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All action for some or no action for others at Lostwithiel today. A report by Roger Winnen

19/10/2015

The Rail Vac machine at Lostwithiel was due to be moved to Burngullow early this afternoon. A Colas Rail Class 66847 one of only five that Colas has in its fleet was despatched from Westbury early this morning and arrived at Lostwithiel in the down loop at 11.30 However it was then realised that the rail vac needed various adjustments carried out before it could be moved to Burngullow. It was eventually decided to abandoned the attempt today and return the engine in the path booked back to Westbury at 15.23,being the 15.08 from Burngullow. Liaison between the various companies involved would have avoided this situation of over 320 miles for a wasted journey and the crew involved.

151019a 66108 Hauls the 13.05 from Fowey to Goonbarrow seen passing through Lostwithiel for the run round loops. Copyright Roger Winnen

151019b Colas Rail 66847 in the down loop at Lostwithiel awaiting the expected move of the Rail Vac to Burngullow being passed by 66108 running around the clay empties to Goonbarrow. Copyright Roger Winnen

151019f 66108 Departs Lostwithiel at 14.55 with the clay empties to Goonbarrow Copyright Roger Winnen.

151019g The Railhead treatment train approaches Lostwithiel on its run from Westbury via Salisbury to Westbury and St Blazey. Copyright Roger Winnen.

151019e After its wasted journey 66847 prepares to depart Lostwithiel at 15.23 the schedule originally for this engine being the 15.08 Burngullow to Westbury Down TC. Copyright Roger Winnen

Unusual locos at Crediton Report from Martin Duff

19/10/2015

31601 arrives Okehampton to collect 2 X Thumper units for St Philips Marsh (for tyre turning). Many thanks Martin

31 601 looking very smart arrives at Crediton to collect 2 thumpers for wheel turing at St Phillips Marsh. 19th October 2015 Copyright Martin Duff

Class 31 returns with thumper. Copyright Martib Duff

Sunday sequences Roger Aston, Roger Salter & Craig Munday

18/10/2015

At the east end of Truro station. Cross Country 220 006 leaves Truro platform 3 with 1M61 the 13.09 to Manchester Piccadilly 18th October 2015 Copyright Roger Aston

A quick dash two minutes later - the RHTT waits in Platform 2 for the local to Falmouth 2F79 to clear Penryn and make the section free. 13.11 18th Oct 2015 Copyright Roger Aston

Down the branch

Roger Salter photgraphs the RHTT crossing Carnon Viaduct, 66138 leads this train with 66061 tailing. 18th October 2015 Copyright Roger Salter

2F79 crosses Collegewood viaduct to enter the passing loop at Penryn and thus make the line available to the RHTT. 14.14 18th October 2015 Copyright Craig Munday

2F79 climbs off the viaduct into Penryn Station. 18th October 2015 Copyright Roger Aston

2F79 safely in the platform at Penryn allowing the RHTT to pass. 18th October 2015 Copyright Roger Aston

The RHTT arrives. 18th October 2015 Copyright Roger Aston

The RHTT drops down the grade towards Collegewood viaduct. 18th October 2015 Copyright Roger Aston

The RHTT outward bound from Penryn crosses the elegant structure four minutes later. 18th October 2015 Copyright Craig Munday

Craig moves to a different vantage point to see the return RHTT cross the viaduct. 14.37 18th October 2015 Copyright

Many thanks gentlemen.

Rail Vac in operation at Lostwithiel Tim Hughes

18/10/2015

Hi Keith
Late night photo of the Rail Vac in action at Lostwithiel level Crossing on Saturday night which might be of interest.
Kind regards Tim Hughes Many thanks

Lostwithiel Crossing. The RailVac in operation late on the 17th October 2015 Copyright Tim Hughes

A day at Swanage Report from John Ball

17/10/2015

Hi, Keith
I enjoyed a day on the Swanage Railway today. The T9 30120 was at work, plus 777 'Sir Lamiel', mogul 31806, M7 no. 30053, Bulleid pacifiv 34070 'Manston' and the standard 4 tank 80104. I enjoyed a ride in their Devon Belle observation car.
Rather a lot of orange jackets spoilt it at times.
Regards, John Thank you for your report from this distant line!!

What a charming scene at Swanage on the 16th October 2015. Copyright John Ball

777 prepares to leave with an up service. 16th October 2015 Copyright John Ball

34070 Manston receives some help. 16th October 2015 Copyright John Ball

The 'Devon Belle' observation car awaits its motive power. Swanage 16th October 2015 Copyright John Ball

You really can't beat that for a background - Corfe Castle 16th October 2015 Copyright John Ball

More on the Somerset and Dorset From John Thorn

17/10/2015

A clean and tidy Midford Station in 1962. Note that interesting signal. Copyright John Thorn

Chris Osment has written a considerable amount about the history of the signalling on the Somerset and Dorset on which he is an expert. In particular we have details of the use of this most unusual signal at Midford. To read his fascinating account click here www.trainweb.org/railwest/railco/sdjr/midford.html

