Garry Morris

Paignton 9.6.18 sees Black 5 45212 from a railtour moved down to the stops at the back of The Paignton Picture House so that the Class 4 standard can be watered. Plenty of interest from grockles! Railtour locos arriving at Kingswear run light engine to Churston for turning then to Paignton for coaling and watering before returning to Kingswear to join their train.

47746 Paignton 9.6.18

47746 arrived o the back of a Woking to Kingswear railtour today 9.6.18 and was in charge of stock movement at Kingswear.

The Woking to Kingswear tour produced the first Black 5 to visit Kingswear for about 15 years 9.6.18. Surprisingly it makes a repeat run tomorrow!

5.6.18. On Laira today, electro diesel, IEP, Hitachi AT300 Class 800 series! 800 018 The New Order! Technically we should never see a class 800 this far west in service. We are to get the Class 802 which in laymans terms does not have derated engines and are potentially more powerful, they have beefier brakes and larger toilet retention tanks along with higher fuel capacity. This is to acknowledge that our line is further, steeper and more challenging than gliding along the Thames Valley. They look impressive and sprint out of Paddington under electric power but lack a buffet car, seats by windows, are noisier than HST in Second Class, have hard seats and only pick up 6 minutes on the schedule between Paddington and Newbury where they switch to diesel. Another downside is that with limited 9 car sets available there will be times when a 5 car set works a Westcountry service on it's own. Incidentally a double 5 set will require 7 staff to operate (there is a 1st class trolley and a 2nd class trolley in each set) A revenue collector in each set and one driver! The catering provision is a very severe downgrade for long distance travellers unless there is a no standing rule applied and the trolleys can actually move. Not sure about the range of hot food from a trolley...

Direct Rail Services 37218 & 37259 working 0Z09 up through Saltash on Tuesday 15th May 2018. The locomotives had worked down the day before, therefore, this was the return leg of a route refresher/learner diagram between Penzance Slopers and Crewe Gresty Bridge Depot. There are some railtours planned in the summer that DRS are working.

This was an interesting shot I came across. A banked freight in the loop at Aller Junction. Four days before we won the World Cup our own Duchess powers forth for Dainton.

8/09/73 Goodrington. D1029 at Goodrington. Celebrity buffet car behind. Photographer unknown.

Class 17 in 2017. D8568 lone survivor is this years diesel gala visitor at Buckfastleigh. Not sure how far south these machines ever worked but home was Scotland and the North West.

Returning to the 1Z10 The North Cornwall Farewell Railtour and pulling together all available information, it was formed of DMBC W51581 and DMS W51590 (definites) with a strong possibility of the TS (centre car) being W59587 and a slim chance that it could have been W59582. We may never know! History is easily lost!

70806 16/08/17. Just about exhausted new photographic angle on this one!

I am trying to track down the actual unit that worked a railtour to Bude on the last day of services. The date was 1st October 1966 and one driving car of the 3 car Class 120 was W51581. The tour started in Plymouth so was presumably allocated to Laira. Anyone got the relevant info? It would be gratefully received.

On the same day a railtour ran to Bude formed of a three car class 120. Does anyone have information on or pictures?

The last train was likely to be W55012 and W55016 according to this excellent analysis. It would be interesting to know the other two units on the Wadebridge section.

In the absence of a 'Yardee' being allowed to reveal all. Here it is at Saltash in appalling weather conditions. Don't you just love summertime in England!

66775 arrived at the Devonport Dockyard Naval Base (10.7.17) to be named HMS Argyle. Seen here at Keyham and entering the Dockyard smelling strongly of fresh paint.

Making the Branch Line Society envious is 47 237 (D1914) on rare and rusty track at Hoodown in one of the headshunt sidings. This loco detached from rear of the steam charter from Woking to Kingswear which pulled in to Platform 2. A maneuver then took place to get the support coach off the front of the train by Royal Scot by propelling the coach around the run round loop and onto onto the 47. The Scot then went into the bay to await departure to Churston for turning. The 47 then added the coach to the Paignton end of the coaching stock, ran round to the other end and propelled the set back into the long Hoodown siding by the running line. Meanwhile the service train arrived. Royal Scot left and the 47 and full rake pulled in to the bay platform (1). It all made for good entertainment and a lot of squealing on rusty sidings! 24.6.17

Royal Scot runs back to Kingswear after servicing at Paignton and having had a faulty injector fixed which cause a delay on Churston bank.

'Clear Road Ahead' . Royal Scot departs Paignton to return to Woking having visited Kingswear 24.6.17

150002 at Forder. I am told that this unit has never worked to Penzance before, it has been allocated to Reading for the Basingstoke services along with 001. A dmu with a centre car is a rarity this far west. The 59, Tornado and this all passed within 10 minutes along with the retro liveried 43002.

Some shots of the current infrastructure at Moorswater. Taken from the path up by the side of the line 31.5.17

Just out of the box 70815 in the woods at Moorswater 31.5.17

The second visit of 59202 Alan Meddows Taylor to Cornwall seen as it crosses Forder viaduct with support coach 21269 for Tornado 29.5.17. This loco worked a sand train from Methrose (near Burngulow) 19.8.13 Sister loco 59204 has also entered Cornwall once and 59205 was once recorded on the fuel tanks a few years ago. They were the forerunners of the Class 66. Other class of 59's to visit the Duchy include 59001 and 59101 to Penzance on a Railtour 28.5.01 and 59005 to Burngullow 16.12.13.

I have never noticed that Nissan? hut in Kingswear before. I wonder if it is still there?

Celebrity Power Cars have created an amazing amount of interest in recent months as we approach the end of their stint in front line service This one is Harry Patch 43172 (06/05/17) after the Totnes stop on 07.30 Paddington to Plymouth.