Cornwall  Railway  Society
  • March 21 Home Page
  • February 21 Home Page
  • INDOOR & OUTDOOR MEETINGS PROGRAMME
  • CORNWALL RAILWAY SOCIETY GENERAL INFORMATION CONTACTS & WEBMASTERS MEMBERSHIP FORM ETC.
  • LATEST INPUT , NEWS & OLD PICTURES ETC.
  • FEATURES, MAIN INDEX & OUTDOOR EVENTS REPORTS.
  • CORNWALL GALLERIES
  • DEVON GALLERIES
  • North & East of TAUNTON & HONITON
  • Military and Industrial Tramways & Light Railways
  • Pleasure Tramways & Light Railways
  • RAILTOURS, AERIAL VIEWS ,MISCELLANEOUS
  • CORNISH RAILWAYS WAR DIARY
  • LOCAL YOUTUBE
  • Historical Outdoor Events INDEX
  • ARCHITECTURE
  • INDEX TO ARTICLES WRITTEN BY COLIN BURGES
  • ARTICLES SECTION.
  • ENGINEERING PLANT DIARY
  • News reports Jan to Aug 2012
  • Links
  • MAPS, PHOTOS, AERIAL VIEWS
  • Official Documents available to the General Public
  • Public notices and posters collection
  • February 21 Home Page

Items added on the 22nd April 2016                                                                                    Those added most recently come first 

22/4/2016

 
Totnes Quay and
Ashburton branch revisited

Five quite remarkable pictures have come to light which were taken by the late Cedric Owen.  Cedric, a keen enthusiast was well known to us in West Cornwall for the several shows he gave us using his epidiascope - a remarkable large piece of equipment, which, by illuminating postscards with a powerful, (and very hot) lamp threw the reflected and rather faint image onto a screen. Thankfully things have moved on since then! This collection dedicated to the memory of Cedric is brought to us by Sid Sponheimer.      Many thanks Sid.
  Plymouth Railway Circle / South Devon Railway Society
          Farewell to the Ashburton Branch
Loco  4567 Stock UsedBrake VansRoute :
Loco(s)Route Totnes - Ashburton Jn - Totnes Quay- Ashburton Jn - Staverton - Buckfastleigh - Ashburton- Buckfastleigh - Staverton - Ashburton Jn - TotnesNotes.  Reported to be the first passenger train over the Totnes Quay line as well as being the last passenger train over the Ashburton branch, the line being closed to all traffic with effect from 10th September 1962. Courtesy the Sixbellsjunction website

A further historical note on this railtour from Roy Hart who writes from a sweltering Burma -  
On the Totnes pictures by Cedric Owen (one of the great characters of the era!) - the engine had been condemned and taken out of service in the week prior to the special. It was specially steamed for the trip and then finally  taken off for scrap.​  Thanks for that Roy 
Picture
Complete with the PRC headboard the railtour stands ready to depart from Totnes down platform. 8th September 1962. Copyright the late Cedric Owen.
Picture
The first and last passenger train on the Totnes Quay branch returns to the main line. A remarkable picture of a once only event captured by the late Cedric Owen. As well as the long 13 brakevan train the telegraph post with its mulititude of arms and wires is another memory of the past. Copyright the late Cedric Owen.
Picture
Luckily, very luckily for us, Cedric was able to obtain this lineside picture of the railtour, after having been back to Totnes station, moving out acoss the main line to gain Ashburton Junction and the branch. This picture nicely framed by telegraph poles. 8th September 1962 Copyright
Picture
The last ever passenger train runs into Buckfastleigh - or so it was thought! 8th September 1962. Copyright the late Cedric Owen.
Picture
And finally, at the end of the line. 4567 draws its train into Ashburton station on the 8th September 1962. Will this station ever be re-opened - one hopes so. Copyright the late Cedric Owen
40's from the west
John Cornelius
Picture
An absolutely fantastic picture which only a member of railway staff could get. John who was a signalman at the time at Athelney has climbed a nearby signalpost to get this panorama which puts everything into perspective. The signalbox, the level crossing, the bridge over the waterway and in the distance the tower of Lyng Church. Copyright John Cornelius. N.B. John has asked that it be made clear that he was not on duty at the time the picture was taken but took over later on.
Picture
A picture taken earlier in the day as the railtour reunited with 40083 40081 at Newton Abbot passes Dawlish. 16th October 1997 Copyright Roger Winnen

Comments are closed.

    Archives

    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011