Regarding Hymeks in Cornwall – as Roger Geach knows, these locos were used on the Kensington Olympia – St Austell Motorail service for several consecutive Summer Saturdays during 1970 and 1971, with the Hymek stabled at St Blazey all day – but just like the Par - Park Royal Freightliner this was very poorly recorded by photographers - just one photo so far, of D7064 inside the shed. Sadly I lived too far west and missed these opportunities to meet up with my favourite class of locomotive (except one – D7051 on 4/7/70 -  which I made a special effort for due to its rare all-over blue livery, but no film in my camera!), but I often wonder whether there’s somebody sitting on a stack of photos he took at the time, oblivious to his popularity potential! There was also D7029 and D7088 on loan to Laira August to November 1967 which made numerous appearances on the Cornish main line during this time, often on the down CRE (I’d love to know if they appeared on the clays!) but I had no camera back then, never mind one with no film in it! Since their presence at Laira exactly coincided with the absence of D601/2/4 away in South Wales my theory is that one Hymek each was borrowed from Bristol Bath Road and Cardiff Canton to cover their duties and also give Laira’s drivers some refresher training on the type - I’ve never seen this theory confirmed anywhere but it all seems to fit.
 
 Regarding the pictures of wagons in distress at Parkandillack, it appears that the buffer stop at the end of the head shunt was given a hard time in the 1970s and 1980s! These are two separate incidents – Roger Winnen’s photo is dated 18th April 1974, but the other pile-up can be dated to the 1980s by the blanked headcode panel on the Class 47 powering the breakdown train, as well as the type and condition of the other wagons involved. Plate 237 in John Vaughan’s book “The Newquay Branch and its Branches” confirms that clearing up the mess did not include removing the 13-ton clay wagon which was left on its side to rot away amid the gorse bushes! I’ve checked the angles of both photographs and I’m convinced it’s the same wagon. Presumably the head shunt buffer stop was moved forward to undamaged track nearer the clay works, leaving the mangled wagon isolated. Of course the possibility remains that it was the victim of both impacts with the second shunting error simply finishing the job started by the first one! That would require the unfortunate B743078 to have been perched on top of the buffer stop for a good many years – unlikely I think, but does anyone recall seeing it there during the late 1970s? - Regards,  Neil Phillips       Many thanks Neil

St Austell
Andrew Thompson
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​What a surprise to see the recent pictures of former china clay locomotive now Colas Rail Freight 37175 back in Cornwall, 29 years after it departed - lest we forget, that was a much longer gap than that between the last Western diesel-hydraulics in early 1977 and D1015’s triumphant return in 2002! Delivered new to South Wales as D6875 in 1963, this machine eventually ended up in Scotland where it received Large Logo Blue livery with Scottie Dog emblems and a pair of experimental ‘self-steering’ bogies before being sent to the opposite end of the country in the mid 1980s to work on the clays. After being displaced by St Blazey’s newly-refurbished Class 37/5s in 1987 and a spell in departmental service, it went back to Scotland for preservation before acquisition by Colas, which has now returned it to Cornwall all these years later. (Did it appear in Cornwall during its departmental years?)
 
I believe that by a pure stroke of luck I saw 37175 being towed away from the West Country in 1987 from the A38 flyover near Tavistock Yard. I just caught sight of a named blue Class 47 – plate position and length would suggest ‘City of Truro’ or ‘North Star’ – heading east towing two Class 37s, one of which was in Large logo Blue so must have been 37175. The date was Saturday 5th September 1987, around mid-afternoon – 29 years later can anyone confirm this movement and the identities of the three locomotives in the consist?
 
Best regards,  Neil Phillips                                                                                           Many thanks Neil for the reminder - can anyone answer the above question.

In the light of Fred Eltons pictures published two days ago Roger Winnen has found the slide of an earlier event at Parkandillack.  We have a date for this happening as below.  This could well be the wagon seen on page 148 of John Vaughans book 'The Newquay branch and its branches'.

​The following report received 14th November 2016
​Good evening Keith, 
                                Bringing some colour to an otherwise grim Wiltshire this morning 66749 came across to Westbury from Eastleigh to work the 'as required' 6M40 1156 Westbury-Stud Farm ballast empties.  This was the last of the 5 European imported GB 66's to appear on this working, all (66747-66751) having now covered at least one run.  Having seen it at Westbury I went on to Melksham and caught 66749 passing through the sadly depleted remains of the 1847-built GWR station there as it headed eastwards towards Thingley Jctn and the GW Bristol-Paddington main line.

Also at Westbury were no less than seven Colas class 70s including 70801 with the RILA test equipment attached to its leading end.  Seeing the modern type 5's lined up reminded me of 40 years ago when I first started visiting Westbury.  Then, it was often possible to see similar lines of class 52 'Western' diesel hydraulics in their final months of traffic resting between  Mendip stone traffic duties.  I know which locos I would rather be observing!   

I have included a shot each of 66747 (09.02.2016) and 66748 (30.09.2015) when they were in the area and prior to repainting in GBRf livery.     Lastly, one of 66748 at Bristol Temple Meads on 2nd Nov. with the empty Portbury-Hexthorpe Biomass working. This loco has been repainted and named 'West Burton 50'.   

Please pass on my compliments to John Cornelius for his excellent 'Western' images posted up recently. All absolute gems and he was so lucky to have been working in the right places at the right time and able to capture such interesting photos.  Alas all memories now. 

Guy Vincent          Many thanks for this most interesting report Guy.