KERNOW TODAY

[GWRPhil]

Today at lanhydrock

 

 

 

 

[hornbyandbf3fan]

A fun few hours chasing trains around Respryn as the Bodmin & Wendford timetable fell apart 

[Halvarras]

On 4th October I took this shot of first-built CDA 375000 getting worryingly close to the scrapman's gas axe:

 

Also present was the next one, 375001:

 

This was bothersome because both of these wagons had been reported by the National Wagon Preservation Group (on behalf of the Bodmin and Wenford Railway) as being subject to special bids as part of the proposed 6-wagon (or so) preserved rake. Sadly it appears that this initiative has hit difficulties because the rising value of scrap metal saw them outbid by the scrap merchants. It's not over and out yet but while further attempts to secure wagons from those recently withdrawn are prepared the two fleet pioneers have sadly bitten the dust. 375000 - which I was remarkably lucky to have photographed brand new 36 years ago, as posted earlier - was dismantled during the two days after I took this over-the-fence photo. 375001's body is currently sitting on the dirt awaiting collection along with around seven others, their chassis all cut in half. So sadly these two haven't made it, and we can only hope that the bid to save a handful will ultimately be successful (I've done my bit but will do a bit more if things get tight). TBH I'm rather gutted at the loss of '000, which I've been monitoring for the past three and a half years as I felt a special connection to it (blimey H, man up, it was just a metal contraption built to serve a purpose 🤨......yeah well, so was 'Flying Scotsman', so there!)

Here are some scenes of the CDA carnage taken this afternoon:

[Halvarras]

Also while I was out this afternoon I spotted the five JGA wagons strung together in St Blazey Yard. Word is that these may not be entirely suited to the loading methods employed by the china clay industry - are they stored out of use (already) or is there still hope for them? Thought I should take these photos for posterity (despite the rampant vegetation), just in case.......

[Halvarras]

It appears to have been announced that the joint effort between the National Wagon Preservation Group and the Bodmin & Wenford Railway to save a few CDAs has been successful - however it's on Facebook and I'm not, so all I have is the headline. No doubt this news will be more widely shared in due course.

 

This is particularly good news as the scrapping appears to be poised to move on to the previously operational fleet, i.e. those withdrawn in August. So it was now or never!

 

It is a pity that the first one, 375000, was lost but it was not in very good condition and those rescued should be from the latest arrivals so their restoration should entail far less work.

[Kris]

2 hours ago, Halvarras said:

It appears to have been announced that the joint effort between the National Wagon Preservation Group and the Bodmin & Wenford Railway to save a few CDAs has been successful - however it's on Facebook and I'm not, so all I have is the headline. No doubt this news will be more widely shared in due course.

8 at Bodmin CDA's are going to the Bodmin railway via the National Wagon Preservation group. There is also 1 going to the Plym Valley railway through another group. 

[Halvarras]

4 hours ago, Kris said:

8 at Bodmin CDA's are going to the Bodmin railway via the National Wagon Preservation group. There is also 1 going to the Plym Valley railway through another group. 

 

Thanks for that Kris, that's 2 or 3 more than I'd expected so congratulations and well done to all involved. 

 

One going to the PVR was news to me too.

[hornbyandbf3fan]

Taunton and Launceston Castle at Parkway last night

[Halvarras]

Click on the link and scroll down a bit for fascinating aerial views of the latest state of play with the withdrawn CDAs at St Blazey, as at yesterday........

 

http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/latest-input--news--old-pictures-etc

 

It is highly likely that the rake of ten nearest the wagon repair shop comprises eight destined for the Bodmin & Wenford Railway plus two purchased privately. It appears that at least some of the chassis of dismantled CDAs still had clay in their discharge chutes when cut in half. The five recently-arrived JGAs have been moved in recent days but their future on clay traffic is unclear.

 

Looking at the state of St Blazey yard one has to wonder whether a move will be made to remove some of the sidings when the CDAs have all gone, further reducing overall siding capacity in Cornwall (I know new sidings are being installed at Ponsandane, Penzance, but that is for use by GWR trains). St Blazey is still Cornwall's main railway hub and usefully centrally positioned, and I feel cutting this site back to a bare minimum too quickly would be a bad move, for instance there are literally mountains of china clay waste in the area, some of which has already been moved (as 'sand') by rail - since it clearly has a use could this become a regular bulk flow in the future, using St Blazey yard alongside the clays? Just thinking out loud......

[hornbyandbf3fan]

A fruitful couple of minutes in the sun a couple of days a go. Screenshots from a video so not great quality. 

[Halvarras]

Just back from a successful attempt to identity, mostly through vegetation (good job we're well into autumn.....), the ten CDAs currently stored apart from the rest - since it has been reported that eight are destined for the BWR and two are going elsewhere odds are that these are the ten which have a future; the other 28 having been shunted onto the scraplines by 66165 last week is another clue!

(Hopefully we won't have another '6319-type' event - "oh sorry, did you want those?!"......🤪!)

