St Ives branch

St Ives Branch
The idea of this section is to publish photographs of the Cornwall Railway scene before 1980. However, in the interests of continuity we might include a later picture. If you are interested in contributing and seeing your work on the net then please let us have your material. You will be fully credited and you can state copyright. It is important that the material is your own work or that of a member of your family who approves or would approve of your action. Please state who took the original picture. You will be listed as the contributor and as such take responsibility for the material submitted. Please do not submit professional photographs or any which are copyright.

Do you wish you were on this one? On 14 April 1963 a single car DMU provided a fascinating railtour from Penzance to Plymouth. The lines covered were - St Erth to St Ives, Hayle to Hayle Wharves, Camborne to Roskear Siding, Penwithers Junction to Newham, St Austell to Lansalson, Burngullow to Drinnick Mill and through to St Dennis Jct, Tolcarne Curve, Trevemper Siding, Bugle to Carbis Wharf, St Blazey, Fowey and Lostwithiel, Coombe Junction to Moorswater, and finally to Plymouth. What a day out - do you have any pictures taken on this railtour, we'd be delighted to show them with due credits.

A very intersting Video of the branch can be found click here :-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSlt5a2X6FA

N.B. If you would like pictures of this train they are available from Transport Treasury as follows:- At St Ives B6325, at Hayle Wharves B6326 and at Newham B6327

**** For your entertainment. Many thanks to Trevor Tremethick who sent in this link to a fantastic working model by Paul Fabricius of St Ives station and surrounds during the 1950's and 60's.
Please click here and enjoy.

If you do not see what you want try :-

Go to the Links page and select Cornwall Centre, then on their home page select 'Cornwall Image Bank'. There is a selection of photographs by John Vaughan, Arthur Trevan, George Ellis and others.

Members and general visitors to the CRS site will be interested in visiting http://www.railmaponline.com From the opening page a full map of the UK can be accessed which can then be enlarged to show every railway line in the UK. Not just today's network but lines from the past have been overlaid. As you zoom in sidings and even tramways become visible.

A valuable tip from Guy Vincent.

Credits, Many thanks to all contributors - please see a list on the home page.

N.B Click on picture to obtain an enlargement and further details

Through trains to ST IVES Part One
by Roy Hart

4553 and 4554 on the 9-20 St Ives to Paddington. Photograph taken on the 14th June 1958. Copyright 'The Jon Wood Collection'

In the steam era it was common for through coaches and through trains to be laid on, especially in the summer season, to serve the Cornish resorts. In the 1930s it was mainly a scheme of individual (or perhaps no more than 2 or 3 coaches, detached at the junction and worked forward attached to the regular branch train.
In Cornwall, the Looe branch never carried through passenger traffic of any kind because of the 7-foot wheelbase restriction on stock there and the awkward junction. At Bodmin Road, the junction faced East, but there was no direct connection to the down main. Lostwithiel, Par and Truro all had satisfactory 2-way connections, signalled for passenger trains. At Gwinear Road, through trains or carriages could be accommodated, but were never required, most expresses simply called at the junction. In terms of demands on infrastructure, St Ives wins the trophy.
Few branch lines were as poorly equipped for the working of through trains in post war years than St Ives. The main snags were these:
-a trailing junction at St Erth, requiring reversal and change of engine.
-the lack of intermediate crossing loops, meaning that only one train could occupy the entire line at a time.
-the St Ives branch was of ‘Uncoloured’ status, meaning that only a tiny group of engine classes were permitted. In reality this meant the Churchward 4500 class 2-6-2T. Even the prairies numbered above 4575 (only 4 tons heavier) were banned. The 4500s were permitted a load of five coaches without loss of time; heavier loads required double-heading. St Ives station could handle 10 coaches.
In the postwar period up until 1963, through trains operated on summer Saturdays and there were three such workings. The timings remained much the same for at least the period 1955-63.
The first of the three was the 1112 pm from Paddington. This train was made up of 13 coaches, ten for Penzance and 3 detached at St Erth for St Ives.
On arrival at St Erth (5-43 am) a 45XX which had just run up from Long Rock would back on to the coaches and take them to St Ives (6-18 am). The engine immediately returned, with the stock, to Ponsandane.
This same engine would, at Long Rock, join another of the class and the pair would haul the empty stock for the 9-20 am through train from St Ives to Paddington up to its starting point. By now, the 45XX which was living in the shed at St Ives had come to life and the regular branch service (3 coach train) had started.
As we already know, the branch could only accommodate one train, so the local service train ceased operation for 70 minutes and the 10 coaches of the 9-20 operated as the ‘local’ in both directions.
The 9-20 was made up as follows:
BCK(2); SK (4); CK (2); K (1); SO (Dining)(1). *see end for key.
The arrival of a 10-coach train at St Ives required a delicate quadrille which was performed twice every Saturday: The heavy train (like all others) would be brought to a stand at the home signal (at Porthminster point –just visible from the station). The engine would whistle and the signal lowered. At the inner home (by the engine shed) the leading engine would detach and draw forward into the loop. The remaining engine now took the train into the platform, occupying virtually its full length. It will be recognized that the train engine is now trapped at the buffers. A third engine is at the shed. It now comes into play to become the second engine for the outward journey, while the one at the buffers becomes the branch local engine.
At St Erth the train was met by the main line engine (usually a ‘Hall’) with two extra coaches (because of the 10 limit on the branch) – 1 x BSK; 1 x SK, making twelve. There was one stop in Cornwall –Truro- and another (for engine change) at Plymouth, where usually a ‘King’, plus an assisting engine for the banks came on together with another 2 coaches (1 x BSK and 1 x SK) making a hefty train of fourteen.
This train was not the Cornish Riviera Express (which began at Penzance seven days a week). It was not made up of the chocolate and Cream mark 1 stock which was exclusively for a small number of named trains. The 9-20 carried carriage roof boards, but ones which listed the destination only.
The service was dieselised in part in 1959. On July 9th 1960 –a day that has been heavily documented- the 9-20 was hauled by the usual prairies to St Erth, then as train A76 headed by a pair of D63XX to Plymouth and finally by D810 ‘Cockade’ which would have been assisted over the Devon banks.
The ‘main event’ at St Ives was the Saturday down Cornish Riviera Express, which will be the subject of part 2.
Key to coach types:
CK: composite corridor; BCK: brake composite corridor; SK: corridor second; SO: second open (dining); K: kitchen.
SOURCES: Most of my information comes from the WTT for summer 1957. W.S.Becket’s ‘Operation Cornwall’ is invaluable for detailed insight into how the trains worked (Xpress Publications) and Richard Woodley’s ‘The Day Of The Holiday Express’ (Ian Allan) is a fascinating study of a single day.

Through trains to ST IVES Part Two
by Roy Hart

The Saturday down ‘Cornish Riviera Express’ was a very different animal from its weekday counterpart. In the 1950s almost the whole train was given over to St Ives, with a small Falmouth portion detached at Truro. This train (14 coaches) departed Paddington (people didn’t need to be told that Paddington was in London then) at 10-30 am and after 1956 was made up entirely of chocolate and cream painted stock. A relief train, also of 14 coaches, left Paddington at 1035: 9 coaches for Penzance, five for Truro and Falmouth. The main (i.e. St Ives) Saturday ‘Limited’ was made up of:
BSK (3); SK (6); SO (dining) 1; K (1); FK (1); CK (1); BCK (1) (FK = first/corridor)
This heavy prestige train was advertised as being non-stop from Paddington to Truro, but in fact there was a stop at Newton Abbot for the King to come off and be replaced by a pair of ‘Halls’. Thus the train proceeded over the South Devon banks.
In the short space between Lipson Junction and Mutley tunnel lay Mannamead signal box. Opened in 1908 to break the incredibly busy section between Laira shed/Plymouth Friary/Laira Yard and North Road East box, Mannamead (6 levers) was said to be one of the busiest boxes in the division! Indeed, the signalman there only had enough headway to lower his down distant signal for one train a week –the down St Ives ‘Limited’ on Saturdays. This arose because, not stopping at North Road for engine change, the signalman would have ‘line clear’ way ahead as far as Devonport.
At Truro the pilot ‘Hall’ came off in order to work the rear section to Falmouth. The train engine proceeded to St Erth with the St Ives set.
At St Erth, with two trains heading west towards them, the signalman and shunters had to be ready to perform some fast footwork. First the 10 coaches for St Ives would arrive: it would promptly reverse over the western crossover and pause in the up main platform for the two 45XX to attach. The signalman then reversed the crossover points and almost immediately had to signal the Relief (Penzance) portion, in addition to obtaining ‘clear’ from St Ives and going down to issue the token to the St Ives ‘Limited’. Within 3 minutes of this operation, the relief for Penzance would come thundering through (if all was well).
The WTT for 1959 states that the empty stock from St Ives would be worked back direct to Ponsandane, but I can recall occasions when it served as a local to St Erth (presumably when things were not to plan).
The 1957 WTT shows a through evening train from St Ives to Par, 7 pm from St Ives. This train ran on weekday evenings and came as a through train from Penzance.
Many thanks indeed Roy

THE END OF STEAM AT ST IVES
A potted history by Roy Hart

Those of us of a certain age remember the St Ives branch worked by the delightful 4500 class prairies of the GWR, but it was not always so. The line opened in 1877 and was the last broad gauge line opened in the westcountry. The gauge was converted in 1892, but before this, mixed gauge freights operated from St Erth to Lelant quay. The line was operated by the 'train staff and ticket' system then and there was a signal box at Lelant (those were the days: Lelant had a station master, signalman, booking clerk and porters!). St Ives was fully signalled, with a box provided by Saxby and Farmer, contractors to the GWR.
After the gauge conversion, the line was worked by a variety of saddle- and pannier tanks until 1904, when the 4400 class small prairies arrived. With small wheels and good acceleration, these were perfect for the line, but there were only eleven of them, to be shared over the whole system. A slightly larger development, the 4500 class were too heavy for St Ives, which had an 'uncoloured' route classification
( they were 'yellow'- the next up).
In the 1920s traffic increases and loco shortages meant that something had to be done, so the 4500 class were 'specially authorised'. At the St Erth advanced starting signal stood a sign: ONLY UNCOLOURED, OR YELLOW ENGINES 4500-4574 MAY PASS THIS BOARD.
Penzance shed rotated its tank engines on the St Ives and Helston branches, so the allocation of tank engines had to suit both, so the 4575/5500 class -slightly heavier than the 4500s were not shedded at Penzance until nearly the end of steam (they could not go to St Ives). Penzance lost its last 4400 class engine in 1943.
By 1961, the 4500 class were old, worn out and down to single figures, so the writing was on the wall for St Ives. Dieselisation was imperative. DMUs could not be introduced on the Helston line because the heavy freight traffic required engines, which could (of course) haul both passenger and freight.
In consequence, in September 1961, 4564 was the last engine to be housed overnight in St Ives shed.DMUs took over. 4564 was stored at St Blazey for a while (after working a PRC special) and she spent a few months at Gloucester before scrapping. 4570 lingered at PZ for a few months while 4549 and 4563 went for scrap.
Some 55xx tanks surplus at Truro and SBZ then came to Penzance to work the Helston line.
Ironically, for a few days in the summer of 1962, diesel failures and shortages meant that steam returned to St Ives: 5562 worked passenger trains, but with its tanks only half-full to reduce its weight!
The last two prairies at Penzance were 5537 and 5562, which stood outside the shed, rusting quietly until towed away for scrap in 1963.

Roy

If you'd like to read Cyril Hitchens memories of the operation of St Ives Signal Box please scroll down.

With reference to the above article by Roy Hart Sid Sponheimer has kindly supplied the photographs below of locomotives referred to above at Cashmores Scrap Yard at Newport. Many thanks Sid - what a sad sight.

4570 is the furthest in the line with 4567 and a pannier tank in close up Cashmores August 1964 Copyright Sid Sponheimer

5537. Cashmores. August 1964 Copyright Sid Sponheimer

A distant view of 4570, 4567, & 6320 at Cashmores days before they met their end. August 1964 Copyright Sid Sponheimer

More very interesting notes on the St Ives Branch -
kindly supplied by Roy Hart
Dear Keith, This material might be of interest: it comes from information supplied to me many years ago by the late C.R. Clinker, as well as notices which once hung in St Ives signal box, together with my own researches. As opened in 1877, the St Ives line was worked by wooden train staff ('One engine in steam'). This would have been supplemented by the single-needle telegraph, the standard means of communication on the railways before the telephone. The handle on the instrument, not unlike a door knocker, was moved left and right in different combinations to produce letters of the alphabet or the familiar GWR telegraph codes (siphon, toad etc., etc). Si ngle-needle telegraph was still in common use on the GW until world war two. It survived on the Eastern Region into the 1970s. In 1877, Lelant had a signal box, controlling a level crossing at the St Erth end of the platform, leading to a jetty. There was also the connection to Lelant Quay -a spread of three long sidings. In addition, there were distant, home and starting signals in either direction. The box lost its signals and became a ground frame some time around 1892. By 1906, the OS 25 inch map showed Lelant Quay sidings intact, but disconnected from the running line. In 1884, the 'Train staff and Ticket' system was introduced on the branch. It was a slight advance on the old system in that it enabled one train to follow another from St Erth to St Ives or vice versa: The signalman, if in possession of the train staff, could unlock a special box containing tickets which were inscribed with the name of the line section (St Erth to St Ives'). The train driver, having been shown the staff, was given the ticket as authority to proceed. Following trains could proceed as long as the signalman had the staff. The last train had to carry the staff. All changed in 1894, when the electric staff system was introduced on the branch. This could well be the time when Lelant lost its signals. Electric staff remained in use at St Ives until June 28th 1956, when it was replaced with the more compact electric token. In September 1963, the wheel turned full circle when the box became a ground frame and wooden staff working returned. St Ives box dated from 1877, and contained a 20-lever frame dating from 1902. Local regulations stated that all down trains had to be brought to a stand at the home signal (no 20 in the frame and situated at Porthminster point.). Enginemen normally whistled on arrival there. One supposes that there might have been a near-disaster or two on the steep descent into St Ives, as the home signal was moved 400 yards further out in 1920, and a new inner home provided. After closure of the signal box, a large STOP board was erected at the site of the home signal and the DMUs had to perform the ritual there. This board was dispensed with in the 1970s. For shunting and traffic purposes, the capacities of sidings and loop at St Ives were: Run around Loop 6 coach capacity Single line between engine release crossover and stop blocks 3 coaches Sea siding 4 coaches Porthminster viaduct was rebuilt in the 1950s, though this does not seem to have had any effect on the weight limitation placed on the whole branch. 4500 class prairies were 'specially authorised to work on the line in 1931. Previously, 4400 class were allowed, but they were somewhat lighter. Roy Hart. Many thanks indeed Roy for this most interesting article.

