Jon kindly sent in these two pictures he took today at Bodmin Parkway, or Bodmin Road as we prefer it!! Many thanks Jon.

Mike Roach replies - 
Hi Keith

There have been no answers to the query about what 5573 was doing at Brent so I will offer my two pennyworth.

5573 was at Newton Abbot Shed from December 1957 to December 1962 when it was transferred away to Whitland. I photographed the loco on the Kingsbridge Branch on Saturday 1 July 1961, and I have seen a picture of it on the Branch the previous Saturday. A month later I photographed it at Wadebridge and Bodmin General but it was not formally transferred to St. Blazey so perhaps it was on loan.

The previous summers would have been similar but lets assume that this is a Saturday in June or July 1961. The train is the 10.55am Saturdays Only Kingsbridge to Paddington. The train would have arrived in its normal platform in Brent at 11.30am. 5573 would then have propelled its coaches out towards Newton Abbot over the crossover and onto the up main. It would then have worked its train westwards through the up platform out under the road bridge from which the photo was taken and into the up loop. The 11.15am Plymouth to Paddington arrived in the up platform and 5573 propelled its coaches out of the loop and on to the back of the Paddington train. Departure from Brent was scheduled at 11.45am and arrival at Paddington at 4.18pm.

Hope this helps.

Best wishes

Mike                                                              Many thanks indeed Mike
​
N.B. Another suggestion, which Mike thinks more plausible than his own  - this comes from Charles Fennamore and is added to the Plymouth - Exeter section.

​A note on nameplates at Thorney from Chris Osment 
Keith
 Just to be pedantic...:-)
 According to Dunn’s book on GWR SB nameplates, the order for those GFs specified “Thorney Halt North Ground Frame” and the ‘...Halt South....’ equivalent. A GWR WTT Appendix has various references to ‘Thorney Halt Siding’.
 regards .Chris.  With the best will in the world I try to get it right but it is very handy to have an expert in the wings to prompt me. Many thanks Chris.

The mighty Kings were often aided over the Devon banks and below is a typical example of steam at work.  

After leaving Penzance on the 08.39 to Exeter it was revealed that the train had been Cancelled on realtime trains, however after making contact with our good friend Martin Duff it was revealed that the tour was starting from Basingstoke owing to the late running of the stock from Eastleigh.
Leaving Basingstoke some 18 mins late it lost time by Salisbury then leaving 30 late, however with a booked stop for passing at Honiton the train regained time arriving a Exeter St David's 18 mins late. After seeing the arrival at Exeter, Roger Salter and Tony Brokenshire headed for Dawish and myself carried on to Paignton. At Paignton the crowd in anticipation were getting worked up! where was the train! By that time the Dawlish photographers were on the train behind the special but were held up at Newton Abbot West the site of the famous bridge which was demolished for the new bypass.  After sometime held at the signal, the passengers aboard the train were advised that the railtour in front had broken down and that they were returning to Newton Abbot Station. It was eventually discovered that the Railtour had broken down at Torre. The train eventually ran into Paignton Station with fire bells ringing 81 mins after leaving Exeter. The Dawlish photographers returned home after a number of cancellations to services.

Hi Keith, After a long recess, some railway pictures at last!

I popped up to Dawlish today (along with many railway photographer royalty)! to capture 1Z73 Waterloo to Paignton, which started at Basingstoke. The locos were GBRF class 73s  73128/107 73962/963. The train is pictured passing Dawlish Marine.

In the Duchy - the sun shone all day we hear! The evening was magnificent, which allowed a picture of 2C51 heading west (the first this season)! The shadows almost had me West of Probus for 57603 working the loco hauled, but the village of Probus was brightly lit above. Please note: this was taken in a private paddock with farmer's permission. 

Kind regards, Craig ​               Many thanks Craig, nice to have you back.

