Roger Geach
John Cornelius
Mike Morant
Melksham line safe The single track link between Bradford Junction and Thingley Junction over which a service from Westbury - Trowbridge - Melksham - Chippenhan runs has been designated a Community Service. This, it is said, will breathe new life into this route and ensure its long term future. Reopened in 1985 with two trains each way per day. This was increased to five per day until the December 2006 timetable change when the service reverted to two per day. The Save The Melksham Train group campaigned for improvements to the services on the line. There are now twelve trains each day. Lostwithiel Clay Roger Geach Here is local engine 37672 at Lostwithiel on clay CDA on the 26 7 1991 . This was the former 37189 and was a Plymouth La loco from 4 1987 but did not arrive at La as 37672 until July after refurb at Crewe works. This one was a regular Cornish engine until it was transferred away during 1998. 37672 was named the Freight Transport Association 14 9 1987. Copyright Roger Geach Near Dunsland Cross John Cornelius Lofty view of Tramway
Mike Morant William Murdoch on route to the Helston Railway Roger Salter Seen stabled in the layby at Perran Cross this morning and at the Helston Railway site was William Murdoch built 1949 by Pecketts Works Number 2100. She had arrived from Southall, West London Exminster Roger Geach Yeovil Town Station site John Cornelius Mike Morant Weymouth Harbour Tramway 4th August 1993
Cherry Tree Catering / Regional Railways Swindon The Paradise Flyer Loco Used37191 Stock Used5322+5419+5376+9428+5293+5378Route : 12.45 Weymouth Quay - Yeovil Pen Mill 14.30 Yeovil Pen Mill - Weymouth TownNotes : This train was booked to run each Wednesday (utilising the loco and stock off the morning 2O87 09.00 Bristol Temple Meads - Weymouth Town before it returned as 2V87 at 16.30) between 14th July and 1st September 1993. In the event a loco failure on the last day (1st September) meant the train did not run that day. The train was advertised by Regional Railways at Swindon as a joint venture with CTC under the name "Special Train Through the Streets of Weymouth". Courtesy Six Bells Junction Inspection Saloon at Truro Neil Phillips Hi Keith, What a fascinating article sent in by Laurence Hansford on the end of St Ives signalling – there’s no substitute for being there and witnessing such events first hand (that’s how I know Warship 805 Benbow visited Wadebridge 45 years ago, although sadly unlike Laurence I didn’t have a camera to hand so you’ll have to take my word for it!) They certainly didn’t waste any time on the dismantling. I was particularly interested to see the photos of the inspection saloon which was one of three (DB999506/8/9 – ‘507 was a departmental railbus) built at Swindon Works to the BR Mark I design on a 57’ underframe around 1960. What makes this so interesting is that until now I had never seen a photo of one of these in original lined maroon, and the lining wrapping around the ends in similar fashion to ex-GWR autocoaches is especially eyecatching! No yellow warning panels either. Since I have no knowledge of the other two getting anywhere near the West Country I am sure that this would have been the now-famous DB999508, as this vehicle was the South West area inspection saloon well into the 1970s as far as I know – it was certainly around in the early ‘70s, as the attached photos will testify (these are scans of prints not taken by myself but a school friend, William Heggie) and show a by-then blue/grey DB999508 accompanied by a battered, snowplough-fitted and very nearly life-expired D6322 at Truro in I believe March 1971. Just like at St Ives, its presence at Truro turned out to be a harbinger for serious rationalisation! Why famous? In 1987 this vehicle was modified into a track recording coach and in more recent years was seen all over the country sandwiched between Network Rail locos. I have just learned that it was retired in 2012 and now resides in (well-earned) preservation on the West Somerset Railway. Regards, Neil Phillips Many thanks Neil Ivybridge Steps Colin Burges As the crow flies Ivybridge old station site is about 0.8 miles from the new station site. However, the walk between the two locations is quite a bit more. From the new station the walk takes one down in the valley to the village centre followed by a challenging climb up under the viaduct and then to check your heart out a climb of 67 steps to the station site. The old station site is not visible being behind bushes and a substantial security fence. Stoke Cannon Roger Geach Somerton 5 John Cornelius Weymouth Tramway Pullman
Mike Morant A Cornish Skipper In Manchester Victoria Michael Forward 870827a Although out of the area for the CRS Website this former Cornish Skipper 142017 was photographed in Manchester Victoria Station showing its destination as Penzance. I hope that passengers never had to travel in this unit to Penzance as I would be a long a bumpy ride on this nodding donkey. Copyright Michael Forward Bolitho Roger Geach Alongside the Exe Estuary Roger Salter Somerton 4 John Cornelius Pullman on
