Halvarras

It's truly something to behold with all those windows - and........has the shape of the nearest cab windscreen been amended to have more rounded corners?

Spotted this on the way home after 46115's departure yesterday - Par's down starter and its replacement ready to be swung into position (it's hinged at its base). Bloke walking his dog said it wasn't there on Friday..... It's getting closer.....the up IET pegged in the distance (something we won't be able to tell from this side soon, d'oh!) took too long to arrive to add interest, I had to get home for my dinner......

37412 arrived at St Blazey in August 1989 still with its 'Loch Lomond' plates attached (photo on shed in the relevant section of the Cornwall Railway Society's website) - I have Bachmann 37207, 37671 and 37696 (renumbered from 37693, eBay body on an older chassis but I still got the lights to work!) and that was supposed to be all but when I found a Bachmann 37408 on sale on a local market stall, in need of a little TLC for just £40 recently 37412 was inevitable as I like Large Logo Blue! That photo of a blue Class 47 on CDAs is in John Vaughan's landscape colour album 'Cornish Railways' and was 47476 on 20th October 1988. I've also seen a photo of very clean Railfreight Red Stripe 4733x (can't find it at the moment to check which one) on the CDAs at Golant and the caption days it hung about on these workings for several days - perhaps a lot of 37s were out of action at the time. It's true of course that any air-braked loco could work CDAs......

I bought one too when they first appeared, must have been 1980/81. I think it cost £4.35! I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it at the time, but in December 1982 I had an opportunity to exhibit some of my detailed Scottish locos at a local exhibition so built a 5' x 1' three-point layout depot layout in six weeks (foam underlay helped) with this kit as the centrepiece. I wanted to fit a full floor so ordered another floor section from Hornby but it didn't arrive in time so I used balsa wood topped with plasticard instead, and clad the brick-printed side walls with embossed brick plasticard. Although the plastic floor section was pinned down (it had to be as it goes under the track) I retained the ability to dismantle the building (lift off the roof, pull out the lights, lift out the glazed end panels, fold in the sides to disengage from the floor) for storage. I went easy on the side wall clips, filing them slightly so they engaged without stress, although later on they were showing signs. I also built an office for it, basically an Airfix bungalow kit with a flat roof (Perspex covered with coarse 'wet-and-dry' abrasive paper) which blocked off one rear exit road. When I dismantled the layout the building parts (including the unused new floor section) went into a box for many years, until I decided to build another depot layout some time back using Bachmann's rather lovely resin diesel servicing depot, and needed a single road shed for the shunters. So out came the old kit, saws, files, plasticard and an idea of what I wanted it to look like and......well, I had some fun with it! For one reason and another I still haven't built the layout it'll sit on yet - I live in eternal hope - but this (and much else besides) is ready for the glorious day.......I'll try to dig it out and post a couple of pics as I'm quite proud of it 😊!

PS as you can probably tell from the above St Blazey's unrefurbished Class 37s, including celebrities 37175, 37196 & 37207, were replaced by the refurbished examples around mid-1987, so these never got to work the CDAs as they hadn't yet been delivered. I have a clear memory of approaching the outskirts of Plymouth on the A38 en route to a holiday near Looe in early September 1987 and just as we crossed the mainline I spotted a named blue Class 47 heading east towing a standard blue 37 and one in large logo blue. Judging by the nameplate size and position the 47 must have been either 47625 City of Truro or 47613 North Star, but I reckon that by pure coincidence I had just caught large logo 37175 being towed away from the South West (since it now belongs to Colas it has since reappeared a number of times on Network Rail test trains, even getting to travel down Cornish branch lines!)

Well done for catching this, it ran 4 hours early (which at least made it visible in daylight!) The final outward loaded train had run 3 hours early, very nearly catching me out, so I had expected the empties to do likewise but by the time I found out it was moving it was already in St Blazey Yard! I'm not used to chasing erratic modern freight workings, I remember just turning up and not having to wait long for something to pass by, usually headed by a diesel-hydraulic...........those were the days 😁! As if to illustrate my frustration at the current scene, yesterday morning I noticed a 6Z73 Exeter - St Blazey special freight working, labelled 'aggregates' and due to arrive at 17.18 - Saturday freights are not common and having just read that two extra JIAs and some JGAs (a new type to Cornwall) are expected shortly from store at Long Marston I wondered if this could be them - so I went down to Par station to see, and hopefully photograph. The train seemed to be making good progress, even running a little early, but the time came, and went - nothing. Checked RTT and "This service has been partially cancelled between Lostwithiel and Par at the request of the operator". So having been on the move for a few hours it was presumably caped 10 minutes away in Lostwithiel Down Loop, and that was that. I took it personally and went home in disgust! I still have no idea what it was or where it is today. Oh well.