Operation of the Milk Factory and siding.  A note from John Cornelius.
There were two ground frames at Thorney to give access to the loop serving the milk factory
siding, the one nearest the road overbridge and halt was named 'Thorney North', and the one at the distant end named 'Thorney South'.   As far as I know the milk was sent in churns in
siphon'G' vans, I don't think milk tanks were ever used there. The daily milk train came down from Yeovil and returned there. If the loco needed water it would run light engine to
Langport West to fill up. I remember seeing siphon'G's stabled in the head shunt and also stabled in Martock goods yard. Because of the milk traffic, the weekly financial income credited to Thorney,was greater than that at Martock, so I was told.
Out on cycle ride with friends on a Sunday in 1956 we happened to get to Thorney
just as the milk train arrived from Yeovil,headed by 4507, the only time I saw the train.
When I worked on the modernisation of the milk factory in 1962, rail traffic had ceased by then,with milk going by road. I think possibly the last vehicle to be shunted into the  milk factory platform,was a box van with equipment for the modernisation in Feb or March 1962,which was shunted in, off the Yeovil goods train by 5798. Then a week or so later the empty van was taken away on the Yeovil goods.  Many thanks for the info john - it's all valuable history.

​Hi Keith, I am a recently new member of the CRS and I would like to share some photos that I took on Sunday 10th July at Newton Abbot. 1.) 46100 'Royal Scot' passes Newton Abbot with 'The Torbay Express' 9:15 Bristol Temple Meads to Kingswear. 2.) GBRF 66732 at Newton Abbot as backup for the 'Torbay Express'. This loco was hired by DB Cargo. Many Thanks Jamie Dyke                                     Many thanks to you as well Jamie

Hi Keith, here's a pic of 46115 passing Wick near Langport, with the trip to the WSRLY. It passed me at 12.30 about 20 min late  CHEERS  JOHN C.
Personally I didn't know there was another Wick - you learn something everyday!  Many thanks John.  However, look for Wick Manor, Langport on Google Earth and you'll find it some half a mile west of  Curry Rivel Jct.

As you will no doubt realised the CRS website is not really for buses, however, they do come into our field of interest at times - useful for conveying us on some of our outdoor events and often as rail replacement services.

Good morning Keith, just to show their is more to railways then chasing around the countryside photographing trains. This is a pic taken yesterday by Brian Haig of me trimming our boundary hedge around the turntable at Yeovil junction, a job which I have been doing for several years, twice a year, to keep things tidy around the turntable.
Not been out with the camera lately, hope this will change shortly.
Been up the junction a bit lately and I will be there next Sunday doing guard duty on our train.  cheers JOHN C    Many thanks John

These photographs were taken yesterday 14th July, 2016, on a route refresher run, the CRS last walked this route 22 years ago when we hired a pleasure craft to take us down the Tamar and up the Lynher and Tidy returning us to Plymouth.

There is no suggestion by the title that we should 'scrap' Sid - he's too useful for that! Thanks for the picture Sid, an interesting one especially when compared to the one of 'County of Cardigan' on the News Page of yesterday and in the text.

A quite remarkable picture taken by John Cornelius from just to the west of Curry Rivel Signalbox.  Here we have, two for the price of one, two locos as a prairie waits in the up loop.  The double track bearing off to the left are the metals of the Yeovil branch which was double track as far as Langport West. There was a further loop line which can just be seen beyond the metals of the Yeovil branch.

Morning Keith,
A rather early visit to Exeter St David's.
43004/43041 with the 0505 Penzance - London (Paddington). This was then followed with GBRF Class 66's 66746/743 with the 0435 1Z79 Gloucester - Bath Spa via Newton Abbot - The Royal Scotsman. Rather strangely it was routed via platform 1 at St David's even though the more usual route through platform 5 was clear. Must confess this move caught several of us out.
Both Class 66's have an interesting history. 66743 worked for DRS and was numbered 66407 it then moved on the Colas Rail becoming 66842. 66746 also worked for DRS numbered 66410 and then also it moved to Colas Rail as 66845. Then both were transferred to the GBRF fleet.
Dave   Many thanks Dave - sorry its late.

Tomorrow we return to Curry Rivel.