Not Captain Kernow

2C83 was the 0911 Penzance to Plymouth. Monday - Friday, booked to be air braked air con stock, usually by taking the seated coaches of the Night Riviera.

It is to be subject to a detailed restoration first before being erected at the new home on the Helston Railway.

Monarch received its blue roof at Landore, not Canton.

It is a fact that you are eleven years late in reporting! 32-780Z 37 207 William Cookworthy released in 2007 had fixed non-sprung buffers!

If you can find where I claim the railway was innocent please show me? It is the emotive language of the RAIB statement I have a problem with.

Lots of things have no lights on them - livestock for example, a fallen tree etc. Most people don't crash into them at 40mph just because they have no lights! Different if they fall in front of you or suddenly appear, but stationary in the road you should be able to see in your lights. If you cannot, you are driving too fast!

That statement from Simon French is pure sensationalism and will play straight into the hands of the media. What about the fact that the driver was approaching the crossing at 40 - 50 mph (and if that is what they claim, it was probably faster) and did not see the wagon, which had however been seen by the car coming in the opposite direction. If this had been 200 yards back, and the driver had hit a parked unlit vehicle, or a cow or similar, it would not even have been investigated! I don't think I would approach a level crossing at 40mph. No doubt the issues about the crossing need sorting, but as a driver you are responsible for driving in a manner which allows you to stop short of any obstruction. If you cannot spot something as big as the biomass wagon in your headlights you are clearly driving too fast!

That sounds about right, I don't have the definite dates to hand, but I know by the time the 67s were running it was all from St Blazey, and they were in from 2000 onwards.

It was not so much they were not stabled in the station area in the privatisation era, more there were so few of them there was no need. The TPO was no longer stabled at Penzance during the day, running empty to and from St Blazey. Cross Country workings if loco hauled would propel their own train outside to run around. Sometimes the 08 would be used, sometimes not. The same with workings to and from Long Rock - they did sometimes use the 08 and sometimes they didn't! As everything tended to come in and go out again with the same stock there was no real need for any locos to be left on their own in the station area.

I have nothing showing snow ploughs fitted (does not mean it didn't happen of course) but here are a few images that might assist. Class 37/5 Diesel Locomotive number 37 671 named "Tre Pol and Pen" at Lostwithiel, having returned light engine from Carne Point to collect the CDAs left in the loop. For some reason this locomotive carried metals branding for a short time with red backed nameplates. 15th June 1989 Class 37/5 Diesel Locomotive number 37 671 named "Tre Pol and Pen" arrives at Lostwithiel with 6B03 1125 Fowey to Goonbarrow empties with black backed nameplates. 3rd December 1993 Class 37/5 Diesel Locomotive number 37 671 named "Tre Pol and Pen" passes Liskeard heading light engine to St Blazey. It looks like the nameplates are black backed in this earlier view in September 1992. Perhaps the nameplates were painted black when the Distribution decals were applied?

The article below by the Dawlish Beach Cam website is well worth a read https://www.dawlishbeach.com/2018/05/the-dawlish-myth/ In particular, they point out what so many forget, that the route to Torbay and Cornwall is closed far more frequently due to flooding between Taunton and Exeter. The Okehampton supporters also conveniently forget this, as it would also block that route, and also that heavy snow would frequently block the Okehampton route if it was ever opened. If you cannot be bothered to have a ready of it, how many times would you think that the sea wall has been breached in the 172 years it has been there? Would you believe only five times! Yes, the 2014 event was the most serious, but it failed in a way that could not happen again because of the work that was done. Hong Kong Airport is also mentioned, which I was staggered to see when I went, as it is just built in the sea! On one of the dolphin watch trips where you go quite a long way out into the sea you could see them building an access road which must be miles long, on a bridge, over the open sea, which then dives down through a man-made island into a tunnel before emerging onto another man-made island and continuing on another bridge! You can pretty much solve any problem as long as you have the will to do so and the finance available. Both of these are usually problems in this country, where we are happy to spend millions avoiding what actually needs to be done instead of just getting on with it.

A close up of the doors of 48101 and 48102 at Truro today on the first working into Cornwall of the 4 Car HST Set

For information, see how this evacuation at Bedford is achieved. In particular, note how may staff are required to line the safe route to ensure nobody strays from safety, and this is in daylight and good weather!

An interesting take on it by one of the stranded passengers http://buzzsteam.com/2018/03/04/southeastern-commuter-train-stuck-at-lewisham/ There is some contradiction - if the trains were so jam packed how were people also able to move about? Also interesting to note the Driver wanted to evacuate but was overruled by Control. Also clear things were being tried to get things moving again, but they probably spent far too long making these attempts instead of organising the evacuation.

The price of the Class 90 has not jumped, nor has the price of the crane jumped! Bachmann have never given a price for them, the only reason people keep thinking these prices have jumped is because of the Hatton's "estimate" prices.