Nick Gaskell in his element !
Just a quick photo taken on my phone. all in all a very enjoyable weekend which deserved far more interest than it sadly received. My son and I managed some pictures on our main cameras which we will send when processed. Nice to get a trip behind a peak, first time in over 30 years, had me grinning like a kid again. Nick
The Peak standing at Okehampton 24th January 2016 Copyright Nick Gaskell
More Signalbox Memories from the late Cyril Hitchens
Gwinear Road East
Gwinear Road East was my first main line signalling job. The box had a 15 lever frame and permissive block instruments for the up loop and a detonator for the down main. Often up freights would refuge in the up loop and the loco would pull across the main lines and set back into the down yard to collect any wagons off the Helston branch which had been propelled to the far ends of the loop sidings 1,2 and 3. Movements had to be carefully timed so as not to interfere with main line traffic. Sidings 1, 2 and 3 were called No. 1 down yard and sidings 4,5,6 and 7 were called No. 2 down yard. East Box was open from 06.00 until 22.00 or until the 19.30 Ponsandane to Tavy. Jct. freight had cleared Camborne. Vehicles without rear lights were permitted within the confines of the station from the up sidings but were protected by West box keeping the point set to the up sidings until the entire train was in the up loop. The box was particularly busy during the sugar beet, broccoli and potato seasons especially on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays when as many as 13 additional trains were dealt with in a day working block to block up to Truro and beyond. On my "promotion" to West box a fireman, who was a talented artist, presented me with a cartoon showing me as a mounted cowboy with the caption "Go west young man!"
The Helston line closed to passengers in Nov. 62 and to freight in Oct. 64. Gwinear Road station closed in Oct. 64 and I remember in the period between the removal of branch passenger services and total closure the sign just said Gwinear Road with the "For Helston The Lizard Mullion & Porthleven" blanked out. Latterly some of the sidings were removed or used for storage until the boxes were closed in 1965, East in June and West in October. During that year an inspection trolley was used in demolition and track recovery and I recall a return trip to Nancegollan, perhaps the last "train" on that section.
C. H.
Gwinear Road East was my first main line signalling job. The box had a 15 lever frame and permissive block instruments for the up loop and a detonator for the down main. Often up freights would refuge in the up loop and the loco would pull across the main lines and set back into the down yard to collect any wagons off the Helston branch which had been propelled to the far ends of the loop sidings 1,2 and 3. Movements had to be carefully timed so as not to interfere with main line traffic. Sidings 1, 2 and 3 were called No. 1 down yard and sidings 4,5,6 and 7 were called No. 2 down yard. East Box was open from 06.00 until 22.00 or until the 19.30 Ponsandane to Tavy. Jct. freight had cleared Camborne. Vehicles without rear lights were permitted within the confines of the station from the up sidings but were protected by West box keeping the point set to the up sidings until the entire train was in the up loop. The box was particularly busy during the sugar beet, broccoli and potato seasons especially on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays when as many as 13 additional trains were dealt with in a day working block to block up to Truro and beyond. On my "promotion" to West box a fireman, who was a talented artist, presented me with a cartoon showing me as a mounted cowboy with the caption "Go west young man!"
The Helston line closed to passengers in Nov. 62 and to freight in Oct. 64. Gwinear Road station closed in Oct. 64 and I remember in the period between the removal of branch passenger services and total closure the sign just said Gwinear Road with the "For Helston The Lizard Mullion & Porthleven" blanked out. Latterly some of the sidings were removed or used for storage until the boxes were closed in 1965, East in June and West in October. During that year an inspection trolley was used in demolition and track recovery and I recall a return trip to Nancegollan, perhaps the last "train" on that section.
C. H.
Two Wonders at Weymouth Mike Morant
Mike has sent in some super pictures in the past usually complete with every detail, however in the case of the two pictures below Mike WONDERS what the date was when a Sandite unit visited the Weymouth Harbour line, and for that matter for what purpose. Also the date when class 33 6335 'The Herfordshire Railtours' visited the weymouth harbour line.
CAN YOU HELP PLEASE?
CAN YOU HELP PLEASE?
On its way towards the harbour terminus is Railtrack Sandite/De-icing 3-car unit Unit no. 930301 which was a conversion from a 205 class DMU. Does anybody know when this unit ran the length of the tramway in the second half of the 1990's? Picture from the Mike Morant Collection
BRCW Type 2 diesel no. D6535 Hertfordshire Rail Tours on the Weymouth Harbour Tramway. This must be a railtour but I haven't found any reference to it on the sixbellsjunction web site. It isn't the occasion when Concorde flew over as the stock is different This was taken in warm weather (two of the men in the background are in shirt sleeves) and - out of shot here but on the original negative - is an operative in BR double arrow garb. Mike Morant collection
Guy Vincent kindly advises us -- I can provide the answer to Mike Morant's query posted on 25th January regarding the 'mystery' railtour he photographed on the Weymouth Quay branch. This was Hertfordshire Railtours 'The Corfe Mixture' which ran on Saturday 25th June 1994. The train was formed of 4-CIG 1318 and 4-BEP 2301 and ran from Waterloo to Wareham where passengers transferred to road coaches which took them to Swanage. After approximately 3 hours road transport returned patrons to Wareham and the EMUs continued to Weymouth Town where everyone alighted; 33116 then attached to the units and took them ECS to Weymouth Quay from where the return leg, propelled by 33116 as far as Weymouth Junction, started. From Weymouth Jctn the two EMU's returned to Waterloo stopping en route to collect passengers who had elected to visit Corfe Castle after Swanage rather than going down to Weymouth.
Information taken from a HRT brochure in my possession, there are also some photos on Smug Mug put on by Neil Dimmer showing the train in question.
I hope this information is useful to you and thanks again for this excellent site. Best Regards, Neil Vincent. Frome, Somerset.
Many thanks Guy
Information taken from a HRT brochure in my possession, there are also some photos on Smug Mug put on by Neil Dimmer showing the train in question.
I hope this information is useful to you and thanks again for this excellent site. Best Regards, Neil Vincent. Frome, Somerset.
Many thanks Guy
More from Mike tomorrow