Do you mean original without the red stripe? I believe 37696 was the first refurbished 37 seen in Cornwall in mid-1986 (followed by at least 37690 - don't forget, these locos were outshopped in reverse numerical order). However I don't think these were officially allocated to Laira and had departed the area before the CDAs went into full service in February 1988 (I've never seen a photo of one of these on CDAs), by which time the 'home fleet' 37670-5 had been delivered. 37673 was the first 37 into Railfreight Triple-Grey livery (for the freight sector launch at Ripple Lane in October 1987) so arrived at St Blazey already in that livery. The rest were in Railfreight Grey Red Stripe, however shortly after delivery 37670/1 were involved in a serious incident at Tavistock Junction in November 1987 which saw them sent to Doncaster for repair - they were out of action for around a year I think (37669 and 50149 stepped in to fill the void) and of course when they eventually returned they were both in the Triple-Grey livery (671 oddly carrying Metals logos). As a result only 37669/72/74/75 got to work the CDAs in Railfreight Grey Red Stripe. They were of course progressively repainted into the Triple-Grey livery, and by 1992 I think only 37672 was still in the old livery, looking shabby but with shiny new St Blazey depot plaques, unusual on the Grey Red Stripe loco. It didn't last long like this.....

That would have been during the 7 months it ran in blue livery then (8/3/71 - 3/10/71) - 3 weeks less than D600 managed!

Oh.....OK - presumably D6337 had a tail lamp too then! On reflection it would have made sense for the twin-engined loco to be powered up for this transfer move of brand new machines, as teething trouble on the single-engined one could have immobilized the ensemble (possibly in an embarrassingly awkward location causing much disruption!)

Same at The Range......

Many thanks for sharing such great memories. Considering the camera, film and conditions as you describe, the fact that the number is legible on D6337, which judging by the tail lamp on D862 is in charge, makes this a total success 😊! This was also the first Type 2 to be released with yellow warning panels (the first Warship, D859, had already passed by then). It also illustrates how NBL had problems dealing with the Warship's unfamiliar 'stressed skin' construction method, the new paint exaggerating the rippling compared to the Type 2 which was built using conventional methods. An interesting point of livery detail between the two is that the Type 2's underframe water tank (not fuel tank, that was higher up in the roof space) was originally painted green to (sort of) match the Warship's green valances. It was usually, if not always, repainted black during first overhaul.

D6334-6 were turned out without yellow panels and the second loco's number doesn't appear to end in a '7' so this is probably D6338 + D6339 (??) Not D834, which went maroon in June 1966, i.e. before the Class 50s had appeared. The 'blob' above the loco's number is almost certainly a data panel, and the only green Warship to have this applied in such a position was D854 'Tiger', which happened to be one of the last green survivors (I had it for haulage Paignton - Exeter on 5th July 1969). Data panels only started appearing en masse from spring 1969 and D854 went blue in December that year, so this photo was taken during that year........plenty of time for the '50' to get into that state!

So green small yellow panel, but not disc-headcode D6123. It looks like the stripe doesn't cross the main radiator grille - unlike the St Rollox conversions those done at Inverurie didn't have the bar fitted to carry the stripe across this, and the latter works only turned out D6102/21/32 in green (blue Class 29s were converted last and never carried two-tone green livery), so my guess would be it's one of these three - which also had angular corners to their yellow panels and I think this is just visible top right (unfortunately the Inverurie higher-up BR emblem below the bodyside window on the nearest corner isn't - nor the presence or not of the 'eyebrow' cab vents above the windscreen, since if they're there it's D6102 🤓!) Best I can do I'm afraid........

In August? Seriously? When many people are on their SUMMER holiday? Confirmation that the whole thing has got totally out of control. As for Hornby's Christmas range...........whatever. File under 'Ignore' along with the Beatles and Coca Cola stuff (unless that Class 121 ends up in the bargain bin of course........ 😜!)

