Rivercider

Retracing the route a little to the south, it is possible to walk quite a lot of the track bed where it passes through the National Trust Parke Estate just to the north of Bovey Tracey. Looking north (I think) along the track bed in the Parke Estate, 6/9/2016 Former concrete lineside permanent way hut now is use as a bat roost. (There is the remains of another collapsed hut further to the south). 6/9/2016 Underbridge at the north end of the Parke Estate, I am not sure where tis one was, but heading up towards Lustleigh, 6/9/2016. This bridge has been rebuilt so the Wrey (Wray?) Valley Trail can be re-instated along the former track bed, - I think this is near the junction of Lower Knowle Road and Ashwell Lane, at the north end of the Parke Estate, 6/9/2016. cheers

When I walked the Stover Canal I took a few photos along the line, including at Teignbridge in 2019. Level crossing at Teignbridge, 9/7/2019 Looking north over the crossing at Teignbridge 9/7/2019 Railway buildings at Teignbridge 9/7/2019 The ball clay loading platform at Teignbridge looking south towards Newton Abbot, I think there was originally a loop line against the platform here, a rake of empty wagons could be dropped by a northbound service or loco, then a loco could attach at the south end and work the loaded wagons down to Newton Abbot, 9/7/2019 cheers cheers

I think the heritage centre at Bovey Tracey is closed over winter. I have visited a couple of times, lastly back in 2017. The station building at Bovey Tracey 24/10/2017 End view of the station building, 24/10/2017. The toad 114906 contained a model of Moretonhampstead station when I visited in 2017. 24/10/2017 cheers

An interesting thread. I never knew the Teign Valley line as it closed to through passenger traffic before I was born, but I remember trips by road from Exeter to visit family in Bridford, and my dad pointing out the remains of bridge parapets along the way. Christow station was nearer to Bridford than Christow I believe. I am familiar with the Heathfield stump of the Moretonhampstead branch from my time working on the freight department of BR. I still have family members living in Bovey Tracey, and until fairly recently in Moretonhampstead, so have made quite a few visits to the area in recent years. In that time I have walked the length of the Stover Canal which parallels the branch for a while, also part of the Wray Valley Trail which follows the track bed at the Moretonhampstead end, and at Parke NT. I have also visited the heritage museum at Bovey Tracey station. There are still quite a few railway artefacts to see along the way. cheers

As has been mentioned, it depends on many factors, including the urgency of the traffic being conveyed. I am just reading a book about the North Cornwall Line, there the freight traffic included livestock, fish, and meat (beef/pork/rabbit etc). There were generally two trains up from the west each day, but some of the meat traffic could also be attached to a mid-afternoon passenger service. In any event the priority traffic, (including road vans for sundries traffic), had booked connections at Exeter to go overnight on services to London and the Midlands. Livestock specials run as required were a common occurrence. On the other hand returning empty vans and opens would presumably be conveyed if there was room, or left for the next service, cheers

I had not done any prior research of the layouts on display - had I read this thread before the day I would have introduced myself (is there an RMweb funny handshake?) cheers

I enjoyed the day very much, there were a lot of very good layouts on display. It was nice to have a chat about Dawlish Warren, it brought back happy memories of childhood visits to the seaside. I liked the backscene photo of the Exe. The South Coaster was carrying coal from Marsden to Exmouth when she ran aground on Pole Sands off Exmouth in December 1943, later being towed to her final resting place in the estuary. cheers

I enjoyed the show at Taunton. Whithorn was one of the highlights for me, I thought it was very atmospheric in a desolate sort of way. I enjoyed the conversation about the history of the real line too. cheers

No reduction for me. I will try to visit as many exhibitions in my local area as I can. I have just been to Rail-Ex in Taunton this afternoon, and thoroughly enjoyed it. cheers

Although my railway career was spent sat at a desk I have been a a railway enthusiast since a young age, and have quite a book collection. Later in my railway career as a traincrew roster clerk I heard many first hand driver accounts of their thoughts of various classes of loco. Going back to the OP and the question of diesel hydraulics. As a child growing up in Exeter I regularly saw the class 22s on local trip working around Exeter up until 1971. Later they were replaced by class 25s on local freight and passenger work. From what I have read and heard both classes carried out the work expected of them well enough, as did the class 31s when they replaced the class 25s after 1980. I would say that although many of the pilot scheme diesel locos had problems many of them had been ironed out, but the work for them was disappearing. Class 22 availability, for example, was much improved by the mid 1960s, but with the workload disappearing the class became surplus to requirements. Within a couple of years of the extinction of class 22s there was also widespread withdrawals of class 24s for example. cheers

It would seem from what I have read and heard that the class 25 v class 31 debate is quite subjective. Local staff in Somerset described the class 25 as being as powerful as a sewing machine! I suppose the fact that class 31s outlived class 25s by some years must have some bearing on the subject, cheers