An unusual occurance on the St Ives branch - a report by Roger Winnen. Returning from Carbis Bay after a Sunday School outing in possibly 1958 or 1959 we were pulled by 4570 together with 9748 a Penzance 57xx class pannier tank which were not authorised to run on the branch. The train had nine coaches of which three were detached at St Erth along with 4570 this was of course the branch set. Then 9748 and six coaches departed with the remaining train to Penzance. This was the only occasion that I had been hauled by 9748 a Penzance based engine for many years.

Memories of St Ives station in days gone by.
Laurence Hansford.

With the relaying of part of the St Ives branch our good friendLaurence Hansford in January/February 2021 kindly sent us the following carefully captioned views of old.

We start with a view from Draycott Terrace, but with one taken from the top floor of my parent’s house on the 26th April 1963. It shows the Branch shuttle , consisting of a Bubble Car and Driver Trailer just leaving for St Erth. Waiting to go is the daily (afternoon) goods, headed by a D63XX diesel, having done its shunting. On the end of the platform can be see the Signalman walking back to his box after handing the token to the Driver and you can just make out the roofs of the pair of Camping Coaches parked in the siding to the Goods Shed. I guess you might be wondering what was in all those covered trucks. Well, the answer is quite surprising: one of the very few manufactured items ever mass produced in St Ives – cardboard boxes full of Rodark motorcycle panniers! These were made by an engineering firm (if my memory is correct, called J & J Couch) with a factory at the top of Fish Street in Downalong and were in high demand when most young men’s ambition was to own a motorbike. Copyright Laurence Hansford

Almost all the following photos were taken during August 1964, after the signalling system had been removed and this one shows a late afternoon 6 car DMU arriving to take the day-trippers back home. Porthminster Beach is now nearly empty but notice all the holes left behind. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

This shot taken from the Malakoff shows the same train arriving in the station with the waiting throng. It is possible to make out that the train is composed of two 3-car sets, the nearer one being a Swindon Cross Country set. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Again a 6-car train with Class 116 Driver Motor Car 50887 at the head. This might be the same train but I can tell from the shadows that this is an early morning shot. The Driver, a St Ives man, is about to get in his cab and the Signalman, also a St Ives man, who has been having a chat with the Guard, is just behind him with the Token in his Left Hand. In the foreground are the Camping Coaches, more or less where the end of the line is now. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

SC135 The same 6-car DMU in charge of 50887 just starting to cross the viaduct which was just 10 years old and still looked quite new. The cars are parked in the Car Park belonging to Trevessa Hotel. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

SC138 Here is a view of the Engine Shed area, (taken not long after the Signalling was removed, which happened immediately after the end of the 1963 Summer Timetable) which shows the full extent of the head-shunt, which I think was 80 ft long. It was certainly long enough for a pair of 45XXs coupled together, which I did see occasionally in the 1950s. Usually there was a coal truck (sometimes two) parked up against the buffer-stop and which would be drawn back into the shed at the end of the day to make coaling-up easier. Milepost 325- is beside the Signal Post on the sea side. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Virtually the same view taken about a year later, by which time the lines to the shed had been lifted. Most of the rest of the infrastructure was still evident, except for the water tank, which had presumably been taken for scrap. I am sure that today one of the enthusiasts’ lines would have been pleased to get their hands on it! Copyright Laurence Hansford.

SC145 This is a head-on view of the Engine Shed (built to very commodious Broad Gauge proportions) which I took to show the masonry of the front wall but have deliberately brightened-up so that we can see inside. Note the door at the back leading to the little office which was a stone-built structure with its own slate pitched roof. Note also how the lines and the pit are offset, showing how at the gauge conversion they just moved the Right Hand rail inwards. I remember you could actually see where the original rail had been. Another thing to note are the two large blocks of stone (one partially hidden by ivy) either side of the portal and roughly level with the top of the arch which held the top hinge-pins for a monumental pair of timber doors which for most of the 1950 continued to be closed once the engine had been put to bed. This I found most frustrating as it meant that I could never get at the engine on a Sunday during the winter when there was nobody about. However, without repairs, the doors were getting progressively decrepit and eventually around 1958 they gave up and could no longer be closed, after which they didn’t bother. This was great as it meant that we could climb all over the engine as well as underneath and I am now prepared to admit that I have been through the pit from one end to the other with a torch, on a number of occasions! I must add, though, that we were always very careful to make sure we never did any damage. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Very many thanks indeed Laurence for your precious photographs and memories.

ST IVES BRANCH

Without this token one cannot proceed onto the St Ives branch. The token is seen here at rest between its many journey's on the branch. This picture taken in May 1996 Copyright Dan Engstrom

A map prepared by Peter Butt for the Cornish Library service on the occasion of the branches centenary. Permission kindly granted for its use on our web site. Copyright Peter Butt

St Erth. Two for the price of one. 4545 nearest and 4505 coming off its train and about to move forward to run round 24th April 1957 Copyright the Late John Wood Collection. Note in the background the china clay works which preceded the milk depot

St Erth 4571 stands awaiting to form the next service to St Ives. Copyright the late Peter Gray Transport Treasury 6th February 1960. Copyright. The smiles on the faces of the staff on the platform and the raised mug of crewman add so much to this very interesting pictures.

A class 45 waits to leave for St Ives, ahead it will pass between the station yards. Copyright Rod Garner

All Change at St Erth

A most appreiate unit at St Erth. Under major engineering works at St Erth in mid March 2018 the area between platforms 3 and 4 will be filled in to create a larger passenger circulating concourse with platform 3 being widened Copyright John Cornelius

St Erth outer home signal Copyright Charles Fennamore

ST ERTH W55025 awaiting departure with the 15.40 to St Ives 11th January 1986 Copyright Clive Smith

A brief history of W55025 kindly supplied by Clive Smith
W55025 was converted to departmental use in 1993 and is currently under restoration at Long Marston. It is hoped to be moved to the North Somerset Railway where services are planned to run between Radstock and Frome. Who knows ? We could yet see the return of W55025 to your pages !

St Erth 51410 & 51368 arrivng from St Ives 27th June 1995 Andy Stace Copyright. Note :- sadly there was a minor fire in one of these units which caused its withdrawal from service and a bit of 'GWR Charm' was lost to Cornwall.

1071 Western Renown had already ventured down the Roskear branch to Holmans,returning to Penzance where it picked up what I believe was the Bristol parcels and a couple of flat wagons which it shunted into the sidings at St Erth. This shot is of it on the St Ives branch during that shunt! St Ives branch at St Erth. 29th September 1976 Copyright Steve Burdett

4505 runs in towards St Erth with a train from St Ives. 24th April 1957 57 Copyright the late Jon Wood collection. N.B. Many years later Lelant Saltings would appear in the background. This location is impossible nowadays due to a new bridge associated with the A30 improvements

A most unusual view, a tribute to the photographers ingenuity. Seen from the A30 bridge, 51336 and 51378 heading away from St Erth. 16th September 1996. Copyright Andy Stace

Skipper 142081 makes its way towards St Ives crossing the main road near Lelant Saltings 2nd August 1986 Copyright Roger Winnen

Lelant Saltings 0pened in 1978

Lelant Saltings under construction. Copyright Mike Roach

Another view of the Saltings under construction in April 1978. Copyright Mike Roach

Plymouth based unit 460 certainly caused a sensation when it traveled the rails in the region. Previously the red nameplates of D1013 Western Ranger had caused excitement but the all over BT livery was something new - a taste of the garish future decorations of twenty years hence. Here is P460 leaving Lelant Saltings and heading for St Erth in 1985. Copyright Mike Roach

Two years later at Lelant Saltings Class 118 SET No P460, Lelant Salting , ( 51317, 51325 & 51310 ) 25th June 1987 Copyright Steve Widdowson

142023 approaches Lelant Saltings Mar 82 - Copyright Mike Roach

September 1993, a glorious picture on a glorious day as the chocolate and cream DMU ex Birmingham, joins the former London based unit. Copyright Sid Sponheimer

With Phillack Church in the background 51386 and 51344 take to the curves approaching Lelant Saltings heading for St Erth. 13th June 1996. Andy Stace

An unusual view of a 3 + 1 Heritage combination on route to or from St Ives at very nearly full tide. Of special interest is the domination of the scene by the giant stacks of the long gone Hayle Power Station. The pylons of the HV distribution route can be seen striding away to the right of the picture. Copyright Andrew Thompson.

At full tide, looking across the Saltings at Lelant Saltings station. Here we see 51368 53327 53314 heading for St Ives on the 17th August 1995. Andy Stace - Copyright This is a very popular spot for bird spotters.

Lelant

Lelant station in March 1992. Copyright Sid Sponheimer

Lelant had a signal box, controlling a level crossing at the St Erth end of the platform, leading to a jetty. There was also the connection to Lelant Quay (Dynamite Quay) -a spread of three long sidings. In addition, there were distant, home and starting signals in either direction. The box lost its signals and became a ground frame some time around 1892. By 1906, the OS 25 inch map showed Lelant Quay sidings intact, but disconnected from the running line. Note from Roy Hart.

Other very interesting material on Dynamite Quay can be found at this location. http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-1022-1/dissemination/pdf/archaeol14-102269_1.pdf

Sometime in 1974 47565 with an engineering train pauses at Lelant. Copyright Peter Radford.

Don't these units look smart in this setting? The full tide has covered the mud usually visible here. A short branch serving Norwaymans Wharf left the 'main line' just off the picture to the left and followed the wall alongside the water. Here we see 51386 and 51344 approaching Lelant heading for St Erth. 13th June 1996. Copyright Andy Stace

What a picture to reflect upon, beautiful lighting, lovely reflections. 51368 53327 53314 heading for St Ives. 17th August 1995. Copyright Andy Stace

September 1995 as a sandwich formed by the two formerly London based Power Cars has filling of former Birmingham based chocolate and cream. Copyright Sid Sponheimer

September 1995. Copyright Sid Sponheimer.

150266 Lelant 28th May 2020 Copyright Mark Lynam.

Lelant Upgrade - platform extension. March 2022. Dennis Clarke

Lelant Platform Extension 1 15th March 2022 Copyright Dennis Clarke

Lelant Platform Extension 2 15th March 2022 Copyright Dennis Clarke

Lelant Platform Extension 3 15th March 2022 Copyright Dennis Clarke

Lelant Platform Extension 4 15th March 2022 Copyright Dennis Clarke

Lelant Platform Extension 5 15th March 2022 Copyright Dennis Clarke

Lelant Upgrade - Level crossing closure prior to re-installation. April 2022. Dennis Clarke

Lelant Platform Extension 6 Footpath changes 21st April 2022 Copyright Dennis Clarke

Lelant Platform Extension 8 Footpath changes 21st April 2022 Copyright Dennis Clarke

Lelant Platform Extension 9 Footpath changes 21st April 2022 Copyright Dennis Clarke

Lalant Golf Course heading towards Carbis Bay.

It's a full tide at Hayle which we see in the background with 51368 51410 leaving Lelant bound for St Ives. 27th June 1995. Andy Stace Copyright

Lelant to Lelant Golf Course 51368 53327 53314 heading for St Ives. There was a short branch line off to a riverside wharf leaving the St Ives branch to follow the river bank - possibly called Norway Wharf. During construction of the line the work on this cutting disturbed a number of ancient graves.17th August 1995. Andy Stace Copyright

The Chocolate and Cream set again, this time coasting towards Lelant. In the shadows one can just see the drivers hand on the controls and also somebody sharing the cab. Was this person a lucky passenger one wonders? Replacing these wonderful units with 'modern' 150's etc was almost criminal, passengers are now deprived of much of the view on this glorious line. 51368 and 51410 head for St Erth. 28th June 1995. Andy Stace , Copyright.

37057 on the St Ives branch wiith St Uny Church in the background. 3q52 14th June 2017 Copyright Craig Munday This is a view from Hayle Towans, at one time a passenger ferry operated across the trecherous waters of the Hayle estuary at this point. Craig had to be up early to catch a shot of this train which had to be off the branch before the first service train of the day which left St Erth at 07.06.

In a Cornish Graveyard -Lelant St Uny Picture taken in June 2023 Copyright Peter Flanagan.

On a coastal walk a few days ago (JUne 2023) , I spotted this memorial stone in Uny Lelant graveyard. I thought it may be of interest. Out of respect for any relative, I decided not to include any name in the photo. Perhaps the gentleman laid to rest here was a fervent railway enthusiast, or a very keen member of GWR staff.
Regards.......Peter.

A really classic picture brought to us courtesy of David Cook - it comes with the permission of Transport Treasury. 4566 and D6320 passing West Cornwall Golf Course Copyright Peter W Gray/transporttreasury.com

A cab view from a train coasting down the bank alongside Lelant Golf Course. May 1996 Copyright Dan Engstrom

The chocolate and cream liveried set was a firm favourite in Cornwall the GWR colours warming our hearts! Here we see the full set comprising of 51368 59420 51410 passing Porth Kidney sands with a St Erth to St Ives service. 1st September 1993. Andy Stace Copyright

From the golf course, 51336 and 51378 climbing up past Port Kidney sands, 15th September 1996. Copyright Andy Stace

Taken from higher up on the golf course, 53327 53314 51368 51361 heading for St Ives. The half of the GW set looks a little out of place. Note the scattering of holiday chalets on the Towans 14th August 1996

A lovely fresh picture as seas break over the sand bar at the entrance to the Hayle river. In the distance National Grid pylons stride across Mexico and Hayle Towans connecting the power station to the grid. In 2014 it is hoped to feed power back into the grid from the 'wave hub' - the cables from which run from the hub under water and under the beach to the Power Station site. This picture dated 24th June 1979 Copyright Mike Roach

A picture post card view of a heritage unit on the St Ives branch. Here on 16th September 1996 we see 51336 and 51378 performing its days work. The cheerful and colourful livery goes so well with the sand and sea at Porth Kidney sands. Copyright Andy Stace.

