Rivercider

Since there were only a few places that WC/BB pacifics could be turned on the Withered Arm there were quite a few loco duties requiring tender first running each day. In North Devon only Ilfracombe was capable of turning a WC/BB since the table at Barnstaple was only 50'. A loco running tender first is not so photogenic, so records are understandably scarce. Lines to Torrington by John Nicholas has details from the summer of 1957, here is part of a duty:- Exmouth Junction duty 529 7P/5F West Country, started the day at Ilfracombe Loco facing south. Worked 6.50am Ilfracombe to Kings Nympton passenger (7.52am), then 8.30am Kings Nympton to Barnstaple Junction, tender first (8.52am), then went on to Barnstaple loco until 11.23 am Barnstaple Junction to Torrington freight, tender first (11.57am), then 12.45pm Torrington to Barnstaple Junction freight (2.29pm) How would the servicing and coaling of a WC/BB be carried out at Padstow/Wadebridge? Wadebridge had coaling facilities, but only a 50' table. Padstow's 65' table could turn the loco. I assume that a WC/BB would be taken off a down train at Wadebridge go to the shed for coaling, then take over a later train down to Padstow where it could be turned ready to work back up to Okehampton or Exeter. cheers

Having been fortunate to travel to Okehampton on the first day of the re-introduced service I hope also one day to travel to Tavistock by train. On the negative side I realise costs to re-open the line have increased markedly, and the pot of money available has decreased. On the plus side the population of Tavistock continues to increase (11,000 in 2001, 12,600 in 2021), while there are a number of new housing developments currently underway. I would also hope that as the passenger figures for Okehampton seem to have exceeded the forecast this will also enhance the case for Tavistock re-opening. cheers

We have used the railway to get to Calstock on a couple of occasions (to walk from there along the Tamar to visit Cotehele NT). One trip was planned by train to Plymouth, then change for the Gunnislake service. The other use of the train was only from Bere Alston to Calstock but we used the train precisely for the reason the Gunnislake branch was retained. We were staying at Tavistock and had planned to drive to Cotehele NT, but the day before our visit a lorry had damaged the bridge parapet where the A390 crosses the Tamar just to the north of Gunnislake, the bridge was closed to all traffic for several days . The road journey from Tavistock to Cotehele is about 8.5 miles over the A390 bridge, and about 15.5 miles including very narrow country lanes to get to the next river crossing to the north at Horsebridge, hence we used the train. Here are a couple of views of Bere Alston from that trip in 2019. Bere Alston from the down platform looking towards Plymouth. 17/4/2019 Bere Alston from the down platform looking north towards Tavistock 17/4/2019 Bere Alston from the down platform looking towards Plymouth, the Gunnislake branch diverges to the right. 17/4/2019 EDIT - and as pointed out by ADB968008 the ground frame is visible at the end of the platform ramp. 17/4/2019. Also a gratuitous shot taken from the train as it crossed the Calstock Viaduct. Looking at the Tamar heading downstream, the walk to Cotehele NT follows the right hand bank (there was a horse drawn tramway alongside the river here with an incline up to the East Cornwall Mineral Railway. Cotehele NT is up in the trees off to the left where the river curves to the south. 17/4/2019. cheers

I have never done an all-line rover, but back in August 1975 did do a Scottish Region weekly rover. It was organised by a Dalescroft railway society, with the intention of covering all the passenger lines in Scotland during the week. As I recall due to late running and failed connections we did not cover Ayr to Stranraer, and possibly also missed a small bit of the Glasgow suburban network. It was good fun but tiring. A blurred instamatic snap from the week long Scottish rover in August 1975. At Inverness 26033 waits with a departure for Kyle of Lochalsh, 4/8/75 cheers

I have had a quick look for 31415 which was one I photographed with a white stripe in 1981. 31415 passing Newton Abbot with ECS 5/11/81. On Flickr I find a photo of 31415 with stripe at Saltley 25/5/82, the caption says it is en-route to Doncaster for collision damage repair. Another photo at Doncaster dated 29/8/82 sees 31415 newly painted blue without stripe, Photo from Flickr by Andy Hoare cheers

My memories from the 1970s and 1980s tell me that the Old Oak 31s were generally much cleaner that the filthy Bath Road allocation. Here is another of the Old Oak Common allocated class 31s, this time in South Wales. At East Usk Junction 31304 heads west on the down relief line with a short train of BAAs with steel coil loaded 'eye to sky', 10/2/82. cheers

