Exeter 1971: Aug 11 and Dec 21

[Andy Kirkham]

I suspect Mark will be the one to answer these if anyone can:

 

These tickets are my only souvenir of our 1971 Devon holiday, as the slides that were taken got lost in the post

Souvenirs of Okehampton and Kingswear, 1971 by Andy Kirkham, on Flickr

On Aug 11 I travelled from Barnstaple to Exeter and from there took a trip on the doomed Okehampton line. To my delight, at the end of the afternoon my train for the return trip to Barnstaple was headed by a Warship - but I cannot now remember which one. Does its identity reside somewhere in the archives?

 

Later, on Dec 21 at the start of the school Christmas holidays I took a day trip from Bristol Exeter and there, as it happens, I had my last sight of a Class 22 in service

FEB 72 06. D6336, Exeter, Dec 21 1971 by Andy Kirkham, on Flickr

As a belated postscript I read in Traffic & Traction in the March 1972 Railway Magazine: Class "22" diesel-hydraulics were still noted with a turn on the 20:10 Exeter to Newton Abbot in December. Thereafter I always wondered whether, had I remained longer at St. Davids, I would have witnessed this remarkable sight, but of course I had returned to Bristol as soon as it became dark. So perhaps an expert would be able to reveal whether a 22 (or 22s) had headed the 20:10 on December 21st, and if so what was their identity.

 

Finally I will share someone else's photo of that very scene, twelve months beforehand http://railphotoprints.uk/p737470212/h16130932#haa79c1b

And another rare view of a 22 on a late-career passenger working http://railphotoprints.uk/p737470212/h29F53264#h29f53264

[mark alden]

If you travelled on 2B99 16.05 Exeter to Barnstaple it was 808 on Wednesday 11th August.

 

D6336 on the 21st was sent to Exeter from Laira at 13.20 (Booked time) as 0B21 and should of worked the 6B21/6B16 milk trip to Lapford but 814 was used instead. 6336 did go out to Riverside but could possibly of been failed which is why 814 was used. I've no record of the 20.10 (2B84) being a Hydraulic so it was most likely a cl. 25 (as booked). The other trains often worked by cl. 22's were the Hemyock milk, and on that date that was 6339 and the Chard milk trip 6B18/6O19 was 7037 and the 2B99 Barnstaple passenger was also a Hymek, 7044.

 

Incidentally the 800 in your picture showing 3B0 is 825. It had worked 3B07 the previous evening (20.08 Paddington - Penzance parcels) to Plymouth (D807 took over). 825 then brought 6B59 freight from Friary to Riverside at 08.10 on the 21st and later left Exeter on the 13.26 Riverside to Severn Tunnel so your picture of 6336 probably of it arriving early from Laira off the 13.20 (not unusual to run a LD early), around lunchtime?

[Andy Kirkham]

If you travelled on 2B99 16.05 Exeter to Barnstaple it was 808 on Wednesday 11th August.

 

D6336 on the 21st was sent to Exeter from Laira at 13.20 (Booked time) as 0B21 and should of worked the 6B21/6B16 milk trip to Lapford but 814 was used instead. 6336 did go out to Riverside but could possibly of been failed which is why 814 was used. I've no record of the 20.10 (2B84) being a Hydraulic so it was most likely a cl. 25 (as booked). The other trains often worked by cl. 22's were the Hemyock milk, and on that date that was 6339 and the Chard milk trip 6B18/6O19 was 7037 and the 2B99 Barnstaple passenger was also a Hymek, 7044.

 

Incidentally the 800 in your picture showing 3B0 is 825. It had worked 3B07 the previous evening (20.08 Paddington - Penzance parcels) to Plymouth (D807 took over). 825 then brought 6B59 freight from Friary to Riverside at 08.10 on the 21st and later left Exeter on the 13.26 Riverside to Severn Tunnel so your picture of 6336 probably of it arriving early from Laira off the 13.20 (not unusual to run a LD early), around lunchtim

 

Thanks Mark. I would have travelled down from Bristol on the 08:00 to Penzance, arriving Exeter around 9:20. 825 would already have been there by then. My recollection is that on arrival I made a trip to Exmouth and back, and on the outward journey passed a Hymek-hauled freight on the double track between Exmouth Junction and Topsham.