Peak D170 appears to have a data panel below the number at the far end so late 1968 onwards, meaning the steam loco tender beside it is probably in use as a water carrier or similar. The NBL Type 2 is definitely a Class 29, only these had revolving ventilators on the roof - the rest of it may not be clear but that literally sticks out!

It was a photo by T.B.Owen in the colour album 'Heyday of the Westerns' of D1015 in this exact position on trestles, dated 22nd March 1964, which alerted me to the fact that my careful detail painting only a few weeks earlier had been a waste of time! So now I have to do the same detail painting again, to reverse it all - and more awkward this time as the fully detailed bufferbeams are attached to the loco. Thanks Swindon (grrrrr!) Champion obviously emerged from this works visit with its unique livery still intact as it was still in Golden Ochre livery when rostered to work the empty stock from Sir Winston Churchill's funeral train in January the following year. D1015 was my last required Western and made me wait 9 months to find it!

That wasn't the only tweak made to the livery after those official photos taken in the snow outside Swindon Works in January 1963 - the white windscreen corner pillars and black buffer stocks were overpainted Golden Ochre too. Wish I hadn't referred to these photos when detailing up my Heljan model, but at least I have some Railmatch GO paint to hand to put it right......one day........soon.......

Well, I had sort of been expecting it at some point in the not-too-distant future, and the trial run of loaded JIAs from Goonbarrow to Fowey a couple of months ago did put the writing on the wall, but two weeks' notice of the end of the CDAs after more than 35 years' faithful service still took me by surprise. The first week was lost to the weather and for me other 'obstacles' - I did get to Middleway Crossing on the (sunny) Monday 31st July, but wasn't aware that the loaded Goonbarrow working (6G09) had a habit of leaving 30 minutes early, so I missed it. Last week then had to be made the most of, so I was back at Middleway on Monday, then on to Lostwithiel for the run-round manoeuvre (plus semaphores plus HSTs, all similarly approaching the end). I was very pleased to see this week's workings in the hands of 66199 still in full EWS livery (also on borrowed time of course!) Back again on a rather drizzly Tuesday, day off Wednesday (service cancelled), back again Thursday - a sea mist evaporated in time for the last loaded CDA run from Goonbarrow but returned with a vengeance after it had passed Par station - those who went to Golant to intercept it on the causeway there got some very moody images (this seemed to be a south coast thing, apparently it was lovely in Padstow!!) At some point between mid-day Tuesday and the end of Wednesday last week the 40 stored CDAs which had been visible through the hedge and yard gate along St Blazey Road for at least the last three and a half years were moved into the sidings at the far end of the yard - well, they had to make some space........ These had been vacant since the 1989 HAA conversions (375124-37) had been sent for scrap some years ago, although 375125/35/37 are still in use as reach wagons at Fowey Docks.......or not now. The last resident of course was the prototype HAA conversion 353224, since rescued for preservation. Last Friday, the very last day of CDA operations (and coincidentally the 55th anniversary of the end of BR steam traction........yeah OK, that was probably the more important event!) was a much better day weatherwise - 6G09 was cancelled as expected, instead the last loaded run was from Parkandillack (actually Treviscoe) to Fowey - this was due through Par at 16.38, the question was, when would it ACTUALLY run? How early would I have to turn up to see it?! Realtime Trains was no use as its start point was too close by. I left home on foot 'in plenty of time' (hah!) and made it to the level crossing into Par Docks at 13.30 when 66199 appeared on Par Viaduct with its CDAs in tow - oh bu99er! - turns out it had departed Treviscoe exactly 3 hours early. It seemed to be slowing for a signal stop so I sprinted under the bridge, around the corner and down the footpath alongside the line to the only section free of vegetation and fencing and managed to grab some shots of the wagons, which were already moving by then. Phew, mission sort of accomplished then! I watched as the very last loaded CDA passed out of view through Par station. I had wondered about the possibility of catching the empties making their last move of all from Fowey into store in St Blazey Yard that evening - they were 'supposed' to arrive there at 23.15 but regular monitoring of RTT didn't help and it turned up 4 hours early at 19.13 while I was having my tea! Which meant in daylight of course.....all of these workings were captured by other more dedicated souls used to the vagaries of (trying to) photograph modern freight traffic - me, I remember just arriving lineside down here 50 - 55 years ago and not having to wait very long for something to turn up, with unknown motive power, usually diesel-hydraulic (i.e. not the same locomotive for the entire week!) This is why, despite moving back to my native Cornwall three and a half years ago, I failed to get motivated to record the local clay traffic until