Looe freight?

[Chameleon]

Does ANY freight use the Looe branch these days? I was down there recently and it is a fascinating wee branch. I rad about how the staff and token work but if there isn't any freight any more, it would all seem a rather pointless palaver.

[jon attwood]

theres still an occasional train to the lafarge cement works at moorswater, usually hauled by a class 66. I used to work out of a plant hire depot in the old goods yard area there and would see a train (usually less than 5 wagons) every couple of weeks or so, I'm pretty sure that nothing other than passenger traffic has worked on the coombe junction to looe stretch for years though.

Jon

[Captain Kernow]

Confirming that there is regular cement traffic to Moorswater cement terminal, operated by FLHH, running once or twice each week, regularly, so there is freight over the Liskeard to Coombe Jct section, but there hasn't been any freight to Looe, probably since the 1960s. There have been occasional engineers trains down there, most recently around 4 or 5 years ago, when there was a relaying job.

 

The next interesting traffic over the Looe branch is on 19th and 26th September next, when FGW and West Coast Railways together are running several return trips each day, with four coach trains topped and tailed by pannier 9466 and a WCR Class 37. You can book tickets via West Coast Railways, and I understand there are currently seats available.

[StaffsOatcake]

The service to Moorswater currently runs from Blue Circle (la farge) at Westbury. its is operated by freightliner and it runs as the 6C17 06:53 Westbury to Moorswater and then 6C66 14:43 Moorswater to Westbury. But it may run back early.

 

 

For a time the cement came from Hope in the Peak District as the 6Z21 working Hope cement and returned as 6M37.Liskeard cement.

 

The loadings that I have seen are more than 5 wagons as I try to make the effort to catch it whenever I'm in the west country

[Rugd1022]

Photos of anything other than Bubble cars on the Coombe Jcn - Looe section are scarce, but I do recall a black & white shot of 25 224 propelling a ballast train at Sandplace in the Railway Modeller many years ago, it was a 1980 edition I think, although the photo itself was taken a few years earlier as the Rat still had headcode blinds showing.

 

Well out of time I guess but I thought it worth a mention!

 

Nidge

[dibber25]

The small Prairies used to work the branch freight. The station was closer to town than it is now - I seem to recall there's a cop shop and a car park or filling station built on the site. THe goods yard had gone even before I first visited in the mid-1960s. The goods yard was beyond the station, on the quay beyond the road bridge. The run round loop was down there also, so there was just one track in the station itself - would make a very nice layout. Perhaps its the only GWBLT that hasn't been modelled.......?

CHRIS LEIGH

[The Stationmaster]

By strange coincidence I bought just the right book at the Kernow/YMR exhibition on Saturday (maybe I beat Chris/Dibber to the stand concerned?). Anyway according to the Middleton Press book about the Looe branch Looe closed to goods on 04 November 1963 and Moorswater yard closed to public goods traffic on the same date.

[StaffsOatcake]

There was an article in an edition of the Hornby magazine sometime back? It gave track plans and a reasonable history of the line sadly I can't remember which issue it was

[The Stationmaster]

We used to drop pasties off at Causeland...are they freight or parcels?..think that was a WO service though....

 

If they 're anything like the one I had in Portleven (almost as good as the ones herself makes) on Monday dropping them would have been a terrible waste (Passenger rated traffic = 'parcels').

[ian]

That's true Mickey. Also locos weren't allowed on the quay.

 

And for those of you who missed it in HM (sometime in 2009) here is the trackplan for Liskeard - Looe in N in a garage....

 

[The Stationmaster]

Hate to disagree with the estimable Mr Leigh but the Goods at Looe was between the present station and the bridge... and thats where they shunted the passenger coaches to "run round"...

 

now...back to Pasties.... parcels rated and smell nice....that will be free then

 

talking of Portleven, have Intercity Models moved from their place near the harbour?

 

No sign of them in the vicinity of Portleven harbour Mickey.

 

And yes, at Looe the goods yard and runround were between the station and the road bridge with some further sidings on the quay beyond the road bridge. The latter were officially closed in 1954 according to those helpful Middleton Press chappies (whose book also includes a pic of a loco, GW 0-6-0ST 1941, on the quay line in 1924).

[dibber25]

Sorry to mislead. Felt sure I had seen a picture of a Prairie and wagons on the quay. Memory isn't what it was!

CHRIS LEIGH

[ian]

Just because locos were officially banned from the quay doesn't mean they didn't go on it! There are a number of photos that show such transgressions.

 

BTW It was HM21 March 2009 issue that had the plan and article.

[bcnPete]

For some reason unbeknown to me I am really enjoying this thread...keep it coming...pasties and all

[Chameleon]

This Thread Needs Fotys!

[David C]

Gerry Beale who wrote the Wild Swan book on the branch gives more info. Looking at the plan from HM21, the line continued southwards on from Buller Quay some way towards the pier. Locos were not permitted neyond Morcombe's store, but the location of that isn't known. The track on Buller's Quay consists of the "main line" and the loop: the latter was actually alongside the quay. The loop had fallen out of use by WW2 (it had been used for china clay traffic), but the "main line" was still in use for fish traffic up to the early 1950s, when it was lost to road. The lines on Buller Quay (owned by the Harbour Commissioners, not BR) were tarmacked over circa 1954. Goods traffic to Looe itself was not great - by 1955, BR was charging motorists to park cars in the goods yard. The crane was dismantled in August 1963 and freight ceased to be handled there on 4 November of the same year. The run round loop and sidings were removed circa 1964 and the line shortened to within 5 yards of the platform ramp in 1966.

