WESTERNS AT LARGE - 1976
Part 2
Ian Thomas
An unidentified Class 52 WESTERN at Plymouth with the up 'CORNISH RIVIERA EXPRESS'. 21.02.1976, copyright Ian Thomas.
Many thanks once again, Ian. Putting the two words 'unidentified' and 'Western' together in a sentence on the CRS is like shining a Bat Symbol into the night sky... Guy V, one for you!
And just like that, a response from Guy:
Loco is D1043 Western Duke, ‘B’ end leading and nicely steaming away as it awaits departure with the up Cornish Riviera Express, 1A19 1100 Penzance to Paddington. Note the time on the station clock is approaching 1.00pm. D1043 had just replaced an unrecorded loco at Plymouth, as was normal at this time.
The headcode blinds show 0O00 but by the second week in March they had been reset to display 1O43. ’A’ end also displayed 1O43 and the faded yellow paintwork was extremely pitted and rusty making it easy to identify when leading. ‘The Duke’ was very popular with enthusiasts until its withdrawal on April 5th by which time it was overdue for a major ‘F’ exam. Arrival at Swindon for scrapping is recorded as 21st September 1976 with disposal completed by 10th Feb. 1977, the 31st to be dealt with.
Loco is D1043 Western Duke, ‘B’ end leading and nicely steaming away as it awaits departure with the up Cornish Riviera Express, 1A19 1100 Penzance to Paddington. Note the time on the station clock is approaching 1.00pm. D1043 had just replaced an unrecorded loco at Plymouth, as was normal at this time.
The headcode blinds show 0O00 but by the second week in March they had been reset to display 1O43. ’A’ end also displayed 1O43 and the faded yellow paintwork was extremely pitted and rusty making it easy to identify when leading. ‘The Duke’ was very popular with enthusiasts until its withdrawal on April 5th by which time it was overdue for a major ‘F’ exam. Arrival at Swindon for scrapping is recorded as 21st September 1976 with disposal completed by 10th Feb. 1977, the 31st to be dealt with.
Great info Guy - many thanks.
Van Trains
Part 2
Roger Geach
No. 1745 (later 47152) leads 4M05, the 1250 Penzance - Crewe vans past Moorswater on Thursday 26.07.1973. Copyright Roger Geach.
An interesting mixture of vans behind the '47' there Roger, many thanks. Another view sadly lost to vegetation also.
Re: D1009 Western Invader
Guy Vincent
Great to see Ian Thomas’s atmospheric photo of D1009 inside Laira depot on 9th October 1976. The loco had arrived from Exeter at 1900hrs the previous evening for a scheduled ‘C’ exam which was completed on 12th. D1009 then returned to service and featured on the Westerns South Western Railtour with D1023 on 30th October. Less than 2 weeks later D1009 was back at Laira where a broken bogie coil spring was found, apparently an easy repair to complete. Alas authority was declined and Invader was condemned at 11.00hrs on 10th November. With name and number plates quickly removed and the numbers stencilled in white paint where the cab side plates had been. D1009 languished in the depot sidings until being towed to Swindon Works for disposal on 1st June 1977, the last ‘thousand’ to leave Laira. The loco was put out to tender as a possible preservation candidate but in the event a Dutch salvage dealer successfully bid for just the two MD655 engines and cooler groups and so she became the 55th ‘Western’ to be broken up, disposal being recorded as complete on 8th November 1978.
D1009 'WESTERN INVADER' inside the sheds at Laira on Saturday October 9th 1976. Copyright Ian Thomas.
Great info Guy, many thanks. A sad end for poor D1009.