I really really had to - having miraculously photographed the first CDA brand new in St Blazey yard all those years ago I couldn't miss the end of their era. I can't see me being so bothered when the JIAs' time is up. Which reminds me, today's 6G09 was formed of seven JIAs as expected (the WTT was altered apparently in an attempt to reflect the train's habitually early departure.........but it still left 13 minutes early!) Exactly how these bogie wagons are being unloaded on equipment designed for 4-wheel CDAs isn't yet known - but only six returned empty. Oops, the first hiccup? Word is that the JIAs' reign on the Goonbarrow - Fowey workings may not be for long, ex-Tilcon JGAs have been mentioned, perhaps these have been judged better suited to the discharge facilities at Fowey? Confirmation would be much appreciated. I think the reluctance of Imerys to invest in new facilities (and wagons for that matter) is understandable for such a short local flow. However the usual 38 CDAs were an impressive sight and Rocks Driers are clearly still turning out a lot of dried clay most days of the week which could never realistically be moved by road, especially Cornish roads so, one way or another, long may it continue. I called in yesterday to see what's what and the newly redundant CDAs are now parked where the others (see below) had been for the past 3.5+ years...... 18 of the 40 long-stored CDAs in the corner of St Blazey Yard - Thursday 10/8/23 - they were probably moved to here the previous day (I bet they really missed having a Class 08 for this kind of thing!) Note that some (not all) of these CDAs are now missing the vertical canopy operating shaft: They include the First One (fortuitously positioned opposite a gap in the vegetation) - compare with my photos of the same wagon brand new taken 36 years earlier. 375000 unusually has its number/tare weight vinyl panel printed in white instead of yellow like the rest. It's another one now missing its vertical canopy operating rod and apparently also its air cylinder under the cradle supports at this end, hopefully both will be restored during preservation 😉...........plenty of 'Christmas trees' about!! Proof that its unique feature - the small vent box at the nearest end being positioned above the brake distributor instead of the nearest corner - was never changed to standard - Thursday 10/8/23: I also noticed that a couple - 375006/18 I think - were the other way around compared to the rest - this can only have been achieved on the turntable......? 66199 approaches Middleway with the last loaded CDA rake from Goonbarrow - vegetation growth along the other side of the track makes photography from Rundles Walk almost impossible now. AIUI the semaphore signals at St Blazey will remain for the time being, only those at Par station will be replaced in the coming months - Thursday 10/8/23: Possibly the historical 'money shot' of the week - HST (43027/187), CDA wagons and semaphore signalling (and 66199's livery!) all facing the chop - CDAs gone by the end of the following day of course. The clays departed shortly after the HST - the earlier sea mist which could have ruined the moment is just beginning to roll in again in the background. I got a bit damp walking home! Fifty years ago there were hardly any trees visible in this scene, and the well-trodden footpath which runs beyond the station building alongside the main line was entirely in the open - and thus wasn't bothered by today's brambles and mud.......it's overdue some maintenance! - Thursday 10/8/23: Gosh, that was close! Just made it to the walled bit of the above-mentioned footpath to catch the very last loaded CDA working of all - Treviscoe to Fowey - as it rolls through Par station at about 13.40 on Friday 11/8/23 - The End: OK, well this one is literally The End! 150247 silently parked in Chapel Siding in case anyone at all is interested. Anyone? No? I do understand. It was having a rest because of all the IETs on the Newquay branch in connection with the 'Boardmasters' surfing event - these were full reservation only (and absolutely bunged full of young people) so the locals had to make do with a replacement bus service due to Newquay branch capacity issues. Seeing GWR's 9-car 125mph finest trundling through the weeds on what resembles a Third World single track railway at Middleway is a real eyeful! Over and out!

Slightly OT but I have the VHS video of this event somewhere...........so I haven't watched it for a while then ( 🥴! ) but the two stand-out moments I still remember are the driver leaning out of the cab window at Goonbarrow Junction and saying "Look what I've got!" to the signalman, and towards the end the awesome sound of D1015 hauling the loaded rake of CDAs up the hill at Treesmill.............hmm, I wonder if it's still available on DVD.......? Just detectable at the far end of the loco, beyond the numberplate, is the wrap-around end of the experimental T-shaped yellow panel D1015 never carried in BR service but did carry during its first year of so back on the main line - it had lost this by the time it headed the Paddington - Penzance 'Royal Duchy' tour on 9th August 2003 (20 years and 6 days ago) for which it had also gained red bufferbeams, D1000-style cast alloy BR crests and 'Sir Misha Black - Western Class Locomotive designer' nameplates. And TPWS equipment!

