A trial finish!
Martin Duff
Martin Duff
Hello Keith, One for the album – this time 45060 SHERWOOD FORRESTER at Okehampton station during late afternoon Sunday 24th January 2016. I trialled sepia finish in the fading light and was pleased with the result.
Regards, Martin. Many thanks Martin
Regards, Martin. Many thanks Martin
Saturday & Sundays Grids Martin Duff
Hello Keith, The Class 56 hauled empty carriages working into Devon on Saturday certainly created some excitement among the masses at the line side and stations.
Concerning the head board, it said “RAIL OPERATIONS GROUP”. Two photographs attached, one of the outward run on Saturday lunchtime as it approached Exeter St Davids, just before noon and the other, Sunday lunch time, 12.10 as the Grids passed Totnes in full gloom.
Regards, Martin. Many thanks Martin
Concerning the head board, it said “RAIL OPERATIONS GROUP”. Two photographs attached, one of the outward run on Saturday lunchtime as it approached Exeter St Davids, just before noon and the other, Sunday lunch time, 12.10 as the Grids passed Totnes in full gloom.
Regards, Martin. Many thanks Martin
Totnes Rail Operations Group passes Exeter at lunchtime on 30th January 2016 Copyright Martin Duff
Totnes Rail Operations Group passes Totnes at 12.10 on 31st January 2016 Copyright Martin Duff
Normal service is resumed on Sunday following the blockade at Burngullow,a couple of views of Marazion Marshes with the Bristol 2015 HST and the ECS of the Night Riviera. Andrew Triggs
160131a Normal service resumed after the Saturday blockade at Burngullow. The 1C 79 is seen coming down the marsh with the 10.57 London Paddington-Penzance. Copyright Andrew Triggs
160131b Following close behind was the empty stock working of the Saturday morning sleeper from Plymouth to Penzance hauled by 57605 running 36 mins early. Copyright Andrew Triggs
More of the Mike Morant Collections
To see more of Mike Morants Collections go to his web site using the following links. Home Page at https://mikemorant.smugmug.com/ or just the British part of the site at https://mikemorant.smugmug.com/Trains-Railways-British-Isles , Details of these links will be published on our Home Page and also in our 'links list'
Memories of Bere Alston
Mike Morant
Mike Morant
30193 stands at the outer face of Bere Alston island platform. It looks as if 'an observer' is watching the 'coupling up' after the loco has run round. The guard wanders up the platform to check on the proceedings. This picture courtesy of the Mike Morant Collection.
Nancegollan Signal Box Memories of the late Cyril Hitchens
Although Nancegollan Signal Box was one of the boxes in my area I was only sent there on a handful of occasions. The box was of the usual GW appearance and was situated at the Gwinear end of the up platform with the external stairs projecting outwards towards the station. It had a cast nameplate saying Nancegollan Signal Box. It contained a 30 lever frame plus the instrument containing tokens for the sections Nancegollan-Helston and Nancegollan-Gwinear. I remember doing quite a lot of walking collecting and delivering tokens when trains crossed. There were special arrangements to admit a light engine into the Nancegollan-Gwinear section if it needed to travel from Gwinear to Praze to visit the water tank there. The layout included a goods loop and several sidings installed later in the existence of the branch. In summer one of the sidings housed a camping coach whose occupants used the station facilities. There was also a grounded clerestory coach body, a large store and a few smaller sheds and van bodies. Freight traffic shunts were quite frequent with agriculture produce and supplies, overflow traffic from Helston and traffic for Culdrose which could be taken away via the adjacent B3303 Camborne-Helston road. The station often won awards in the WR station gardens competition right up to the year before closure to passengers. I worked a couple of day shifts at Nancegollan during the freight only period to deal with the two daily return workings and any shunting required. Following total closure I bought one of the grounded van bodies in the yard which was split into sections and transported to my home in Camborne to form the basis of a garden shed. I have since moved but the shed is still there as the 21st century begins!
Although Nancegollan Signal Box was one of the boxes in my area I was only sent there on a handful of occasions. The box was of the usual GW appearance and was situated at the Gwinear end of the up platform with the external stairs projecting outwards towards the station. It had a cast nameplate saying Nancegollan Signal Box. It contained a 30 lever frame plus the instrument containing tokens for the sections Nancegollan-Helston and Nancegollan-Gwinear. I remember doing quite a lot of walking collecting and delivering tokens when trains crossed. There were special arrangements to admit a light engine into the Nancegollan-Gwinear section if it needed to travel from Gwinear to Praze to visit the water tank there. The layout included a goods loop and several sidings installed later in the existence of the branch. In summer one of the sidings housed a camping coach whose occupants used the station facilities. There was also a grounded clerestory coach body, a large store and a few smaller sheds and van bodies. Freight traffic shunts were quite frequent with agriculture produce and supplies, overflow traffic from Helston and traffic for Culdrose which could be taken away via the adjacent B3303 Camborne-Helston road. The station often won awards in the WR station gardens competition right up to the year before closure to passengers. I worked a couple of day shifts at Nancegollan during the freight only period to deal with the two daily return workings and any shunting required. Following total closure I bought one of the grounded van bodies in the yard which was split into sections and transported to my home in Camborne to form the basis of a garden shed. I have since moved but the shed is still there as the 21st century begins!