Photographs at Crowcombe
David Tozer
John Cornelius
Roger Winnen
The West Somerset Railway Diesel Gala Photographs at Crowcombe David Tozer 33118 at Somerton John Cornelius Exeter St David's Station Roger Winnen South Devon Variety Roger Winnen 50034 'Furious at Athelney John Cornelius Colas 70811
at Stoke Canon David Tozer Moving the Clay on Election Day 1st May 1997 Roger Winnen It doesn't seem like twenty years ago that these photographs were taken at Golant, leaving home on the train to Par, then the Fowey bus to Four Turnings where I alighted to walk the remainder of the journey downhill to the pretty village of Golant, passing the Polling Station on route. Many things have changed in the last twenty years, however some of the Class 37s are still operational now over 55 years old. 20 Years ago Tony Blair came to power, who will come into office tonight! Exeter St David's John Cornelius Redbridge Causeway Kevin Jenkin 90 Minutes at Westbury Andrew Triggs Shepton Mallet Colin Burges Honiton
John Cornelius Lydney Harbour Colin Burges Why does this wreck of a Severn Trow (sea and river going barge), beached to help prevent erosion at Lydney Harbour, have a pair of Barlow rails within it? Was it a train ferry? asks Colin. Many thanks for the latest puzzler. By the way Colin agrees that the picture submitted yesterday was indeed at Treamble. Dunball Wharf Colin Burges The wharf was formerly linked to the Bristol and Exeter Railway by a rail track which crossed the A38, on the right hand side of the hotel. The link was built in 1876 by coal merchants, and was originally operated as a horse-drawn tramway. It was removed during the Beeching Axe and Dunball also lost its railway station on 5th October 1964, which had opened in 1873. The wharf was used during World War 2 to bring Welsh coal to the nearby Royal Ordnance Factory, The wharf is now used for landing stone products, mainly marine sand and gravels dredged in the Bristol Channel. Courtesy Wikipedia Western Memories Andrew Jones This photograph was taken in December 1976, at Carlyon Bay, very much towards the end of class 52 operation on the mainline. Taking photographs at twilight was always tricky with FP4 film and although a bit grainy, in my opinion it sums up those last few months of this class. Copyright Andrew Jones. Bristol TM
John Cornelius Where is it? Colin Burges The Weymouth Wizard Andrew Triggs Saturdays 09.06 Bristol Temple Meads - Weymouth working with DBC 67010, recently repainted into red livery, but as yet without decals. The formation was all Mark 2's, yesteryears way to travel but all the better for it! Thanks Andrew Liskeard Box Craig Munday Hallenbeagle Roy Hart VULCAN AT HALLENBEAGLE Britannia class no 70024 Vulcan of Laira shed thunders past Wheal Busy Siding in about 1953 with the up ‘Limited’. She is piloted by a ‘Manor’ (GW convention was to place the train engine ahead of the pilot). The Western Region’s quota of Britannias were named after old Broad Gauge engines and defunct members of the ‘Star’ class. Hallenbeagle engine house is top right-of-centre. The train has just passed the Wheal Busy up starting signal. Vulcan came to Laira new at the end of 1951 and left for Cardiff in December 1956. She was loaned to Exmouth Junction shed for a time in 1953 when some Southern Pacifics were taken out of service with defective axles. This photograph (copyright Roy Hart) was taken by the late Harry Mitchell of Redruth. This is the summit of the line at 'Apex' in the distance can be seen the familiar outline of Hallenbeagle Enginehouse. The ground to the right of this picture has been completely swept away and the A30 parallels the railway at this point. HALLENBEAGLE MINE by Roy Hart This unforgettable name appears again and again on the CRS website, because of the splendid setting for photography. Readers may like to know a little more about this site and its relationship to the railway. Hallenbeagle was a copper mine and the engine house familiar to us all housed the pumping engine for Read’s (sometimes written Reed’s) shaft. The mine reached its peak of production during the copper ‘boom’ years of the 1840s, but closed after the slump of 1866-7. Though abandoned, the shaft remained dry because it is drained by the County Adit (this is a network of tunnels originated by Williams of Scorrier in the eighteenth century to drain mines in the Gwennap area into the Carnon river; it still functions to this day, debauching up to half a million gallons daily). Read’s shaft was reopened for a period during world war 2 for the extraction of tungsten, but otherwise has been derelict since 1867. The Hallenbeagle sett was located in Kenwyn parish: across the tracks was Wheal Rose, which had rather a longer life and survived into the era of tin after copper declined. The single track West Cornwall Railway was opened through the site in 1852. A short dead-end siding, facing for up trains was there in 1866, but in view of Hallenbeagle’s decline, it was most probably used for general freight traffic for Scorrier and perhaps coal for Wheal Rose. There were no sidings at Scorrier station at this time, with the single line (mixed gauge from 1866) on a high embankment. The railway from Chacewater to Scorrier was doubled in 1900 and two signal boxes opened at Scorrier: Wheal Busy Siding (at the Hallenbeagle site) and Scorrier Station. Scorrier box issued the train staffs for the single line to Redruth. Wheal Busy Siding in 1900 was a simple loop, connected to the up main at the Truro end and the down main at the Redruth end. There was a level crossing. The line between Scorrier and Drump Lane was finally doubled in 1930 and this resulted in changes at Wheal Busy: Scorrier box closed and its down refuge siding (stretching back to Wheal Busy) was connected to Wheal Busy box to form a down goods loop. A new, larger lever frame was installed to control the new layout. Wheal Busy officially closed to public freight traffic in 1963, though nothing had arrived or departed for some years before that: BR was simply closing the books. Two of the three siding connections to the main line were lifted in 1962 and Wheal Busy box, by now a ‘morning turn only’ box, finally closed a week after the ‘Cornubian’ passed by –the end of two eras. Many thanks to Roy Hart for this very detailed information. Treamble Alan Harris Cranmore ESR
