Coombe Junction Photographs

[46444]

Recently I took some photographs around Coombe Junction on the Looe Valley Line. Thought they may be of some interest. Here goes:

 

 

ATW 150 279 arrives at Coombe Junction from Looe.

 

 

The ground frame at the junction.

 

 

Coombe Junction Halt itself.

 

 

150 279 arrives from Liskeard. With no passengers waiting at the halt, the train just clears the point and then the guard changes it to face Looe.

 

 

Having returned the point to face Liskeard the guard walks back to the waiting unit.

 

I'm back in Cornwall tomorrow for a week and plan to take some more photos up the line to the clay dryers. Hopefully, I'll catch the FL 66 on the cement tanks at Moorswater as well if it's running.

 

I'll post a few more fots this week.

 

Mark

[46444]

Cheers Mickey,

 

Now I know. When I travelled on the line in June we stopped at the halt. I didn't realise not all trains stopped there.

 

It's a beautifull line no doubt and BCN Pete is modelling Moorswater. I'm more taken by St. Keyne Wishing Well Halt and trying to build a representation of this.

 

I update again in the week as I said.

 

Mark

[46444]

Sounds good.

 

The shop was opened in June-got the mug and a poster!

 

The link below is useful:

 

http://www.carfreedaysout.com/index.html

 

Just a shame the Wessex liveried 150's/153's aren't on the branches anymore.

 

Covers all the Devon and Cornwall branches. I'm planing on doing a few this week because the weather looks bad.

 

Mark

 

 

[Guest Belgian]

Sounds good.

 

The shop was opened in June-got the mug and a poster!

 

The link below is useful:

 

http://www.carfreedaysout.com/index.html

 

Just a shame the Wessex liveried 150's/153's aren't on the branches anymore.

 

Covers all the Devon and Cornwall branches. I'm planing on doing a few this week because the weather looks bad.

 

Mark

Don't forget there's steam (GWR 9466) on the branch in less than 2 weeks for those of us in our dotage (or a class 37 for you infants!) see Looe Valley Explorer plus plenty of positioning trains on the main lines.

 

JE

[bcnPete]

Can never have too many of Coombe on RMweb...itsa a bit of a cult with some of us

 

I could not agree more

 

Nice shots Mark - Very useful indeed...particularly the trees etc...although I am hoping to recreate the line when it was fashionable to prune the lineside vegetation

 

Look forward to the next batch.

 

That Pannier/37 excursion looks terrific...but I have used up all my credits for UK trips solely for trains for this year

[46444]

Don't forget there's steam (GWR 9466) on the branch in less than 2 weeks for those of us in our dotage (or a class 37 for you infants!) see Looe Valley Explorer plus plenty of positioning trains on the main lines.

 

JE

 

 

I know about this and Captain Kernow has a post on it already and sadly, I'm going to miss it by a week!

 

Pete, I know what you mean about the vegitation! The fot of 150279 shows how bad it really is. Plus it's a swine for taking shots as well. These shot's were taken about 2.30 in the afternoon and the light wasn't brilliant.

 

I'll post the next shots later on this week.

 

Mark

[46444]

Evening,

 

I've just got back from Cornwall this evening. What with house hunting and other things I still managed to get a few photos in as well. Some of these images were taken for BcnPete who's modelling Coombe Junction in 2mm FS for reference. These ones are taken from the bridge north of Coombe Halt:

 

 

153369 gets ready to depart from Coombe Junction on a Looe service. Note the catch point.

 

 

View looking towards Moorswater and the bridge the previous shot was taken from.

 

North of here under Moorwater Viaduct the line curves and a run-around loop is present. Here's 66603 arriving today with the Westbury-Moorswater cement and shunting her train prior to reversing the PCA's into the unloading bays. You can see the stone piers from the original wooden viaduct behind the existing viaduct.

 

 

 

And here she is doing some tree surgery and in the depot. This is point is as far a Class 66 can go in to the dryers owing to the tight curves. A tractor positions the wagons in the unloading dock if necessary.

 

 

 

I made contact with the manager of the Moorswater Lafarge cement depot and was given a guided tour by him last Friday-no cement trains present though. Here's a few shots below around the depot. The pipe work was installed by Lafarge to unload the PCA wagons and wasn't present in ECC days:

 

 

South end of unloading shed..

 

 

North end of unloading shed.

 

And a glympse of the past hidden in the trees:

 

 

Hope these photos have been of some use?

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[bcnPete]

Mark,

 

Many thanks - not only are the pics very useful but that are very inspiring too. For instance, in the photos I had I never picked out the partially sloping wall to the older building (the left as you look into the dries) and the detail of the opening.

 

I also never realised that the 66's couldn't negotiate the curves in the dries - I suppose it makes sense when you think about it....means I am gonna have to rethink my 66 and PCA options...or get a 2FS tractor

 

Many thanks again - I really appreciate it.

 

Pete

[Kris]

Nice Photo's.

 

Pete, the tractor has broken down obviously, so this gives you a reason for "Sharon"

[bcnPete]

Pete, the tractor has broken down obviously, so this gives you a reason for "Sharon"

 

I like your thinking Kris - I shall have to tread carefully as all this interest in 'Sharon' is making my wife suspicious

[46444]

Thanks for the kind words re: the photos Pete/Kris. It was good way to spend a few hours.

 

Seeing the 66 shunt her train was quite inspiring. Stupidly, I never took a picture of the County tractor stored in one of the sheds. Recently, she appeared in a tractor magazine and has gained quite a following amongst tractor enthusiasts.

 

Think Sharon sounds better though!!

 

Mark

[Ramblin Rich]

Mark - lovely photos - a train at Coombe & sunshine too! I'm amazed how the trees almost mask the road bridge - all the photos I've seen in books show it much more open & with the adjacent bridge over the stream (?) visible. Perfect scenic break now....