A lovely shot of days gone by. The three miles of golden sands stretch from Gwithian to Hayle whilst a lone cloud casts its shadow over the blue waters of St Ives bay. Copyright Rod Garner

150266 climbs through the cutting to pass Lelant Golf course - Porth Kidney Sands below with a service to St Ives. 28th May 2020 Copyright Mark Lynam

The return service from St Ives commences the down hill run. 150266. 28th May 2020. Copyright mark Lynam.

Hawkes Point The line climbs from Lelant up past Lelant Golf Course and after traversing a shelf cut into the hillside it comes to a level crossing just prior to plunging into a deep curing cutting which takes it through some high ground. it was during the construction of this branch the navvies, probably with mining experience came across a tin bearing lode.

Running alongside the glorious St Ives bay. In the distance can be seen Godrevy lighthouse. A dangerous reef extends outwards from Godrevy lighthouse called the Stones and on this many vessels have come to grief. In 1859, same year as the Royal Albert bridge James Walker designed the lighthouse, with its welcome light. 24th June 1979 Copyright Mike Roach

51368 and 51410 passing Porth Kidney sands bound for St Ives.28th June 1995. Copyright Andy Stace

Hawkes point with P126 55026 approaching the public level crossing. Note 'oiler' on cyrve. In the background can be seen, across the entrance to the Hayle river, the tall chimneys of Hayle Power station. 24th June 1979 Copyright Mike Roach

Looking almost like a model and having passed Lelant Golf Course the train climbs the last bit of the grade from Lelant before it swings over a pedestrian level crossing and into Hawkes Point cutting. It is understood that the men, many of whom were miners, were attracted by the ore bearing rock through which they toiled excavating the cutting. Note the glow of St Ives in the distance. St Ives is much favoured by artists for its light. This picture by Andy Stace 7th September 1994 Copyright

150248 working 2A12 10.33 St Ives-St Erth at Hawkes Point, viewed from the top of Porthkidney Bank Andrew Triggs 16th April 2021

A rare shot taken on 9th February, 1986 of an engineering train headed by 47565 making its way towards St Erth. The train is just passing through Hawkes Point cutting. Copyright Peter Radford.

A picture taken before the one above shows 47565 making its way back towards St Erth with an engineers train. The work site was in the distance near the white fencing alongside the branchline. 9th February, 1986. Copyright Peter Radford.

Looking through Hawkes Point cutting from the level crossing end. 9th February, 1986. Authorised by kind permission of the Civil Engineer from the Exeter Division of British Rail. From the Peter Radford Collection

Hawkes Point and Carbis Bay at 07.56 on the 7th July 1979 Copyright Mike Roach

51370.59522.51412.53310. 53326 leaves Carbis Bay station with a St Ives to St Erth service 2nd September 1993 Copyright Andy Stace

No excuse for yet another view of the GW set as the driver of 51368 59520 51410 applies the brakes approaching Carbis Bay. Nowadays with an intensive 'clock face' timetable there is insufficient time in the schedule for all trains to stop at Carbis Bay so one has to be careful to pick the right train if wishing to alight. This picture 1st September 1993 Copyright Andy Stace

Cornish Garden - a delightful scene at Carrack Gladden - the crossing just beofore Hawkes Point on the outward journey. 15th April 2017 Copyright Martin Scane.

A brace of 150's approaches Carrack Gladden. 15th April 2017. Copyright Martin Scane

After a heavy shower, 53327 and 53314 leaving Carbis Bay for St Erth. Probably the precipitation accounts for the lack of souls on the beach. Note the line continuing towards St Ives in the distance and the footbridge which carries the coastal path. 7th September 1994. Andy Stace Copyright

Carbis Bay

From a postcard posted in 1961 a view of Hawkes Point and the cutting through which a train from St Erth passes before stopping at Carbis Bay station. In the near distance can be seen the entrance to the Hayle River, beyond the point. To the left of the picture on the skyline the slight hump is Carn Brea hill which overlooks Redruth.

A much appreciated picture from the paddy Bradley Collection of Postcards. Copyright.

From a much earlier post card - 1900's a superb picture of Carbis Bay viaduct. Beyond the viaduct the line can be seen following the contours before, out of sight around the bend the rails dip towards the terminus at St Ives. It would seem that the footpath which currently crosses the railway by means of a footbridge does not have such a luxury and a boarded crossing appears to be in that location about two hundred yards beyond the viaduct.

The last of the 3100 Class calls at Carbis Bay. Picture from the Maurice Dart Collection.

A delightful view of Carbis Bay with the name picked out in bricks. Copyright Tim Dunn.

Dear team, I wondered if you might be able to help a senior colleague of mine at Network Rail and I, as we have exhausted our usual searches at the NRM, other Cornish museums and my book collection. He is looking for:
"a pre-war photograph of Carbis Bay Station, specifically the words ‘Carbis Bay’ written in seashells on the embankment opposite the platform. This sign was demolished in the war and replaced in white cobbles in the 1950s; a photo I have (attached)."
I can only find one image in postcards, this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29903115@N06/47955604367/in/photolist-2g4F1qX-9MX6XU-owKRG9-eGTtmh-FsKaAB-vQXdKh-fckgYy-o1qQgM-Gq2mmQ-6GvQYK-5g8dBL-U2DkPA-FsKaSZ-Fmoi2J-vQXmA7-VgpUJT-5ethu8-925E3n-WoE42w-2kuFfoU-xHUfUq-2jN2KnU-zy3P9f-csG3nW-SZc59w-56LqjG-SWub49-2i6KPDu-PtbUfv-24xDLoe-SZcpUU-SWupGm-2jJA145-2asKibC-jzPG1v-PtbUzi-vQXBKA-SS7JHh-GkJXNr-czwamG-2jqZKUV-24rbXtN-cPwDWN-vpmBBz-qwoWpB-sgzrs5-rJWYUt-oSWNxC-vm696A-oSWHeb

Might you or one of the members be able to help us, please?
Many thanks
Tim Dunn Historian & Presenter of "The Architecture The Railways Built" on UKTV http://www.twitter.com/mrtimdunn

The station sign Copyright Roger Winnen 31st May 2021

An undated picture by Andrew Thompson of Carbis Bay, a class 142 Skipper calls on its way towards St Ives. Copyright. The cutting face opposite the platform was decorated with the station name picked out in white stones.

A later view from a postcard looking in much the same direction. Note that the footpath now crosses the line by means of a footbridge. The Alan Harris Collection

Looking back towards Carbis Bay station over Carbis Bay viaduct. 9th February, 1986 From the Peter Radford Collection

Focus on Carbis Bay in 1965
Laurence Hansford

Carbis Bay station viewed over the top of the Viaduct towards St Erth. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Cross Country set approaching over the viaduct. The large pipe attached to the outside (something like 18 ins dia.) followed the line all the way as far as the engine shed and carried Carbis Bay’s sewerage into St Ives where it was all discharged out at sea when the tide changed! I understand that some years ago the flow was reversed and it was superseded by an even larger one carrying St Ives’ sewerage all the way in the other direction to a new treatment works at St Erth. I believe the new pipe is buried in the ballast across the viaduct, raising the track and necessitating the present handrail fixed on top of the granite parapet. Copyright Laurence Hansford (nb)

Cross Country set leaving Carbis Bay, heading towards St Erth. At the time all the buildings were virtually unaltered from original and lighting was still provided by oil (Tilley Lamps). All the lamp post shown in the old photo had disappeared (for the “war effort”?). Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Rather delightful cast iron weight restrictions signs fixed either side of the road bridge leading down to the beach. Checking on Google Street View, the bridge is still there carrying modern traffic, the posts are also still there almost rusted through but the signs are long gone; I wonder where they went. 1965 Copyright Laurence Hansford (no)

Station seen through the over-bridge looking towards St Ives. Look how many people there are on the beach. Copyright Laurence Hansford. (np)

The zoomed in view emphasises the number on the beach - before the days of surf boards!! Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Track looking towards St Erth from the over-bridge. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Carbis Bay station with nobody around after a train has left… unless you enlarge the image and look carefully when you can see the station porter on his way back near the top of the incline. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

An enlargement of the above picture - the porter can be seen nearing the building almost behind a fencing pillar. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Summer Saturday 6 car train heading off for St Erth. In the 1960s after the end of loco hauled trains, 6 car trains were normal on Summer Saturdays as well as at other times. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Passengers pouring off a train from St Ives; note the tickets being collected by the Guard. At quiet times this would be done by the Porter but when he was too busy (presumably selling tickets or whatever), the train would stop with the Guards Van as near as possible opposite the slope and the Guard would nip out and perform this duty. It is probable that the Guard is E. Norris who also features on the St Ives station staff photograph. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Train bound for St Ives arriving at Carbis Bay. Here you get a good view of the station name laid out in white painted stones. In earlier times when the station was better staffed, the letters themselves were filled with bedding plants and the grass kept short. August 1965 Copyright Laurence Hansford.

A few moments later as the train pulls in. Note the Guard getting ready to jump out. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Many thanks to Laurence Hansford for the above set of photographs.

Carbis Bay - near c 47565 Viewed approaching the footbridge at Carbis Bay. Copyright Peter Radford Collection.

In the distance a footbridge provides access to Hawkes point, from there line follows the contours through Carbis Bay station, adjacent to the road and then after passing over Carbis Bay viaduct come to the nearby footbridge which carries the coastal path over the line. 24th June 1979. Copyright Mike Roach

Mike made a very early morning trip to Carbis Bay in the hope of getting the sun on the first service of the day to St ives. Unfortunately the sun didn't quite oblidge on this occasion but beautifully lit the return ECS working - see below. By the way its 06.26 on 24th June 1979 - not long after mid summers day. Copyright Mike Roach

The first service of the day for some reason returned empty stock to St Erth seen here approaching Carbis Bay at 06.46 7th July 1979 Copyright Mike Roach

Thought to be from the footpath that runs down from the end of the Hain Walk towards Carbis Bay beach over the footbridge near where the Fixed Distant used to be. Date 1957 - 61. Copyright Rob Woodhouse Rarity Value Media Collection

150248 rounding Porthminster Point, working 2A13 10.48 St Erth-St Ives, viewed from Carbis Bay Andrew Triggs 16th April 2021

An old boundary marker dated 1912 on the South West Coast Path between Lelant and Carbis Bay 19th April 2019 Copyright David Anthony

Detail of the above marker post. Photographed by David Anthony on the 19th April 2019. Copyright

Looking towards the signal seen in the picture below. From the Peter Radford Collection

ts a lovely day on the 24th June 1979 as the train passes the fixed distant prior to dropping down into St Ives. Copyright Mike Roach

A picture Post Card! St Ives looking smashing in this light - there was a bitter east wind at the time. Copyright Craig Munday taken Mid March 2016

A view of the penultimate overbridge before St Ives. 9th February 1986. Peter Radford Collection

The tide is quite low in this familiar picture of the approach to St ives. The cast iron sign would be worth a mint nowadays. Peter Radford Collection

St Ives

N.B. For those who would like more detailed views of St Ives station a collection of copies of pictures taken by the late Patrick English has recently (Dec 2013) come to light - these can be found in the ARCHITECTURE SECTION.

Riviera to St Ives
Laurence Hansford

Because I wanted to finally nail the question of whether the actual Cornish Riviera Express did work in and out of St Ives on summer Saturdays (as well as make sure that my memory wasn’t playing tricks with me) I have been doing a trawl of all the magazine and book articles I could find, looking for photographic evidence.

Considering how well used and well-loved the line is and how scenic its route, there has been surprisingly little written about it – certainly no glossy Coffee Table book dedicated to it, like some relatively minor branches. I suppose it is because of its short length with not even a siding from one end to the other, never mind a crossing place, together with its predictability in motive power, making it rather boring in railway terms.

None-the-less, I have found a number of articles (and there probably are others) and quite a few photos of through Paddington trains. However I have restricted myself to just those photos where the Name Boards are clearly visible on the sides of the carriages.

I have tabulated the results in chronological order as follows:

PUBLICATION
ARTICLE
COMMENTS

Railway Bylines July 1999
The St Ives Branch Oswald J Barker
p350, R C Riley collection, undated but pre-war 4410, hauling at least 1 coach plus some others down near Carbis Bay(maybe just a single through coach but impossible to tell).

GWR Journal late summer 1992
The St Ives Branch Stanley C Jenkins MA
p15, Ray Holland, late 1930s, 4517, Centenary Brake Compo evening arrival loading up Tregenna Castle Bus. Is it train or through coach? Not more than 6 coaches, Lettering dark on light.

p17, Ray Holland, some time between 1953 ( arrival of hut on putting green) and 1955 (rebuilding of viaduct). 10 coach evening arrival, mixed assortment of coaches, lettering light on dark.

p21, B A Butt, 15-08-1953, Down train 10 coaches out on the cliffs.

Steam Days April 2002
Steam Days at Penzance
Stanley Jenkins
p240, B A Butt, 01-08-1953, Down train just arriving with 10 pre BR coaches.

Railway World Special 1988 “Cornish Riviera”
Summer Saturday service to St Ives Chris Lea
p45, Chris Lea, 04-07-1958, 4564 & another have just parked down train in St Erth down Refuge siding

p43, P Q Treloar, 26-07-1958, 4547 & 4566 wait in St Erth up refuge siding for RA to St Ives with delayed down service.

GWR in West Cornwall
Alan Bennett

p36, Alan Bennet, 30-08-1958, 4554 & 4568 with down 10 chocolate & cream coaches on Lelant towans.