 

Yes, Looe would make a great GWR BLT, but there is a reason why no one (so far as I am aware) has ever done so - it would need a great deal of space. Even a very shortened version would need at least 9-10 feet excluding Buller's Quay and a fiddle yard ..... Operationally, its not very interesting, either, compared to say, Helston or Cardigan.

 

 

If anyone did want to model Looe and had the space, it would be a lot more interesting to reproduce it in its independent days, before the loco and carriage sheds were demolished and whilst the china clay traffic was still evident. The locos and stock were all much more idiosynchratic, too.

 

David C

[bcnPete]

Pete is already doing that bit by bit.... he just doesnt know it yet

 

For sure my wife doesn't know about any of that yet

 

Just a thought - not sure if it qualifies as freight, but the 'Chipmann Weedkiller train' gets to frequent the branch occasionally I recall. I was thinking of making this as a train, top and tailed by a pair of 20's...a bit out of my era, but something to wheel out during those quiet moments at exhibitions

[The Stationmaster]

The traffic or when it finished at Looe might not matter if one were to model the locality and then take the common modeller's approach of working it in a totally different fashion with more freequent trains and a lot more freight. Sensible obviously to pay court to the idea of 'era' if you want it to look realistic and thus not have blue diesels working fish trains. But I can't see too much wrong with upping the traffic levels in the steam era before the railway lost out on lots of traffics.

 

As the track layout above shows there wasn't a vast amount of siding accommodation but there's enough to provide some operational interest - possibly even the odd challenge - and the signalling is very simple. So not a bad layout idea I reckon, and an excellent baseboard edge of course .

[jon attwood]

Michael Messenger's book 'Caradon and Looe - the canal railway and mines' (ISBN 090629446-0) is well worth seeking out if you are looking for info on this line. I had posted some pics of moorswater on here (or maybe it was the old forum?) but can't find them now, can post again if anyone is keen to see them.

Thinking about the frieght working reminded me that ECC used to have their own 040 shunter at moorswater (I think it was transferred from marsh mills) IIRC it was called Sharon, it looked a bit like the knightwing 060 shunter and was there in the eary and mid 1990s.

 

....and if you are looking for pasties round there then I recommend barnecutts in liskeard.

 

Jon

[bcnPete]

I had posted some pics of moorswater on here (or maybe it was the old forum?) but can't find them now.

 

Jon - that was on the old forum - you may remember we spoke about this - coincidentally, Mark (46444) of this forum visited Moorswater works yesterday and photographed it using the same contact details I had passed on - the Site Manager is still the same from last year and he remembered my strange request and kindly gave Mark permission - Mark will no doubt post them soon.

 

I was recently doing some research on Sharon as I am thinking of scratch building one for my layout - details are on my thread.

 

Back on topic ...agreed...this thread needs some photos...shame about copyright etc...

[jon attwood]

yep, I remember now, sorry i didn't manage to get into the works itself for photos, just had too many demands on my time to make the nessecary arrangements.

found a couple of pics of sharon in Maurice Dart's book 'images of industrial and narrow gauge railways - Cornwall' (ISBN 978-1-84114-859-5), one of which was taken inside the works, might be worth getting if you don't already have a copy.

 

Jon

[bcnPete]

yep, I remember now, sorry i didn't manage to get into the works itself for photos, just had too many demands on my time to make the nessecary arrangements.

found a couple of pics of sharon in Maurice Dart's book 'images of industrial and narrow gauge railways - Cornwall' (ISBN 978-1-84114-859-5), one of which was taken inside the works, might be worth getting if you don't already have a copy.

 

Jon - No problem, I did recall saying at the time it was only if it was convenient - look out for Marks pics perhaps later this week.

 

Thanks for the tip re the book - I will try and get it as this little EE shunter is proving very difficult to track down - Pete

[dibber25]

There's a nice colour pic of D6344 (GSYP)at Looe on 25/6/62 with the branch 'Toad' in tow. Pic by Les Elsey/Colour Rail.

CHRIS LEIGH

[Will J]

Just discovered this interesting thread, it got mr thinking about this picture:

http://glenbatten.smugmug.com/WestCountryBranchLines/West-Country-Branch-Lines/18267218_C9qJxJ/1405329008_CZHqqXS

 

A transrail 37 with ballast wagons heading uphill from Coombe junction. Looks nicely modellable. Does anyone know if they are Seacows, how long this train might be, whether it would have been working down the branch to looe, and whether the train would be top and tailed with another loco? Pardon all the questions, it has got me thinking of a project!

[Pugsley]

The look like Sealions or Seacows to me, but you can't tell from the angle of the photo if they are welded (Seacow) or rivetted (Sealion). There's at least 5 of them though. Can't help you with any of your other questions, sorry, but if there were no run round facilities at Looe at the time, if that's where it had come from, then the train would have another loco on the back.