Thanks, Helen Eynon, Secretary of Friends of Long Rock Mexico Crossing
The site has received the following blogg concerning Mexico Level Crossing which was the site of a very unfortunate fatality. If you would like to write concerning this matter please contact Helen Eynon direct. The Council have now closed this crossing for 6 months. The residents of Long Rock are furious about this. There was a public meeting on Thursday 10th Jan - so many people came they couldn't all get inside! They voted unanimously to call on The Council to re-open the crossing and keep it open, Please contact me if you would like further information, or feel you could help or advise us.
Thanks, Helen Eynon, Secretary of Friends of Long Rock Mexico Crossing Roger Salter has kindly sent in a couple more interesting pictures of Ponsandane taken just over three years ago. Many thanks Roger Any idea of what the quite elegant buildings in the foreground were used for? Note the helicopter hanger door open for business. Tony Hill has sent in this useful memory.
If my memory serves me correctly these once fine buildings were used by the Yard Chargeman,Shunters, carriage cleaners and possible by the C&W examiners. I once visited Ponsandane Yard, this building and met the shunters in about 1975 ..then of course the place was still fairly busy, with during daytimes coaching stock and parcels vans for such trains as the 1210 Pz/Glasgow, 1445 Pz/Padd, 1806 Pz/Sheffield, TPO, & Slprs plus Cross Country and Paddington coaching sets stabled & cleaned overnight and the attendant spare & crippled coaches & vans and the occasional condemned vehicle too - waiting orders for its last journey for scrapping. Many thanks for that Tony. Further to Craig Munday's article and pictures on the tank wagons at Ponsandane Tony Hill has kindly provided this extra and very interesting information. Many thanks Tony Many years ago (late1980s/early 90's) these 2 'internal user' Tank wagons inadvertently had an unexpected journey.
Buffered up to them on their siding were the empty loco fuel tankers for Fawley. When the Guard checked his train he unknowingly coupled up the last Fuel tank wagon to these 2 Tank wagons and so they had a 'ghost' trip to St Blazey or Exeter only to be returned and told to never do that again ! I ventured out this lunchtime to photograph train 6C39 11:50 St.Blazey to Newport ADJ. With the weather as it is I wouldn't of bothered, but the consist was a little unusual!! There isn't much variety in the Cornish freight scene nowdays, but in the very early hours of Thursday morning four VGA/VKA vans were extracted from Ernesettle MOD (Navy) Sidings on the banks of the Tamar and unusually hauled down to St.Blazey. These four vans went up on 6C39 this afternoon, along with five discharged TTA tanks from Long Rock. I know its not massively exciting but its the first photo I've ever taken of MOD traffic in Cornwall!!! The vans are destined for MOD Longtown, Cumbria. Attached is a photo of 66188 in the gloom at Milltown on the approach to Lostwithiel, and a close up of one of the vans, VKA 210487 in a rather faded EWS livery. Never having seen anything of MOD traffic at Ernesettle let alone Cornwall I rate this as very interesting. Many thanks Nathan.
Hi Keith
My attention was drawn to the 2 x 100 tonne TEA vehicles in Ponsondane yard this week on Facebook. They have been quietly rusting away for decades now, and the question was asked why there are there. FGW Conductor Alistair Rowe has provided a good answer, and I trust this provides the answer as to why they have been present for so long. If anyone has any further information I would be glad to hear them. Alistair stated : They used to be fuel storage tanks for Mounts Bay Dairy which used to be next door before Mounts Bay coaches moved there by Ponsandane level crossing. I was told that the fumes that may be inside may be unstable so they couldn't cut them up on site and too dangerous to move so they were left there  I have included a couple of pictures, one from Lee MacDonald, and one from me taken in 2008 showing class 40 number 40145 backing a train of Charter stock out towards Long Rock with the tanks visible to the left.  Cheers for now Goonbarrow Box is a credit to Network Rail, clean neat and tidy despite being located in a very dusty environment. Many thanks for these pictures Craig. News has just come in of recovery work which is proposed in Cornwall and just over the border at Keyham.
Proposals include the recovery of the down sidings and crossover at St Erth. At Lostwithiel the disconnection and recovery of the down yard china clay sidings. At St Blazey the recovery of the ballast siding. The disconnection of Crugwallins siding on the Parkandillack branch. The disconnection and removal of number 2 siding at Keyham. Many thanks to Nathan Stockman for a correction re Lostwithiel down yard sidings received today. A short while ago I asked Craig if he had any pictures of St Blazey Box -and good as gold, here they are. Another clean and smart signalbox - long may they remain. Many thanks Craig. Hi Keith
As promised, here are some interior shots of St Blazey box. They include the CCTV equipment for Middleway & St Blazey bridge CCTV crossings, the block instrument to Par & Electric Token machine for the Single line to Goonbarrow. Best wishes Craig My mistake re CDA's at Truro was also rapidly spotted by Craig Munday. many thanks for pointing out my errors. Does anyone why the yard at Truro was recently cleaned up?
On Sunday 30th December 2012 - 50 years after the closure of the line from Marsh Mills though Tavistock to Launceston a re-opening special was run from Marsh Mills to Plym Bridge Platform.
Congratulations to the Plym Valley Railway. |
Archives
April 2024
|