BR 1965 - 1975 Cornish line.

[Stoker]

Hi stoker,

 

That is very interesting having a wharf next the the sidings that is something i may adapt my layout round that is also something that dose not just limit me to china clay 

 

much appreciated Tom 

 

Definitely, a public loading wharf could generate all sorts of traffic. You'd need a platform-height (3'3") section for loading vans and flat wagons, and a 6'6" section for loading clay wagons and open wagons. Bugle had a goods siding as well as the clay wharf, it was a pretty busy and interesting little spot back in the 50s and 60s.

Edited February 21, 2014 by Stoker

[Stoker]

John Vaughan mentions an 03 being used on the St Blazey to Wenford in the interim between the Panniers and the 08s (An Illustrated History of West Country Clay Trains, Edition 2).

 

These are the dates I have written down, hopefully someone can confirm?

 

D2127

24/08/1964 arrived St Blazey

14/05/1967 Reallocated to Laira

 

D2129

07/10/1961 Arrived St Blazey

11/04/1965 Reallocated to Landore

 

D2183

21/04/1962 Arrived St Blazey

19/05/1962 Reallocated to Laira

08/11/1964 Reallocated to St Blazey

14/05/1967 Reallocated to Taunton

 

Cheers,

 

Jack

 

So 4 years was the longest an 03 ever spent in Cornwall in active service. Not surprising then that none of the reference books in my collection offer a single photograph or mention!

Perhaps this is a good enough excuse for us Cornwall N scale modellers to purchase one of Farish's rather adorable little 03s?

[Gwiwer]

Class 03 was used to Wenford Bridge, to Hayle Wharf and on other light duties and most certainly did live and work in Cornwall.

 

Another point of detail is that class 117 seldom ventured so far west during the period in question and the branch line  DMUs were of classes 116 or 118 not 117.

 

"Unreliability" can be measured in many ways.  For my money if a locomotive which reasonably should be available for traffic is not (i.e. over and above the normal allocation for routine maintenance) then it contributes to the unreliability of the class as a whole.  If a much larger number is regularly or always unavailable, whether or not because parts have been robbed or they simply don't work and are awaiting repair, then the class as a whole may be though of as unreliable.  Maintenance and downtime records of the hydraulics generally suggested they were unreliable based upon planned versus actual availability.  

[Stoker]

"Unreliability" can be measured in many ways.  For my money if a locomotive which reasonably should be available for traffic is not (i.e. over and above the normal allocation for routine maintenance) then it contributes to the unreliability of the class as a whole.  If a much larger number is regularly or always unavailable, whether or not because parts have been robbed or they simply don't work and are awaiting repair, then the class as a whole may be though of as unreliable.  Maintenance and downtime records of the hydraulics generally suggested they were unreliable based upon planned versus actual availability.  

 

"By the mid 1960s, the locos had settled down to give reliable service, with availability over 85%, with one locomotive permanently out of action, with no action being taken to fix it." - quoted from Railway World annual, 1980, Chris Leigh.

 

For my money, if a locomotive is one of the first diesels to be introduced to a predominantly steam region, and manages within 5 - 6 years of being introduced to hit over 85% availability, that's pretty damn good going. I defy any diesel on the face of the planet to hit that sort of availability in that era. BZ and Laira shop crews became legendary hydraulic wizards, proving the point that it's the knowledge of the maintenance base that ultimately decides the reliability of a locomotive.

 

Painting them as unreliable when they were in fact very reliable once they were given a fair chance is disingenuous.

[midland man]

Take a look at my Kernow Blues - 1970 to 1985 thread for photos of what was in action in Cornwall during 1970-75.  The first seven pages cover this time period.

Hi Paul,

 

Thanks for the link to the photos its nice to see a 42 not in blue but in maroon

 

 I like all those 52 as well

 

Thanks Tom. 

[Gwiwer]

 its nice to see a 42 not in blue but in maroon

 

 I like all those 52 as well

 

 

 

Plenty of maroon and green hydraulic action from classes 22, 35, 42 and 52 on my Penhayle Bay as well of course  Not by any means all blue!

[midland man]

Plenty of maroon and green hydraulic action from classes 22, 35, 42 and 52 on my Penhayle Bay as well of course  Not by any means all blue!

Nice to see them in different colours especially the 42's.

[midland man]

so pondering some more over the track plan I thought it was ok not great but i have created one that gives me the space to run longer trains but also allow for shunting as well its more of a main line approach and has no station but will have passenger small passenger movement up and down I would like to know what people think to this track plan.

 

 

Thanks Tom.   

[midland man]

Do both the upper lines go "off-stage" to the left hand side?

Yeah it narrows down to one on a single slip 

[Stoker]

 

How's this? This is pretty much just based on Bugle station without the actual passenger station.

 

The only problem I can think of is that you'll need the length of track to be able to take trains off the siding onto the main, and vice versa. Where will the track be going once it leaves the scene?

[Stoker]

I do like that Bugle plan.....

