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Devon Diesel Era Photo Record


Garry Morris
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Goodrington Yard 11.06.16 @12.30. The first time I've seen it full for many years. The air display creating additional local services. On the left XC HST 433321 ready to work the 1S51 12.35  Paignton to Glasgow Central. Next to it is 1A84 13.07  Paignton to Paddington. Third from left is 153361 and the GW green unit on a local working and on the far right 143611 heading up a pair of 143's on another local working. Platform 1 at Paignton needed to be clear for the arrival of the Woking to Kingswear steam charter. This combination of events is unique and I can't recall a full yard since single diesel hauled services ceased. Two loops (on the right) were changed to sidings a few years ago. A train can be stored on the run round loop, maybe one day will see 5 trains in the yard again.  

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Another comparison shot. Goodrington Yard 23.07.83 @08.30.

Left to right 45114(D94) for Glasgow, Unidentified Class 50 on the Manchester, 50005 on a Paddington and 50043 on a Birmingham service. Behind is stabled 45130(D117) as standby loco and in the far distance sidings beside Goodrington Sands Halt is 45005(D79) on a Leeds service. Even by 1983 it was rare to see the yard full. Surprisingly few pictures emerge of Goodrington Yard busy particularly from the steam era.

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Two loops (on the right) were changed to sidings a few years ago.

This was the resulting 'compromise' from a situation where the track engineering fraternity decided that the yard wasn't really needed much any more, so put forward a scheme to make all sidings (bar one single, remaining run round facility) into single-ended sidings. No doubt eventual removal of some of them was also on their minds. This was due to the reported condition of the points at the southern end of the yard.

 

Together with a small number of operations department colleagues, I literally fought tooth and nail against this scheme, because I knew that all it would take would be some kind of major event in Torbay (such as a South Devon equivalent of 'Maizey Day' in Penzance) to fill the whole yard up again. I was particularly keen to see as many sidings retain their run-round options in case we had loco-hauled charter trains serving such events. We had already lost the 'Happy Valley' part of the yard some years previously.

 

It was a constant source of frustration (and still would be, if I was still at work), that NR was unable to see beyond the current 'control period' budgets, to a time when existing (but less-well used) assets might once again come into their own.

 

Feelings were running high and there was one particularly 'tense' site meeting, the upshot of which was this compromise, plus the fact that I inadvertantly left an umbrella that I'd found, on a pile of sleepers!

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A big thankyou for managing to save Goodrington Yard. I have seen the gradual erosion of sidings over the years with sadness. It survived the development of the blocks of flats but has since then lost the two long sidings by the wall and a headhunt. Maybe one day the scissors crossover at the entrance to Paignton will return. Operations at Paignton are a bit hit and miss without the flexibility of up departures from platform one. I think there will be further airdays, so well done for the foresight.

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  • 4 weeks later...

UK Railtours ran a trip from Waterloo to Paignton on Saturday 16/07/16 called 'The Herd Of Wildebeeste' bringing 4X73's to the resort. There is safety in numbers! By the time it arrived at Paignton both leading locos had failed. The first before the trip began so it started from Basingstoke. The other at Kingskerswell neccesitating a 20mph push to get to Paignton and a fire safety check at Goodrington. All credit to the operators; it returned to Waterloo on time with the very modern 73/9s on the front!

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The errant Class 73107+73128 safely into Goodrington Yard with fire bells ringing and fire truck in background just to be sure! 73962/963 on the other end may look the same but that's where it ends.. These are state of the art and accelerated 12 coaches plus two dead 73s on the home run up the steep gradient out of Paignton with ease!

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Edited by Garry Morris
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UK Railtours ran a trip from Waterloo to Paignton on Saturday 16/07/16 called 'The Herd Of Wildebeeste' bringing 4X73's to the resort. There is safety in numbers! By the time it arrived at Paignton both leading locos had failed. The first before the trip began so it started from Basingstoke. The other at Kingskerswell neccesitating a 20mph push to get to Paignton and a fire safety check at Goodrington. All credit to the operators; it returned to Waterloo on time with the very modern 73/9s on the front!

