Fifty years ago today the last Society organised steam-hauled railtour left Paddington before the end of steam. The date was Saturday 20 November 1965, and the trip was organised by The Locomotive Club of Great Britain. The tour went to Worcester (Shrub Hill) via the Cotswold Line and returned to Paddington via Gloucester and Swindon. Motive power was 4079 "Pendennis Castle" One week later on Saturday 27 November the very last steam-hauled special train left Paddington behind 7029 "Clun Castle" This was organised by the Western Region itself and went to Cheltenham (St. James) outwards via Bristol, returning via Stroud. However Clun Castle only hauled the Special over part of the route; and the remainder of the tour was behind diesels D1006 and D6881/2. The last ordinary scheduled steam departure from Paddington had occurred on Friday 11 June 1965 on the 16.15 train to Banbury.
There's no doubt as to the location of todays picture by Roger Aston of the tamper heading past the remains of Carn Brea station down platform.
It look as if the grating off to the right covers an area which recently suffered a subsidence. Many thanks for your picture Roger With reference to his letter concerning the Dolcoath Signal Box Instrument shelf - see below Julian sends us a copy of one of the labels mentioned. Have your heard of the Agar Knitting Co?? Certainly a historic label with railway connections.
Royal Ordnance loco number 2 built by Barclay about to cross over the M5 circa 1000 on a Thursday morning, with loaded VEA wagons, and an ex LMS brake van. Once over the motorway, on the down grade to the exchange sidings, the train stopped, loco uncoupled - and on control of the LMS brake van handbrake, the two loaded box vans were gravitation shunted into the exchange sidings where a class 47 was waiting. PHOTO BY PAUL STANFORD
N.B. KJ wrote to Paul saying that on one occasion he'd been traveling up the M5 and seen an 08, though perhaps it was the Royal Ordnance loco seen above, crossing the bridge over the M5 - however at 70+ MPH on the motorway I can't be sure what the loco was!! Paul replied - That is interesting Keith about your observation of the class 08 - one used to work each day at Bridgwater in the 70s. I meant to say with the shot I took, which I sent a few mins yes ago, Puriton rail traffic ceased December 1990 and the traffic was lifted Autumn 1996, except for the piece over the motorway bridge - I'm told it's still there!
The above image courtesy of Google Earth Zoom in and pan to explore the Main line junction and the branch as far as the Ordnance Factory. You can see that just a short length of track remains on the motorway bridge.
Other news, Robert Lindley advises us that both ex Puriton Shunters are in good health and now live on the West Somerset railway. We are most grateful to Paul for sending us his Dads picture taken at an unspecified date before 34092 City of Wells was sent to Barry Scrapyard in November 1979. It had been built in 1949 and after 25 years at Barry it was rescued in November 1964. However it was back in main line service in 1979 after restoration and has visited many parts of the UK since.
Receiving a text message this morning I hurried to Penzance Station expecting to see a Cross Country HST on the 08.28 to Glasgow. However on my arrival I was greeted with a Voyager sitting in Platform 3 advertised to work the service. Returning home I went into real time trains and noted that the 06.28 from Plymouth was losing time! could this be the HST for the 08.28 instead of the voyager which would then work the service at 09.35 to Manchester. Returning to the station I was just in luck to see the HST arriving from Plymouth at 08.29 Many Thanks for your help Martin Again it is a pleasure to welcome Paul Stanford to our site once more, our first picture of revenue earning traffic at Wapping Wharf.
Paul writes - I took this one, early in my railway career. 0-6-0 Hudswell Clarke diesel, Western Pride just runs around loaded air brake coal hopper wagons, at Wapping Wharf, which it had hauled from Ashton Jn. Likely a Peak or class 37 would have dropped the train at Ashton Jn. Coal traffic to this site ceased May 1987 and Western Pride travelled on its own power to the coal depot at Filton Jn, with a BR pilot driver, by night. The last BR movement to the site at Wapping was late summer 1990 when a BR 08 bought some wagons and collected some rails from the quayside and delivered a Weltrol wagon for Bristol industrial museum. It's nice to hear from Roger Geach once more and to look back to 1984. Here we see one of the once familiar Peaks pulling up the bank from Par, soon it will be alongside the golf course and glimpses of the sea at Carlyon Bay will be visible. Next stop will be at St Austell.
Many thanks Roger for this one. If you weren't at the excellent presentation given by Paul Stanford featuring the 'Reading Remodeling' last Saturday you missed an excellent evening. Nothing to do with Reading but here is a Gem from Paul on the Clevedon branch- a picture by his late father John Stanford. The attached picture by my late father John Stanford. It shows a single power car DMU coming through the outskirts of Yatton, approaching the station - behind the photographer. The siding behind the DMU served Caperns Birdseed Factory. Photo taken July 1964' just over 2 years before the line closed fully. Post line closure in October 1966, a part of the line (about 2-1/2 miles from Yatton) remained in use to train in-track machine drivers - but was fully lifted by 1970/71. Copyright of this picture Paul Stanford Another photograph by the late John Stanford showing a Weston to Paddington train slowing to call at Yatton station. Note the signal box is still functional it closed in January 1972 and the Clevedon branch connection and Clevedon bay platform (right hand side in shot, is still in situ). Indeed there are box vans in the bay. Copyright Paul Stanford. |
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