"Diesels in the Duchy" - AKA St Blazey - DCC EM

[2ManySpams]

On the weekend that we built that section, Damian and Chris were on important scenic stuff and I was just told to "hurry up and finish it"!

 

Hope this helps and hope D & C agree !

 

If memory serves that was actually the first time you did as you were told

 

Ask me one on Green Stuff John! Good to see you on here at last by the way.

[2ManySpams]

Just noticed by the way that this thread has had over 15,000 hits. Fantastic! Who'd have thought these diesel thingies would catch on.....

[class"66"]

Realy smart layout you have!! with super detail.....

[ladysplicer]

Wow this is a fantastic layout will you be doing any shows down south next year id love to see it in the flesh i like the pictures with all those proper cars on display:D

 

thanxs

[ladysplicer]

Wow this is a fantastic layout will you be doing any shows down south next year id love to see it in the flesh i like the pictures with all those proper cars on display:D

 

thanxs

[2ManySpams]

Wow this is a fantastic layout will you be doing any shows down south next year id love to see it in the flesh i like the pictures with all those proper cars on display:D

 

thanxs

 

Thanks for the comments Col.

 

Depends how far south you are! In the SW we're doing Truro next August.

 

There's a list of invites we keep updated in my blog here.

[Worsdell forever]

Talking of Leats...

 

We have two kinds of Leats around here, the ones taking water to a mill and t'other that 'angs fra't middle 'ot ceiling...

 

so not just used in your part of the country.

[Indomitable026]

St Blazey - 'Diesels in the Duchy'

 

We are looking into the possibilty of modelling the early sixties as an alternative period for the layout.

 

As I understand it we would be looking at; Westerns, Warships, D600s, NBL type 2s and early Derby Sulzers?

 

Request for information.

 

My request is a simple one, can anyone help with photo's/ info from this period in around the Duchy, but in particular BZ?

 

Your help would be much appreciated......

[2ManySpams]

St Blazey - 'Diesels in the Duchy'

 

We are looking into the possibilty of modelling the early sixties as an alternative period for the layout.

 

As I understand it we would be looking at; Westerns, Warships, D600s, NBL type 2s and early Derby Sulzers?

 

Request for information.

 

My request is a simple one, can anyone help with photo's/ info from this period in around the Duchy, but in particular BZ?

 

Your help would be much appreciated......

 

Great news - so you've finally given in to the delights of the NBL 63XXs then Damian!

If we're looking at early 60's would ther also be a dying remainder of WR steam?

[Leander]

I think that the early 1960s period is far too early for the class 25s on the Western Region in the south-west. Therefore it's probably best to keep to the diesel hydraulic types, as many of the diesel electrics were imported replacements for withdrawn non-standard hydraulics. The exceptions being the Class 37s in South Wales and Class 47s (used primarily but not exclusively on inter-regional Paddington-Wolverhampton services) which were allocated to the region from new.

 

From memory, I recall that these new builds were allocated to the WR after the review (1964/65?) of BR diesel traction declared that the future was to be diesel-electric. After that, the hydraulics were decidedly non-standard and the writing was clearly on the wall for them, with the North British Type 2s and Type 4 Warships being among the first to start to be withdrawn.

 

However you can't go far wrong in keeping to the diesel hydraulic classes (except for the Hymeks which tended not to venture over the Tamar) if you're modelling the 1960s.

[2ManySpams]

When was steam withdrawn from St Blazey??

[2ManySpams]

Just need to convince Damian now about the large allocation of Spam Cans....

[Geoff Endacott]

St Blazey definitely had a steam allocation in 1962, but a lot of them went that year. Cornwall was the first part of the WR to get rid of steam but I don't recall the exact year.

 

Geoff Endacott

[Indomitable026]

Hmmm interesting.

 

It may have to be the late sixties then. Make sure all those 'kettles' have gone.

 

Out of interest then why were the Hymeks never used down there? axle load?

[Old Gringo]

When was steam withdrawn from St Blazey??

 

According to Great Western Engine Sheds by Eddie Lyons; St. Blazey shed was closed to steam in April 1962 - and the Great Western sheds at Bodmin and Truro were also closed around the same time. Oddly, Penzance is given as closing to steam in September 1962 (which would be the end of the summer season). This closure would probably have cleared steam operations off the original Great Western Railway routes in Cornwall, except for intruders from the "Withered Arm".

 

Hope this helps.

[winterbournecm]

Hi there. I think the digrams for Hymeks concentrated them on the Swansea & Cotswold routes and the far west had D6300, D600 D800 & Thousands instead. They were visitors to Cornwall, but were relatively scarce - especially West of St Blazey.

 

I think modelling 1967 - 70 would be optimum, Cornwall had more diesel classes at that point than ever. Diesel Electric classes 03 / 08 / 25 / 45 / 46 / 47 & Hydraulics 600 / 6300 / 800 / 1000 in any livery you fancy too!

 

 

 

[Oldddudders]

Not really helpful, I know, but one of the first Granges I saw was coming off the shed at St Blazey, into Par station, and off on the up line light engine, mid-afternoon. 1961 I think. IMHO a bit of steam among the diesels adds real value. However, comma, ISTR the allocation of Bulleid pacifics to St Blazey was not significant....

[2ManySpams]

Different angle... the current late 80s / early 90s period for the layout... did the shed's TT get used for turning steam railtour locos? If so does anyone know of a record of the preserved locos that passed that way*?

