Cornwall Railway Society
  • LATEST INPUT , NEWS & OLD PICTURES ETC.
  • INDOOR & OUTDOOR MEETINGS PROGRAMME
  • Submit your photos and news
  • CORNWALL RAILWAY SOCIETY GENERAL INFORMATION CONTACTS & WEBMASTERS MEMBERSHIP FORM ETC.
  • Railtour Calendar
  • CORNWALL GALLERIES
  • DEVON GALLERIES
  • North & East of TAUNTON & HONITON
  • ​Extracts from the diary of a lifetime enthusiast - Michael L. Roach
  • Features - 2025 Part 1
  • Features - 2024 Part 2
  • Features - 2024 Part 1
  • Cornwall Resignalling Programme 2024
  • FEATURES, MAIN INDEX & OUTDOOR EVENTS REPORTS.
  • Military and Industrial Tramways & Light Railways
  • Pleasure Tramways & Light Railways
  • RAILTOURS, AERIAL VIEWS ,MISCELLANEOUS
  • Railtours 2022 to July 2023
  • Railtours August 2023 onwards
  • CORNISH RAILWAYS WAR DIARY
  • LOCAL YOUTUBE
  • Historical Outdoor Events INDEX
  • ARCHITECTURE
  • INDEX TO ARTICLES WRITTEN BY COLIN BURGES
  • ARTICLES SECTION.
  • ENGINEERING PLANT DIARY
  • News reports Jan to Aug 2012
  • Links
  • MAPS, PHOTOS, AERIAL VIEWS
  • Official Documents available to the General Public
  • Public notices and posters collection

28th June 2021

28/6/2021

 
TEN YEARS OF NEWS ON CRS WEBSITE  by Michael L Roach
Latest Input
The Latest Input Archive goes back to June 2011, which means that the Archive is now ten years old and still growing. It has been master-minded throughout that time by Keith Jenkin. Congratulations go to Keith and his assistants for reaching this major milestone with hardly a day passing without more news to be added and a resulting collection of marvellous photographs old and new. It has became a daily ritual to open up my laptop after breakfast and log on to the CRS website to see what's new in Latest Input; I am sure I am not alone.
KJ Writes :-  Thank you for reminding us Mike. I am a little embarrassed to put this on our website as praise is due not only to me but of course to Roger Winnen who has been a very major contributor and editor of the website. And many others far and wide. Mick House has been in the wings ready to help.  
The website has in fact been going for a little longer than the News Column Archives would suggest. It started off at the suggestion of the CRS committee  who thought that perhaps the society needed more publicly and what better way than by means of the world wide web – from our post we seem to reach the far corners of the earth far better than by  just the local press adverts we had in the past.

It is very true to say that the web site is as good as its contributors I don’t want to mention names, however the very first branch line to be covered on the website was what I regard as my local line – the long gone Chacewater – Newquay branch and many  contributions to that section and other parts came from the author of the foregoing praise none other than Michael L Roach. Thanks Mike for your support over the years
 I must also mention and offer my sincere thanks to our son Peter who set up our website and who has patiently come to our rescue many times when either my lap top or Rogers PC collapsed due to our lack of technical know-how.
The majority of our contributors include many names well known to you all through the website, but also to those listed who contributed perhaps a little gem – I have tried to keep the list of contributors which you will find on the home page up to date.
Anyway very many thanks to you all, you are all part of the website.

​

Sad news on the signalbox at
Exminster
Guy Vincent

Seeing Paul Barlow's interesting feature on the removal of Exminster Signal Box and question as to its eventual fate I did some searching and can provide the following information, dated January 2014, from one of the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway blogspot forums.

Exminster 'box closed on 14th November 1986 as part of the Exter area resignalling scheme.  It was originally intended to be converted to a birdwatching 'hide' for the RSPB but it quickly turned out that noise from passing trains made this idea unviable.  The 'box (which was a listed building) received some cosmetic restoration but inevitably deteriorated and in 2006 arrangements were made to dismantle and remove it for eventual restoration and use at Broadway on the Glos Warks Railway.  According to the blog I referred to the removal of the 'box was organised by one GWR director without the approval of the board as a whole.  The board later decided not to support the rebuilding of the structure at Broadway and the unnamed director had to take responsibility for the box on his own.  It seems it was then his decision to scrap it.  No publicity seems to have been made at the time of this saga and I suggest anyone interested reads the comments on the blog as I have done.        broadway.gwsr.blogspot.com  or simply search 'Exminster Signal Box Broadway'. 

Broadway now has a new signal box, brick-built in the style of an early 20th century box similar to the now demolished example that formerly stood at Shirley, West Midlands.  It seems the main frame from the well-known 'box that formerly stood at Aller Junction is now installed here.

Attached are two photos taken on 29th April 1996 shortly after the signal box had recently received a full renovation.

Guy Vincent
Picture
Exminster Signal Box 1 29th April1996 Copyright Guy Vincent
Picture
Exminster Signal Box 2 Exminster Station Site 47810 with the 11.50 Plymouth -Manchster Piccadilly 29th April 1996. Copyright Guy Vincent.
Many thanks Guy - one of our very regular and very reliable contributors.

Exminster Signalbox
Chris Bellett

Hope all is well?  Its a 'little bit' wet here in not so sunny Plymouth at the moment.

In response to the question about the fate of Exminster signalbox. See down the page here: http://broadwaygwsr.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-broadway-signal-box.html

I have some photographs taken inside the signalbox in 2004 when it was being looked at to be moved to the Didcot Railway Centre.  If I find them I'll send you copies.

Kind Regards,
Chris Bellett
Retired S&T Engineer
CRS Member
Thanks Chris - weather not June-ish.
Additional history
Exminster
Roy Hart


Dear Keith,
Here are a few notes about the box:

The original box here was a small, brick built one, which supervised just a crossover and a siding. The latterday structure dated from 1924, when the layout was expanded on the down side. It had 36 levers. The box, however was little more than half the size that it later became. In 1931 new island platforms were added, necessitating a new frame of 56 levers. In world war 2, new loops and sidings came along and in March 1941 yet another new frame was installed -this time of 80 levers. It was necessary to extend the box from 25 feet to 41 feet in length. The 1960s saw the usual reductions and on the eve of MAS the layout was back to that of 1894 - a crossover and a siding. Full  circle.

Roy Hart
Many thanks Roy. Your note received at 07.28 - on site for 07.31 - sorry for the delay!!
​

Vintage
Exeter
Paul Barlow
Picture
37267 46026 1359 Penzance to Birmingham 1M74 at Exeter The 46 had a brake fault both locos were replaced by 46043 which left Exeter one hour late. 14th August 1979. Copyright Paul Barlow
Many thanks Paul.
​


Comments are closed.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011