Lelant in Wales and West days. Copyright John Cornelius
Smoke and Steam on the West Somerset Railway
David Tozer wishes everyone
a Happy New Year for 2017
David Tozer wishes everyone
a Happy New Year for 2017
161230a Smoke and Steam 44422 & 53808 at Bishops Lydeard Copyright David Tozer
161230b 44422 at Minehead. Copyright David Tozer
Reading
Am I 'reading' it right?
John Cornelius
Am I 'reading' it right?
John Cornelius
Good morning Keith, well now Xmas is over, we can look forward to Easter and light nights again.
Here's a pic I took way back in 1982 at Reading when they had the flapper type train destination indicators. So would it have been a value for money trip? and after reaching Exeter which way would the train go to reach Oxford. Or was it just to confuse passengers?.
However,the correct intermediate stations to Oxford were displayed before the train arrived.
cheers JOHN C. A little confusing - thanks John
Here's a pic I took way back in 1982 at Reading when they had the flapper type train destination indicators. So would it have been a value for money trip? and after reaching Exeter which way would the train go to reach Oxford. Or was it just to confuse passengers?.
However,the correct intermediate stations to Oxford were displayed before the train arrived.
cheers JOHN C. A little confusing - thanks John
Turnchapel
Sarah Batten
Sarah Batten
I have recently moved in to a property in a new housing development at Hooe Lake and upon doing research of the area have a feeling at my property is above what used to be the old Turnchapel rail line.
I noticed that you visited the old Turnchapel line earlier this year and referenced the new development.
I have studied various pictures of the station and I think that the large rock that was at the station is the one I now look out of my window at and has been kept as a 'feature' of the site. Through our investigations we were advised that the ground level was raised by a few metres due to contamination of the top soil from the oil leakages on the site during the war and in turn they raised the whole site ground level and then chopped off the top metre or so of the rock.
I attach some pictures that may be of interest to you showing what I think is the rock in question (and the original image I found on your site which I refer to).
If you have any further information on the Turnchapel station or the area in question I would be incredibly interested :)
Thanks very much, Sarah Many thanks for your query.
I noticed that you visited the old Turnchapel line earlier this year and referenced the new development.
I have studied various pictures of the station and I think that the large rock that was at the station is the one I now look out of my window at and has been kept as a 'feature' of the site. Through our investigations we were advised that the ground level was raised by a few metres due to contamination of the top soil from the oil leakages on the site during the war and in turn they raised the whole site ground level and then chopped off the top metre or so of the rock.
I attach some pictures that may be of interest to you showing what I think is the rock in question (and the original image I found on your site which I refer to).
If you have any further information on the Turnchapel station or the area in question I would be incredibly interested :)
Thanks very much, Sarah Many thanks for your query.
10th September 1961 Copyright Mike Roach. Note the interesting signal and the line proceeding on towards the Admiralty Pier. Copyright Mike Roach
Turnchapel Quarry 27th December 2016 Copyright Sara Batten
Turnchapel Quarry 27th December 2016 Copyright Sarah Batten N.B. If you take a look at the site of Turnchapel Quarry on the current 2016 Google Earth you can see the rocky patch which has been left as a feature.
Turnchapel Station site 31st March 1973 Copyright Keith Jenkin. Is it possible that the rocky outcrop seen in right hand distance is that now viewed from Sarah's window? N.B. Yet the 'strata' looks wrong - in her view it is horizontal.
As Mike Roach took the top photograph in 1961 I thought to ask him, here is his reply :- If Sarah goes to nls maps (http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore) and searches on series, map series, OS 25-inch, seamless zoomable and look for Hooe or Plymstock, she will see what it was like before the railway arrived. The area is full of quarries and waste heaps. Indeed Turnchapel Station was built in a quarry. The rock cutting behind the signals was probably built specially to allow the railway to be extended to the Admiralty depot. They would have had plenty of time to do it as it took 5 years to extend the line from Plymstock to Turnchapel.
Also go to Amazon books and search Turnchapel Branch and Sarah will see all the books available on the subject, except one, which only came out in November 2016. Its called The Okehampton Line, by Irwell Press, and its got a section on the Turnchapel Branch with several photos. The book was my Christmas present. Quite expensive at £30 but its got over 400 high quality pages.
If the rock shewn in Sarah's picture is the same one that was behind the station platform then its been cut down several metres, or the ground raised several metres. Sarah can get a rough idea of how much the ground was lifted by looking level along the remaining pier of the former swing bridge.
The naval oil depot received a direct hit during the bombing of Plymouth and burnt for a couple of days. Allegedly the flames could be seen from many parts of Cornwall. Sarah could try the Record Office at Clare Place, Coxside for information on this and any other queries she has.
Lastly my suggestion is to speak to the builders if possible while they are still around.
Regards
Mike (Roach) Many thanks for this information Mike
Also go to Amazon books and search Turnchapel Branch and Sarah will see all the books available on the subject, except one, which only came out in November 2016. Its called The Okehampton Line, by Irwell Press, and its got a section on the Turnchapel Branch with several photos. The book was my Christmas present. Quite expensive at £30 but its got over 400 high quality pages.
If the rock shewn in Sarah's picture is the same one that was behind the station platform then its been cut down several metres, or the ground raised several metres. Sarah can get a rough idea of how much the ground was lifted by looking level along the remaining pier of the former swing bridge.
The naval oil depot received a direct hit during the bombing of Plymouth and burnt for a couple of days. Allegedly the flames could be seen from many parts of Cornwall. Sarah could try the Record Office at Clare Place, Coxside for information on this and any other queries she has.
Lastly my suggestion is to speak to the builders if possible while they are still around.
Regards
Mike (Roach) Many thanks for this information Mike