Not quite correct, I believe I am correct that the empties from Eastleigh were over 2 hours late leaving because of loco problems and it was decided to start the tour at Basingstoke, everyone at Waterloo was squeezed onto the Weymouth service with theRailtour starting at Basingstoke about 20 minutes late with the 2x73/9s leading to Exeter Riverside yard and had multiple working issues with one loco idling and then shutting down, this was sorted at Salisbury (human error more than traction problems) but as the tour was then well out its booked path it did a good job of messing the service up on the Mule (Basingstoke to Exeter line) for most of the day.

 

The train then reversed at Riverside Yard and set off for Paignton about 15 late with the 2x73/1s now leading, now as anyone will tell you 73s dont like running on diesel for any length of time and sure enough 12 coaches, 2 dead 73/9s and a warm day proved too much for the old dears and after running at full power from Exeter to Kingskerswell the 73/1s decided they didnt want to play any more and overheated (personally I think they did well to get that far with that load on the hook), there were then issues getting the 73/9s to push the train with the brake applying if they went above walking pace,the railtour eventually arrived at Paignton only 12 minutes short of RST (railtour standard time) of being 1 hour late.

 

In comparison the run back with the 73/9s was quite a good trip.

 

The racket the 73/1s made as they passed Dawlish (they could be heard as they rounded Langstone Rock) was quite impressive!

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Thankyou for the info. Are the 73/1 only 650hp on diesel? If so it's not surprising given a load of 500tons or thereabouts that they expired. According to real-time they made excellent progress until giving up! I have heard that a following service train was reversed back into Newton Abbot when the line became blocked. Don't know if this was true though.

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Thankyou for the info. Are the 73/1 only 650hp on diesel? If so it's not surprising given a load of 500tons or thereabouts that they expired. According to real-time they made excellent progress until giving up! I have heard that a following service train was reversed back into Newton Abbot when the line became blocked. Don't know if this was true though.

 

They should have managed that sort of load up the bank at Kingskerswell if they were working in multiple.  So I suspect that Royal Oak is right in suggesting that they had already had their day in terms of time running on diesel and the 1 in 100 was just the final straw ch broke the camels' backs.

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Class 73's have very rarely if ever ventured west of Exeter. They have turned up on Waterloo services from time to time and occasionally inspection type trains and I would imagine have worked infrastructure to Exmouth Junction or Riverside. Pictures of them are extremely rare in Devon. 19.6.93 saw one of the best Diesel Galas ever held with an incredibly diverse range of traction. A pair of 73's took part - 73109 and 73101 on the line to Kingswear. This picture would make a good Jigsaw puzzle! Spot the 73's!

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Thankyou for the info. Are the 73/1 only 650hp on diesel? If so it's not surprising given a load of 500tons or thereabouts that they expired. According to real-time they made excellent progress until giving up! I have heard that a following service train was reversed back into Newton Abbot when the line became blocked. Don't know if this was true though.

Officially they are 600hp but some of the engines removed on refurbishment were closer to 400hp.

 

The following train was terminated at the signal after West jn and had to go back to Newton Abbot and started its return journey from there.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Here's a few photos from yesterday

 

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0925 Plymouth to Aberdeen Crosscountry voyager pictured leaving totnes

 

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South Devon railway's class 37 6737 in br blue

 

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Bogie shot

 

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CrossCountry HST leaving totnes about 1015 ish up country bound

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Thirdly

 

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FGW HST runs straight through totnes with power car 43020 in lead and 43093 at the rear

 

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CrossCountry voyager 220032 pulling into totnes on its way to manchester

 

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FGW 153373 at totnes with 150127 attached to the rear heading to plymouth

 

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153318 arrives at and departs from totnes bound for newton abbott

 

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CrossCountry voyager 220004 (I think, probably wrong, best I could work out from video)

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Did you sample the menu in the Signalbox Cafe?

Did you sample the menu in the Signalbox Cafe?

No I didn't get chance. Would like to next time I'm there, if for no other reason than to have lunch in a signalbox sounds like a cool thing.

I really like the fact the signalbox has been kept and repurposed. Shame it doesn't happen more often.

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