Steam in Cornwall
P W Gray

p62, P W Gray, no date, Colour photo 4549 & 4570 have just parked chocolate & cream stock in down refuge siding at St Erth.

Back Track
Jan 2014
The St Ives Branch Alan Bennett
p39, P W Gray, same photo as above but gives date as 30-07-1960.

Railway Bylines July 1999
The St Ives Branch Oswald J Barker
p355, P W Gray, 30-07-1960, 4549 & 4571 at Lelant Towans rounding the curve towards Hawks Point. Has the other end of the Choc/Cream set in the above photo lost its nameboards?

The one thing that is immediately apparent from the above is that every single picture is of an evening “down” train. One might, then, be tempted to conclude that whilst the down CRE definitely did visit St Ives in post-war years, the GWR and its successor only treated visitors on their way to St Ives to the delights of the Cornish Riviera Express and wasn’t too fussed how they got home.

In fact it’s not as simple as that: out of all the photos in the dozen or so publications, I could only find TWO of the corresponding morning train and these were taken by P W Gray in the last days of steam when things were in a state of flux. That a morning up train ran is beyond doubt, so why so few photos? The reason, I believe is simple and depends upon two facts.

Here is the first. As far as I was aware, apart from B A Butt, whose Cornish railway photos appear from time to time, (Mr Butt, incidentally, was a professional photographer who earned his bread from wedding photos and had a shop next door down Tregenna Hill from the Catholic Church) there was nobody else living in St Ives who showed even the vaguest interest in railways; certainly I never saw anybody else local hanging about the station with or without a camera. I discount, of course, railwaymen, but they didn’t generally carry cameras with them.

Now for the second. Throughout the fifties my favourite time of the day during the summer months was before 9:30 in the morning. Why? Because there were no visitors about; the streets and beaches were deserted and I had the place virtually to myself. One must remember that back in those days all Hotel and Guest House accommodation was either Full Board or, maybe, Bed, Breakfast & Evening Meal and in the days of rationing you had to hand over your Coupons. People were far more regimented then and my mother put breakfast on the tables at 9:00 – this was universal; if I was out I would hear dinner gongs and bells being rung all over the place. There was none of this “breakfast is 8:30 till 10:30”. Like all other establishments, if a guest missed it that was it, which people didn’t do since they had paid for it. It wasn’t as if they could get a breakfast easily anywhere else, especially under rationing. Consequently, anybody wanting to photograph the up Riviera had to go without breakfast! Before anyone asks, we did make an exception for guests who had to actually catch the Riviera or an earlier train!

So I think that simply due to circumstances of the day, photos of the morning train will be much rarer than those of the evening one. In 1955 even a keen railway photographer would have thought twice about giving up breakfast when there would be a similar photo-opportunity at a much more convenient time after spending the day on the beach with the family but before heading back to the hotel for dinner, the standard time for which was 7 o’clock.

Unless some other photos turn up it looks to me as if the only way of settling this is to delve back into the working timetables. Unfortunately, apart from those I have already mentioned I don’t have any myself so, at the moment, it is down to other people.

Finally, one of the most interesting photos showing the Cornish Riviera Express in St Ives station is actually to be found here, on this very web-site, at the extreme far end of the St Ives section of the Cornwall Galleries. From the number of people on the beach and putting-green this can only be the evening train and the passengers standing around in the foreground are all waiting for transport (almost certainly taxis) to their Hotels and Guest Houses. As for the train, there would have been another 2 or 3 carriages, plus an engine, out of sight to the Left. I wonder what happened to the original negative? I bet there is a wealth of detail which has been lost in the half-tone printing. What publication did this come from, anyway? My guess is Holiday Haunts. As an aside, I remember all the characters shown (this was by no means the full staff complement for the branch) but I only got to know the last two really well.

Even more finally, we have the piece by Colin Burges on the 28th December with the link to the very interesting 1952 BR film. What particularly caught my eye was the shot of the up “Riveera” itself, hauled by, I think, a Manor. It must have been winter time as there were only 7 coaches but the interesting bit was an absence of loco headboard and a measly 3 carriage name-boards. An example of post-war make-do-and-mend.

And, really, really, finally we come to Colin Burges’ comments about the pronunciation of “riveera”. From what I remember, I think he is absolutely right, but I suspect this was as a result of the word having been “Cornishized” after having first been Anglicized. According to my dictionary “Riviera” was adopted from Italian back in the middle of the 18th century, no doubt as a result of the Aristocracy going on the “Grand Tour” and you can be pretty sure that they would have been punctilious about using the Italian word.

My understanding is that the term “Cornish Riviera” was coined by the GWR Publicity Dept in 1904 to encourage the tourist trade. I am on guessing territory now but my feeling is that previous to that the word would have been virtually unknown to Cornish railwaymen and when it started to be used on publicity material they had no idea how it was supposed to be pronounced so invented their own. It was, after all, many years before the BBC started to broadcast a standardised English to the nation; previous to that the only way it spread around was by the movement of people and there were probably more Cornishmen involved in running the “Riveera” than anyone else! I could go on about this but I will just say that on recent visits to Cornwall I hear very few people talking with even a mild Cornish accent and what I do hear is seriously watered-down compared with what I heard all around me as a child.

Cheers for now,

Laurence Many thanks indeed for such an extensive article

St. Ives Branch memories: late 1950’s Garth Tilt

On the middle Saturday of my first holiday at St. Ives I made my way to St. Erth specially to ride on the Down ‘Cornish Riviera’ to St. Ives. The train ran in on the Down Main hauled by a ‘County’ class engine. It was detached with a couple of coaches and left for Penzance. Two 45xx tanks were attached to the rear and the whole train was propelled to the West crossover where it reversed into the Up platform to allow St. Erth passengers to board. The train looked magnificent with all the BR Mk1 coaches painted in chocolate and cream plus two GW dining cars. This was my first ride over the branch double headed!
I also became aware of a further train which was always double headed and this was the 7.00pm to Truro which had come from Penzance at 6.00pm. This ran Mondays to Fridays during the summer timetable basically provided to take day trippers home. My pal David came down from Birmingham to stay for the weekend with me on the Friday. I said he would be in time to see this train over the branch. I met him at St. Erth and was somewhat surprised when our branch train of just three coaches was double headed to St. Ives. At St. Ives all was revealed. The sea siding was full of corridor stock so running round was impossible. We decided to walk to the overbridge that overlooked the engine shed and the station by the inner home signal. A local train left for St. Erth so we would wait for the Truro train which duly arrived double headed but to our delight with a pannier tank coupled inside a 45xx! I’d never seen a pannier tank at St. Ives before and yes it was 9748. The 45xx was detached at the inner home and 9748 took the train into the station. Two 45xx’s were duly coupled and the ‘Truro’ left for St. Erth. This released 9748 and after coupling to another 45xx drew the excursion stock out of the sea siding and reversed into the main platform. After about twenty minutes the excursion left for St. Erth with 9748 coupled inside. Sadly I have no idea where the excursion was returning to.
My last visit in steam days was in August 1960. On the Sunday, 4566 resplendent in lined green livery from its overhaul at Newton Abbot Works, worked the branch all day. I was determined to get a photograph of it during the week, it never appeared again! I did see it at Barry scrap yard in 1967 looking very sad so I was delighted when the Severn Valley Railway gave it a good home. On the Friday evening I made my way to the station to record the ‘Truro’, permission was readily granted and to my delight both 45xx’s were facing to St. Erth. The following morning I also went down to record the 0920 to Paddington, it too had both engines facing St. Erth. The coaches were a motley collection mostly ex.GW including a dining car. At this period the ‘Riviera’ ran as a separate train from Penzance at 10.00am. We were staying above the harbour and I arrived back in time to watch the 0920 climbing out of the station towards Carbis Bay, a splendid sight! Later we returned to the station for our connection to St. Erth for the Wolverhampton train, to our surprise we were directed to our connecting train in the bay, another first for me. Was this a regular Summer Saturday working, does anyone know? **
There was one other through train on the branch apart from a couple of locals which ran through to or from Penzance. It ran just on a few Friday nights from Paddington in July/August at 10.12pm. with coaches for St. Ives and Penzance. It left St. Erth at 06.02 am arriving into St. Ives at 06.18 and returned empty stock to Penzance, I never saw it, far too early!
I missed the D63xx period on the branch, not returning until 1967. Did anyone photograph the ‘4575’ 5562 working the branch in 1962? It would be very nice to see.
Garth Tilt.
November, 2016.
** Roger Winnen writes :- Hello Garth.
Reading your item on the St Ives Branch with 9748 brought back memories to me. The Sunday Schools in Penzance ran a special train once a year to Carbis Bay and St Ives for the annual Sunday School outing.
It would be in the mid 1950s that I rode behind 9748 and 4570 from Carbis Bay to St Erth where 3 coaches were detached, then 9748 headed the remaining six coaches to Penzance.
This was the only time that I ever saw a pannier tank on the branch as they were officially not permitted to work the branch.
This train no doubt ran in late July or August and it was possibly the same train as you saw.
Its all very interesting.
Kindest regards, Roger Winnen
Many thanks to both Garth and Roger

Garth Tilt's article pretty much encapsulates the flavour of what it was like during the Summer months back in steam days. Just a couple of small comments, though.

I always understood that if everything was running to time, it was normal practice for the pair of 45s to draw the train straight onto the branch direct from Platform 1 (the Down Main). Don’t forget that back then St Erth was a double junction (if that is the right term). In other words the Branch could be accessed directly from either Main Line.

However it was a different matter if the down Riviera was running late or there was already a train on the Branch for some other reason. On a Summer Saturday there was so much traffic that neither Main platform could be left occupied by a waiting train so it was usual for the 45s to push the train forwards and into the Up Refuge siding at the West end of the station where they could wait in comfort until the Branch was clear. Not sure what they did with passengers who wanted to get on at St Erth, though.

With regard to the use of 9748, I have to admit I never saw it. As soon as I was able to recognise numbers the first thing that caught my eye was the splendid brass number plates on the side of the engines and I think this would have been in 1948. I wondered why the first two numbers were always the same but the last always different; my father wasn’t much help, he just said that the numbers were so that individual engines could be recognised. On the occasional shopping trips to Penzance (by train, of course) it didn’t take me long to notice that the first two numbers differed between different sorts of engines and came to the obvious conclusion. I was now on the look-out for engines at St Ives which didn’t have 4 & 5 as their first two numbers but none ever appeared. Indeed, right throughout the 1950s I never saw anything other than pure 45XXs at St Ives and it wasn’t for want of looking!

However, in the late fifties I did hear about the Cameo appearance of one of the ubiquitous pannier tanks at St Ives on 2 or 3 occasions during the day in school hours. I have been looking through my notes scribbled at the time and I recorded that 9763 worked during April 1962 when a D63XX broke down and that 5545 replaced a 45XX on the 5:30 pm on some days. Later, on the 23rd June 1962 I saw 5508 at St Ives and then 5545 again on the 3rd August. The last time I saw any steam loco at St Ives was a week later, on the 10th August, when 5545 reappeared yet again.

By the beginning of the 1960s it was obvious that steam wouldn’t last much longer in Cornwall and I would have liked to take some photos before it, and possibly the Branch, disappeared. All my father had was a pre-war Box Brownie which I soon found was next to useless for anything other than family snaps and anybody who was around at the time will recall that a good camera was mighty expensive – way beyond my pocket. My parents, like lots of people, were in the habit of visiting local auction salerooms (which in post-war Britain were in every town) and I used to go with them so I started to look for a second-hand camera. It was the same story; if it was nice, it was still a lot more than I could afford. However one day I spotted a pre-war German folding plate camera which took the smallest size of plates, 2½ x 3½ in. It was in pretty good condition and had a good lens and shutter so I bid for it and got it for the princely sum of 7/6, complete with six dark slides for the plates. Disappointment soon came when I discovered that a box of a dozen plates cost 6/6 and processing about the same so I determined to do my own developing. I got the chemicals from a Government Surplus yard in Hayle somewhere off Mellanear Road and used a couple of plastic sandwich boxes. As one can imagine without either experience, a light meter or a darkroom there was a good deal of trial and error before I was able to produce acceptable images and quite a few of the precious plates got wasted.

Well, the first proper use of my new acquisition happened to be on the 10th August 1962 so I did get 3 photos of 5545 but the quality is embarrassingly bad; the plates were under-exposed and nought out of ten for the developing (unless you appreciate finger streaks etc). Anyway, here they are as they do prove that 5545 did indeed visit St Ives. They were taken in the afternoon as she had been doing some shunting of goods wagons. The first shot shows her in the Bay Platform, the second going off to fill up with water and the third being coupled-up to the branch train.

As for the pannier tanks, although they had more adhesive weight and marginally more tractive effort, even thought they had the same size wheels they couldn’t match a 45XX or 55XX for either speed or stamina. After the end of steam in the West Country some of the 55XXs ended their days in the Thames Valley working up to Paddington, mostly on pick-up goods and parcels traffic. On several occasions I was lucky enough to see one hammering, flat out, through Maidenhead on a non-stop parcels train from Reading to Slough with 5 or 6 vehicles, at a truly astounding speed taking full advantage of Brunel’s Billiard Table. No pannier tank could do that!

And, yes it was usual to run passenger trains not only out of but also into the Bay Platform on Summer Saturdays – the platform edge wasn’t painted white just for appearances.

Oh, and here is also a shot of 557? on a goods at Maidenhed waiting for the “right away”. Note that the points are set for the branch to Bourne End and High Wycombe. Like at St Erth, the connection from the Down Relief was taken out many years ago.
Cheers, Laurence.. Many thanks indeed Laurence. Your early efforts with a camera captured scenes that would otherwsie be lost and are much appreciated.