 

If passengers mattered you could just about squeeze a halt style platform adjacent the signal box - with a bit of jiggling about

 

Definitely. The station at Bugle is accessed by steps down from the road bridge anyway.

[midland man]

revised plan.jpg

 

How's this? This is pretty much just based on Bugle station without the actual passenger station.

 

The only problem I can think of is that you'll need the length of track to be able to take trains off the siding onto the main, and vice versa. Where will the track be going once it leaves the scene?

I really like the plan and the design of the buildings the second siding nearest the line is where the loco would pull in to and then the shunter would pull it out and then into the wharf and that would release the loco and then back on to the main line i wont add a station because I think it would overcrowd the layout but that is a good suggestion they will either run on to cassette,traverser or a sector plate.     

[Stoker]

I really like the plan and the design of the buildings the second siding nearest the line is where the loco would pull in to and then the shunter would pull it out and then into the wharf and that would release the loco and then back on to the main line i wont add a station because I think it would overcrowd the layout but that is a good suggestion they will either run on to cassette,traverser or a sector plate.     

 

So I'm guessing the cassette/whatever will be on both the right and left sides of the layout?

[Gwiwer]

It's a nice little plan.

 

To "create space" it would be possible to eliminate one of the through tracks.  The track which enters and leaves nearest the top corners can still do so but then bends gently around a small fish-belly curved platform along the top edge.  The sidings connect via a point at the signal box and the only other modification then needed would be a trap point to divert runaways from those sidings into the dirt before they reached the main line.

 

The trap point should be there anyway on the plan as shown since there is no other option to trap runaways.  Alternatively double slip introduces more complexity but could be used to divert them into the headshunt.

Edited February 24, 2014 by Gwiwer

[Stoker]

For people who are interested in executing my version of the plan, I have drawn up a scale plan of the cottage, with architectural features typical of the Bugle area.

 

Edited February 24, 2014 by Stoker

[midland man]

Hi,

 

I have created a revised track plan it have ditched the idea of a halt unfortunately because of the flexibility with two mainlines but i may change one to a goods release/loop line but not sure about that idea if it would work or not i have added in two catch points and changed from a single to a double to add extra flexibility the signals can be introduced later.

 

 

 

It hasn't changed much but i'm just considering what track to go for now because i was originally going for smp but i have never built track in my life and i think a double slip will be to advanced could i just reposition the sleeper on the peco track or completely replace them with smp plastic type or copper clad any advice would be greatly appreciated Tom.  

 

[Blobrick]

I might go for a 47 then and a 45 over a 46 but im not a huge fan of the 45,46 the numbers of the shunters at St Blazey should come in nicely for when im renumbering some of my locos.

 

Thanks tom

 

Does anyone know when 08 were first allocated to Cornwall. I ve seen photos of the class working China clay wagons in the 70s and early 80s, but l ve not seen any photos of them on tese types of workings in the 60s?

 

Bob.C

[Stoker]

Does anyone know when 08 were first allocated to Cornwall. I ve seen photos of the class working China clay wagons in the 70s and early 80s, but l ve not seen any photos of them on tese types of workings in the 60s?

 

Bob.C

 

Back in the 60s the clay company was still using the Bagnalls in Par, and they had an English Electric, a Sentinel, and a Fowler at their other drying plants. The rest of the sidings were all shunted by BR. It wasn't until the 70's that the Blazey allocated 08 started making trips into Par and up to Pontsmill, and around the same time a few of the private sidings were modified in a way that required permanent shunters, at which point the clay company acquired some 08s for this.

 

So basically I do believe that there were some 08s allocated to Blazey when the class was first introduced (or not long after) but they were confined to the yard for the most part.

Edited March 18, 2014 by Stoker

[Rivercider]

Does anyone know when 08 were first allocated to Cornwall. I ve seen photos of the class working China clay wagons in the 70s and early 80s, but l ve not seen any photos of them on tese types of workings in the 60s?

 

Bob.C

My 1959 Ian Allan Combined volume shows 2 class 08s allocated to Cornwall,

3509 and 3510 were allocated to 83F Truro.

 

cheers

[rab]

So 4 years was the longest an 03 ever spent in Cornwall in active service. Not surprising then that none of the reference books in my collection offer a single photograph or mention!

Perhaps this is a good enough excuse for us Cornwall N scale modellers to purchase one of Farish's rather adorable little 03s?

 

Came across this thread while researching some photos I'm scanning.

Not quite the Wenford Bridge line but evidence that D2129 spent time at Wadebridge .

[Keyboardist]

A bit late after the discussion, but there is an 03 present at St Blazey (well caption says 204 hp diesel shunter, probably sensibly as prior to TOPS) in John Vaughan's Rails to Newquay on p.159. It's seen hiding behind the water tower! Green 08s there (D4008 foreground) with steam at back .. a scene I hope to recreate in essence.

[Geoff Endacott]

This is a useful resource: http://shedbashuk.blogspot.com/search?q=BLAZEY

 

It show D2129 on shed at St Blazey on 15 April 1962.

 

Geoff Endacott