Taigatrommel Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 In 'Diesel Days - Devon & Cornwall' on page 66 there is a reference to a closed Esso terminal at Cattewater, "reached by means of a small tunnel at the end of the branch", which is accompanied by a picture of D2134 at said location. I assume this isn't the recently closed bitumen terminal, as I don't see a tunnel by it on Google Earth and the picture seems to show the 03 shunting immediately by the tunnel mouth. Does anyone know if this is a different terminal to the bitumen terminal, and if so what was its location? I have a layout idea forming for the NZAMRS A3 challenge! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugsley Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 I think there only ever has been the one bitumen terminal at Cattewater - if you follow the line back from the terminal towards Friary, there is a short tunnel there, next to a cluster of 3 gas holders (I think) - that must be the tunnel referred to in the book - it's a reasonable distance from the terminal itself. HTH Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobR Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 The caption to the photo mentioned says this terminal has since closed. At the time this book was published, 2005, the bitumen terminal was still open, so this must be a different location. The same photo appears in Middleton Press's 'Branch Lines Around Plymouth' [iSBN 1 873793 98 7 published 1997. The caption in the Middleton Press book says the Anglo-American Oil Company built an oil store in Deadman's Bay Quarry, and that it later became Esso property. A map in this book shows this terminal to have three sidings, the centre one of which contined on to serve lime kilns. No date is given for when traffic to the lime kiln finished. This terminal was located further along the branch from the bitumen terminal. The book ' The Turnchapel Branch' by A R Kingdom iists other oil terminals along the Cattewater branch in the 1930s and 1960s belonging to Regent, National Benzole, Shell Mex and B.P. In the 1980s there was also a L.P.G terminal. {An article on this is in MRC April 1987]. Other traffic in the 1930s and 1960s was coal, clay, chemicals fertilizer,steel, stone, and scrap metal. In the 1980s outward traffic was fertilizer [Fisons], and fuel for B.R. depots at Laira, Newton Abbot, St Blazey and Penzance {Esso]. The branch terminated with kick-back sidings to Victoria Pier, the headshunt for which was in a tunnel adjacent to the cellar of a public house, another good inspiration for a model. Hope this helps. Rob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSutt Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 In Plymouth Steam 1954-1963 by Ian H Lane Published by Ian Allan there is a map of the line leading to the Cattewater and Cattedown. On page 35 there is a picture of the Cattewater branch from Laira bridge. Might help with Google Earth as so much as disappeared in the area. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taigatrommel Posted December 6, 2009 Author Share Posted December 6, 2009 Ahah, I did find the quarry on old maps (1938 I think), so that would make sense. It's just north of the bitumen terminal. I'll have to bite the bullet and buy 'Branch Lines Around Plymouth', if it's got maps showing sidings that's a good start. Thanks guys. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugsley Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 The caption to the photo mentioned says this terminal has since closed. At the time this book was published, 2005, the bitumen terminal was still open, so this must be a different location. Ah, didn't think of that :icon_redface: :icon_redface: I've had another look this morning, and might have found something of interest. If the line is followed up past the existing bitumen terminal, towards what appears to be a china clay terminal, it looks like there's a set of tracks in the road, leading to what appears to be a sheer rock face. The location of it is: 50 deg 21'49.98"N, 4deg 07'22.77"W In behind the rock face is another terminal of some sort - could it be the LPG one? That could have been the location of the tunnel, which has subsequently been filled in, with the LPG terminal built on the site of the former bitumen one. HTH Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taigatrommel Posted December 7, 2009 Author Share Posted December 7, 2009 That's about where I thought it would be. If the tunnel was filled in, that would explain my difficulty in locating it and pictures of it! The tank immediately to the east of where the tunnel would have been actually looks like the one in the picture I referred to, and the tanks to the west of the tunnel would explain a tank wagon visible through the tunnel in the pic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted December 7, 2009 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 7, 2009 Ahah, I did find the quarry on old maps (1938 I think), so that would make sense. It's just north of the bitumen terminal. I'll have to bite the bullet and buy 'Branch Lines Around Plymouth', if it's got maps showing sidings that's a good start. Thanks guys. Do so and all will be revealed (the bitumen terminal was in the former quarry - unless there's more than one quarry of course). But if you are interested in that area you will find the book well worth having. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coombe Barton Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Links http://ivansphotos.fotopic.net/c1721470.html http://www.plymouthdata.info/Railways-LSWR%20Cattewater%20Branch.htm And the Sutton Coldfield Railway Society features a Laira layout - http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/SCRS/layouts.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobR Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 As I type this I am looking at the Quail Map Company's British Rail Track Diagrams , Western Region' 1989 edition. After Cattewater Junction the line passes three sidings shown as 'out of use', two on the up side and one on the down, and then passes through Cattedown tunnel. After the tunnel is the Shell gas terminal, and then the connection to Cattedown Wharves Ltd [out of use], both on the down side. Next is the Esso bitumen terminal and then the line to Deadman's Bay Quarry branches off through another tunnel to the location of the photo mentioned at the start of this thread. These two are on the up side. The main branch continues on past a coal yard [down side] to terminate with a kick-back to Victoria Wharves. So the gas terminal, the bitumen terminal, and the storage facility in Deadman's Bay Quarry are three different sites. Hope this clarifies matters. Rob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Do so and all will be revealed (the bitumen terminal was in the former quarry - unless there's more than one quarry of course). But if you are interested in that area you will find the book well worth having. Taigatrommel, Perhaps you will find this map link to be of interest. One arm of the the Cattewater branch clearly ends in the old quarry and appears to enter it via a tunnel under Cattedown Road. The locations of old tunnels (with rails removed) can be hard to see on a Google Maps view but the rails still in place would lead you to think there is one here. The Bing version is a little clearer. Hope this helps. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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