 

 

*I'm guessing there would be loads of Bulleids ;-)

[BlackRat]

_{Yes it did, got some bits here re exactly this. Will try and find them.}

 

_{The roundhouse was used for stabling overnight to.}

 

_{As for the early years, I will have to find out what I might have been driving back then!}

[D820]

Different angle... the current late 80s / early 90s period for the layout... did the shed's TT get used for turning steam railtour locos? If so does anyone know of a record of the preserved locos that passed that way*?

 

 

*I'm guessing there would be loads of Bulleids ;-)

 

The last Bullied to Cornwall (in BR steam days) was 34002 'Salisbury' in 1964, working the Cornubian. The first mainline steam special after that date was 6th September 1985, when 7029 'Clun Castle' worked a GW150 railtour from Plymouth to Truro and return. On the down journey, the loco was detached at Par and turned at St Blazey, continuing tender first to Truro. I actually managed to get some shots of this event. The half roundhouse was still used for stabling locos at this time.

 

During the late sixties and very early seventies the shed had a number of open days. I had several cab rides on NBL 63xx and D8xx locos as well as 1363. I can't tell you what the admission cost was, mum took care of all that! There are some photos doing the rounds though. Here is a link to a picture taken by Bernard Mills of Plymouth:-

http://bernard-mills.../p42332370.html

I might be in this picture somewhere.... Forty odd years ago, frightening!

[2ManySpams]

Nigel / BlackRat

 

Keep the details coming of preserved steam being turned / serviced at the shed. I presume at that time there were still watering facilities somewhere on site - or was it a fire engine and hose?

 

 

Very interesting photo Nigel - not just the foreground activity but also the wagon works in the background prior to later additions. Shows that in 1969 the shed still had conventional wooden doors.

 

Any more images or details of this and other events much appreciated.

[Rugd1022]

Hi there. I think the digrams for Hymeks concentrated them on the Swansea & Cotswold routes and the far west had D6300, D600 D800 & Thousands instead. They were visitors to Cornwall, but were relatively scarce - especially West of St Blazey.

 

I think modelling 1967 - 70 would be optimum, Cornwall had more diesel classes at that point than ever. Diesel Electric classes 03 / 08 / 25 / 45 / 46 / 47 & Hydraulics 600 / 6300 / 800 / 1000 in any livery you fancy too!

 

 

 

 

What a nice selection of images that lot conjures up! No 25s in the Far West though until late 1971, when Laira received a few as replacements for the 22s.

 

As for the wandering Hymeks mentioned earlier - Laira had a few on allocation in the early '60s but none of the Cornish depot drivers were trained on them, so they only ventured across the Tamar with a Laira crew on board. Some Newton Abbot men were trained on Hymeks too, but I'm not sure how far into Cornwall they would have signed the road. I've seen the odd photo of Hymeks at Penzance station but never any of them on Long Rock, Truro or St Blazey sheds, so chances are any appearences in Kernow would have been with the same Laira / Newton Abbot men on out and back diagrams.

 

HTH,

 

Nidge

[D820]

I had a browse through some books last night and found a couple that might be of interest to your 60s/70s period. 'The Heyday of the Warships' and 'The Heyday of the Hydraulics' both by Hugh Dady have some St Blazey (83E/84B/BZ) related shots. The hydraulics book has a shot of 1071 'Western Renown' at St Blazey in 1975. Of more interest is the picture of D6301/D6302 & D6303 in the half roundhouse, all in different liveries and of course, all pilot scheme locos, taken on 20/9/1967. Another photo shows D868 'Viking' on the Par-Fowey line on 1/1/1968 with a clay train.

This brings me to a few important dates, the line to Fowey closed on 1st July 1968 and Par Bridge Crossing box closed on 6th October 1968. The present track layout at St Blazey came into use on 19th December 1976. When I visited the box in the eighties, there was still a lever labelled 'Fowey Main', some years after the line's closure. I am told this is still the case!

[The Stationmaster]

Nigel / BlackRat

 

Keep the details coming of preserved steam being turned / serviced at the shed. I presume at that time there were still watering facilities somewhere on site - or was it a fire engine and hose?

 

 

As far as I can recall from the 1985 trip with 'Clun Castle' we only used roadborne water to top the the tender. There certainly wasn't any 'proper' steam loco watering facility available at St Blazey then although there might well have been a hydrant supply. In fact I think one of the arguments we used to avoid steam special operation on the Newquay branch was the lack of reasonable basing facilities at St Blazey - somewhere I've got a copy of the position paper I wrote for our Ops Manager; I only came across it a few months back among my GW 150 papers.

 

 

 

[Indomitable026]

I had a browse through some books last night and found a couple that might be of interest to your 60s/70s period. 'The Heyday of the Warships' and 'The Heyday of the Hydraulics' both by Hugh Dady have some St Blazey (83E/84B/BZ) related shots. The hydraulics book has a shot of 1071 'Western Renown' at St Blazey in 1975. Of more interest is the picture of D6301/D6302 & D6303 in the half roundhouse, all in different liveries and of course, all pilot scheme locos, taken on 20/9/1967. Another photo shows D868 'Viking' on the Par-Fowey line on 1/1/1968 with a clay train.

This brings me to a few important dates, the line to Fowey closed on 1st July 1968 and Par Bridge Crossing box closed on 6th October 1968. The present track layout at St Blazey came into use on 19th December 1976. When I visited the box in the eighties, there was still a lever labelled 'Fowey Main', some years after the line's closure. I am told this is still the case!

 

 

Oh no - two more books to buy.

 

thanks for that.