Robert Lindley writes :- Hi Keith
Today at Taunton the new concrete girders arrived to be lifted into place where the old goods loop bridge was. This work is scheduled to take all week. The original abutments have been slightly widened to take the new road, and a nice touch is that the original outside bridge sides are being refurbished and put back so station road will have the same look.
Cheers
Rob                                                Many thanks to you Rob

For a link to 'The turning at Laira and also other Cathedrals Express footage click  here  www.youtube.com/watch?v=k90S8CPsvvA

​Nick is a GWR driver and route instructor based in Plymouth, He has 27 years railway experience and was a shunter at St Blazey back in the 90's, Driver at St Blazey from 98 to 04 then a driver at Par from 04 to 08 and been at Plymouth since 2008! So well qualified and authorised to be within railway property.  Many thanks Nick.

A very quick reply from John Cornelius - Morning Keith, having had a good look at the pic, I would say its at Coaxden Bridge where the A358 road crosses the line a couple of miles on the Chard side of Axminster.
If you look centre left you can see vehicles on the roadside.
Also the goods train is hauled by a D10XX CLASS 52 loco.
 I don't recall this accident as I wasn't on the railway at that time.
I've enjoyed the coverage of 6201,a lot of busy cameras!!,plus all the other inputs.  cheers JOHN C.     Thank you John.

More on the Rail Crash above - many thanks to Tony Hill.  I remember this extensive derailment caused I think by a severe hotbox/sheared journal on a Vanfit..this was the 19.25 (or thereabouts) M-F freight from Avonmouth Royal Edward Yd to Ponsandane which for some reason (either due planned or emergency closure somewhere on the Bristol to Exeter main line) was diverted via Westbury and Yeovil to Exeter Riverside. This train mainly conveyed Vanfits of animal feedstuffs from the Avonmouth Mills & Docks and fertiliser from the ICI works at Severn Beach for the then still several rail served goods yards in Devon & Cornwall. The sacks were manhandled into and out of the wagons on sack trucks, with no pallets or forklifts, yet alone dumpy bags or in bulk ! Once the M5 motorway opened this rail traffic was soon lost to road transport as the Agricultural merchants found it quicker, more efficient with less handling, and cheaper to send their lorries up and collect it themselves, delivering direct to their depots and farm customers. Tony Hill                               Many thanks Tony

And still more - this time from David Tozer.  The line was blocked between 7th and 11th March near Fosse Way Bridge, Axminster. The freight train was hauled by a 'Peak' when nine wagons were derailed. The freight train was diverted from it's usual route via Taunton. The service started at Severn Tunnel Junction and was bound for Riverside Yard. The wagons conveyed large bags of fertiliser produced at Ince and Elton, Merseyside and was for delivery in Devon and Cornwall. The loco involved was D 1003 and not a Peak according to the link I sent you. 
                        Many thanks David - what else is there to learn?

And if you thought that was all:-  Morning Keith, some interesting comments on the derailment near Axminster.
Dave Tozer says it was at Fosse road bridge,which is probably the correct name for it. When I worked at Axminster Station the pw gang always called it Coaxdon bridge, after the little hamlet close by, so that's the name I have always known it by. The photo is taken looking towards Chard junction.
Thinking back a bit, I do recall seeing a box van in the field when passing by in the train one day on the way to Exeter and wondering how it got there.So now I know.
Learning all the time. CHEERS  JOHN C. 