Weymouth Tramway Mike Morant 56 078 visits Cornwall. Check out the story by Paul Rundle in our Features Section. Also the fascinating story of the exploits of 56 078 over the weekend - it not only visited the Bodmin and Wenford Gala but also carried on with its other duties over the weekend. It was also a rare visitor to Bay 4 at Plymouth station. Look in the Features section for the full story. The Cornwall Railway Society Visit to the Lynton & Barnstaple Autumn Gala Photographs by John Cornelius and Roger Winnen Looking at the weather forecast it was a wait and see situation as severe weather with gale force winds and heavy rain was predicted for Saturday. However the timing of this low pressure arrival was late afternoon on Saturday, so we took a gamble which paid off and sunshine was had through much of the afternoon. It was nice to see David Tozer from Exeter and John Cornelius from Langport who are both regular contributors to the Cornwall Railway Society Website. Many thanks to you both for your knowledge of the railway system over the border from Cornwall. Returning home to Cornwall, John and his Friends from Somerset missed the train at Exeter St Davis's by 15 seconds, waiting for another hour and the prediction was right! heavy rain throughout Cornwall was experienced on the way home. However a good day was had by all. More photographs will appear in the features Pages Langstone Rock Roger Geach My good friend Roger Geach has been waiting 'in the wings' for several days so let's have the first of his 'gems' Many thanks Roger St Ives Sunshine Ron Westwater Hi Keith Visited our favourite Cornish branch today. I can understand why St Ives attracts "artists' as the light in that area is just very special. B Regards Ron Many thanks Ron Somerton 3 John Cornelius Chard - last day
Mike Morant Old Traditions at Penzance Craig Munday Morning Keith A full day at Penzance yesterday in the gloom! One highlight was the class 08 08410 scuttling in to collect the overnight sleeper stock. It contrasts with more modern traction waiting to set off. The sight of the these 350HP beauties shunting around stations across the UK are sadly missed. Largely ignored by enthusiasts, they provided a vital service when perishables were sorted and coaches needed shunting. We are fortunate in the South West that the 08s come in from Laira occasionally to shunt HST power cars. Cheers Craig Very nostalgic - many thanks Craig The end of Signalling at St Ives Laurence Hansford I am afraid I am going to have to contradict some of what has been written about through trains to/from St Ives. I was born there in 1944 and lived in the town until the autumn of 1963 and was an avid watcher of everything that occurred on “my” railway and can remember seeing locos in drab GWR livery (if you could call it that). What I am about to recall, I saw with my own eyes. Yes, the Cornish Riviera Express DID work in and out of St Ives, usually with the proper stock complete with “Cornish Riviera” boards slotted in place on the Carriages and it was always referred to with reverence as the Cornish Riviera Express. Indeed, when the Chocolate & Cream sets consisting of 8 brand new BR Mk1 coaches plus a pair of pre-war GWR Restaurant Cars were introduced in the mid-fifties, they promptly appeared at St Ives. Even the underframes were still shiny black. I remember the surprise and pride I felt when this happened although I thought it a pity that nothing had been done to smarten up the engines (yet). Regrettably Chocolate & Cream only lasted for a few years after which all carriages were gradually painted in boring old maroon. Through the fifties, loads were 10 coaches at the beginning and end of the season (2nd week of June – end of 1st week of September) rising to 11 or even 12 at peak season. Invariably three 45XXs would be involved. One would be waiting, ready to go, usually on the run-round loop but sometimes elsewhere. As the train drawn by a pair of engines approached along the cliffs from the stop signal at Porthminster Point it would come to a halt again just under the road bridge by the engine shed where the leading engine would be detached and run up to the shed for water. As soon as the points were clear the train engine would then take the train into the station and smoothly come to a halt hard up against the wall at the end of the platform. Meanwhile the engine which had been quietly simmering on the loop would make its way up onto the viaduct before backing onto the train, followed by the engine which had been taking on water. The pair would then sit patiently with steam pouring from their safety valves waiting for the “OFF” which would be delivered with much whistling and flag waving. The whole operation took about 20 minutes supervised, in the fifties, by the Station Master. The above procedure applied to both the morning UP train and the evening DOWN train except that in the morning the fireman of the engine sandwiched between the train and the buffers would usually take the opportunity to have a breakfast fry-up. I have smelt the bacon and watched bacon, eggs tomatoes and even chips being cooked in a shiny shovel wiped spotless with a bit of cotton waste! As for the suggestion that the train was pushed back to allow the train engine to escape over the crossover, this would not have been possible, certainly in the morning, as the whole platform from end to end would be filled by a seething mass of humanity with their suitcases, push-chairs and children clutching their buckets