Copyright Neil Pjillips  Pendennis Castle at Didcot. May 1977. Copyright Neil Pjillips Many thanks Neil for the historical run down and your pictures. Class 33 awaiting duty at Exeter St David's Shed Michael Forward  Here is a photoof 33063 at Exeter waiting to take over the 10.50 Penzance to Brighton on 25 June 1983. Thanks and best wishes, Michael. Copyright Michael Forward Many Thanks Michael Creech Observations Bill Elston Some passing traffic through Creech, Castle set headed by 43172 with 43097, on 2U12 0640 PZ-CF. However, it only got as far as Newport, due to 'a problem with the traction equiupment' Turbo 165133 on 2C69, 0900 CF-PZ. This unit was replaced at Exeter by 150233. Freightliner 66505 on 6E18 0953 Fairwater Yd - Doncaster Woodyard ballast wagons. Hope these are of interest, Best wishes, Bill Elston  Creech Castle set43172 and 43097 2U12 on the 06.40 Penzance to Cardiff. This failed at Newport. . 6th March 2023. Copyright Bill Elston  CreechTurbo 165133 on 2C69 thr 06.00 Cardiff to Penzance - replaced at Exeter by 150233. 6th March 2923. Copyright Bill Elston  Creech - Freightliner 66505 on 6E18 rge 09,53 Fairwater Yard - Doncasater Woodyard Ballast wagons. 6th March 2923. Copyright Bill Elston Many thanks Bill. Gems from the past Cheddar 1965 Michael Bussell I visited Cheddar Station briefly on 13 March 1965, 18 months after the Cheddar Valley line had been closed to passengers. It was a damp grey day, appropriately so – the station presented a melancholy sight, and so I did not linger. Track-lifting on the northern Cheddar-Yatton section was just starting, following its closure to goods traffic on 1 October the previous year. The splendid train shed roof that covered part of both passenger platforms had been taken down, also in 1964, as it was apparently considered to have become a dangerous structure. A broken cast iron rainwater downpipe that had helped to drain this roof symbolised the end of a useful working life. Informative descriptions of the station with numerous photographs taken in happier days are in ‘Steaming through the Cheddar Valley’ by Derek Phillips (Oxford Publishing, 2001, in particular pages 134-155), and in ‘The East Somerset and Cheddar Valley Railways’ by Richard Harman (Lightmoor Press, 2009, pages 113-122). The dust-jackets of both books include a front-page photo of Cheddar Station in use, with its train shed roof, that in the Philips book being in colour. |
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