​Morning Keith,
                       Today, Sunday 18th September was anything but a day of rest for the thousands of spectators who invaded Westbury and the surrounding hillside to witness the demolition of the 51 year-old chimney at the former Blue Circle (later Lafarge) cement works situated to the east of the town below the famous White Horse. The demolition was scheduled for 07.00hrs but with local and national media/social media having been widely publicising the event large crowds were naturally to be expected. My wife and I arrived at 05.10 to find hundreds already gathered and for the next 80 minutes a constant stream of cars, vans, campers, 4x4s motorcycles and, as it got light, pedal cycles continued to slowly make their way along the narrow single track road to fill every available space on the top of the hill, the occupants then making their way across to the edge of the site overlooking both the cement works and a large area of west Wiltshire.  At 0655am as daylight broke silence gradually descended as the warning siren indicated only 5 minutes to go.  Then at 07.00hrs and ten seconds a large muffled boom was immediately followed by the 400 foot stack toppling in a north westerly direction to come crashing down exactly as planned in a large plume of dust, the show being all but over only twenty seconds after it started.  As soon as the dust cloud started to rise we were in the car and away as quickly as we could, leaving thousands of others with the same idea to follow on...

The Westbury chimney demolition had mixed opinions, some were happy to see it go as it was a source of controversy for many years due to the smoke and dust pollution it was claimed it produced, a final row over the increased burning of refuse and, more so old tyres, may possibly have helped seal the fate of the plant as it is located in an area of outstanding natural beauty.  However, while it was open the works provided much needed employment and benefited the local economy. At the time the works opened in 1962 the railway, another major employer, was in decline with the loss of dozens of firemen's jobs and the impending Beeching report seeing many stations and several local branch lines closed.  Indeed some men transferred to Blue Circle from British Railways at Westbury and later redundancies saw more railwaymen join the expanding Somerset Quarries such as Yeomans at Merehead and ARC at Whatley.  Both these firms now have a major rail presence at Westbury as many will know.   The chimney was a notable landmark for just over half a century, visible from west country-bound trains as far away as Crookwood east of Devizes and from all other lines approaching Westbury. Many will miss its towering presence as their HST or, soon, Bi-Mode IEP whisks them along the main Paddington-Penzance railway line through the Westbury area. 

Guy Vincent    18.09.2016  
Thank you very much indeed for your article detailing not only the destruction of a 'local monument' but how employment has changed as the years roll by.

At 07.00 the chimney at Westbury former cement works is due to be demolished. We hope to bring you a report on this. The weather at Westbury is 'Cloudy' and it is barely light.  To check on the history read Guy Vincent's excellent note published yesterday.  Also click here for more details  ​http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/14749346.Westbury_chimney__How_to_stay_safe_during_the_blast/

​Today's "Cathedrals Express" had the dubious honour of being the last steam hauled train to pass the doomed cement works chimney on the approach to Westbury with demolition by explosives due to take place at 0700hrs on Sunday 18th September.  Just 4 feet shorter than the spire of Salisbury Cathedral at 400 feet tall the chimney was built in 1965 and replaced a 250-foot structure that saw less than 3 years service. That chimney was itself blown up with explosives at lunchtime on Friday 1st October 1965 as following the building of an additional kiln it was necessary to have a larger stack.  The works, originally opened by Blue Circle cement in September 1962, employed hundreds of local people down the years and was bought by Lafarge in 2001 with closure coming in May 2009 due to a recession in the building industry. The plant is rail served and until 2008 received regular deliveries of coal from Parc Slip in south Wales also flyash was received from Longannet power station in Scotland between 1996 and 2002.   Following 'mothballing' of the plant it became a distribution point for imported cement products that normally arrive on a weekly basis from Earles Sidings (Hope) Derbyshire. Freightliner Heavy Haul deliver the cement in bogie tankers and the powder is sucked out and reloaded into lorries for road distribution across the south and west. Some years ago a short term rail flow operated between Westbury and Moorswater but was discontinued.

Returning now to the matter in hand I managed to catch 6201 on the train as it approached Heywood Road Junction running 25 minutes late due to station working issues at Newbury where a water stop was made. The chimney can be seen in the background.   Next was Clink Road Junction on the north side of Frome with a couple of 'grab' shots just being possible from the road bridge which was teeming with spectators.  The charter was then held for a further 20 minutes on the double track section of line between Clink and Frome North Junctions to allow late running Weymouth-Gloucester and  Bristol-Weymouth 'Sprinter' services to pass over the single track section through the station first.  Frome station and the adjoining car park was absolutely teeming with spectators, many of them bearing the 'next generation' of rail enthusiasts? in pushchairs and buggies to see 'the steam train'.  Following watering the charter departed the station at 1309 but was further held at Blatchbridge Jctn to allow a westbound HST to precede off the station avoiding line.  Blatchbridge was finally passed by 6201 at 1322, 49 minutes late.