Proof indeed that 5545 did indeed visit St Ives as it stands in the bay platform prior to going off to get water. Note the Camping Coach in the goods siding. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

5545 goes off to get a top up on its tanks. 10th August 1962. Copyright Laurence Hansford

10th August 1962. The fireman engages in that hazardous operation - coupling up 5545 to the train for its return journey. Copyright Laurence Hansford

And finally, way out of our parish, we see in 1965 a 55xx eking out its existence at Maidenhead. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Coals to St Ives
Laurence Hansford

Laurence Hansford is native of St Ives having grown up there and has as a deep knowledge of matters pertaining to the St Ives branch and it unusual working practices.

Secondly just a couple of points about the interesting photos of Steam at St Ives which have recently emerged:
Regarding the station head-shunt being concreted over for handling fish traffic I can confirm it was still present well into the 50s. I can’t remember exactly when it was torn up but I think it was done in 1954 when the viaduct was rebuilt. At the time the opportunity was taken to replace most of the signalling (for example all the point rodding was changed from the old rusty round iron bar to the modern galvanised iron inverted trough section running on hidden rollers) as well as some of the track in the station area. I also remember that lying between the two tracks was a long piece of rather perished rubber hose still connected to a large tap protruding from the ballast. This was very similar to what could be seen at other stations used for replenishing train toilet cisterns. I also recall the area still smelling fishy although this probably came from empty fish boxes which tended to be piled in the area between the buffer stops and the weigh-bridge hut.
Now, as for the use of large prairies, the period between the official cessation of steam on the branch and the real end of steam was rather interesting. To start with, the type 2 diesels (D63XX class) were used just as a straight replacement for a steam engine so most trains consisted of a “B” set with the diesel running round at each end, the only difference being that they never went up to the engine shed for water. Even the evening double length train back to St Erth ran with a double-headed pair. Then after some months DMUs started to be used instead , initially consisting of a “bubblecar” and a trailer. This caused unexpected problems. Up until this point most freight movements (mostly coal, mangle wurzels, sugar beet or motor-bike paniers) were handled by tagging 2 or 3 trucks behind the branch passenger train. Not sure whose idea it was but St Ives railwaymen saw the bubblecar and trailer as a push-pull engine and coach, reasoning that as the trailer weighed 30 odd tons, the bubblecar on its own would be able to deal with 2-3 trucks. Accordingly, for a while, when required they would drive down the sea siding, uncouple and disconnect the trailer and dump it there, pick up the trucks and take them on the next timetabled train to St Erth. The trailer would be picked up later.
Not surprisingly, this practice was sooner or later to run into trouble. With ordinary branch passenger coaches it only really mattered that the brake vacuum pipes were coupled up properly; if there was a problem with the steam heating pipes or the lighting connectors it wasn’t exactly the end of the world. These new-fangled diesels were a bit different: pretty much all the connections had to be reliably made for the whole train to be fully controllable and on more than one occasions they ended-up with a train which they couldn’t get to function properly, meaning that another DMU had to be called out complete with a fitter to sort the problem.
It was quickly realised that splitting/coupling of DMUs was best carried out by those who knew what they were doing and only when necessary.

A bubblecar and trailer had only just sufficient power (300 HP, I think) to manage the 1 in 60 gradients on the St Ives line so from then on goods vehicles were gathered together until there were enough to warrant an afternoon goods train in the care of a D63XX loco. However, that is not to say that never again were goods waggons towed behind DMUs; they were, during the summer months when one or frequently a pair of 3-car units were running which had spare power available. Typical loads were coal trucks and PLA vans carrying stuff like Boy Scout’s gear.
It is a generally accepted wisdom that these early diesels were unreliable and indeed they did have their problems although, having witnessed their introduction, it is my impression that the DMUs were far more troublesome than the type 22s with unexpected failures like broken drive shafts digging into the ballast. However, I think some of the problems can be attributed to the way they were initially handled by men more accustomed to the near indestructability of the steam engine. I also believe that once they had learnt how not to mis-treat their new steads, reliability improved.
So, unexpected substitutions there were; they could be another DMU or a loco plus coaches in place of a DMU, a D63XX in place of another and a steam engine could pop up anytime. And, has been noted, because the dieselisation of West Cornwall was nearly total, the steam engine would be what was available, a pannier tank, a 45XX or a 55XX. I found it very frustrating because I was doing my A-Levels at the time so missed the goings-on during weekdays although I might be lucky enough to see something after I jumped off the school bus at about 4:45.
I wished I had had a camera to record some of what I saw but money was tight; however I did start to take notes from early May 1962 so, for the record I can say that from then on steam featured as follows:-
Monday 11th June 1962   A pair of 3-car DMUs ran until lunchtime then 5508 took over with 5 carriages
Saturday 16th June 1962 5545 & 4570 were used on an 8 coach Sunday School special (this was the last Saturday before start of Summer Timetable)
Saturday 23rd June 1962  There was a lot of activity in addition to the morning UP and evening DOWN through Cornish Riviera. At 11:15 D6318 & D6324 arrived with 8 assorted corridor coaches from different regions. Then 22 minutes later 5545 & 4570 arrived with a rake of 8 WR corridor coaches. These later departed as 3 separate trains. In between, a 3-car DMU ran normal branch services. At 18:00 4570 & 5508 arrived with the 8 coach down Cornish Riviera which they later took back to St Erth without assistance from a third locomotive
Friday 3rd August 1962     At 15:00 5545 arrived with 5 suburban coaches plus 2 covered waggons full of luggage, an open waggon full of drums of creosote, 2 Grampus waggons (on its way, a quantity of wooden sleepers had been off-loaded at Lelant), a waggon containing empty fish boxes and the St Ives Brake Van. After much shunting 5545 left at 16:45 with 5 goods waggons. Normal branch services were run by a pair of 3-car DMUs.
Friday 10th August 1962    A pair of 3-car DMUs ran until early afternoon when 5545 arrived with 4 suburban coaches, 4 goods wagons and the St Ives Brake Van, returning later with just 1 goods waggon. Rest of day in charge of D6312. This was the last known visit of a steam locomotive to St Ives before complete dieselisation.

4-car DMU stopped at Lelant whilst towing an empty coal truck and a PLA van from St Ives to St Erth. The goods waggons must have been Vacuum Fitted, otherwise there would have been a brake van tacked on behind. The coal truck would almost certainly have been on its way back to Hayle Wharves. 8th August 1963. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Zooming in on the unusual consist. 8th August 2021. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Snow at St Ives
Laurence Hansford

Received from Laurence in late December 2016 .Since people have been sending in some seasonal snowy pictures I thought you might like these ones of St Ives in the Snow. I apologise for their poor quality but I took them with my father’s pre-war Box Brownie. Note the “icicle” hanging down the side of the water tank! It must have been sufficiently cold to freeze the overflow so the water just found the lowest point to run down. I can’t be sure which winter it was but I fancy it was 61/62 but at a pinch could have been 62/63. In case anybody is wondering how I was able to wander about all over the tracks, I was wearing my Govt. Surplus RN Submariner’s heavy sweater made of natural wool which made me invisible in the snow. Also, of course, on a Sunday in the wintertime the station and its environs were always completely deserted!

A general view of St Ives under snow. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Snow on top of the water tower and even on the beach! Copyright Laurence Hansford.

The water tank at St Ives. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

The water tower - even the overflow is frozen. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

A view of the approach. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Another view of the approach. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Turning about and looking towards the station.Copyright Laurence Hansford

Looking into the station. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

A coal wagon stands in the bay. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

Many thanks to Laurence for this fine collection of pictures from his Dads box camera.

The question is 'Was gravity shunting ever resorted to at St Ives.? It would look as if having brought its train into St Ives and unloded the passengers the stock was pushed back up the grade, the loco uncoupled and run into one arm of the loop and then, as it would appear, the stock gravitated back into the platform. This happened at Helston when the run round loop was blocked. From a postcard, the property of Alan Harris

The answer - a most interesting reply from Laurence Hansford
I was born in St Ives in 1944 and lived on Draycott Terrace (half of which you can see in in the top Right corner of the gravity shunting photo). We lived on the bit out of the photo. As far back as I can remember, I was very interested in the railway and everything that went on and was lucky enough to have a grandstand view of the whole Station and Engine Shed from where I lived.

I can confirm that gravity shunting was extensively resorted to in the days when the line was steam operated and even, occasionally, after the D63XX diesels took over. The trucks could be either side of the engine but I don’t recall coaching stock being dealt with this way. The gradient into the Station was such that trucks could pick up a fair lick and would have the shunter running alongside to apply the brake.

The most obvious use was for getting empty coal trucks and the odd truck-full of ash and cinders out of the Engine Shed siding, to be replaced with a full truck of coal. Many and various routines were used seemingly down to the combined ingenuity of the footplate crew, guard, signalman and shunter-porter, and what had to be done and how much space was available where. There would be much tooting of whistles and rushing about, at which the 45XXs were particularly adept. I did sometimes wonder if the Rule Book was being followed to the letter! I will leave you to work out how this could be accomplished but bear in mind that the station was extremely cramped, especially in the summer months when extra coaches were usually lying about as well as covered wagons of advance luggage.

Regrettably my parents moved away from St Ives in 1964 but by then the signalling had been removed and with it any excitement.

Laurence Hansford Many thanks to Laurence for this report - lucky you, living at St Ives.

P.S. My view is that the driver of an incoming passenger train had pushed his coaches back up the hill and parked them well clear of the points so as to leave the station clear for shunting goods wagons and the job was now done.

Although during the post-war period goods traffic was light on the St Ives line by the standards of most branch lines, I know from old postcards (and what I was told) that it was a very different kettle of fish in the years before the motor lorry, when everthing was carried by train (before 1877 it would have been the sea). I even have one postcard showing a line of waggons at the tail-end of the sea siding including 3 tank waggons (what were they used for?). Indeed fish is the operative word as, in the years when the photo was taken, complete train loads of pilchards were sent up to London as express perishables. Evidence of this could still be seen at the town end of the main platform beyond the points where the track was concreted in with a drainage channel down the centre and water laid on. I was told that this was where the fish was loaded and everything was sluiced down to get rid of the overwhelming stink of fish.

Reconstruction of Porthminster viaduct, another very welcome article from
Laurence Hansford

Having told you about the end of signalling as well as the supply of loco water at St Ives, I thought I had better tell you about the viaduct just outside the station.

Today it consists of seven short spans bridged by longitudinal parallel pre-stressed reinforced concrete beams and three long spans of pairs of chunky steel “I” beams which support a reinforced concrete “trough” pre-cast in short sections. Reinforced concrete side walls are then continued across the short spans to complete this “trough”, which holds the ballast in place. Hand-rails were then grouted in from end to end on both sides and there are refuges “cast-in” at regular intervals. The three long spans are at the St Erth end.

The construction is more complicated than it appears because the whole thing is curved as well as being bell mouthed at the town end. This is because the points leading to the sea siding (the engine run- round in the station) were actually on the viaduct. Since all the concrete parts fit each other accurately a lot of effort must have gone on in the drawing office to work out how this was going to be achieved.

Now, you are probably wondering what was there before the era of reinforced concrete. The answer is a construction with a lot of similarities to the recently refurbished Hayle Viaduct; in other words timber and iron sitting on granite piers. As far as I am aware it was the original, dating from the opening of the line in 1877. Given the date, the iron work could have been steel or wrought-iron but my guess is that it was the latter as it was still in widespread use and probably cheaper.

Basically the bridge decking was big baulks of timber with the track laid on top. The seven short spans were all timber but the long spans, on the other hand, rested on longitudinal iron beams like in the “new” bridge, the difference being that, whilst they had larger overall dimensions, they were fabricated in a very flimsy trellis-work style, all riveted together. It was pretty obvious that these were puny by comparison with their replacements. All the granite piers extended upwards on each side of the viaduct as pillars which served as short walls to the refuges. Handrails were fitted between these on cast iron stanchions bolted to the timbers and that was about it. These granite pillars had to be removed during the reconstruction to make way for the concrete trough but you can still see what they were like as those on the abutments at each end were retained.

So, how do I know all this? Well, when I was 9 or 10 there was only one other child living on Draycott Terrace and he happened to be another boy of about the same age. We used to pool our pocket money and go and buy Woodbines but we then had to find somewhere “secret” to go and smoke them. The answer was to climb up the stone wall and up onto the bridge abutment from the Primrose Valley roadway where it passes under the viaduct (the end nearest the engine shed). With our feet on the ledge at the bottom of the “I” beam and clinging on to the trellis work, we could then clamber across either girder to the next pier, and the next, and the next. The two intermediate piers provided perfect hidey-holes from where we could see what was going on but not be seen.

This procedure was not without its risks. As far as we were concerned, the main one was that the iron-work was protected by a thick layer of bituminous paint and where engine oil had seeped through the timber this had turned into a black sticky goo. In the first place you had to be careful where you put your hands but, more importantly, it was wise to keep it off your clothes as it was the very devil to get off. This did not go down well with one’s mother! Fortunately you could always blame it on “tar” picked up on the beach, from which it was indistinguishable. (In those days it was common practice for large ships to steam clean the residues left in their empty oil bunkers many miles out at sea, where they were well out of sight, before entering port. Under certain tidal and storm conditions in the winter time this would end up being washed ashore by which time the volatile component had evaporated leaving big lumps of…evil black sticky goo.)

Although we were careful, the fact that we could fall off whilst in transit was thought about and promptly dismissed! As I said, we were just careful.

During the summer of 1954 I was surprised to find workmen digging deep holes alongside several of the granite piers. On enquiry I was told that they wanted to see if the piers were sitting on sand or bedrock. Having discovered bedrock, they filled their holes and disappeared. Clearly, something was going on. Asking around on the station, I discovered that the viaduct was to be re-built.

Then in early 1955 notices appeared on the station announcing that rail services on the branch would be suspended from Saturday 2nd of April until Monday 16th May; this was, indeed, because the viaduct was going to be re-built. In the meantime the service would be maintained working on a broadly similar time-table using buses. (So what’s new about bustitution?)

I was looking forward greatly to this exciting event. Come the day, calamity struck – I caught measles and was confined to bed for a fortnight and not allowed out of the house for another week. Because my parents ran a Guest House and it was out of season I was moved into a bedroom at the front of the house. At least I could see much of what was going on and, when nobody was around, I would sneak up to the windows on the top floor, from where I got a much better view.

