15th May 2019

The last few days
Full length HST's
Clive Smith

With just five days remaining for GWR 2+8 sets working to London I was lucky to be out in Totnes in glorious sunshine. Sadly one of the three HSTs sets that have been plying their trade in our area these last couple of weeks developed a wheel flat on the 13th and had to be taken out of service in London. This was 43185 & 43009 and resulted in an IET on the 17.03 from Paddington thus reducing one of the sets working in Cornwall. Not renowned for their comfortable seats, I don't know what sleeper passengers thought of them when an IET was substituted for 57603 that failed on the sleeper set. Further complications occurred on the 14th when the HST set on the 16.57 Plymouth - Paddington developed a faulty speedo at Laira and had to return to Plymouth where it was substituted by an IET that was on the 14.03 Paddington - Penzance which would have been the  HST with the wheel fault. Hope everyone is keeping up with this. So now Cornwall is back to two HST sets by default and it is the Plymouth service that is now usurped by an IET. Four HST sets need to be operable if the planned 17.40 GWR Finale at Paddington is to occur. Fingers crossed it all works.

             Regards,  Clive Smith.  Many thanks Clive​

(1) 43162 leads the all blue set on the 06.47 Penzance - Paddington into Totnes with blue 43071 bringing up the rear. 14th May 2019 Copyright Clive Smith

(2) 43171 passes Three Arches Bridge west of Totnes in glorious sunshine with the 09.03 Paddington - Plymouth. 43093 was on the rear. 14th May 2019. Copyright Clive smith

(3) 43093 brings up the rear of the 09.03 Paddington - Plymouth past Three Arches Bridge west of Totnes . 43171 is on the front. 14th May 2019. Copyright Clive Smith

(4) 57604 Pendennis Castle heads the 5A40 09.15 Penzance Depot - Reading sleeper ECS with a dead 57603 on the rear past Three Arch Bridge west of Totnes. This movement occurred as a result of the failure of 57603 on the previous evening's sleeper from Penzance which was replaced by an IET. Oh dear not much sleep on that. 14th May 2019. Copyright Clive Smith.

(5) Green trees, green grass, green bushes, GWR green 57603, GWR green coaches and sleepers and brunswick green 57604 leading the train. Could be a few green weeds in there too. Dead 57603 is on the rear of 5A40 09.15 Penzance Depot - Reading ECS with the train being powered by 57604. (Totnes Three Arch Bridge). 14th May 2019. Copyright Clive Smith

Carn Brea
Jacob Hampson

43071 heads the OC38 working with 43162 bringing up the rear. The train is the 14:03 London Paddington to Penzance. 14th May 2019

Many thanks Jacob