and spades. The instant the train stopped (if not before) the doors would be flung open and the throng would surge forward to get the best seats. There would be people getting on and off the train right up until the blowing of the whistle. In any case, quite often the crossover was unusable because of the number of carriages parked in the sea siding and it was usual for there to be an engine in the station the whole day until the evening train; as each branch train arrived the waiting engine would back onto it and take it back to St Erth leaving the other engine free to go and get water and then admire the view. In the late fifties as post-war conditions improved and more people took holidays but before the era of universal car ownership and cheap flights to foreign parts, some Saturdays would see every spare space taken up with assorted through carriages from the North – old pre-war LMS and LNER specimens and even some from the Scottish Region. Sometimes some would be gathered up and used as the next Branch train to St Erth simply to give a bit of space to move. Towards the end of through trains when the Rivera was reduced to a meagre 8 carriages and D63XXs ruled the roost, there were one or two occasions when only 2 engines were used for the down train and the empty stock pushed back to let the train engine escape but these were very, very, much the exception. There was even one solitary occasion (the 7th September 1963, the last day of the Summer Timetable and the final day of through Paddington trains) when the morning train was brought down the Branch by THREE D63XXs, the first 2 (D6321 & D6316) being detached leaving the third to draw the train into the station. At the other end of the scale, in the days of steam there were times when there were four 45XXs in the station because of the density of traffic. Although talk of closure had been in the air for a long time it was obvious that something was afoot when, early morning of Thursday 15th August 1963, I was surprised to see a polished D6340 sitting in the bay platform with an equally polished solitary coach which turned out to be the Engineer’s Inspection Saloon (from where – does anybody know?). Odd bods with Trilby Hats were wandering about the station. During the mid-morning lull D6340 propelled the saloon back to St Erth and was never seen again. The end came ignominiously less than 4 weeks later on Sunday 8th September, the first day of the Winter Timetable; Sunday trains didn’t run during the winter. A team of men arrived by motor lorry (not even by train!); out came the tablet apparatus from the Signal Box and the arms came off the signals. Then came the much longer job of disabling all the interlocking between the signals and the points, at a stroke reducing the Signal Box to a ground-frame and the status of the Branch to one engine in steam. In actual fact the job took a few days to complete as there was more to do than one might think. A proper Blacksmith and his assistant, (complete with old fashioned portable forge and bellows) were part of the team which surprised me as I thought technology had made such things well and truly obsolete. The pair were engaged in actually making or modifying linkages to connect with the bell-cranks etc. having removed the interlocking. These were made from standard ends, typically a clevis on one end and a screw on the other, fire welded together in the white hot coke in the hearth and then adjusted to fit exactly. I remember being very impressed by the skill of the Blacksmith using not much more than hot coke, hammers, chisels and the anvil, oh, and the brawn of his assistant to operate the bellows and wield a sledge hammer when required. I did ask why they were using such an old-fashioned welding method when I would have expected them to be using oxy-acetylene or electric-arc and I was told that it was found to be far more reliable. While inside the Signal Box I managed to “liberate” the freshly out-of- date Summer ’63 working timetable for the Plymouth Division, which I still have and I have scanned the relevant pages which show the UP and DOWN Saturday Cornish Riviera Expresses, both on the main line as well as on the Branch. Examination will show that they did run through to St Ives right until the bitter end. Take the morning train: This started ECS from Ponsandane at 8:50, arriving St Erth 9:02, in time to form the 9:12 passenger train to St Ives where it miraculously became the 1A81 to Paddington leaving at 9:50. Simultaneously the other part of the train left Penzance (also with the 1A81 headcode) for St Erth where the two parts were united, departing for Paddington at 10:17. Unfortunately I was never able to get to St Erth at this time of day so I do not know how the trains were joined up. The most obvious way would be for the Penzance section with tender loco (or locos) to drive straight into one of the sidings at the UP end of the station and then wait for the St Ives section to proceed into the UP MAIN platform. The tender loco would then have to back its train onto the other section. But, would they have done this with passengers still in it? The procedure for the evening Down Cornish Riviera Express, the 1C30, was completely different: Page D36 shows that its first Cornish stop was Truro at 4:26, where the Penzance Portion was