Anyway, they replaced everything except the granite piers one span at a time, starting from the St Erth end using a pair of steam cranes, one of which was more or less “marooned” around the station. The one at the St Erth end was a proper breakdown crane whereas the other was a bit smaller and I believe came from the Civil Engineers Dept.

To start with they built a very substantial timber trestle over the Primrose Valley roadway, ultimately up between the two main girders. Whilst this was going on the track just over the span was removed, followed by the timber-decking, leaving the girders exposed. Then in unison the two cranes lifted the first girder out and placed it at an angle on the other girder and the temporary wooden structure. This was followed by hard work as the old girder was manhandled using crowbars until it was at right angles to the track & close to the abutment at the St Erth end from where it could be lifted out and placed on a waiting bogie waggon next to the breakdown crane. When the waggon was loaded it was taken away to St Erth by a waiting engine which later returned, pushing another waggon. Obviously a bit of re-arrangement of the wooden trestle was necessary before the second girder could be taken away but the procedure was basically the same. As soon as the girders were out, masons set-to to prepare the stonework to receive the new girders, presumably using quick setting cement.

At this point it is worth mentioning that throughout the rebuilding, several different activities would be going on at the same time –it had obviously been well planned.

When everything was ready, the new girders were put into position using a reversal of the process just described. However, being much heavier, it was much harder work and I seem to remember that the cranes were used to help drag them into a position from where the two cranes could lift them into their final resting place. I believe two cranes were necessary because one on its own was not man enough to dangle a girder over the centre of the span. I suppose they couldn’t let the crane get too close to the abyss, for fear it might topple in.

If my memory is correct, the next job was to lay the sections of concrete “trough” across the new girders on top of which a short length of temporary track was laid, allowing the breakdown crane to move forward and get at the next span. Hunks of timber were placed underneath the sleepers to bring the rails up to the correct height for coupling to the old track. The presence of the new concrete “trough” sections must have made life more difficult because it would have prevented the breakdown crane from slewing other than over a very restricted angle. This whole process was then repeated for the other two girder spans.

As for the 7 short spans I can’t now be sure that both cranes were involved and anyway most of it was annoyingly blocked from my view by the hotels then down Primrose Valley (Pothvale and Trevessa) but on balance I think they were. Certainly temporary track was laid, span by span, and a very temporary water pipe was run across the top of the piers so that the marooned crane could be replenished from the engine shed water tank.

The “bustitution” service was provided by Western National using their ubiquitous double-deckers, although I noted that they were using their oldest pre-war vehicles, rather than their shiny new ones. Of course they were all Bristols.

The buses actually drove down Station Road from the Malakoff and waited just by the station building from where I suppose passengers got their tickets. Of course they took the main road to St Erth but I am not sure if they deviated and made the awkward journeys to Carbis Bay and Lelant stations. As I said I don’t know, but on Friday, April 15th, 1955, the St Ives Times’ main front page headline read:

Trainless Eastertide, But Crowds Came By Road
HOTELS AND CAFES HAD BRIEF HARVEST

This is the relevant part of the article:

For the first time since the local railway station was opened in 1877, St Ives has had a Bank Holiday week-end without trains.
But while engineers were hard at work this week-end on their six-week task of rebuilding the viaduct at Porthminster Beach, Easter “week-enders” and day-trippers were streaming into the town by road.
Ten extra double-deck ‘buses on Easter Monday augmented the shuttle road service to bring train passengers into St Ives from the main line at St Erth and 15 ‘buses were available to take them back again.

By the time I could get out to see for myself at close quarters what was happening, the temporary track had been laid from end to end allowing rail access to the station once more and both steam cranes had gone home. In their place a pair of identical and archaic hand-cranked cranes complete with match trucks had appeared. To me they looked so ancient I presumed they were of Broad Gauge origin (does anybody know?). My recollection is that they were marked up in hand-painted script as belonging to Newton Abbot and being of 7 ½ ton capacity (but after 60 years I could very easily be wrong).

For a week or two these were employed in laboriously placing the concrete side walls on all seven of the short spans, starting from the station end. Unfortunately I can’t now be 100% certain of the precise procedure used – in my defence I was only 11 at the time. Anyway, it is pretty obvious that the temporary track would have to have been lifted at some stage, section by section, and replaced by the new track, with 60 ft. rails. I say ”new”, but, as you probably know, in those days less important branches were re-laid with new sleepers but the chairs and (bull-head) rails were normally second-hand but good condition recovered from main lines converted to flat bottom.

When everything was ready they ran a ballast train into the station, dropping ballast as it went, which was spread by a team of men with shovels. Somehow, they extracted the now unwanted timber from under the sleepers and levelled off the ballast.

Obviously, as well as the track, the three sets of points actually located on the viaduct had to be replaced. While they were at it, all the rusty old round point-rodding around the station was swept away and replaced by new square galvanised rods and out went most of the old GWR ground shunting signals which were replaced by the then current pattern.

The signal post with the bracket for the Engine Shed signal had to be put back on the outside of one of the granite piers. The old post was rotten and renewed and I did wonder why they didn’t use tubular steel but I think it was probably because of the way the timber was fixed to the granite; in other words it was lees trouble to simply shape the bottom of the new post to fit the existing iron hoops.

All the wooden signal-arms around the station were replaced by enamelled iron and worn-out components renewed although the timber posts were retained. I thought the replacement for the rather nice shunt signal with a big S screwed to its arm was now a bit on the boring side. Curiously, though, the fixed distant on the approach to St. Ives retained its wooden board and remained rather rickety; ironically it outlived all the others. (This, of course, was not in its current position but close to the footbridge on the St Ives side of Carbis Bay Viaduct.)

I don’t know exactly what they were up to in (or under)the Signal Box as I couldn’t see what went on except what was visible from the path behind, when the door was open. What I do know, because I could see it, is that the old and rather elegant floor-standing electric staff machine which stored its spare staffs up the slender pedestal was ripped out to be superseded by a comparatively utilitarian electric tablet machine.

Whilst I can be pretty adamant about what was done I can’t say the same about when the signalling work was done. In my mind’s eye it was all done as part of the same job. However, some of it must have been done over a prolonged period after normal traffic resumed because Roy Hart tells us that the electric staff machine went the following year, on 28th June 1956.

Now, looking back on it, the preparatory hole digging was probably to make sure that they couldn’t experience settlement like we now know was taking place on the Hayle Viaduct. Once bitten twice shy!

As for everything going to plan, well, it was better than that, as BR were able to reopen the line a couple of weeks earlier than expected as the following article on the front page of the St. Ives Times of Friday April 29th 1955 tells us:

LINE TO REOPEN A FORTNIGHT SOONER
By working from early morning until dusk, men of the engineering department of British Railways have cut down by a fortnight the time estimated for the reconstruction of the Porthminster Viaduct.
In consequence, the branch line from St. Erth to St. Ives will now be re-opened to traffic on Monday, instead of on May 16, as originally envisaged. Normal passenger and freight services will then be resumed to replace the shuttle ‘bus service which since April 2 has been taking rail passengers in and out of St. Ives and the road transport service that has been dealing with freightage and parcels.
SACRIFICED HOLIDAYS
Time allowed in the viaduct reconstruction programme for possible delays due to bad weather has not been required. This factor, coupled with the high pressure work put in by the men engaged on the viaduct, who sacrificed their Sundays and the whole of the Easter holiday period, has been responsible for cutting down so substantially the interval allowed for renewing the structure.

And then an article complete with photo of a steam crane (which I have scanned for you) in the St Ives Times of Friday May 6th celebrated the fact with the following:

‘ON THE RAILS’ AGAIN
Normal rail services were resumed to St. Ives this week, after the reconstruction of Porthminster Viaduct, one of the quickest large scale engineering jobs ever performed by British Railways. The line was re-opened a fortnight ahead of schedule and here engineers are seen re-laying the line on one of the final sections.

I think there may have been a spot of hyperbole here – I can believe that it might have been the quickest job ever performed by BR in Cornwall but in the whole country, I doubt! All the same, the finished structure looked really smart and business-like although it didn’t have the same “Emett like” rustic charm of the old one.

Undoubtedly it was a great deal more substantial than its predecessor and if one was underneath when a train went over, all that could be heard was a muted rumble, unlike the old one which creaked and groaned. In fact, if we happened to be in transit across one of the girders, not only could we feel the movement but we could actually see it flexing. Although it was somewhat unnerving, there didn’t appear to be any loose rivets or anything like that. I presume it was designed to allow for a certain amount of “give” within the elastic limits of the metal.
On asking around, I was told that the viaduct had been rebuilt to the latest standards and was now capable of taking any locomotive running in Cornwall. With hopeful anticipation I therefore kept an eye open for the appearance of something heavier than a 45XX; perhaps a 41XX larger prairie and I was even pretty certain that the Engine Shed head-shunt was long enough to water a Grange or a Manor but nothing ever came. Evidently a case of “plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose”.

St Ives station with two Class 22's on a heavy train. A'Gem' of a picture taken on the 7th September 1963. Copyright Laurence Hansford Note the enthusiasts piling out of the car!

A class 22 handles a substantial freight at St Ives. A view out over the engine shed and water tower. Another Gem captured by Laurence Hansford. Copyright

More memories of Water Columns Lawrence Hansford

As a result of the recent piece about locomotive water at Praze and Gwinear Road I thought that it might be a good idea if I wrote down what I discovered as a nosey schoolboy when I lived in St Ives back in the days of steam. I don’t think I have ever seen anything about it and I doubt there are many people who now know.

Penzance, obviously, had to be well supplied with good water and I believe had a proper treatment plant which pulled water from its own Artesian Well.

St Erth had no water column and I was told that it was because the GWR were unable to find any of acceptable quality under their land. The adjacent dairy needed lots but they got their supply via a pipeline from an abandoned clay pit near Nancledra (I believe) which had previously been used to carry clay slurry to the old clay dries taken over by the dairy. It seems the railway were loath to buy water when they could usually find it on their property for nothing.

Hayle did have a supply (I seem to remember it was a cylindrical tank similar to that at Praze) but the locomen were very reluctant to draw water from it because it was brackish and did the boiler no favours. They would only use it if they had no choice.

St Ives, on the other hand, was blessed with a copious supply of excellent water; hence the large rectangular tank sitting on columns on top of the coaling stage. This was fed straight from fissures in the blasted rock-face exposed when they excavated the area occupied by the Engine Shed via a wooden launder which bridged the gap. If one looks carefully, this can be seen in some photos. So the tank was always full of lovely clean soft water filtered through the granite and greenstone, even in the driest summer. I assume that this was evident as a spring coming out of the cliffs before the railway was built and do wonder if this influenced the choice of site for the facilities. It seems to me just too much of a coincidence that they happened to find a handy supply in exactly the right spot just as they were building the Engine Shed!

The overflow from the tank ran into an underground cistern on the opposite side of the Shed track, near the ash dump. This constituted the No 1 reserve supply, which fed a pair of quite large 3 phase electric pumps which pumped the water back to the top of the main tank through a couple of iron pipes of about 2 ins up the outside rear corner nearest to the shed. These pumps lived in their own brick house and replaced the previous steam pump some time either just before or just after the war and were turned on and off by a float switch which dangled into the tank. The electric meter was fixed to the rear wall of the little office at the back of the Engine Shed but the electric supply was used for no other purpose - lighting of the shed, coaling stage and platelayers’ “office” being by gas. Incidentally, mains electricity was not connected anywhere else on the branch except at St Erth.

More water oozed out of a number of fissures in the rocks and most of this was collected in a sort of drain near rail level. This went to waste and I don’t believe that there was any provision to harvest this for loco use. Well, actually, it wasn’t entirely wasted because it supported a small colony of watercress plants on the rock face, giving the locomen their own secret supply for livening up their sandwiches.

The heavy traffic on summer Saturdays usually meant that the pumps would be in action to top-up the tank quickly but they were otherwise rarely in action.

The No 2 reserve supply instead dated, as far as I know, to the original building of the line and was not immediately obvious; well, certainly not the source. What was obvious looking down from the end of Draycott Terrace was the enormous ball-cock sitting in the middle of the main tank, with a long arm and a copper float bigger than a football. The float made an excellent target for a catapult and was peppered with dents! This was attached to a 3 or 4 ins pipe which emerged from the floor of the coaling stage and went up straight through the bottom of the tank. This was controlled be a large wheel-valve, normally kept closed.

So where did this water come from? As small boys we used to go out on the cliffs near Porthminster Point, climb through a rotten wire fence to collect frog-spawn, tadpoles, newts, etc. from an overgrown pond full of weeds a bit above the railway line. This was fed by a trickle of water from another spring. Around about 1954, when the viaduct was rebuilt, the pond was cleaned out and properly fenced. When it was empty we could not believe how large and deep it was – it looked like a swimming pool and an adult could easily have drowned in it, hence the fencing. As far as I know nobody ever fell in. Things like that just made you careful.

At the bottom was a bed of gravel under which was a pipe which fed the ball-cock by gravity. Living on Draycott Terrace I did see it in operation on numerous occasions but the engine men only used it if the electric pumps were out of action. They were not keen on the pond-life which ended up in their boilers. Again, the fencing could be made out on some photos of the line above Porthminster Beach. I think the pond must be still there but I should image it is really overgrown by now, or filled in for safety’s sake; maybe someone might like to go and have a look?

The inexhaustible supply of water at St Ives was taken full advantage of by the locomen. The branch engine was always kept well topped up and visiting engines invariably visited the Engine Shed to fill up. It was quite usual to find that the branch engine had been changed for no apparent reason and I believe this was because a swap had been done with another 45XX which was running dry after shunting St Erth or Hayle Wharves. I have no idea if this was rostered or an informal arrangement – I’m afraid I was never at St Erth at the right time to see what went on. It may sound odd now but Hayle Harbour was far more interesting.

Anyway, it’s all in the distant past now but at least the line itself is still alive and thriving, albeit without its fine granite buildings.

