Cornish Branch Line Project

[Siphon208]

This post is intended basically for a bit of background information on the Cornish region circa 1970. It is just to find out what sort of Locos and other rolling stock were around at that time ( I come from a North Western area of BR, in that period), so I've little idea of what was going on elsewhere!

In my locality, it was a region of rationalisation, decline in the docks, and transfer of services,

My Cornish layout would have line singling, disused trackbed, and other signs of the "purge". I'm just not too sure of the motive power around then.

Can any of our experts in this field help? 

Many tnaks, 

Dean

[brianusa]

Get you to a bookshop and purchase any of John Vaughn's books on Cornwall. He writes and includes photos of all eras and is one of the best of a wide field. You will no doubt find one or two that fills your interest.

 

Brian.

[fender]

1970 branch lines sounds like lots of Class 22s!

 

the following websites have a lot of info:

 

http://www.brdatabase.info/

 

http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/

[modfather]

Have a look in the railways of Cornwall section on here?

[Rivercider]

Have a browse through the 'Railways of Cornwall' section of the forum, there is plenty of info there,

but here is my 'starter for ten'.

 

In 1970 the locomotives in the main were still diesel hydraulics.

On the branch lines the class 22 North British locos (D6306 - D6357) were still the most common loco type, although the early batch (D6300 - D6305) had gone in 1968 along with a few of the later ones .  

The five D600 Warships (D600 - D604) had already been withdrawn in 1967.

Almost all of the class 42 and 43 Warships (D803 - D870) were still in service working main line services in Cornwall, (D800 - D802  had been withdrawn in 1968 and a handful more in 1969).

Class 52 Westerns (D1000 - D1073) were all in service, mostly on main line work.

The other hydraulic classes, D7000 Hymeks were seldom seen in Cornwall, and neither were the D9500 series).

 

Laira Depot in Plymouth would receive its first diesel electric class 25 locos in 1971 for local freight work as replacements for the class 22s as they were withdrawn.  

Other diesel electric classes 45, 46 and 47 were rare in Cornwall in the early 1970s I believe.

 

 On the Cornish branch lines passenger services were mostly worked by class 118 DMUs and class 121 or 122 single power cars, Newquay had loco hauled trains particularly on Summer Saturdays. 

As Modfather suggests search RMWeb as we have already had several threads ( try 'Cornwall DMUs' or similar for a search).

 

On the freight side of course many Cornish branches handled china clay in various forms.

Export clay via Fowey went in the B743xxx series wagons which were flat sheeted in 1970, not gaining their characteristic hoods until 1973,

other clay for the Potteries and elsewhere in Britain went in ordinary wooden highfits, again sheeted when loaded. 

Ordinary vanfits were common, used for bagged clay and also bagged fertiliser, beet pulp nuts and other general merchandise.

Many stations also received domestic coal in 16t minerals.

 

If you have more specific questions I am sure someone will be able to point you in the right direction,

 

cheers

[Gwiwer]

Circa 1970 in Cornwall was a period of great change.  Steam ways of working still largely applied though the traction had gone some years before.  The diesel-hydraulics ruled but frequently failed.  A diesel-electric in Cornwall was very uncommon (other than shunters) and I'm not sure that Ponsandane men were even trained on them.  

 

RC has the gist of it above.  Passenger services were less frequent than today and typically formed of 4 - 7 Mk1 coaches.  Those which ran east of Plymouth usually had a catering portion detached (down) or attached (up) there meaning you don't need buffet cars for most workings.  I don't have a final date but the Cornishman frequently brought in a Thompson coach in the late 1960s and is a feature I represent myself.  There were Company vans from the Big Four so a mixed parcels rake would be typical.  Every night of the week two overnight trains rain between Paddington and Penzance using Mk1 sleepers and sitters - the latter usually compartment rather than open stock.  There was the TPO and newspaper workings as well.

 

Freight was by contrast much busier than today with plenty of clay action in the flat-topped wagons which later gained blue hoods and hauled by class 22 or 42.  There was plenty of perishables traffic as fish was still sent by rail and commercial flower-growing around Penzance plus the agricultural produce from the "Golden Mile" (the hillside between Penzance and Ludgvan above the railway) sent trainloads of stuff up-country n mostly 4-wheel SWB vans.  Shunting was done by the standard class 08 but also by a few class 03 types and both had occasional main-line trips as required to access branches such as Hayle Wharves.

 

Branch lines saw DMU services with classes 118, 120 and 122 most common.  The ubiquitous 117 arrived rather later being seldom seen west of Somerset in 1970.  Main line stopping trains were also formed of DMUs such as the morning Penzance - Truro and return stopper.  Newquay had loco-hauled trains as RC notes and so did Falmouth as an early morning Truro - Falmouth was loco hauled returning as a through Falmouth - Paddington train.  

 

Much of the rolling stock required is readily available today or has been announced for delivery over the next few years.  If you were modelling a freelance branch then there's plenty of inspiration to be drawn from those which existed in reality and not forgetting Hayle Wharves, Fowey nor the then recently-closed Perranporth line and Treamble freight branch.  Google and this site will reveal much more.

[southern42]

And don't forget the railway tours...

[Andy Kirkham]

Not forgetting milk traffic. In reality it was confined to the main line, but there's no reason why it shouldn't run on a fictional branch.

[Kernow Pete]

Clay traffic in vans was more often in "Sliding Door" type vans (ex LNER and LMS and their BR built cousins) until they were no longer available. Always assumed to be because you probably couldn't open hinged doors next to the Linhay although I can't find any photographic evidence I remember we commented on it whilst watching the evening Clay train pass through Saltash.

 

The other regular export of clay was in Belgian "Ferry Vans" from Burngullow or off the branch there, that may have been mid 70's though as the picture I have seen is with a Class 45 may be later. The ferry vans were piped for vacuum brake so could be run in fitted trains but obviously not at the rear and I think after several incidents on trains from Dover Western Docks could not be counted in the fitted head when calculating the trains braking ability. 

 

Open clay traffic up country was, as someone else has said in wooden opens and rarely the corrugated steel end BR wagons. exLNE Ofits seemed most common if my memory is correct (certainly common on Ball Clay from Ivybridge). The short wheelbase "Clay Wagons" did make it into the trains sometimes but they were really intended to go to Fowey. Circuit working branding also got applied in the early 70's I think to help control the fleet and ensure that the insides of the wagons were kept clean for clay traffic and uncontaminated by rust.

 

There was an early evening Clay working out of Cornwall that was a regular D6300 doubleheader until they were phased out.

 

The Clayliner slurry tanks were the first regular Class 47 working out of and back to the County. It ran once a week to Sittingbourne as a block train.

 

After the introduction of the Clayhoods they ran loaded from Marsh Mills to Fowey and returned empty. Obviuosly, prior to the fitting of hoods the they ran sheeted to Fowey and empty back to Marsh Mills.

 

Hope you find these memories of train watching useful