Rivercider

Both Bulmers and Whiteways forwarded cider on Speedlink services. Whiteways at Whimple sometimes sent one or two Cov-ABs day until some time before closure in 1985, Bulmers at Hereford sent more traffic by Speedlink. Was there any mud(?) oil traffic in drums from Lowestoft during the Speedlink era, or did that start later? cheers

I think this was Newquay Steam bottled beer, launched in 1987, cheers

I think I recognise part of the footpath they were using to gain the cliff tops, at 1m 25sec, as being on the South West Coast Path which we have walked a number of times between Dawlish and Teignmouth, a nice part of the route, and not too strenuous. cheers

Here is Laira on a normal weekday 10 years later. The locos are 46017, 47138, 25080 (on jacks) and 47475, 22/9/80. Within a month the class 25 would be reallocated to Longsight as the last of the class 25s left the Westcountry, cheers

My great great grandmother became crossing keeper at Gosford Gates in 1877 after my great great grandfather, a ganger, was run down and killed by a freight train at Broadclyst in 1877. She was at Gosford Gates until at least the 1901 census, cheers

I like what you have done so far, what you have achieved by sticking to a theme is impressive, but, as Gary says, if it is bugging you then it may be better to start again. Less circuits, but using the largest radius you can will be good, as will any extra length you can find. cheers

Interesting points about cancer statistics. All of my closest male relations, bar one cousin, have had cancer. Both grandfathers, my father, and my younger brother have all died after suffering different cancers, and I have only one blood relation uncle in his late 60s who has another form of cancer. As my younger brother had bowel cancer I have been undergoing routine colonoscopy checks for the past 10 years, which have all been clear, though as a diagnosed coeliac I am apparently at a greater risk of contracting colon cancer. cheers

There is an undated close-up photo of DS1169 at Folkestone in 'A Pictorial Record of the Diesel Shunter' by Colin Marsden. Being a black and white photo is not very helpful, but it does look to be the same, or similar, colour all over, the bonnet front for example does not appear to be a lighter colour. As an aside I have lived in Weston-super-Mare for 45 years, and never knew there had been an industrial diesel shunter at the Bristol Aeroplane factory! (albeit over 10 years before I was born) cheers

I don't think that the clay wagons regularly loaded to anywhere other than Fowey once the hoods had been fiitted. Therefore unless, in the unlikely event, it is a rake of empties or cripples, then I would expect it is loaded clay for export via Fowey, and will either go direct to Fowey, or perhaps be recessed at either Lostwithiel, or St Blazey waiting onward movement. As regards the origin of the clay, that might be more difficult. Moorswater is a definite possibility, as is Marsh Mills. Less likely might be Heathfield, the clayhoods used for ball clay were kept separate to avoid contamination, Marland or Meeth is also an outside possibility, but much less likely. Is the headcode trying to show 6B78? The Local Trip booklet w-e-f 7th July 1975 u.f.n. shows Trip 9 used the headcode -B78, but its booked work was in the Truro, Drump Lane St Erth., Ponsandane area, and not on clay, though obviously trips could be changed on a daily basis as required, cheers

I have some WTTs from 1976, most of these trains run in the same timings, or within five minutes, and are shown as DMU, with one exception. 2C60 23.08 Bristol Temple Meads - Cardiff (00.03) is shown as loco hauled, timing ref 6, two spades (four or six wheel vehicles must NOT be conveyed). It was not unusual over the years for a booked DMU diagram from Cardiff/Bristol to Weston/Taunton to be covered by loco and coaches for a period of weeks or even months. At Weston and Taunton as well as run-round facilities there was normally a trained passenger shunter already available. cheers

As well as quite a number of WTTs and various bits of paperwork I have a handful of larger items. A semaphore signal lamp holder. The disc only from a lower quadrant ground signal. A Stationmasters cap, possibly from Nailsea and Backwell. Most of a cast nameplate from an engineers grampus wagon. And a very heavy cast sign 'Beware of the Engines' cheers

In a number of 1987 photos a mk2 BFK (?) appears in the middle of a five coach formation, cheers

In my railway involvement as a TOPS clerk when we covered the Didcot area (1996-99), and later as a roster clerk responsible for Didcot depot (1999-2006) I never heard the name 'Didcot Milton Park' used in reference to the fuelling point . cheers

