Summer (Saturday?)1961/2. WR diversions via Yeovil and Exeter Central.

[Mallard60022]

Good afternoon. I have the excellent book 'The Day of the Holiday Express' but would like to investigate in greater depth the sort of trains that would have had to be diverted (for emergency reasons e.g. flood or serious incident) via Yeovil and Exeter Central (and reverse of that) on a summer Saturday circa 1961/2. How the SR operations team would have managed that I really don't know? Their line was stuffed already!

I have seen in another book a Warship on the down Cornish Riviera on the SR main line around that time so it happened.

In truth this is to give me an excuse to run WR trains on my proposed SR layout based around Honiton.

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

Phil @ 36E

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Despite all the wind and rain we're currently experiencing, I don't think weather would've played a significant part in problems on a summer Saturday. The only weather-related example might be buckled rails (or very rarely a flash flood). But I can't think of any examples where WR trains have been diverted. If it happened on a weekday, then things could have been different, but on a summer Saturday every major route was at capacity. Single-line working might've been introduced with the buckled rails problem, whilst steam engines could still proceed through a minor flood. I think diesel-hydraulics could also go through shallow water, unlike some diesel-electrics.

 

If it's a engine failure, trains tended to stack-up behind the failure until another engine came to remove the miscreant.Can't think of any examples where they were diverted. Where would be the traincrew with route knowledge to traverse another region's line?

 

If you want to run WR trains as well, it might be worth considering another prototype, such as the SR Exeter - Plymouth line where there was a regular WR working so traincrews could use that route if the seawall at Teignmouth?Dawlish was breached.

 

Think that's where I came in.....

[chrisf]

The incident you have in mind was a landslip at Lavington on 21st August 1961.  This did not help the operation of the summer timetable!

 

Reversal at Exeter was ruled impractical on a summer Saturday and so on 26^th August six trains – the 8.25 am, 9.30 am and 10.37 am from Paddington to Cornwall, and the 8.15 am ex Perranporth, 9.20 am ex St Ives and 10 am ex Penzance – were scheduled to run over SR metals between Reading (Southcote Junction) and Plymouth via Basingstoke, Exeter Central and Okehampton.  The 10.37 am down had to be re-routed at the last moment, as on arrival at Reading it was found to include WR stock barred from the SR on grounds of width, but the others ran as scheduled, hauled by D800 series Warship diesels throughout except for the 8.25 am Paddington – Penzance which had 6973 Bricklehampton Hall.

 

Thanks to Trains Illustrated for printing this item!

 

Chris

[Mallard60022]

Great stuff lads. Thanks very much. Wow Chris, do you still have those TIs from way back then?

Well the 'disaster'  that will be ..... on/off (because it happens elsewhere)  my layout will be so great that I will be able to run anything I think looks good

Especially a certain King that is on loan to ANTB at the moment.

Cheers, P @ 36E

Edited February 6, 2014 by Mallard60022

[GRF]

Just came across RMweb and the WR diversions via Yeovil. I seem to remember the Lavington landslip went on some time. I was told at the time that a WR loco with curved steam pipes was observed in poor light one evening and our thoughts were that a Castle (Banned from this route) may have got through?. There was also talk of a County being removed from such a diverted train, anyone have any info?

 

On a different note I did see an excursion from the Bristol area to Exmouth (I think) which travelled via the SR (Presumably Yeovil South Junction) hauled by 6842 Nunhold Grange. It was restricted to 15mph through some stations on the down line but came through quite spritely on the return as the restriction did not apply in the up direction.

 

There was also a summer Saturday Exmouth to Manchester train which ran via the Western main line but was scheduled for a HALL from Exeter Central and down the bank to Exeter St.Davids.

 

 

 

[Bill Haywood]

I'm building a layout of Exeter Central for cc 1959 1961 ish period. Also hoping to include a representation layout for Exmouth.  I too have the excellent book 'The Day of the Holiday Express' to which I'm using to calculate the timetable.  Noticed, also by 'GRF' above the train from Exmouth to Manchester, but cannot find the train as from Manchester. Would it be a weekday service, or can anyone enlighten me please. As with the service from Cleethorpes it does nicely to create a variation to rolling stock movements.