Rivercider

Last month we had a walk along the route of the Strawberry Line from Sandford (after visiting the small museum there) to Cheddar. It was a very enjoyable day out and quite a few structures remain along the route. Our first station stop was Winscombe where the platform still remains On the surface of the platform the outline of various buildings still remain, I found this one interesting! cheers

Also sometimes referred to as arris rails I don't know about North Camp though cheers

I have just taken my scanner out of summer hibernation, here is another picture of 56070 on the flyash at Llandudno Junction 56070 discharging flyash 7/6/83 And while I have the photos out here is another shot of freight traffic I took that day Llandudno Junction resident class 08 no. 08023 at work in the yard, 7/6/83 cheers

Here are three more shots, this time two for the price of one! 50045 Achilles and 50040 Leviathan restart the 08.30 Paddington - Plymouth away from Exeter St Davids 8/4/80 50006 Neptune and 50016 Barham are approaching Par on a Penzance - Leeds service, 21/4/82 50013 Agincourt blasts through Newton Abbot with the 10.45 Newquay - Paddington passing 50042 Triumph stabled in the upside dock, 3/7/82 cheers

Here are three more unrefurbished in blue from the 1980s 50009 Conqueror waits at Didcot with the 08.23 deprture for Paddington 10/7/81 50020 Revenge is passing the site of Bleadon and Uphilll station with the 07.40 Taunton - Paddington, photo taken from Devils Bridge, 15/6/82 50021 Rodney stands at Newton Abbot, it is working the 06.35 Bristol Temple Meads - Plymouth, I had just got off, it was a train I often caught from Weston when out for the day taking photos, 5/11/81 cheers

I have also greatly enjoyed this thread and the variety it has thrown up. I have been thinking about my railway photography, and about the importance, or absence, of people in photographs. As a kid with my instamatic and its 12 exposure film I guess I would just point and shoot and hope that the subject loco or train was somewhere within the frame. Later in my twenties when most of my railway photos were taken I would try, wherever possible, to keep people out of the shot. I regularly bought Modern Railways and knew that I liked some photos but was not really sure why, then I discovered Les Nixon. I bought his book 'The Art of Railway Photography' and gradually understood what made, in my opinion, a good photo. Earlier this year I had the pleasure of meeting Les when he gave a slide show at my local Railway Society. Nowadays I never go out specifically to take railway photos, but often take a camera on days out so if a shot presents itself I will take it. I do now sometimes wait when taking a photo for someone to move into shot to give more life to the photo, something I should have done more often in the 1980s, cheers

I expect Clive Mortimore will be along when he sees this thread, he has nicely captured the atmosphere I think you are after. In the mean time search for his layout threads on here 'Pig Lane' and 'Hanging Hill' cheers

Bonjour Paul I took this shot looking over the fence at Nouvion at the Culm Valley Show cheers

Bonjour Paul, it was good to see Nouvion again, and have a chat. The layout attracted quite a lot of positive comments while I was watching. I enjoyed the Culm Valley Show, it was a good day out, cheers

We were in Dawlish Warren earlier this week and walked along the sea wall, although the winds were not that strong there were high tides and there was quite a lot of spray. I got a couple of photos along the way including this one cheers

Here is a photo from Newquay, here part of the South West Coast Path follows the route of the Treffrey Mineral Railway from St Dennis to Newquay Harbour. In Newquay this is on the route from Newquay Station down to Newquay Harbour, closed in 1925 and lifted in 1926, 10/9/2014 cheers

From 1975 on one of my rare Scottish trips, one of my dodgy instamatic photos. 50041 outside the shed at Polmadie, 18/8/75 cheers

Here is another of mine, I don't think it has appeared before Glorious to the rescue, 50033 at Exeter St Davids with a HST set with power cars 43150/43149 21/4/82 cheers

I can not find any photos or reference to timber traffic from North Wales in the 1980s in my books, there may have been trial loads, but probably not regular traffic. For other Speedlink traffic there was cider from Taunton to Holyhead as well as aluminium ingots from Holyhead for export both traffics carried in bogie ferry vans, (Cargo Wagon I think) cheers

The wagon on the rear looks like a OCA which were built 1981/2, some were later turned over to the engineers. cheers

