Items added on June 14th 2017 Those added most recently come first

14/6/2017

A Rare Event as D6757 hauls a test train to St Ives in daylight hours
Photographs by Andrew Triggs and Roger Winnen

This train was the 3Q52 22.29 Exeter Riverside to Penzance via Gunnislake to Penzance then St Ives before returning to Penzance. (The section between Bere Alston to Gunnislake was omitted)

170614d At 05.45 the train is seen going away through Lelant Station. Copyright Roger Winnen

170614zi D6757 Heads through the quiet station of Lelant. Copyright Andrew Triggs

170614i D6757 Arrives at St Ives, its 06.08. Copyright Roger Winnen

170614zh Departure from St Ives as the train crosses Porthminster Viaduct. Copyright Andrew Triggs

170614q The train is seen stabled at Penzance during the long hours of daylight. Copyright Roger Winnen

More photographs will be found in the features pages of this train

The Railway at Bude
What little remains today!
Roger Winnen

Having not been to Bude for many years I decided to plan a trip using public transport via Liskeard, Launceston to Bude and returning via Plymouth. Travel via Liskeard is only available Mondays to Fridays. Group Travel Route 236 Opposite Liskeard Station adjacent to the Stag Inn 11.27 Launceston Westgate Street 12.15 then Stagecoach Route 6a from Westgate Street at 12.30 arriving Bude Strand 13.12. Return from Bude Strand at 15.20 on Plymouth City Bus 12b route arriving at Plymouth Railway Station at 17.52 On Saturdays the only route available is via Plymouth.

170612a Narrow gauge rails at Bude where sand was conveyed in trucks and transported into barges. Copyright Roger Winnen

170612b The lockgates to the Bude Canal, at the lower level to the left was the narrow gauge tramway to move the sand. Copyright Roger Winnen

170612c This bridge once carried the railway to the wharves at Bude leaving the main line on entry to the railway Station, it is now the cycleway.. Copyright Roger Winnen

170612d About the Bude nature reserve and the Railways of Bude, showing the Railway Station top right which closed in 1966 Copyright Roger Winnen

170612e Bullied Way built on the site of the old Bude Station. Copyright Roger Winnen

170612f A plaque in Bullied Way to Celebrate 100 years since the line was opened in 1898. Copyright Roger Winnen

170612g Another Plaque which reads Station Clock commemorating 25 years since the building of Bullied Way Estate on the site of the Railway Station in 2010

New Signalling on Cornish Main Line
Roy Hart and Nigel Tregoning

Dear Keith, I note from Network Rail's site and elsewhere, that the contract for phase 1 of the Cornwall resignalling has been let to Atkins Engineering. The contract is worth 9 million and is for the St Erth - Truro section. It is designed to facilitate 2 trains per hour west of Plymouth from December 2018 and includes the provision of '12 new signals and the upgrading of 7 level crossings'. I believe that this will take the form of extra signals controlled from Roskear Junction by a miniature panel there. http://www.railstaff.uk/2017/06/12atki...cornwall/ Once on this website click into UK Rail News and scroll down All the best, Roy
Many thanks to you Roy and also to Nigel Tregoning who also advised us of this interesting development.

Semaphores
Andrew Jones

Andrew sends us a couple of reminders of Exeter St Davids in the 1980 and very recent pictures of semaphores which are fortunately still in use on a preserved railway. This railway is really out of our area of coverage. Nevertheless Andrew, many thanks.

Exeter in 1980 - the middle box still in use. Red Cow Level Crossing remains in use to this day - still protected by a railway official. 1980. Copyright Andre Jones