18B Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Hi, just wondering, from how far afield would diesels have come (on trains) to be serviced at the depot? I'm guessing many of the longer distant trains would have had a locomotive change somewhere en route? So whilst naturally the WEstern Region Hydraulics would have been common the late 60's and early 70's, what other classes etc would have visited? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leander Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Class 46s arrived at Bristol (Bath Road) in 1969 and at Laira from autumn 1972 and worked down to Penzance as far as I'm aware. The invasion of the 50s began in May 1974. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamperman36 Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 47s would have worked down from the north on cross countries along with peaks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toffee Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 I remember Peaks coming off cross country trains at Bristol in the late 60s usually for Warships. Also remember seeing Duffs working down to Exeter and Paignton. Other Duffs would work down to Plymouth to be replaced by Hydraulics at a guess. When Peaks arrived at Laira presumably train crew from Laira and Penzance would have been trained on them. So we could probably say 1960s = 22, 41, 42, 43, 52. 1970s = peaks and 50s / Duffs in for the warships of all three types. Then Westerns dropping out then Peaks leaving just 47s and 50s. Did 25s get to PZ ? Did 37s after they went to BZ ? Presumably if these types did get there it would have been on a in and out basis. South West Wales was 35, 37, 47, 52 in the early years to just 37 /47 by the 80s how far West did peaks get ? Llanelli ? Basically the further you went to an extremity the fewer classes you'd see, wouldn't be cost effective otherwise would it ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toffee Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Forgot to mention I also saw trains heading for Fishguard changing power in the middle road at Cardiff, any Duff/Western for another Duff/Western. Didn't have the range to do a round trip ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paragon Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Out of my area of interest but I know from frequently trawling Flickr that there is a mighty fine collection of images from Penzance and the WR in 74 and 76 showing a reet mixed bag of 1000s and 47s, Peaks and 25s down there... I'd link if I could but searching Deadmans Handle on Flickr will bring up the relevant albums, v. enjoyable couple of hours spent admiring what was... And some captured under that beautiful overall roof at Penzance as well! Paragon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Kirkham Posted July 20, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 20, 2016 Anyone know if this was anything other than a one-off? SEP 72 08. 7573 and a classmate at Penzance with the Cornishman (10:25 Penzance-Leeds), August 1972 by Andy Kirkham, on Flickr Diesels on Cornwall's Main Line by H.L.Ford contains a picture of a similar combination near Bodmin Road, but this was stated to be a Newquay train. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 From memory, I think a few Peaks and northern 47s began working through to Devon in the late 1970s simply because of loco shortages during the summer months, especially on Saturdays. Looking back at my notes from Dawlish, I discovered D1979 heading 1N48 on 17th Aug 1968. According to the class 47 website this was a Knottingley loco at that time. The LMR had locos allocated to a division at that time, but there are a few 47s from the Stoke and Birmingham Divisions passing Dawlish that year. The two Peaks I saw while on holiday there in 1968 were D14 and D70, on 1M93 and 1M73 respectively. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toffee Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 That shot of 7573 on the Cornishman must be due to the diagrammed loco failing and nothing else being available. It was a WR loco and I believe a Laira loco at this time, probably came off at Plymouth. An alternative view would be a diagram for local 25s ( and previously 22s ?) on high days and holidays in summer ? We need a local to help out here ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flood Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 The old Long Rock shed was demolished in the Summer of 1977. As has already been stated, up to about 1970 most inter-regional trains changed locos at Bristol. From about 1971 to 1979 all Paddington trains were diagrammed to keep their train loco into Cornwall but as stock was added at the East end at Plymouth the loco was always due to be changed when leaving Cornwall. In the same time period the inter-regional trains sometimes kept the train train loco but the Cornishman, 07.40 ex Leeds, and the 09.20 ex Liverpool did have loco changes for a WR type 4 at Plymouth sometimes when heading West. The Newquay Summer Saturday trains also changed locos sometimes at Plymouth so that the non WR loco could work the return service back after servicing at Laira. Summer Saturday trains to Penzance did produce Class 45s on occasions but these normally would have worked the next available service back out of Cornwall. The Class 25s normally worked out and back on freight turns to Ponsandane from St Blazey but their was certainly a Penzance pilot duty for a 25 around 1974 so that could have meant one being stabled overnight. So from 1972 Western Region Class 46s, 47s, 50s and 52s would have been regulars at the old shed with a Class 25 or 45 and off region Class 47s turning up every now and again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Interesting selection of posts for me as I left at the end of steam with very little knowledge of Cornish diesel workings, apart form what I read in books on the subject. Thanks. Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Class 46s arrived at Bristol (Bath Road) in 1969 and at Laira from autumn 1972 and worked down to Penzance as far as I'm aware. The invasion of the 50s began in May 1974. First 50 to go onto PZ shed was 50 027 in April '74, it was the Laira crew training Vac at the time Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Kirkham Posted July 22, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 22, 2016 First 50 to go onto PZ shed was 50 027 in April '74, it was the Laira crew training Vac at the time APR 74 09. 50027 at Penponds viaduct west of Camborne, April 16 1974 by Andy Kirkham, on Flickr I'm afraid I never can resist the temptation to draw attention to one of my pictures when it's half-pertinent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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