I agree with Jamie, my Baker Rail Atlas shows a connection to Marchon Chemical works south of Corkickle station, so they are not 'oil' tanks. I went there once in 1984, (overnight to Carlisle then back along the coast) and have a photo taken from the platform, in the siding with stopblocks at the south end of the platform is a train of what look like caustic soda tanks, (dark blue with orange solebars and ladders) In the distance to the south another set of tanks this time white with orange band. cheers

Thanks Peter, Like Jintyman I was wary of thread hijack and this was the first time I thought one of my shots was relevant as they are earlier than your 1985-7 theme. My three photographic visits to North Wales were in 1982/83, so far I have scanned all 19 photos from 1982, they are in my Flickr album '1980s L.M.R. North Wales', mostly not very exciting as a lot are DMUs. When I get time in the autumn I wiil restart scanning, I have a few more freight shots I think so will post some when I get there. In the meantime I will enjoy trainspotting at Llanbourne! cheers

I have been reading about Llanbourne for some time and enjoying the photos. I thought the North Wales Coast was really interesting in the early 1980s, with loco hauled stock and semaphore signals. It was a long way from home so I only made a handful of visits, and they were a bit before your timescale. However as the flyash workings have been mentioned I did take a couple of photos, and here is one of them:- 56070 is reversing a loaded train at Llandudno Junction, 7/6/83 cheers

We had a family holiday to the Isle of Wight around 1964 when I was 5, we crossed on a paddle steamer. I remember being taken to see the motion from the inside, I can still remember all the shining brasswork Thanks for posting cheers

Interesting you mention 'Rail & Ale', I have travelled over the line twice recently and on both trips on a saturday there were Ale Trailers travelling. On the first trip there was a group of 14 on my train from St Davids, at the first pub I called in the Landlord said he often gets parties of up to 25. The second trip (for the Barnstaple Model Railway Exhibition) there were 7 more. This must be quite an important revenue source for the line, these mid/late saturday morning departures would be quite lightly loaded without them I assume, cheers

Hi Ray I am glad you had a good day, it was my first visit to the Minehead Show and I really enjoyed it. It was good to see Hounslow Sidings for real having followed the build on here, the mirror effect works well. and it was good to meet you and Darren and have a chat, cheers

Great pictures Nigel. I must have arrived at Creedyford towards the end of your photo and video session when you were requesting the class 50 NSE photo charter! cheers

I don't know whether this will be any help but I still have my TOPS Location Handbook for October 1977. The fact that a siding or yard had a TOPS location number did not mean that it was actually still receiving traffic, sometimes it just meant the siding was still connected, but disused. This list may give you some ideas. 48219 Whitlingham - APCM 48221 Norwich Wensum - BR 48223 Norwich Power Station - CEGB 48225 Norwich Wensum Depot - CCE 48230 Norwich Goods - Unspecified 48231 Norwich Thorpe - BR 48232 Norwich Thorpe - NCL 48233 Norwich Thorpe - Shell 48234 Norwich Thorpe - C&W 48235 Norwich Thorpe TMD 48236 Norwich Thorpe - Boulton & Paul 48237 Norwich Thorpe - Charrington 48302 Norwich Trowse Yard - BR 48304 Norwich Trowse - RT Roadstone 48305 Norwich Trowse - CS&TE 48306 Norwich Trowse - Boulton & Paul 48309 Norwich Trowse Lower Jn - BR 48311 Norwich Victoria CCD - NCB 48312 Norwich Victoria - Stevenson R & Sons 48313 Norwich Victoria - King A & Sons cheers

Yesterday, 30/7/2014, I walked the lenght of the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal from Firepool Lock at Taunton through to Bridgwater Docks. Just before reaching the start of the canal at Taunton I passed the former GWR Goods Offices . And then got an unusual view of the water tower located beside Taunton East Yard, many of us will be familiar with the view from the railway side. Here is the water tower on the right of the shot seen in July 1985. I was previously unaware that it was built on top of a former lime kiln. cheers

Thanks for making the trip down west with your masterpiece, it was much appreciated (and I did make myself known this time - rather than remain an impressed mystery observer) cheers