5th May 2020

Legends of  
​The Great Western Railway
Roger Winnen

200504a 43093 Old Oak Common HST Depot 1976-2018 Heads the 11.15 Penzance to Plymouth service on Monday 4th May 2020. Copyright Roger Winnen

200504b The arrival of the 2+2 158 on the 06.44 service from Bristol due at 11.13 passes the 11.15 Castle Class service to Plymouth. Copyright Roger Winnen

Lost Scottie Dog found at
Par
Clive Smith

37175 appears to be a bit of an itinerant wanderer. This photo was taken at Par on the 19th July 1986 about two months after its reallocation to Laira from Scotland where it had been at Eastfield or Inverness from 1982. The tractor still has its  headlight that was fitted in conjunction with the start of RETB Radio Electronic Token Block signalling in the Scottish Highlands. Also present are well used  snowploughs complete with Eastfield's West Highland Terrier logo on the side. 
Prior to that it was a south Wales stalwart from when it was built in 1963. After its sojourn in the south west of England  it was back to Scotland from 1987 to 1998 with spells at Inverness, Eastfield and Motherwell before a few years in the Midlands at the end of that decade. 
Surprisingly it was main line registered and sold to Colas in 2014 . It was certainly out and about on Network Rail test trains since then but I'm not sure if it has worked in the last twelve months. 
On the 26-05-87 37175 worked the 11.45 Paddington - Penzance from Par to Penzance putting it in the elite club of locos that have worked on passenger at Thurso and Penzance at either end of the U.K.

Regards
Clive Smith

Par where we see 37175. Note the scottie dog on the side panels - just beyond the double arrows. 19th July 1986. Copyright Clive Smith

Many thanks Clive  for your picture and much detail.

Penryn Postcard
Alan Harris

Dear Keith and Valerie, I hope you are both well in these trying times. and are enjoying your daily walks - hopefully, I will be allowed out soon!
A copy of the Penryn Station post card sent in by Maurice Dart was printed in the Packet Newspaper dated September 19th 1991. It had been sent to them by a lady from Penryn, Doris Webber, who said " The elderly gentleman standing behind a porter near the building is my late husband's grandfather, Weymouth Davey. He was a retired tailor's shipping agent for the Penryn Area"
Amazing that we are still able to identify a person on a station some 100 or so years later!
All The Best to you and Valerie, Alan and Sue

Penryn station 3621 4-4-0 runs into the station with a down service -The station replaced on the 24th June 1923 Maurice Dart collection.

An enlargement from the above post cardPenryn, Doris Webber, who said " The elderly gentleman standing behind a porter near the building is my late husband's grandfather, Weymouth Davey. ". Post card from the Maurice Dart Collection.

Many thanks for spotting and reporting that Alan.

Sir Joshua Reynolds at
Bath Road
Phil Smith

Phil kindly delved into his archives to provide this picture of 'Andy Richards' engine at Bath Road depot.

47559 at Bath Road depot in 1987. Copyright Phil Smith

Many thanks Phil.