Laurence Hansford

And yet more very welcome and fascinating material from Lawrence Hansford

The End of Signalling at St Ives Laurence Hansford

I am afraid I am going to have to contradict some of what has been written about through trains to/from St Ives. I was borne there in 1944 and lived in the town until the autumn of 1963 and was an avid watcher of everything that occurred on “my” railway and can remember seeing locos in drab GWR livery (if you could call it that). What I am about to recall, I saw with my own eyes.

Yes, the Cornish Riviera Express DID work in and out of St Ives, usually with the proper stock complete with “Cornish Riviera” boards slotted in place on the Carriages and it was always referred to with reverence as the Cornish Riviera Express. Indeed, when the Chocolate & Cream sets consisting of 8 brand new BR Mk1 coaches plus a pair of pre-war GWR Restaurant Cars were introduced in the mid-fifties, they promptly appeared at St Ives. Even the underframes were still shiny black. I remember the surprise and pride I felt when this happened although I thought it a pity that nothing had been done to smarten up the engines (yet). Regrettably Chocolate & Cream only lasted for a few years after which all carriages were gradually painted in boring old maroon.

I have, however, been trying to rack my brains about the situation before the arrival of nice new carriages and I am the first to admit that I don’t have any documentary evidence. I can certainly remember that before I saw the first BR Mk1, all main-line trains were composed of a motley collection of mostly pre-war stock painted in rhubarb & custard and I don’t think that proper name-boards were in much use but I am getting onto hazy territory. My recollection is that, not just in Cornwall, printed paper labels were often pasted onto the insides of windows instead.

If I am not mistaken, named trains were suspended during the war, but when were they re-introduced? Could it be that during that period the Riviera only ran in people’s minds and speech rather than on paper? I do recall that the BR publicity machine made capital out of the smart modern trains being used for the Riviera and the Cornishman but was this the re-launch of named trains?

It would be very interesting to see what some of the Summer WTTs from the 1950s have to say. Do any still exist and where can they be seen? When I was still at school I was lucky enough to be given a copy of the 1946/47 Winter WTT but in it there is no mention of any named trains. There is, however, a reference to a 9:25 am St Ives to Paddington Saturdays only running from June15th to October 5th inclusive This is roughly in line with the timing during the mid-fifties – it arrived more or less at 9 am and left at 9:20 or thereabouts. The other thing worth mentioning is that I never saw the fancy loco headboard in use on the Branch – I think it always stayed with the tender loco.

Through the fifties, loads were 10 coaches at the beginning and end of the season (2nd week of June – end of 1st week of September) rising to 11 or even 12 at peak season. Invariably three 45XXs would be involved. One would be waiting, ready to go, usually on the run-round loop but sometimes elsewhere. As the train drawn by a pair of engines approached along the cliffs from the stop signal at Porthminster Point it would come to a halt again just under the road bridge by the engine shed where the leading engine would be detached and run up to the shed for water. As soon as the points were clear the train engine would then take the train into the station and smoothly come to a halt hard up against the wall at the end of the platform. Meanwhile the engine which had been quietly simmering on the loop would make its way up onto the viaduct before backing onto the train, followed by the engine which had been taking on water. The pair would then sit patiently with steam pouring from their safety valves waiting for the “OFF” which would be delivered with much whistling and flag waving. The whole operation took about 20 minutes supervised, in the fifties, by the Station Master.

The above procedure applied to both the morning UP train and the evening DOWN train except that in the morning the fireman of the engine sandwiched between the train and the buffers would usually take the opportunity to have a breakfast fry-up. I have smelt the bacon and watched bacon, eggs tomatoes and even chips being cooked in a shiny shovel wiped spotless with a bit of cotton waste!

As for the suggestion that the train was pushed back to allow the train engine to escape over the crossover, this would not have been possible, certainly in the morning, as the whole platform from end to end would be filled by a seething mass of humanity with their suitcases, push-chairs and children clutching their buckets and spades. The instant the train stopped (if not before) the doors would be flung open and the throng would surge forward to get the best seats. There would be people getting on and off the train right up until the blowing of the whistle. In any case, quite often the crossover was unusable because of the number of carriages parked in the sea siding and it was usual for there to be an engine in the station the whole day until the evening train; as each branch train arrived the waiting engine would back onto it and take it back to St Erth leaving the other engine free to go and get water and then admire the view.

In the late fifties as post-war conditions improved and more people took holidays but before the era of universal car ownership and cheap flights to foreign parts, some Saturdays would see every spare space taken up with assorted through carriages from the North – old pre-war LMS and LNER specimens and even some from the Scottish Region. Sometimes some would be gathered up and used as the next Branch train to St Erth simply to give a bit of space to move.

Towards the end of through trains when the Rivera was reduced to a meagre 8 carriages and D63XXs ruled the roost, there were one or two occasions when only 2 engines were used for the down train and the empty stock pushed back to let the train engine escape but these were very, very, much the exception. There was even one solitary occasion (the 7th September 1963, the last day of the Summer Timetable and the final day of through Paddington trains) when the morning train was brought down the Branch by THREE D63XXs, the first 2 (D6321 & D6316) being detached leaving the third to draw the train into the station. At the other end of the scale, in the days of steam there were times when there were four 45XXs in the station because of the density of traffic.

Although talk of closure had been in the air for a long time it was obvious that something was afoot when, early morning of Thursday 15th August 1963, I was surprised to see a polished D6340 sitting in the bay platform with an equally polished solitary coach which turned out to be the Engineer’s Inspection Saloon (from where – does anybody know?). Odd bods with Trilby Hats were wandering about the station. During the mid-morning lull D6340 propelled the saloon back to St Erth and was never seen again.

The end came ignominiously less than 4 weeks later on Sunday 8th September, the first day of the Winter Timetable; Sunday trains didn’t run during the winter. A team of men arrived by motor lorry (not even by train!); out came the token apparatus from the Signal Box and the arms came off the signals. Then came the much longer job of disabling all the interlocking between the signals and the points, at a stroke reducing the Signal Box to a ground-frame and the status of the Branch to one engine in steam.

In actual fact the job took a few days to complete as there was more to do than one might think. A proper Blacksmith and his assistant, (complete with old fashioned portable forge and bellows) were part of the team which surprised me as I thought technology had made such things well and truly obsolete. The pair were engaged in actually making or modifying linkages to connect with the bell-cranks etc. having removed the interlocking. These were made from standard ends, typically a clevis on one end and a screw on the other, fire welded together in the white hot coke in the hearth and then adjusted to fit exactly. I remember being very impressed by the skill of the Blacksmith using not much more than hot coke, hammers, chisels and the anvil, oh, and the brawn of his assistant to operate the bellows and wield a sledge hammer when required. I did ask why they were using such an old-fashioned welding method when I would have expected them to be using oxy-acetylene or electric-arc and I was told that it was found to be far more reliable.

While inside the Signal Box I managed to “liberate” the freshly out-of- date Summer ’63 working timetable for the Plymouth Division, which I still have and I have scanned the relevant pages which show the UP and DOWN Saturday Cornish Riviera Expresses, both on the main line as well as on the Branch. Examination will show that they did run through to St Ives right until the bitter end.

Take the morning train: This started ECS from Ponsandane at 8:50, arriving St Erth 9:02, in time to form the 9:12 passenger train to St Ives where it miraculously became the 1A81 to Paddington leaving at 9:50. Simultaneously the other part of the train left Penzance (also with the 1A81 headcode) for St Erth where the two parts were united, departing for Paddington at 10:17. Unfortunately I was never able to get to St Erth at this time of day so I do not know how the trains were joined up. The most obvious way would be for the Penzance section with tender loco (or locos) to drive straight into one of the sidings at the UP end of the station and then wait for the St Ives section to proceed into the UP MAIN platform. The tender loco would then have to back its train onto the other section. But, would they have done this with passengers still in it?

The procedure for the evening Down Cornish Riviera Express, the 1C30, was completely different: Page D36 shows that its first Cornish stop was Truro at 4:26, where the Penzance Portion was detached from the rear. The front section was then sent forward, non-stop, to St Erth arriving at the Down Advance Starting signal at 5:08. It then reversed, still with the 1C30 headcode, arriving at St Ives at 5:40. Bear in mind that at that time there was still a Branch connection to both UP and DOWN lines at St Erth. Meanwhile the other part departed from Truro at 4:45, but downgraded to the headcode 2C20, arriving Penzance at 5:35.

Regarding the headcodes, whilst the train crews may have been careful to show them correctly on the main line, the opposite applied on the Branch. Seeing the correct headcode on a diesel engine (or, for that matter, a DMU) was a rarity; away from prying eyes they simply didn’t bother. I think the blinds were prone to getting jammed and were easily damaged so fiddling with them was best avoided. Western National buses also often appeared to have problems with their destination blinds, so I suppose it is not so surprising.

Actually, when I think about it, they weren’t too fussy back in steam days either – all that really seemed to matter was that they showed white to the front and red to the rear. Indeed I seem to remember that sometimes the engines only possessed a single headlamp, anyway.

Another point which may be of interest with regard to everyday working of the Branch was that the hoop thingy was often not used, the bare token itself being preferred. Unless there was a train waiting in a hurry to leave (which did occasionally happen on a Saturday) the Signalman usually walked the short distance to collect the token and then walked back with it a couple of minutes later. I think the same thing happened at St Erth as the Signal Box there was/still is also conveniently placed.

I left St Ives later that same autumn so never really saw what went on after that time although we know for certain that St Ives never again saw more than one engine, or train, at a time.

Many thanks for your long and extremely interesting article Laurence.

Roy Hart replies:-

Dear Keith (and Laurence),

Lovely stuff. Fascinating reading. I am intrigued by Mr Hansford's references to the named Riviera in the 1950s, as the WTTs (which I have) don't give it as a named train. Not worth a quibble, though!

I have my own photos which I took at the time of the 1963 alterations at St Ives. The fact that all the signalling remained intact for 3 years suggests that the authorities (the guys in that saloon!) must have considered the possibility of reinstatement. Normally after a box closure all the scrap is gone in a couple of weeks.

Coal by DMU to St Ives.

I recall once, in about 1965, riding a DMU to St Ives which towed a wagon of coal. On arrival at St Ives, the DMU backed up as far as the engine shed, the wagon was uncoupled and braked. The DMU returned to the platform. The man in the ground frame (ex-box) moved the points to the back platform road and the wagon descended by gravity into the siding. Such a wagon is shown in one of Mr Hansford's pictures.

Best wishes from the monsoon (30 degrees, but raining like stair rods).

Roy

More on Coal by DMU to St Ives Laurence Hansford.

Roy Hart’s observation about the coal truck being towed by a DMU doesn’t surprise me at all; this was quite normal and started as soon as DMUs took over most of the services, coal being the only regular bulk traffic over the branch for quite a number of years. It was house coal and amounted to, typically, a truck a day, depending on the time of year. It came from Hayle Wharves and was unloaded by hand in the Station Yard by a St Ives coal merchant (I think his name was Stevens) and most of it was weighed directly into sacks and taken away to customers on his lorry. There would often be somebody digging away all day and there might be 3 or 4 trucks in the Bay platform, the other side of which at that point was at ground level and accessible by the lorry.

Because of the proximity to South Wales, as far as I know, the only coal ever brought into at least West Cornwall by rail was for railway use. I am fairly sure that everything else came direct by sea – large piles of coal could be found on the quayside at Penzance for the gas-works (and also in the gas-works) as well as for local merchants (I remember Bennett being a prominent name). The same thing applied at Hayle with a ship-load every couple of days unloaded directly at the power-station (the MV Kindrence of 522 tons was a regular for years carrying pulverized coal unloaded by travelling electric crane) as well as other ships bringing house coal and coal for the little gas works still operating on the quayside. Portreath, too, was still used by smaller coasters to bring in coal and piles could be seen on the harbour. In earlier times St Ives harbour had seen coal being brought in for the gas-works but this ceased when it closed in 1948 – witness the colour of the sand in the harbour.

I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that any commercial coal delivered by rail to Helston or the Camborne/Redruth area during the 1950s and early 60s would have originated in Hayle Wharves where it would have been discharged straight from colliers into trucks run up alongside. I suppose it could have come from either Falmouth or Newham – does anyone know.

It wouldn’t have come from Penzance because such facilities did not exist. Yes, a siding did extend from the back of the station right onto the Albert Pier but by the mid-fifties (when I used to go to school in Penzance) it was out of use and you could see from the state of the track that it hadn’t been used for a long, long time. The pier itself was only used by fishing boats and all large shipping (apart from the Scillonian) used the wet dock, some distance by road from the nearest rails

I was sufficiently intrigued by Neil Phillips’ information concerning the Engineers Inspection Saloons to dig out my negatives and have another look to see if I could read the number on the one at St Ives. My microscope was too powerful, the best result was with a powerful loupe but, frustratingly, I could just make out the DB followed by six digits, the last of which looked like an 8. Then I noticed that the other two were 999506 and 999509 which, of course, all look very similar so unfortunately I can’t really help.

Photographs supplied by Laurence Hansford in connection with his article 'The end of signalling at St Ives'

The Boss As far as I can recall, the smiling chap with his hand in his pocket was in charge of the team and behind him is the head-shunt for the engine shed. The brick building on the left is the Plate-layer’s “office”. Copyright Laurence Hansford

The Blacksmith The Smith holding the iron bar on the anvil, preparing it to be united with the screwed turnbuckle being heated in the hearth. Note the polished shoes of his young assistant wielding the sledge-hammer; was he going to a dance afterwards? Copyright Laurence Hansford

The Signal Box. Spot the vice and other tools ready for action. Copyright Laurence Hansford

Platform Loop Removing the Ground Signal and its interlocking. Look very carefully and you can see the clip now holding the points closed for the platform. Copyright Laurence Hansford

Working on the Viaduct. Incidentally, if you zoom into the cliff above the railway line & immediately under the Loading Gauge you can just make out the fence surrounding the reserve water reservoir. Laurence Hansford

Looking back into the station with a DMU present. Copyright Laurence Hansford

Laurence Hansford Collection

A class 22 waits in the back with the inspectors saloon. Copyright Laurnce Hansford.