I'm finding this recently with Humbrol paint as well - gloopy and takes ages to dry. It's especially annoying when it appears to be dry but the second coat softens and then begins to lift the first coat, so I've taken to leaving painted subjects in the airing cupboard for much longer than should be necessary, just to be sure. The silver (11) doesn't have much sparkle in it either these days - I've switched to Revell (90) as opening a run of this reminds me what Humbrol silver used to look like. It is very sad that it has come to this, like many RMwebbers I was brought up on the stuff! It used to be so easy to find, at pocket money prices, and reliable - it would do its best to stick to just about anything (except those Airfix platform figures and accessories moulded in soft flexible plastic of course, but then Airfix's own paint wouldn't stick to those either 😉!)

With the mis-positioned water filler hatch on one side presumably suiting neither livery!

Indeed, I picked up a £50 Janus in Port of London blue livery from the now-closed Hornby Hobbies shop in the Swindon Outlet Village - in 2019 I think. It's a nice model and an absolute steal at that price. I had it out recently and it still runs perfectly. I also have an Oxford Adams Radial tank, again a nice model with a standard of finish which sits well with my Kernow Adams O2 - I haven't run it for a while but expect it's still fine. But Hornby's almost simultaneous launch of their model of the same small locomotive class must have done OR's model no favours at all, especially as the first release suffered a clearance issue with the front bogie, the kind of thing which would make many purchasers choose to side with the more established brand's version, even after corrective action had been taken. I also bought one OR private owner wagon, purchased at a time when Hornby were offering exactly the same wagon, even down to the running number, but 60% more expensive - the OR wagon looks faultless to me. I'm convinced that this increasing level of duplication in OO, which has only got worse since then, was instrumental in Hornby's decision to launch into TT120. My last OR purchase was the 'Pilchard' engineer's wagon, a good little model even if an odd RTR choice (no more odd than the Mark 3 coaches in their overall range) which looked even smaller in the Mark 3-sized box it came in.........surely a cost-saving measure, but inconvenient - I shortened mine as I found all that wasted space irritating! I can't see the Radial tank or PO wagons reappearing but hopefully the Janus and Pilchard aren't lost to us now.......

I agree - my take on it was that if it was good enough for Mostyn it was good enough for me. I have three plus three Bachmann, although they have different purposes so don't get run together. One of the issues with the first releases was that the narrow bogie frames emphasised the slightly overwidth body, to the extent that it was difficult to imagine a 4mm driver climbing the bogie steps to reach the cab door as they were so inset. Later models had the locating sockets on the rear of the sideframes extended to push the frames further out, which helped disguise the body's dimensional problem (for those not aware due to the passage of time, as it was over 20 years ago, it is believed that the error was due to the model's width over body being derived from the Class 47 width dimension including cab door handrails which projected a few inches from the bodyside; the bufferbeam area appeared to be the correct width indicating that the cab's front face was also correct, so as a result the cab sidesheets curved in a little more sharply than they should. It's acceptable to me, but even so I have to say that it made me appreciate just how good Lima's toolmakers had been 15 years earlier!)

I'm sure we all appreciate your dedication to expanding railway knowledge on here Mike, these things happen when ploughing through a mass of stuff but you never fail to be a mine of information on...........well, just about everything! This subject is of no particular relevance to myself but I read it anyway and now know that end steel roller shutters were fitted to a small number of British Railway coaches (and even which ones) so that's something I'll know when I go to bed tonight that I didn't know when I got up this morning - thanks very much 👍! Now I'm curious to see exactly how the equipment was fitted, so have to find a photo.....

If the building at Swindon you refer to was on the inside of the Gloucester line curve, this was used almost exclusively by the local Class 08s. Very occasionally a mainline type might find its way into it, locos running a little low on fuel would occasionally get a pop-up at the refuelling point just outside the entrance (the strangest sight I ever saw was on 23/8/84, an HST power car just outside the shed apparently being refuelled with the rest of the set strung out across the stabling point and up behind the station! I have a photo somewhere....)