John Cornelius Staff Retirements Report from Craig Munday Summer Saturday Craig Munday Hi Keith, A mixed day fortunes wise on the Cornish mainline. 66056 failed to depart Plymouth in its booked path robbing us of a possible down freight in glorious light through the County. This just left 57605 to photograph, plus a Cross Country HST which will also be a regular sight throughout Saturdays this Summer. Cheers Craig Lymington branch in 1962 John Cornelius Good Morning Keith, enclosed are a couple of pics on the Lymington branch that I took whilst enroute for a bellringing tour on the I.O.W in September 1962 . of note is 30541 which is presereved. cheers JOHN C. Many thanks John. Lymington Town in steam days. Geoffery Matthews Exeter - Okehampton Cancelled today Keith, Interesting announcement. http://www.dartmoor-railway-sa.org/sundayrover Dave Tozer Sorry to hear this, many thanks for advising us. Hayle Low Level Alan Harris Alan Harris has kindly passed on to us a photograph which he has recently purchased to add to his large collection. This view shows the original Hayle Railway station which was located alongside the road and below the later viaduct in Foundry Square, Hayle. The Hayle Railway passed under the viaduct twice - having paralleled the road at Penpol Terrace it came to this station before continuing on the serve the docks. The station has long gone and the with road improvements son has the track bed at this location. Many thanks to Alan Harris for supplying this picture. An Amazing Day The Christow visit Yesterday was the occasion of a CRS outdoor event the main focus of which was to the incredible Christow Railway Centre courtesy of Colin Burges. Here Colin has, single handedly, assembled quite a collection of railway vehicles both standard and narrow gauge on the site of the railway yard just to the east of the railway station which is in private hands. We enjoyed three rides on rail vehicles during our visit, one of which was exhilarating, the other nostalgic and the third, short but intersting! It is our intention to produce a feature on our visit to the centre but meantime a few pictures taken during the day. Everything, despite our anxieties was perfect, trains and buses ran to time - there was just room for our party of 13 on the Countrybus service 360 to and from the site. Chard Junction
John Cornelius Two shots of steam at Little Langford Terry Waldron Good afternoon Keith, This is a really good location for shots of trains in both directions. If the wind, or sun is in the wrong direction then the shot can be taken from the opposite side of the line. Regards Terry Many thanks indeed, Yeovil Junction
John Cornelius Spectacular Scenes on the Bodmin & Wenford Railway as Tornado draws in the crowds Roger Winnen It was well worth a visit to the Bodmin & Wenford Railway on Monday 1st June, 2017 to witness 60163 Tornado in action. The whole station area was well laid out for the occasion dealing with the many hundreds of people visiting. The Car Park was closed, however free Buses were laid on to convey the visitors from a Park and Ride Car Park opposite Bodmin College and at Bodmin Parkway Station. The T9 30120 together with 30587 the Beattie Well Tank were also on show on the adjacent line. Passengers for the train also had time to look around both the maintenance shed and a view into the running shed whilst crossing the lines to gain access to the platform. Congratulations to the Bodmin & Wenford Railway for laying on such an event! Hi Keith, I didn't send over any Tornado pictures on the mainline as the weather was dreadful and I didn't get a nice shot. I did pop up to the B&W railway yesterday to get this shot from the woods at Charlie's Gate. The farmer is patrolling the fields here to ward off trespass, so I kept out of the fields. There are lots of sheep, and lambs so it is understandable. All the best for now, Craig Many thanks Craig - the first of many but as it is such a short line there is a limit to what Roger can put in a feature. He will have to be selective. More photographs of this event in the Features Pages Stoke Cannon & Cranbrook David Tozer Truro Western Sid Sponheimer W Ranger Plymouth Roger Winnen Taunton Westerns
John Cornelius Wheal Busy Crossing Sid Sponheimer Little Langford Terry Waldron A rail journey along the Wylye Valley is a delight, beautiful countryside punctuated by charming little villages which were once served by small stations, alas all now gone. To me one of the delights is a Little Langford some thirteen miles east of Warminster where, if you're quick to spot is a little church and an elegant house 'eye' each other across the railway. KJ East Somerset Railway
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