27 December 1973
Cheers Roger Geach Many thanks Roger
Liskeard on a very grey day 1009 on the 0740 Penzance to Liverpool with 1022 on the 0842 Plymouth to Penzance on the down
27 December 1973 Cheers Roger Geach Many thanks Roger So reads a BBC Text announcement.
The main railway line in Devon was closed after a rockfall blocked the track has re-opened. Engineers assessed the situation on the line between Newton Abbot and Exeter after a member of staff alerted them at 16.15 BST. A Network Rail spokesperson said that the line was closed for around 90 minutes as a precautionary measure. The closure comes just hours after the completion of a £39 m repair programme at Dawlish. Roger Geach reminds us of scenes of over 42 years ago, the semaphores, the clay wagons, and the general atmosphere at Taunton. Many thanks Roger
You may wonder why there is so much disruption in the Bathampton - Box Thingley area. Just to give you some idea of what is going on Craig has sent us a series of pictures of the major work currently in hand. Once the work is completed we hope to bring you the complete set - courtesy of Craig who from time to time provides cover as M.O.M. (Mobile Operations Manager) on site and thus is able to bring us scenes at the coal face, or rather the trackbed. Many thanks to Craig These next few photographs depict the scene on the approach to Bodmin Parkway Station, it is known as Station Drive, laid out in 1864 by Lord Robartes as a scenic carriageway to link the great house of Lanhydrock to the then Bodmin Road Station opened in 1859. Prior to the opening of Bodmin Road Station. a small halt was opened at Respryn for a few months. 150806j We cross under the main line on the approach to the station, note the splendid stonework before we again cross under the former goods sidings bridge at a higher level which is now part of the station car park. The main line to Lostwithiel is on a falling gradient leaving the station. Copyright Roger Salter Good afternoon, This coming August bank holiday weekend sees the South Devon Railway's 21st annual Rails & Ales gala - I've attached a few pictures from the last two years in case they are of any use/interest for inclusion on the site? Given the proposed FGW strikes for these dates one can only hope that this doesn't impact too much on patronage for the gala should the strike go ahead, however as connections with Totnes are a popular way to access the gala without the car it seems inevitable that it may well do. Having attended the previous 2 years I can highly recommend it - what's better than sitting on a (hopefully) sunny platform in the middle of the Devon countryside, a pint of 'Mucky Duck' in hand and various forms of steam and diesel traction passing by?! Many thanks Ross - hope the strike is off. Roger comments that it would have looked better had the tide been in, but you can't have everything can you - two smashing pictures.
Mention made of not many class 60 pictures on the CRS web pages. Here is 60037 on the 1643 St Blazey to Exeter Riverside freight taken at Dinnaton just west of the old Ivybridge station. 1st August1995. This loco and service was being used to train St Blazey drivers on the class 60 locomotives at this time. Note three people in the cab. The class 60 were RA8 and thus too heavy for many of the Cornish Branch lines although they were later cleared west of Burngullow to Penzance and also the Fowey branch. Never common west of Burngullow but they did work the Penzance fuel tanks from time to time. The main use of these locos were to replace pairs of class37 on the Burngullow to Irvine clay slurry tanks and the St Blazey to Cliffe Vale service. These services ran far more frequently in those days and class 60s could be seen for a few years at work in Cornwall. They became far rarer later after the millennium. Roger Geach Many thanks Roger, your considerable knowledge on the subject is much appreciated. A modern unit for you keith . Looe Branch
Cheers Roger Geach Thanks for that Roger, but how is this scene going to look with a train in green camouflage?? Think again GW? 57605 Totnes Castle at Long Rock today in the new GWR livery. Apologies for quality as weather was bad and loco is in an awkward position in the yard. Daniel Harris - many thanks Daniel. Comment - This latest picture of the green 57's and stock make me wonder how this livery will weather, how it will show up in the countryside - are we going to have dull trains all with the same livery as in BR Blue days. I hope that you, the contributors are sparing I don't want, please, a deluge of green liveried stock.
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