When is a door not a door?? 50 years ago by Mike Roach

17/10/2015

CARRIAGE DOOR PROBLEMS
Fifty years ago I was at Highbridge to catch the 9.45am to Evercreech Junction. The line would close to passengers the following March along with the rest of the Somerset & Dorset line. When is a door not a door ? Answer, when its ajar. Schoolboy humour; but railway carriage doors have always caused problems when they are not closed properly. Indeed the gap between double track railways was originally designed to allow two trains to pass safely even if a door was swinging open on one of the trains. I have only experienced a swinging door once in more than 60 years of rail travel.
When Keith wrote the caption to the attached pictures for the website he wrote “Staff wander up the platform checking on the doors” This was very prophetic, because he did not know, and I had forgotten what happened en-route to Evercreech Junction that day. The pictures were taken on 16 October 1965. Fifty years ago on BR almost all carriage doors had slam locks which relied on the last passenger getting on or off to close the door properly. The guard would look along the train checking that each and every door handle was horizontal before blowing his whistle and giving right away. In 2015 most carriage doors on british railways have doors that are closed by the train manager. The major exception are the Mark 3 coaches used on the HSTs still used on East Coast, Cross Country and First Great Western trains. These are the only carriages left with slam locks, apart from those on heritage railways and charter trains. On HSTs the train manager still has to check that the door handles are horizontal before locking them shut from his control panel at the end of any coach. Station staff also had a duty to watch a train leave a station safely; and 50 years ago the driver was also supposed to look back down the train to see that everything was in order. Despite all these checks trains still departed stations with doors swinging open !
On that trip from Highbridge to Evercreech Junction 50 years ago behind 41283 the train consisted of 2 coaches and 2 parcels vans. It left Highbridge Station quite normally on time; stopped at Bason Bridge one and a half miles down the line where there was a milk depot, parcels were loaded in the parcel van, but someone failed to close the door of the parcel van properly. A further couple of miles down the line to Evercreech Junction the train was stopped in the middle of the countryside at a signal controlled by a level crossing keeper. There was a door swinging on one of the parcels van at the rear of the train. The door was promptly closed and we were on our way. Now if incidences of swinging doors were rare, photos of carriage doors swinging are even rarer. I can remember one incident some 20-25 years ago where an HST was photographed leaving Fishguard Harbour Station with a door swinging at the rear of the train on the opposite side of the train to the platform. This was in the days before central locking.
Incidences of problems with carriage doors should not happen in 2015 with power-operated doors and central locking, but they do still occur. In fact there were 2 instances of door problems in the south-west of England in the first 4 months of 2015. The second one happened at Camborne Station in April. A schoolgirl returning west at the end of the academic day attempted to open the door of a Paddington to Penzance HST before the train had come to a stop. This was impossible of course because until the train was stationary the train manager would not have used the central locking to release the door locks. So with the door refusing to open and the girl still hanging onto the door handle she was dragged along the platform losing her footing until she fell between the platform and the coach. Land and air ambulances were called and she was eventually flown off to Treliske Hospital, Truro. It was later reported that she was not seriously hurt.
Earlier in 2015 a dispute arose between two members of FGW staff on a class 150 dmu somewhere in the west-country, and all about a door. As a result of the incident two members of staff were suspended. After an inquiry one of the staff members was reinstated while the other was dismissed. The moral of this story is that doors can be dangerous objects. In the days before HSTs were fitted with central locking several people lost their lives every year on british railways through falling from moving trains. There was an allegation at the time that the doors were opening because of the flexing of the coach body while passengers were leaning on the door, but this was never proven.
Many thanks for this very long and very interesting article Mike.

It's Highbridge on the Somerset & Dorset and its 1965. From the heavy gloves it looks like its the shunter chatting to a passenger. Copyright Mike Roach

Seconds later, a slightly more distant shot as the train is prepared for departure, the guard walks the length of the train checking the doors - that none are ajar! Copyright Mike Roach

Leslie Curnow captures the clay empties bound for Rocks Dries Goonbarrow, at Par on Thursday 15th October, 2015

16/10/2015

151015g 66108 hauls the 13.05 Fowey to Goonbarrow empties through Platform 3 at Par running 46 mins early. Copyright Leslie Curnow

New GWR Timetable Mike Roach

16/10/2015

Hi Keith
The latest GWR Guide to Services has been published. In past years there would be a new edition in May and December only, but in 2015 there were so many changes at the end of the summer that a new edition was deemed necessary. Although dated to commence on 7 September 2015 the booklet did not appear until several weeks later. Its a worthy successor to a long line of GWR timetables going back to the first train in 1838. Best wishes, Mike
Many thanks for this reminder.

Roaming the rails in Devon and Cornwall by Roger Winnen

15/10/2015

Departing from home at 10.00 this morning I had no plan of what to do today! Passing Par there was nothing to be seen of rail traffic in the harbour, so onwards to Plymouth. On arrival at Plymouth I headed for Laira Bridge on the Stagecoach 2 service as the former rail bridge was due to be opened to pedestrians and cyclist! not so. Returning by the same service to Saltash I was in plenty of time to see the RHTT crossing the border before returning via Keyham for the polybucks heading to Exeter Riverside, from Keyham I returned on the 15.57 Plymouth to Penzance, alighting at Lostwithiel to see the Rail Vac machine in glorious light.

151015a The former rail bridge crossing the Plym is still not open to the public, a notice at the fenced off area states that it should be open by the end of September, 2015. No such luck! Copyright Roger Winnen

151015b The completion of the connecting spans no doubt is the reason why its not open to the general public. Copyright Roger Winnen

151015c The Rail Head Treatment Train crosses the Royal Albert Bridge on its run from Westbury-Salisbury-Westbury to St Blazey, before setting out again later this evening for a run to Penzance then heading up through the counties once more to Westbury. Copyright Roger Winnen

151015d The RHTT hauled by 66061 is now on the Cornish side with just over thirty miles to St Blazey for a six hour rest. Copyright Roger Winnen

151015e Class 66232 Hauls the Polybulks from St Blazey to Exeter Riverside seen passing Keyham Station. Copyright Roger Winnen.

151015f Catching the last rays of the sun, the Rail Vac is seen in Lostwithiel Yard, a mecca in the last few weeks for rail road track machines for the relaying work taking place. Copyright Roger Winnen

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