 

Pete - I've always thought that an industrial loco named after the wife/partner/significant other would be a way to keep in the good books & ensure some free time

[Kenton]

Great photos, thanks - I didn't even know Cornwall this place existed.

 

Is there such a thing as a track plan for the line - the depot? (it looks as if it is pretty well pre compressed and suitable for a small layout.)

[46444]

Thanks Rich/Kenton,

 

bcnPete is in the process of making his 2mm FS based on Coombe Junction/Moorswater.

 

Here's a link to his blog:

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/blog/283/entry-1147-coombe-junction-2mmfs/

 

I'm certainly looking forwards to seeing this layout in the flesh if it makes it to the UK!

 

Mark

[TomJ]

Great photos, especially the ones inside the depot, the sort of place it's hard to get images of. It's all very inspiring! Many thanks for sharing. My layout is much more inspired by, rather than based on Coombe Junction/Moorswater but these will definitely help get that all important 'atmosphere' right. I like the fact about the 66 not entering the works, gives me an excuse to run a Farish 03. Maybe on my layout the curves are even to tight for a 37 so an old BR shunter has been purchased......

The things we do to justify playing trains the way we want!

[Re6/6]

A couple here from Martyn Read's excellent site and here . I do love trains in the undergrowth!

[Glorious NSE]

Kenton, this is roughly the arrangement these days - there are no lineside signals down here but you can have two trains on the branch (for instance the cement empties can leave whilst the DMU is heading down to Looe) with the traincrew being responsible for tokens

 

Before the signalbox at Coombe was closed (early 80s) there was a separate freight track and platform road there, which explains the "wiggle" on the present arrangement, up to the end of steam the platform road had an engine release crossover as well.

 

Ta for that RE6/6 - there's some of my loco shots from 2004 and 2006 (has it really been that long!) visits at these links too:

http://ukrailwaypics...=moorswater&t=p

http://ukrailwaypics...?txt=coombe&t=p

 

The cargowaggons were in use (with PCAs) back in 2001 (when it was worked by EWS) and in 2004 but had stopped being used by 2006 unfortunately - Heljan has done the yellow Blue Circle liveried ones in OO which look rather nice B)

[46444]

Martyn,

 

Some really good photos on your site. Almost look like the ones I took yesterday! The angles of the shots are nigh on identical.

 

Mark

[Glorious NSE]

I think the vegetation versus the accessible places just sorta end up pointing you in certain ways - it's a really cool bit of railway anyway so no complaints from me, I love looking at pics from there. B)

 

Just clicked on the link further up the thread:

http://www.carfreedaysout.com/index.html

I like that it still has a black 153 (albeit an un-engined one!) even though they have first-great-westernised the other images. :lol:B)

[46444]

Thanks Martyn,

 

It is a beautiful piece of railway and more photogenic than the Clay Branches in my opinion. The sight of a Class 66 on this branch never ceases to amaze. Though, I must get some of the cement's at Coombe Halt.

 

Yeah, thats a Wessex Trains 'Black and Gold' Class 153 and very nice it is too! One of my favourites. Shame FGW got rid of those Devon and Cornwall liveries on the 150's/153's. They certainly added a bit of variety to the proceedings. Saying that, I guess the FGW 'Local Lines' goes some way to address this.

 

I think with the steam specials soon this line is going to get a lot of coverage.

 

Mark

[Kenton]

Kenton, this is roughly the arrangement these days - there are no lineside signals down here but you can have two trains on the branch (for instance the cement empties can leave whilst the DMU is heading down to Looe) with the traincrew being responsible for tokens

 

So the line off to the left is simply the loop at the station? or the line off to Liskeard? It looks as if it is a steep climb though probably a trick of camera perspective?

 

Have to admit the track plan question was more about in the depot than the full length of the branch - though still interesting - the branch is hardly going to be a micro layout even in N

 

But those on the other hand

Have got all the atmosphere of a micro layout even a natural scenic break.

[bcnPete]

I never took a picture of the County tractor stored in one of the sheds. Recently, she appeared in a tractor magazine and has gained quite a following amongst tractor enthusiasts.

 

Mark - Last month when I was researching Sharon, a chap on the DEMU forum kindly suggested that I look in 'Classic Tractor' magazine that very month as the was an article on a County 1474 found in a Cornish shed - I have since ordered a back issue of the mag as 'Classic Tractor' mag is not so popular here in Spainish newsagents I will of course look at the possibly of one of these tractors making a cameo appearance on the layout.

 

Thanks also to everyone else who has posted links to photos - I think I had found them previously during my regular google searches...but I never tire of seeing photos of the line...lets hope it stays open for a few more years yet.

[eastwestdivide]

Pete - I've always thought that an industrial loco named after the wife/partner/significant other would be a way to keep in the good books & ensure some free time

Wasn't Fred Dibnah there first with, on national TV, "It's not every woman that has a steam engine named after her"

Mind you, he was married three times, so I'm not sure if it helped...

[Kris]

So the line off to the left is simply the loop at the station? or the line off to Liskeard? It looks as if it is a steep climb though probably a trick of camera perspective?

 

 

It's a steep climb 1 in 40?

 

 

[bcnPete]

So the line off to the left is simply the loop at the station? or the line off to Liskeard? It looks as if it is a steep climb though probably a trick of camera perspective?

If I can just jump in...it's the line off to Liskeard...and yes it is a steep climb...I have some photos of class 37's powering there way up it with a load of clay hoods.

 

the branch is hardly going to be a micro layout even in N

 

My extract is 3300mm in length...I could possibly add one further board (1100mm) to include the incline...but then the Divorce Lawyer would come a knocking