I guess I took this one on my return to St David's (No.4 on the film)

FEB 72 04. 825 Intrepid, Exeter, Dec 21 1971 by Andy Kirkham, on Flickr

 

 

6336 probably arrived during my absence, but it must have arrived earlier than scheduled because the first I saw of it, it was standing silent in the loco yard. I remember waiting some time hoping for it move and eventually it did, resulting in two pictures Nos.5 and (the one above) 6

FEB 72 05. D6336, Exeter, Dec 21 1971 by Andy Kirkham, on Flickr

 

Then comes slide No. 7, which you have identified (3 years ago!) as 7044 on the 12:30 trip to Newcourt

FEB 72 07. D7044 approaching Red Cow Crossing, Exeter, Dec 21 1971 by Andy Kirkham, on Flickr

 

For this sequence to be correct, there would have to have been two trips Newcourt that day - the one I saw returning near Exmouth Junction and the one in the photo. If that is not the case then I must have made my Exmouth trip after taking slide No.7.

 

I don't think I saw 825 moving that day, which suggest that I left Exeter before 13:26: this was clearly too early from me to have returned home, but I can't for the life of me remember where I went to next! (unless as mentioned above, it was Exmouth)

 

Edit: St.David's is aligned almost exactly north-south, so in the picture of 7044 the position of the sun is consistent with a time of 12:30 - the shadow of the man in the high-viz vest is nearly parallel with the tracks. And in the picture of D6336, although the sun is certainly shining on the far sides of the locos, the shadow of 825's lamp iron, for instance, suggests that they are not far from facing directly into the sun.

 

By the way, do you know the times for the Lapford trip?

[mark alden]

The Lapford milk trip was 6B21 15.14 Exeter - Lapford empties and 6B16 17.15 return.

 

You haven't mentioned seeing D866 and D18 on the Up Devonian, Exeter at 11.13-11.16, so assuming you weren't there you could of caught 2B95 10.38 Exeter Central - Exmouth and 2B95 11.05 back arriving at Exeter Central 11.28. Presumably you got a Crompton on the 10.15 Exeter - Waterloo to get to Central?

 

D866 returned through Exeter LD from Taunton at around approx. 12.20.

 

The next 2B95 was 12.40 from Exeter Central, 13.07 back, in at 13.30 and after that 13.40 off Central which, if you took that one you would of passed 7044 coming back.

 

Trains back from Exeter to Bristol were -

 

13.26 arr Bristol 14.41 (1E21 Cornishman)

15.25 arr Bristol 16.43 (1E54)

16.11 arr Bristol 17.29 (1M73)

17.39 arr Bristol 19.02 (1C96)

 

The 15.55 Paignton - Paddington was 820 so if you didn't see that you could of caught 1M73 home ?

[Andy Kirkham]

The Lapford milk trip was 6B21 15.14 Exeter - Lapford empties and 6B16 17.15 return.

 

You haven't mentioned seeing D866 and D18 on the Up Devonian, Exeter at 11.13-11.16, so assuming you weren't there you could of caught 2B95 10.38 Exeter Central - Exmouth and 2B95 11.05 back arriving at Exeter Central 11.28. Presumably you got a Crompton on the 10.15 Exeter - Waterloo to get to Central?

 

D866 returned through Exeter LD from Taunton at around approx. 12.20.

 

The next 2B95 was 12.40 from Exeter Central, 13.07 back, in at 13.30 and after that 13.40 off Central which, if you took that one you would of passed 7044 coming back.

 

Trains back from Exeter to Bristol were -

 

13.26 arr Bristol 14.41 (1E21 Cornishman)

15.25 arr Bristol 16.43 (1E54)

16.11 arr Bristol 17.29 (1M73)

17.39 arr Bristol 19.02 (1C96)

 

The 15.55 Paignton - Paddington was 820 so if you didn't see that you could of caught 1M73 home ?

 

All valuable gen!  I think the sightings of 7044 shows that my Exmouth trip must have been in the afternoon. I would have thought  that if I'd seen any other Warships in daylight I would have photographed them so perhaps I was elsewhere in the morning when D866 and D18 came through. But where? And why did I not see 866 on its return so soon before my 7044 picture? I think there are some parts of that day which are simply irrecoverable.

 

It's quite probably that I'd have caught the 16:11 home as I wouldn't have seen much point in staying after it got dark. A shame I didn't stay a little longer and get the Paignton-Paddington as far as Taunton!