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A Request: 80s/90s St Blazey WTT


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Speedlink services varied a lot, first as the network built up, then as it declined again.

For example when Severn Tunnel Junction closed in October 1987 the effect on services was quite widespread.

 

For starters I have details from 'Freight Only' Volume 2 (Rhodes & Shannon) published July 1988.

It lists times of trains calling at Exeter Riverside from January 1988, the following trains are to/from St Blazey area:-

 

Down

6V35 17.49 SUN Ince Elton - Truro (01.14) (edit Company UKF)

6C15 02.15 SX Riverside - St. Blazey

6C17 02.48 SX Riverside - St. Blazey

 

Up

6M22 12.15 MO Truro-Ince & Elton (17.05-18.05) (Company UKF)

6B43 14.55 SX St. Blazey - Gloucester (18.15-18.45)

6M72 22.00 MSX St. Blazey - Cliffe Vale (00.47 - 03.15)

6B72 21.48 SO St. Blazey - Gloucester (00.33-03.15)

 

There would also have been local Speedlink trips which may not be in the WTT.

 

I believe one feature of Speedlink working in the west was that there were more up trains than down workings,

traffic generally being empties down, loaded clay up.

For some time there was an unbalanced up working from St. Blazey to Riverside in the afternoon,

this was to clear some of the traffic over the Cornish and South Devon banks.

 

cheers

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Thanks, that's a big help. I am trying to write a timetable for my ficitional clay branch and I wanted my fictional clay trains to connect with real speed link workings. I take it that the unbalanced workings are the reason for double headed 37s on a single wagon?

 

Many Thanks,

 

Jack

 

I could not be certain about loco diagrams from that period.

 

Pre sectorisation the loco working the afternoon St. Blazey - Riverside service

may well then have a parcels or ballast working next on the diagram.

 

The same book also has photos of a service that disappeared after 1987.

6B39 was a service that for several years ran to Severn Tunnel Junction,

in July 1985 it was a 09.05 departure from St. Blazey, by July 1987 it was a 09.24 departure.

 

cheers

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In the WTT for 14/05 - 30/09/90, the following trains are listed to/from St Blazey:

 

Down:

6C15 SLK MX Exeter Riverside to St Blazey (arr 04:19)

6C17 SO Exeter Riverside to St Blazey (arr 06:16)

6C17 MSX Riverside to St Blazey (arr 06:40)

6C58 SX Heathfield to St Blazey (arr13:21)

 

Up:

6B72 FSO St Blazey to Gloucester NY (dep 22:25)

6M72 FSX St Blazey to Cliffe Vale (dep 22:25)

6C56 SX St Blazey to Tavistock Jcn (dep 05:33)

6B43 SX St Blazey to Gloucester NY (dep 15:48)

 

HTH

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Up until the early 1980s freight trains internal to the Western Region had a headcode letter B

if they were terminating in the Bristol Division. This letter also extended to the local trips.

I have a local trip booklet for the St. Blazey area dated from May 1975 earlier than you request,

though I think the headcodes would have stayed broadly the same until 1981 approx.

 

St Blazey area trip No. 1 for example, a Laira allocated dual braked class 47 carried the code B70.

6B70 07.05 St Erth - Drump Lane

0B70 11//50 to Truro

7B70 13.03 Truro - Chacewater etc.

 

Trip No.2 was 6B71/7B71 etc (Lostwithiel - Carne Point))

 

Trip No.3 was 7B72/6B72 etc. (Truro, Penzance etc)

 

Trip 29 a class 08 on the Wenford Bridge trips was 0B90/7B90 etc

 

Light diesel moves were 0 followed by their trip no.if appropriate (eg 0B70)

or 0M72 if going to work the Cliffe Vale train, for example.

L//D moves to depots were/are :-

0F76 Newton Abbot

0F77 Laira

0F78 St.Blazey

0F79 Penzance

0F91 to any Bristol diivision location for stabling other than a Maintenance location.

 

I don't know when the current local trip headcodes were brought in, possibly on privatisation,

I have a number of books with pictures of clay trips/trains in Cornwall, but headcodes are seldom given.

It is an interesting subject though.

 

 

edit

I should have mentioned that at some point 1983? the headcode letter for the Bristol and Cardiff divisions

swapped over. Trains to the Cardiff/South Wales division the became headcode B, trains within and to

the Bristol/West of England division received the headcode letter C.

cheers

.

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