Happy Birthday Your Majesty
90 Glorious Years
Roger Winnen
90 Glorious Years
Roger Winnen
160611a Happy Birthday Your Majesty. The 08.18 Plymouth Penzance service. Copyright Roger Winnen
160611b The caption says it all 90 Glorious Years. Happy Birthday your Majesty. This HST forms the 11.00 service from Penzance to London Paddington. Copyright Roger Winnen
St Ives steam and diesel
Mike Morant
Mike Morant brings us, from his collection the station scene at St Ives in 1961 as we would wish to remember it. A 'Toad' brakevan stands in the bay platform complete with a few trucks, a '45' with its 'B' set waits alongside the attractive station building, a solitary spectator stands on the platform, whilst to the right the traditional home signal and lampmans hut.
By 1971 all of the above traditional station had been swept away and replaced by a car park. The track layout reduced to just a single platform. In this picture trains were now composed of heritage DMU stock which gave superb views through the forward windows. What have we got now, not really an improvement, however, thankfully, the branch still survives and carries record numbers. From the Mike Morant collection.
The Westwaters at work
Taking advantage of the last of the recent marvelous weather we've been having Ron sends us the following. Many thanks Ron & Jenny.
Taking advantage from an unusual location we see 57303 crossing Moorswater viaduct with the 1C99 MX 23.45 Paddington-Penzance 06.08 8th June 2016 Copyright Ron Westwater N.B. A nice bit of shunting, alternate blue and green stock.
While Ron climbed the steep hill Jenny stayed low level to catch this picture of 66066 passing Golant at 15.22 with the 6P24 1425 Parkandillack-Fowey 8th June 2016 Copyright Jenny Westwater
Water at Gwinear Road?
David Collings
David Collings
Dear Keith, Now I have a sort of water problem - this time at Gwinear Road station. It's rather strange how that particular station keeps cropping up, but I'm hoping you might have the answer to a question that has suddenly arisen. I have just finished putting together the draft copy of the Helston Railway Journal (No.5). There is an article on Praze station in this one, and attention is drawn towards the Water Tower, as it is a prominent feature of the station. I go on to mention that it was probably sited at Praze, amongst other reasons, because no locomotive water appeared to be available at Gwinear Road. I didn't quite realize that the comment would open a debate on the subject, but now there is a degree of uncertainty amongst a few of our members over whether there was or whether there wasn't water available for engines at Gwinear Road. Before pistols are drawn at dawn, I was wondering if you might be able to throw some light on the subject. Best Regards, David.
Can anyone help please?
Picture taken by Keith Jenkin on 8th June 1965.
Within minutes of my posting the question posed by David, and even while I was 'adjusting' my own rather poor image above in came the reply below from Roy Hart in 'way off' Rangoon. The marvels of modern communication. Thanks Roy.
Dear Keith,
There was no mains water at Gwinear Road. There was never a water column there.
The pillar tank at Praze was provided because of this. When a shunter at Gwinear Road required water, the signalman at West box contacted Nancegollan box and a staff was withdrawn on the understanding that the engine was proceeding to Praze to take water, then not passing through the section to Nancegollan, but returning to Gwinear. This would normally be forbidden elsewhere, but special provision was made in this case, outlined in the sectional appendix to the rule book, published in 1938 and revised in 1960.
Isolated spots on the system without mains water normally had supplies provided by train in large cans (places like Largin box come to mind). I am not sure whether there was a well at Gwinear: the big house next door certainly had one.
Roy
There was no mains water at Gwinear Road. There was never a water column there.
The pillar tank at Praze was provided because of this. When a shunter at Gwinear Road required water, the signalman at West box contacted Nancegollan box and a staff was withdrawn on the understanding that the engine was proceeding to Praze to take water, then not passing through the section to Nancegollan, but returning to Gwinear. This would normally be forbidden elsewhere, but special provision was made in this case, outlined in the sectional appendix to the rule book, published in 1938 and revised in 1960.
Isolated spots on the system without mains water normally had supplies provided by train in large cans (places like Largin box come to mind). I am not sure whether there was a well at Gwinear: the big house next door certainly had one.
Roy