 

It felt odd writing down numbers in a notebook for the first time in decades, and wagon numbers to boot, but in case this is of any interest to anyone out there:

 

375030

375050

375061

375063

375067

375090

375091

375102

375113

375117

 

Here's 375061 parked in view of the yard entrance late this afternoon.....

.....it has a minor claim to fame as the very last loaded CDA to cross Middleway Crossing on 10th August.....

.....and so last to leave Goonbarrow and all other points between there and Lostwithiel I suppose!

 

Yet another shot over the gate at the far end of St Blazey yard.....

.....the four (I think) grounded hopper bodies on the left are all that remains of the 40 long-stored wagons here. I would guess that dismantling of the 28 former serviceable wagons in the two rows on the right will commence this week.

 

I also tried to identify the five JGAs parked up in the yard while I was there but one of them refused to reveal itself. Gonna have to wait for more leaves to fall.....! Intention with these remains uncertain.

 

Still a bit gutted that 375000 went for scrap last month but no use crying over spilt cow juice, it's done now.

[treggyman]

2 hours ago, Halvarras said:

Just back from a successful attempt to identity, mostly through vegetation (good job we're well into autumn.....), the ten CDAs currently stored apart from the rest - since it has been reported that eight are destined for the BWR and two are going elsewhere odds are that these are the ten which have a future; the other 28 having been shunted onto the scraplines by 66165 last week is another clue!

(Hopefully we won't have another '6319-type' event - "oh sorry, did you want those?!"......🤪!)

 

It felt odd writing down numbers in a notebook for the first time in decades, and wagon numbers to boot, but in case this is of any interest to anyone out there:

 

375030

375050

375061

375063

375067

375090

375091

375102

375113

375117

 

Here's 375061 parked in view of the yard entrance late this afternoon.....

.....it has a minor claim to fame as the very last loaded CDA to cross Middleway Crossing on 10th August.....

.....and so last to leave Goonbarrow and all other points between there and Lostwithiel I suppose!

 

Yet another shot over the gate at the far end of St Blazey yard.....

.....the four (I think) grounded hopper bodies on the left are all that remains of the 40 long-stored wagons here. I would guess that dismantling regards the JGA's of the 28 former serviceable wagons in the two rows on the right will commence this week.

 

I also tried to identify the five JGAs parked up in the yard while I was there but one of them refused to reveal itself. Gonna have to wait for more leaves to fall.....! Intention with these remains uncertain.

 

Still a bit gutted that 375000 went for scrap last month but no use crying over spilt cow juice, it's done now.

 

Hi Halvarras

 

Thanks for the continuing sad updates on the fate of the CDA fleet.

 

As regards the 5 JGA's if you go on the wagons pictures home page there are pictures of the five wagons at Totnes on their way to Cornwall on 19/8/23.

 

If you type in wagons-library.weebly  in Google the site listing appears.

Click on that & you'll go to their homepage.

On the LHS will appear an alphabetic list of the first letter of the wagon code.

Put cursor on J.......ThenJGA.....THen click on JGA NACO 191xx & the pictures of them will appear in number order (including pics of a couple of wagons not included in the train.

 

For the record the numbers are :JGA NACO 19177 , 19188 , 19192 , 19194 , 19196.

 

I'm sure it is possible to link the pictures direct but that is beyond my limited computing skills.....Anyone out there feel free to do it though....

Hope this was of help.....

 

Cheers Bill

[Halvarras]

Thanks Bill, I'll have to give that a go.

In the meantime I can advise that the JGA hiding behind the foliage (well, they all were to some extent!) was 19188 😁

[Halvarras]

Yesterday morning nine of the ten CDAs destined for preservation were moved into Par Docks, immediately following the extraction of loaded JIAs - 66165 performed both movements which received excellent coverage, including aerial views, which can be viewed here by scrolling down to 6th December.

 

http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/latest-input--news--old-pictures-etc

 

The tenth wagon, 375102, didn't make the trip for some reason and is currently parked beside St Blazey's turntable.

 

It would be interesting to know when the Par Docks branch last saw two trains on the same day!

[Halvarras]

Latest update on the preserved CDAs - 375030 departed for the Plym Valley Railway on Friday and by mid-afternoon the first two for the BWR had also left. However a WR vent van had turned up from somewhere!? 

It appears that the transporters are accessing Par Moor Road via the largely disused west end of Par Docks and the gate at that end, avoiding local bridge clearance issues either side of the main entrance; then up the A391 to reach the A30 then on to Bodmin.

Against expectations (mine anyway) the movements continued over the weekend - I saw the transporter carrying 375090 travelling along Par Moor Road at 3pm by pure coincidence this afternoon, that movement leaving just one to be collected tomorrow.

However the returning transporters have been put to good use, delivering Ruston & Hornsby 48DS 'Brian' from the BWR, which was expected, with a Fowler mate which wasn't! I believe these will join CDA 375102 at the turntable. Their purpose hasn't been publicly disclosed yet, but they'll make an interesting sight moving along the branch into the depot.......if only I knew when!

 

[Halvarras]

PS Please ignore my assumed route above, I got it wrong! But never mind, all eight CDAs will be at Bodmin by now.......

[GWRPhil]

A well timed video from lanhydrock (respryn) yesterday.