The class 22 from platform level. Copyright Laurence Hansford

The inspectors saloon with its class 22 in the bay while a service train stands at the platform. Copyright Laurence Hansford.

More on the branch timetables
Laurence Hansford

Dear Keith,

I feel very mean because I haven't contributed anything for what seems a terribly long time. I hope this makes up for it to some extent.

Firstly, in response to a recent request I have dug out a couple of old working timetables and scanned the sections dealing with the St Ives Branch. The first one is as close as possible to the required date, covering the period 17th June to 8th September 1963 and was the last one when the Branch was fully signalled.

The other one I include for interest only and is the GWR equivalent for the period 7th October 1946 to 4th May 1947 (I wish I had been able to come across a copy of a pre-nationalisation summer one, but no luck). I apologise for the state of the front cover but when I managed to acquire it in, I think, 1957 it was already pretty dog-eared and the cover torn. At the time I thought I was doing a good job in repairing it with Sellotape but over the years the paper deteriorated to a buff colour and is very delicate. The Sellotape, instead has gone brown and brittle but at least I still have it and the interior is legible.
Laurence Hansford.

Laurence Hansford Collection - Summer 63.

Winter 1946/47 From the Laurence Hansford Collection.

St Ives Signal Box

St Ives Signal Box Copyright the late Patrick English

St Ives Signalbox - in this view Patrick has captured the box, the track and the shed as well as a glimpse of the beach. Copyright the late Patrick English

  St Ives Signal Box   Class 4
Memories of the late Cyril Hitchens
St. Ives was fitted with a 20 lever frame and was graded Class 4. Access was by a flight of external steps on the station side of the building. The box itself occupied a lovely position overlooking Porthminster Beach and those of us who worked there enjoyed the fact that holidaymakers were paying hundreds of pounds to enjoy the same view that we were being paid to look at!
       In the mornings when I opened the box by contacting St. Erth to begin the early turn it was quite normal for the branch loco, which had overnighted in the shed and been prepared in the early hours, to be blowing off at the exit points impatient to begin the day's duties. The main work involved the regular passenger service to and from St. Erth plus the occasional goods. The major traffic was the outward shipment of fish with coal inwards. Coal wagons were unloaded on the non passenger side of the bay platform. During the summer there was a considerable amount of luggage in advance.
       The regular passengers trains were in the hands of the 45xx locos and could be anything from 2 to 6 coaches in length. During the summer the coaches could be a mixture including corridors. Strengthening carriages were often stabled in the long headshunts beyond the crossover at the end of the line. Because of the gradient all down trains had to be brought to a stand at the home signal by the overbridge before being admitted to the station. After each trip the engine had to run round its train and, in addition, on every other trip the loco had to visit the shed for water. On summer Saturdays there was the excitement of the 9.20am through train to Paddington which loaded to 10+ coaches. The empty stock for this train came up from Ponsandane headed by two 45s usually coupled bunker to bunker which reminded me of the appearance of the narrow gauge engines on the Festiniog Railway. On arrival at St. Ives the train would draw right up to the stop blocks on the platform line, then the St. Ives engine would leave its shed and come onto the rear of the train. This engine then drew the coaches back clear of the run round crossover thus releasing the two 45s into the loop. The St. Ives engine then pushed the stock back into the platform, uncoupled and returned to the shed allowing the two 45s to run round and couple up ready for the journey back to St. Erth. When the train is double headed the token is always carried on the train engine. Arriving at St. Erth the train drew into the up platform and a tender engine, usually a Castle, was coupled at the London end ready for its onward journey-due Padd. 4.40pm. This procedure was repeated in reverse later in the day when the 10.30am. ex-Padd arrived at 5.30pm. An added complication on one Saturday each year was fitting in the Camborne tea treat special which, if memory serves me correctly, had 7coaches - 6 for the members of St. Martin's Church and 1 for the Primitive Methodist Chapel!
       All this changed in the early 1960s with the closure of the shed in September 1961 followed by the reduction of the box to ground frame status in September 1963. During the next couple of years the layout was progressively reduced to a single track with a dmu shuttle. Even the tea treat train, after running as a dmu on a few occasions, passed into history.
                                                                                                                          CH

A track plan of St Ives recently acquired from the collection of the Late Cyril Hitchens a former signalman.

4553 and 4554 on the St Ives to Paddington Express. Photograph taken on 14th June,1958. The Jon Wood collection

The 13.30 from St Erth arrives at St Ives on the 27th December 1960 Copyright Mike Roach A lovely period piece, note the duffle coat very popular in the 60s.

In 1961 St Ives was still the traditional country terminus station complete with buildings and shed and signalbox. A 'Toad' brakevan sits in the bay and a '45'with a 'B' set at the platform. Courtesy Mike Morant collection.

There's something about black and white. In this scene one sees the camping coaches which once featured at this station - the run round points are also clear to see. Plenty of sack trolleys are in evidence to carry passengers luggage. The end window of the signal box appears to be open. Copyright Rod Garner.

A query and a fine picture from David Cook Courtesy Transport Treasury

4566 at St Ives 3rd August 1959 Copyright Copyright Peter W Gray/transporttreasury.com

Can anybody, please, put a name to the man crossing the foot board at St Ives? 3rd August 1959 Copyright Copyright Peter W Gray/transporttreasury.com

It's the 1st March 1961 as Peter Radford captures the scene with the Westward Television Exhibition train at St Ives. Copyright Peter Radford

St Ives station whilst still almost complete in its original location. A study by the late Patrick English. Copyright N.B. The driver appears to be out of his cab enjoying the scene over wall!!

We have a date for this study by Doug Nicholls, it is September 65, It could almost be the same day as the picture above from the collection of the late Patrick English. However, things have changed - the siding housing the truck seen above has been lifted and a car has taken its place. Copyright Doug Nicholls.

St Ives station in the summer of 1968. By this time the track had been reduced to a siding from St Erth. The track at the extreme end of the platform was removed pre 1960 and the run round and head shunt beyond the buffer stop were closed in 64 and removed in 1966. Copyright Sid Geake

Another view by Sid Geake taken in the summer of 1968. The bookstall looks pretty closed. Note the car park charges, quite steep really!! Copyright picture by Sid Geake

St Ives New station into use 23 March 1971

Its the early 60's and a 'whiskered' DMU waits to leave St Ives. The metals of the run round loop are no longer required. This area is now a car park. Copyright Rod Garner

Notice concerning the new station at St Ives Copy provided by Chris Bellett

50 years have passed very quickly.....

I know its next weekend but I thought a 'heads up' might be useful.

Kind Regards,
Chris Bellett
Retired S&T Engineer

From WR Weekly Engineering Notice K2/21/71

Sunday 23rd May 1971 At St.Ives
The existing passenger platform will be demolished and the track resited alongside a new passenger platform, 75 yards in length and sited at the end of St.lves Viaduct. A Stop Block will be erected·across the track at the end of the new platform at 325m 10ch.

The above is the notice concerning the new station at St Ives - a platform 75 yards long was provided on the opening of this station.

Events at St Ives.
The run round loop at the old station was taken out of use 28th October 1963 and removed in January 1966.
The goods sidings had been closed wef 9th September 1963.
The signal box was reduced to ground frame status 9th September 1963 and closed on the 10th March 1965.
The bay platform and good shed lines were taken out of use in August 1964 and removed in January 1966.
The new platform 75 yards long was brought into use on the 23rd May 1971, the new platform was doubled in length in 1979. Much of the preceding information extracted from Track layout diagrams GWR & BR WR Section 10 R.A. Cooke.

St Ives. Its near the end of the tourist season and packed trains 3rd September 1979 Copyright Mike Roach

The class 142's or skippers didn't last long in Cornwall and the class 117's, the heritage DMU's made a welcome return to the St Ives branch where their forward and rear ward views were very much appreciated by the passengers. Why 'modern' DMUS's deny us such views is a great shame. May 1996 Copyright Dan Engstrom

Its 1971, the traditional station has been swept away and a very simple but practical station has replaced it. A single 'bubble car' served the needs at the time. Courtesy the Mike Morant collection.

St Ives Bubble Car P125 at St Ives. Pressed Steel Unit was working in Cornwall at least from 1977 through to 1984 Copyright Andrew Thompson

A picture postcard view of 51386 and 51344 departing from St Ives on the 14th June 1996. Copyright Andy Stace.

150246 at St Ives after working 2A45 1855 Penzance to St Ives. 14th October 2017 Copyright Mark Lyman

And now back to the very early days - this is from a postcard on which the date stamp was for 20th July 1905. It serves to show where the original St Ives station was and how far the lines went. In the foreground will be noted a bridge over the line and the outer home signal. For long after the signalling had been taken away, and there was just a single line into the platform trains, were required to come to a complete stand at this point before proceeding.

See how busy St Ives was in 1954, how do these figures compare with 2014 +.

The St Ives branch on Mid summers day 2019.
Mark Lynam

Beautifully lit by the early sun. St Ives with the first train of the day the 07.25 150233 & 150261 21st June 2019 Copyright Mark Lynam

Reflections shots don't come any better than this!!! 150233 & 150261 Lelant at 08.59 on the 21st June 2019. Copyright Mark Lynam

Again 150233 & 150261 Lelant at 08.59 21st June 2019. Taken from the foot crossing. Copyright Mark Lynam

For those who would like more detailed views of St Ives station a collection of copies of pictures taken by the late Patrick English has recently (Dec 2013) come to light - these can be found in the ARCHITECTURE SECTION.

Class 158 Trial on the St Ives
branch in 1992. Views by Craig Munday.

The recent use of 158747 on the St Ives service takes me back to the early nineties 1992 when 158714 was trailed on the line. The bay platform was excluded from the test I recall, so used the Bay siding instead.
Here are some pictures from the previous decades and yesterday (28th January 2020).

Kind regards, Craig

158714 at St Erth - trial on the St Ives branch 1992 Copyright Craig Munday

St Erth with 158714 in bay siding. 1992 Copyright Craig Munday. An interesting view with heritage units on both the main line and the branch.

158714 at St Erth on a trial run 1992. Copyright Craig Munday Note the milk factory in the background.

158714 at Lelant 1992. Copyright Craig Munday

158714 at Lelant 1992. Copyright Craig Munday. Interesting reflections of the St Erth river meandering across the mud flats - these are a birdwatchers paradise!

Class 158 introduced to St Ives branch

The 28th January 2020 saw the first running of a class 158 on the St Ives branch, Regular contributors Mark Lynam and Andrew Triggs bring us the following pictures taken on the first day of operation.

158747 St Ives 09.48 28th January 2020. Copyright Mark Lynam.

158747 at St Ives before working the 1018 to St Erth 09.52 28th January 2020. Copyright Mark Lynam

158747 at St Erth 10.16 28th January 2020. Copyright Mark Lynam

158747 at St Erth 11.00 28th January 2020. Copyright Mark Lynam

Mark having covered the stations Andrew took a slightly later view along the line.

158 on Sr Ives branch. Close to Carbis Bay. 13.26 28th January 2020. Copyright Andrew Triggs

158 on the St Ives branch. At Lelant station at . 13.42 28th January 2020. Copyright Andrew Triggs.

158 passing Lelant Golf Course on the St Ives branch 13.53 28th January 2020. Copyright Andrew Triggs.

Royal Train to St Ives. Andrew Triggs.

Another Royal Train memory, this time with 67006/67026 with 66201 on the mainline with 150265/234 on the branch. I arrived at St Erth amid high security but on asking if we were allowed on the platform was told "If you buy a ticket, I can't stop you" by the platform staff, so The Queen and Prince Philip and their party rode in 150265, with myself and normal passengers in 150234 on the branch, so I've ridden the Royal train in a roundabout way!
All the Best
Andrew Triggs.

1. 67006/026 cross over to the Up side at St Erth. 17th May 2013. Copyright Andrew Triggs.

2. 66201 at the rear of the formation. 17th May 2013. Copyright Andrew Triggs.

3. Later in the day, 150265/234 at St Erth. 17th May 2013. Copyright Andrew Triggs.

4. The bunting is still up at St Ives as 150265/234 are now on normal duties, after the Royals have gone and the crowds dispersed. Copyright Andrew Trigggs.

Many thanks Andrew.

Beyond the end of the line! (1)

Although the rail journey was very enjoyable for many the great attraction was the collection of beaches and and probably Harts Ice Cream Parlour - this has sadly ceased to be along with its delicious ice cream, below is a picture of that famous parlour.

Harts Ice Cream Parlour. Situated at the top of the old slipway, a magnet for many. Rarity Value Media Collection, Robert Woodhouse.

Robert Woodhouse writes :- This is part of a family's collection of several hundred slides & negatives which I purchased from a (house clearance) dealer. The family consisted of husband, wife & daughter. In the "Harts" picture, the husband is the gentleman standing in the doorway, and his daughter is perched on the wall next to him. Many of this collection appear to have been taken in Cornwall over a period of years. Either this family were residents, or they regularly visited relatives living there (maybe his brother (?), see image taken in Green Market, Penzance). As a rule of thumb, if you own the original negative, or positive slide, you own the copyright, but I am trying to identify the family, as some of these images would be very personal to any surviving relatives and I would happily return these at cost.
I have more family pictures and you can help identify them please get in touch.
Robert Woodhouse. Many thanks Robert.

Beyond the end of the line! (2)

Leaving the station and heading into the town of St Ives one is attracted to the harbour area where having walked past what was once Harts Ice Cream Parlour you come to Smeatons Pier. Here you will find a very short isolated section of standard gauge track. Well known for their explorations of anything to do with any railways or tramways the editor of their publication 'Branch Line News' Paul Stewart wrote asking questions concerning an 'Isolated piece of track at St Ives'. There is an item on this in our 'News' section dated 1st December 2019.

The track on Smeatons Pier upon once a crane stood. The crane was used to hoist bulks of timber over the wall to block off and control the flow of water through the arches below. This line was of standard gauge (As evidenced by the tape measure) and about seventy feet long. 29th November 2019. Copyright Keith Jenkin.