South Devon Today
David Tozer
David Tozer
David living at Exeter has a 'slight' time advantage over Roger who lives in the far west at Penzance, so no doubt we'll be seeing what Roger saw later on!
Looking on. 1450 looks on as DR 80302 passes on the down main 20th February 2016 Copyright David Tozer
DR 80302 makes an interesting picture as it passes Totnes Riverside 20th February 2016 Copyright David Tozer
Looking out - Roger Winnen on guard duties. 20th February 2016
160220a This is the man behind the camera David Tozer and Tony Brokenshire in the background. Copyright Roger Winnen
Main Line Blocked
55 years ago
55 years ago
I have just come across this BR leaflet of 55 years ago. It was issued to members of the public travelling in either direction into or out of Cornwall. We were travelling from Redruth to Peterborough and were surprised to find our train terminated at St Germans - a bus replacement took us over the Tamar by way of the Torpoint ferry. I recall we were put back on a train at Devonport - why there and not Plymouth NR I don't know. KJ.
Picture of derailment at Wiveliscombe tunnel - from BR Leaflet. KJ Collection
Slippage problems at Wivelscombe an additional note from Roy Hart.
The 'St Germans deviation' of 1908 was designed to replace the old single line and its many wooden ' Brunel' viaducts. On the old line was a crossing loop and signal box at Wivelscombe. The new line has a tunnel ( familiar to us all) and known as Shillingham - - presumably to avoid confusion with Wiveliscombe (note the spelling difference) on the old Barnstaple line in Somerset.
The new line at Wivelscombe (Shillingham) has always been subject to landslips ( note the steel nets protecting the line from slips at several points today). In November 1942 there was a huge slip which required 7 months of single line working through the tunnel, requiring two temporary signal boxes (Shillingham East and Shillingham West) from December 1942 until May 1943. Many thanks to Roy.
The 'St Germans deviation' of 1908 was designed to replace the old single line and its many wooden ' Brunel' viaducts. On the old line was a crossing loop and signal box at Wivelscombe. The new line has a tunnel ( familiar to us all) and known as Shillingham - - presumably to avoid confusion with Wiveliscombe (note the spelling difference) on the old Barnstaple line in Somerset.
The new line at Wivelscombe (Shillingham) has always been subject to landslips ( note the steel nets protecting the line from slips at several points today). In November 1942 there was a huge slip which required 7 months of single line working through the tunnel, requiring two temporary signal boxes (Shillingham East and Shillingham West) from December 1942 until May 1943. Many thanks to Roy.
Portreath Branch Staff
Dave Hayball
Dave Hayball
It is always a pleasure to welcome new contributors especially so when they send pictures of railway hardware thought to be long gone and lost forever. In this case a very warm welcome to Dave Hayball - today we show the first of three images of staffs in his possession. Many thanks David,
Carn Brea Yard to North Pool siding staff. The David Hayball collection
This postcard from Facebook shows Camborne - Redruth Tram number 7 standing on the metals of the crossing of the Portreath branch at Illogan Highway. The staff above would have been carried many times over this crossing on route to North Pool Siding which lay to the north of this site. The large building to the right and just beyond the crossing is the Railway Inn. The road leading off to the right just beyond this is Druids Way. Just beyond the tram was situated a passing loop, the third loop out from the Redruth tram terminus.
A note from Roy Hart, Dear Keith,
This staff dates from 1936, when the Portreath branch was closed beyond North Pool. At that time, traffic had been nil since the 1920s and even North Pool saw virtually no traffic until it, too, closed in April 1938.
When I last saw this staff it was in the posession of the late C.R Clinker, the noted railway historian. He told me that when he worked for the railway he visited Carn Brea Yard box in about 1948, long after the branch had gone, but the staff still hung on its hook in the box!
The Porteath branch was lifted in 1945 (the incline was dismantled in 1940). A stub of the branch remained, used generally for wagon storage, until 1967. Roy
This staff dates from 1936, when the Portreath branch was closed beyond North Pool. At that time, traffic had been nil since the 1920s and even North Pool saw virtually no traffic until it, too, closed in April 1938.
When I last saw this staff it was in the posession of the late C.R Clinker, the noted railway historian. He told me that when he worked for the railway he visited Carn Brea Yard box in about 1948, long after the branch had gone, but the staff still hung on its hook in the box!
The Porteath branch was lifted in 1945 (the incline was dismantled in 1940). A stub of the branch remained, used generally for wagon storage, until 1967. Roy