There is also the George Railway former railway hotel almost next door, which has had a similar recent history I believe, and also awaits redevelopment. cheers

The LMS and SR had previous experience with mainline diesel electric locos. Presumably there must be a lot of commonality with traction motors on the extensive LNER and SR EMU fleets which had been in use for decades and in diesel electric locos. I have occasionally wondered if there might have been some merit in basing the pilot scheme diesel hydraulics on the ScR near to the North British locomotive works. cheers

In the Hydraulic v Electric book by David Clough mentioned up thread he points out that official records show it was the BTC Central Staff who had the idea to trial diesel hydraulics, and not the WR. cheers

I have now contributed almost 1000 reviews to Tripadvisor - and I try to back many of them up with photographs (though not of my plates of food!). Only two were 1* reviews, one of them is for a local 'landmark' that is truly awful. I try to reserve 5* reviews for the really memorable meals/hotel stays I have had, or perhaps somewhere where I have eaten quite often, always get looked after, and enjoy it, and have had a particularly good meal. I do give more 5* reviews for things that are free, such as stretches of Coast Path walk which we have enjoyed on a lovely sunny day. But generally many of my reviews are 4*. Many of the hotels we stay at are places we have visited before on our travels when we call in for a coffee, or meal. We sometimes speak to staff on reception, and have a nose around, which gives us a good feel for the place. I do look also at Tripadvisor reviews, particularly the 1* reviews. Often they seem to be given after a booking misunderstanding/cancellation or the like, so normally I can discount them. I guess a combination of research/recommendation/repeat visits, and a relaxed attitude if things go a bit wrong means we have yet to have a meal or hotel visit even rated as low as 2*. I must admit I do have a particular mistrust of first time reviews, both good and bad. It sadden me that someone can write that they have enjoyed many good meals (but never reviewed) then the first review of the place is a 1*. Equally there is a curry house very close to where I live that has many 5* first time reviews describing the food as 'amazing', which I am sure is a scam. cheers

A very interesting book. I thought that the author makes a compelling case as to why the WR got the hydraulics in the first place. He argues that the BRB needed to try out the various pilot scheme locos, and offered the Western Region the hydraulic classes for the pilot scheme trials, rather than the initial request coming from the WR. cheers

Yes, Attwood Aggregates were at the Burnham and District show at Highbridge in August, cheers

I think that is the North Sidings on the up side at Swindon station. There were often vans and sometimes DMUs standing there either going to or coming from Swindon Works. The parcels vans might also be one of the empty newsvans trains heading back to Old Oak Common, the Malago Vale to Old Oak news van train called at Swindon to detach/attach, cheers

That will be the rebodied HTVs conveying sand from Fen Drayton to Kings Cross Goods, a service that ran for many years. Edit - I see 31A has already mentioned the Fen Drayton sand train. Was it always rebodied HTVS back in BR days, as that is all I remember? cheers

When Ilfracombe station was enlarged the steam shed was moved to the south and rock was excavated out of the hillside to make room for it. The turntable is located in a semi-circular gap in the hillside, cheers

Might Bristol Bath Road might meet the criteria? There is a retaining wall across part of the rear of the depot, and the A4 Bath Road Bridge spans the main lines to the west, cheers

You might be right, it was certainly leaving the station and heading away from me, perhaps heading for Newton Abbot Goods. I did not see it again that day, so that was the only photo I took, cheers

I made a trip to Bedford on an Sunday, and took a couple of instamatic snaps of the class 127 DMUs stabled for the weekend. . 51642, 51621, 5????, 51650, 7/10/79 51598, 51623, 7/10/79 cheers

I know that Bristol Omnibus naturally bought Bristol buses, but that most of them were bodied by Eastern Coach Works (were they in Lowestoft?), so the chassis made a long trip east from Bristol to meet the bodies. They all had Bristol registration marks when they entered service, cheers

At the Burnham and District model railway show at Highbridge yesterday I got involved in a discussion about what wagon types were used to supply aggregate to Taunton Concrete Works. I believe hopper discharge equipment was installed there around 1980. At that time aggregate was supplied by Stoneycombe Quarry, and a small number of former HJVs, former iron ore hoppers were reclassified as ZDV and allocated to TOPS pool 8565 for this traffic. 31419 on the Exeter Riverside to Newton Abbot daily trip working heads away from Newton Abbot with five loaded hoppers for Taunton Concrete Works. 5/11/81. Within a year or so Stoneycombe was no longer rail connected, I am fairly certain that Merehead Quarry subsequently supplied aggregate to the Concrete Works possibly also using the former iron ore hoppers. However the Concrete Works did not close until 1995, so did the vacuum braked hoppers continue in use until 1995, or did other air braked vehicle types get used? cheers