detached from the rear. The front section was then sent forward, non-stop, to St Erth arriving at the Down Advance Starting signal at 5:08. It then reversed, still with the 1C30 headcode, arriving at St Ives at 5:40. Bear in mind that at that time there was still a Branch connection to both UP and DOWN lines at St Erth. Meanwhile the other part departed from Truro at 4:45, but downgraded to the headcode 2C20, arriving Penzance at 5:35. Regarding the headcodes, whilst the train crews may have been careful to show them correctly on the main line, the opposite applied on the Branch. Seeing the correct headcode on a diesel engine (or, for that matter, a DMU) was a rarity; away from prying eyes they simply didn’t bother. I think the blinds were prone to getting jammed and were easily damaged so fiddling with them was best avoided. Western National buses also often appeared to have problems with their destination blinds, so I suppose it is not so surprising. Actually, when I think about it, they weren’t too fussy back in steam days either – all that really seemed to matter was that they showed white to the front and red to the rear. Indeed I seem to remember that sometimes the engines only possessed a single headlamp, anyway. I left St Ives later that same autumn so never really saw what went on after that time although we know for certain that St Ives never again saw more than one engine, or train, at a time. This extremely interesting article together with pictures and timetables is repeated in our St Ives branch section. Many thanks to Laurence Viaduct Signal Gantry The pair of Signal Arms 40 feet immediately above the Primrose Valley roadway being taken away. The chap on the right is balancing on the handrail as he supports the Signal Arm whilst his mate takes out the bolts holding it in place. I can’t remember what he did when the last bolt came out! What would Health n Safety have to say today? Laurence Hansford More views and time timetables in the St Ives branch section . Coals to Newcastle Roy Hart You will have heard of the saying 'Coals to Newcastle.. It therefore comes as some surprise to learn of deliveries of Coal to St Ives by DMU. Roy Hart writes :- I recall once, in about 1965, riding a DMU to St Ives which towed a wagon of coal. On arrival at St Ives, the DMU backed up as far as the engine shed, the wagon was uncoupled and braked. The DMU returned to the platform. The man in the ground frame (ex-box) moved the points to the back platform road and the wagon descended by gravity into the siding. Such a wagon is shown in one of Mr Hansford's pictures. Yesterday at Bodmin Roger Aston & Andrew Triggs While other members of the CRS were at Woody Bay Roger Aston and Andrew Triggs attended the B & W Diesel Gala - many thanks to them for their pictures 'Talking Railways' David Tozer David Tozer captures a moment at the L & B Gala at Woody Bay yesterday as Roger Winnen talks to members of the Yeovil Steam Centre group who it was a pleasure to meet. Roger Winnen and John Cornelius (Both with cameras) have a chat at Woody Bay. Also in the picture are other members of the Yeovil Steam Centre Group. John and Roger, together with David Tozer who took this picture are major contributors to this site. Many thanks to the for their hard work. N.B. Roger will be doing a feature on our most successful visit later in the week - when all the pictures are in. 'When the 'donkeys' are gone', - a very good read David Tozer Keith, Interesting read:- http://democracy.devon.gov.uk/documents/s3752/GWR%20Exerail%20Update%20Presentation%20July%202016.pdf Dave 'When the donkeys are gone (143's) - a look into the future'. Excellent reading pictures and analysis - well worth a click on the above. Many thanks David for drawing our attention to this Somerton 2 John Cornelius Mike Morant
Last day at Chard Central Tauntons New Bridge Robert Lindley Hi Keith, Here are some photos taken today of the new bridge in Taunton. The first shows the general view looking towards the station and showing the refurbished original side of the bridge. The next shows how the new bridge is resting on a new concrete abutment behind the original. It has been raised slightly and the new brickwork is on top of the original. The third shot shows how the original outside girders hide the new pre-stressed concrete girders that form the new bridge deck. Cheers Rob Many thanks Robert Four from Craig & Two from Roger Class 56 in Devon & Cornwall Somerton 1 John Cornelius Somerton station closed to passengers on the 10th September 1962 and to goods on the 8th July 1964. Here it is some twenty years after closure to passengers. The siding still remains as does the signalbox. The station building remained in use for some time - the toilet being available for use by the signalman, the rest of the building being in use by other concerns. Copyright John Cornelius Langport West Mike Morant LCGB: The Quantock Flyer Rail Tour 16/2/64. Collett 4575 class 2-6-2T no. 4593 at Langport West station on the Yeovil Town branch which had closed to passenger traffic the previous day. Enveloped in 4593's exhaust is 5700 class pannier tank no. 9663 which shared the haulage duties on the GWR portions of this tour. [Mike Morant collection] Network Rail Measurement Train. |
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