Thanks. Well done to Oxford, your two games against my team (Exeter) improved your goal difference no end, and Liam Sercombe seems to have done well for you so far, cheers

Weymouth was a Southern National area, so Bristol built buses are what you should be looking for, cheers

Now three distant views of a variety of trains passing Lliswerry Pond with Llanwern Steelworks forming an industrial backdrop. There was plenty of petroleum traffic in South Wales in the early 1980s, originating from the three refineries at Milford Haven as well as from the BP refinery at Llandarcy. 47082 Atlas, a Cardiff Canton loco at the time heads east on the Up Relief past Lliswerry with what may be a train of bitumen tanks from Llandarcy, 10/2/82 Another unidentified working passes Lliswerry on the Down Main 31149 of Toton hauls eight loaded BDAs of steel bars westwards, 10/2/82 Finally a loaded MGR set passes on the Up Main 46016 is one of a dwindling number of class 46 locos, by this time all allocated to Gateshead, and is in charge of an loaded MGR set from Oakdale to Scunthorpe, 10/2/82 cheers

I agree, they do look to be loaded to one side, I also took a going away shot, but it is too distant to be helpful, this is a crop of the original photo 37069 at Llanwern West 10/2/82 cheers

I may be getting confused (again) but did she marry/move in with another railway enthusiast? One of my former BR colleagues (a very enthusiastic and knowlegeable clerk) hailed from South Devon, he was a fan of English Electric locos, particularly class 37s I remember, and I am fairly certain his partner was an enthusiast, cheers

I have absolutely no idea, but the third vehicle made me think of something Bulleid might have designed, cheers

Thanks Arthur, I did not get any details of the train, so don't know where the ingots may have come from, cheers

A final pair of photos at Llanwern West featuring another two class 37s, one of them is a South Wales allocated loco while the other is a bit of a stranger, a split headcode loco from the Eastern Region. As well as receiving raw materials for steel making Llanwern also sent and received semi-finished steel to and from other plants. Thornaby allocated 37069 was an unexpected sight that day, and is seen about to go into Llanwern with a train load of semi-finished steel, I think these are ingots of steel(?) 10/2/82 Finally at Llanwern is a standard South Wales midweek ballast train formation heading east. 37225 of Cardiff Canton heads for Severn Tunnel Junction with ten empty seacows and a shark plough van probably returning from a midweek ballast drop, 10/2/82 cheers

Marvellous! It is quite likely that I produced a TOPS engineers trainlist including one or other, or possiby both of them, back in the early 1980s, DB993903 seems familiar, cheers

I do not normally contribute to wishlisting threads on RMweb, but if I was modelling South Wales at any time from the 1960s through to the mid 1980s I would certainly be asking for 21t minerals in both unfitted and vacuum braked varieties. Earlier on that day I had already seen a couple of trains waiting acceptance into Llanwern including another train load of coal in 21t minerals. 37204 held waiting to enter Llanwern was a Bath Road allocated loco in 1982, while 47016 passing on the Up Main with a train of tanks was a Stratford loco, 10/2/82. Coal for Llanwern came from a variety of collieries including those in the Western Valleys and opencast sites in South Wales, in the early 1980s it was mostly loaded in MDVs. Most loaded coal trains for Llanwern conveyed around 30 MDVs but 37204 which is now on the move to the steelworks appears to have about 40 of them in tow, 10/2/82, cheers

Llanwern was such a busy location that on the introduction of TOPS there was a TOPS office in the steelworks, it lasted until at least 1978 but became one of the early office closures. Most traffic to and from the works passed via the West Connection and such were the traffic levels it was not unkown for trains to be held on the relief lines awaiting acceptance into the works. On a dull february day in 1982 37233 waits on the Up Relief with a train of coal for the steelworks loaded in MDVs, as 37240 hurries past with a train of house coal loaded in a mix of 21t hoppers, 21t minerals and 16t minerals on its way to Severn Tunnel Junction, 10/2/82 37233 still waits at the signal and is now passed by 31304 returning from Ebbw Vale BSC tinplate works with loaded VCAs of tinplate and empty coil carriers, 10/2/82 cheers

Thanks I think I can see part of that speed board in one of my Llanwern photos, I see in the 1986 Sectional Appendix it was 60 over 75 (HSTs only may travel at 90mph) cheers