With best regards, Guy Vincent  Frome Somerset  17.09.2016
A very interesting note from Guy Vincent to set the scene, Many Thanks.

Graham Mann Network Rail Programme manager has kindly sent us the following pictures of work in progress on the Network Rail  trackwork at Burngullow.  There is also currently recovery work of redundant track in progress alongside on the Imerys site.  Many thanks Graham.

Try this link for more photographs and details  http://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/60s/660814lc.html

A smashing picture from the Mike Morant Collection - many thanks for this. Massive earth works are nearing completion at this location in connection with a flood relief scheme. A large protective earth wall has been raised to the right alongside the track.  Further work is to be done further up the valley.

Keith,
Had to go to Penzance this afternoon and was surprised to see 57 306 "Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate 175" through the drizzle and rain on the sleeper.
Best regards, Roger     Many thanks, hope you kept dry.

David Writes about DRA 81549.
A check on the internet reveals that it was built by Joseph Booth & Sons in 1958 at Ashford and it now resides on the Great Central Railway. Its previous number was DS349 and was a batch of ten built for the Western Region, however its Diesel Powered .

Many thanks to Graham Mann Network Rail Operations Manager for the following :- Keith,     Reference your piece today on the Steam Crane at Silk Mills. I have no detail on the crane but fully remember seeing it in use during remodelling at Laira Junction circa 1972/3, at least I think it was around then , I seem to remember Laira Signal Box closing at the same time*. The crane used to be stabled at Tavy Junction PAD and I'm sure it was still there around 75/76 as I was a Ganger there at the same time and remember having a few "discussions" with the crane operator who was allowed 2hrs to fire up prior to us booking on at 07-15hrs and most times the crane wasn't quite ready when it should have been! I remember the 3 local operators being John McDade, Dick Trigger and Jim Rice.
*Reference to Tony Cooke's Track Diagrams Sect 12 Laira Jct Signalbox closed 10th November 1973

HI KEITH, a couple of pics of 60163 passing Oathe near Langport this evening around 19.00 on the return from Kingswear to London. The low sun held out long enough to give a golden highlight on the train.
enjoy  cheers JOHN C.  We certainly will enjoy John. Many thanks to you.

​Dear Keith, the recent photo of the steam crane at Taunton, brings back memories.
In May 1970 I was about to use the silk mills crossing, when the steam crane was being maneuvered into the adjacent siding. Unfortunately the Warship is unknown, but I believe there was extensive track lifting taking place at this time, especially at Norton Fitzwarren and the quadrupled track to Cogload. Has anyone any information on this crane. please.
 
Best wishes Andrew

Hi Keith, Two of 43172 heading back to Paddington yesterday (8th September)  from the Ponsandane footbridge. 
Cheers, Kyle                                                      Many thanks Kyle

Hi Keith
A couple from Sun 4th at Lostwithiel.

The ECS for that evenings down Night Riviera was scrambled back towards the Capital with 57605 powering it. The train passes Lostwithiel still looking summery with the floral displays around the station. 
A 5 car down stopper is seen in weak sunshine later in the afternoon. 150243/ 153329 / 153333 / 153305 are the units. 

​Then pictures from 8th Sept at Plymouth featuring the down Riviera 1C77 hosting the armed services celebrations. Events we held at stations along the route, including a choir from the Cathedral School of St Mary, part of MKC Heroes. 
​
Penzance GWR Train Manager Jan Southon a former member of the armed services herself, proudly worked the train from Plymouth, along with other veterans working the service. 
Kind regards,  Craig           A most interesting selection , many thanks.