It is good to get a drivers view of the class 31s, and the comparison with class 25s is interesting. I Have had a soft spot for the class 31s, starting from the 1970s when I became familiar with the Bath Road locos. Later on my BR career starting in 1977 and later as a Bristol TOPS clerk I knew them on local freight trip work in the Bristol area and on parcels work and midweek ballast drops. My impression was that they performed that kind of work well enough. Class 31s often worked parcels services from the Premium Parcels Services which usually loaded to three GUVs to 4A21 the Malago Vale to Old Oak empty news vans which often loaded heavily ten, twelve or more vans at times. Here Old Oak 31261 is on the Up Through Line at Bristol Temple Meads with 4A21 Malago Vale to Old Oak Common. 26/5/80 cheers

Yes, I think 30586 was generally used as Wadebridge station pilot, while the other two took turns to Wenford Bridge, It is a lovely atmospheric little layout, cheers

The Signalling Record Society lists the notices for the Exeter MAS, stage 1A and 1B March April May 1985. I am not a member so do not know if the notices they hold show all the signalling arrangements, cheers

A couple of years ago I was approached by the platform supervisor at Exeter St Davids who asked what I was doing. While waiting for a train to the newly re-opened Okehampton station I had walked to the end of the platform near Red Cow Crossing. I was going to try to recreate a similar view to pictures I had taken there in the 1980s, and I was careful not to pass any signs or barriers. When I explained what I was doing he was quite happy. cheers

I started on BR in 1977. From then until 1986 I took several thousand photos. Several hundred were taken inside the railway fence, but most of them were in the Bristol area, where I knew the staff anyway. There may have been some conditions to my railway employment about photography, but if there were I did not know of them. I would not have taken or published any that would have looked bad for BR - I was a company man. At the time I never expected any to get into print. Apart from just one or two occasions when I was refused entry into a railway depot when off duty I never had any problems or restrictions. Back then I never forwarded any prints for publication anywhere. cheers

The former hotel outside Taunton station, which had been used as offices has been restored to use as a hotel. Taunton 12/8/2019 cheers

Did I read it in the Peter Kay book Exeter - Newton Abbot that a major reason for the proposed avoiding line was to avoid delays at Dawlish and Teignmouth? Large numbers of passengers detraining with their luggage were causing delays at both stations, where there was also often a requirement for the train to draw up in order to platform all the coaches. This suggests that the avoiding line would be used by fast expresses not calling at the coastal towns, and there was never any intention to close the coastal route. cheers

A few years ago I made a visit to the excellent SS Great Britain, as I walked down from Temple Meads I took this view looking back towards the tunnel at Redcliff Redcliff 5/7/2019. cheers

A quick read through part of the OPC book Reflections on the Portishead Branch mentioned by Andy above, on page 216 there is an extract from the Local Restrictions. Of note is the entry:- Wapping Wharf - Line adjoining the Quayside. Engines prohibited - All engines. Some years ago I remember reading a book written by a steam driver or fireman based at St Philips shed, he recounted work at Cannons Marsh or Wapping, including how they would walk or cycle from the shed to relieve the locos shunting in the Bristol Docks area. I cannot remember the name of the book. EDIT - the book might be the one by D J Fleming 'St Phillips Marsh - Memories of an Engine Shed'. cheers

I would agree with you. I thought that once the 143s were refurbished with 2+2 seating they were much improved. At times I was able to make a same day comparison of a refurbished 143 with 2+2 seating and compare with either a 142 or a 150 each with 2+3 seating, cheers

I have mixed feelings about incidents like this. I have been a railway enthusiast for as long as I can remember, that is over 60 years, and I have a few memories of the last years of mainline steam. I have also enjoyed travelling on a mainline steam charter. I was also a professional railwayman for 30 years, so appreciate that delays are more likely to accumulate quickly when things go wrong during amendments to the normal train service pattern. I have also been on a heavily delayed service train that was following a steam charter that got into difficulties. As a TOPS clerk for a few years I made inputs to the TRUST train running system, and could see how delay minutes could rapidly build up at times. As I say I have mixed feelings. cheers

In recent years I have deliberately chosen to ride on a DMU on a number of heritage railways because DMUs were what I remember from 1960s trips to the seaside. I always try to ride up front if I can. I liked the Pacers, I commuted to and from Bristol for 30 years (1977-2007) and for the last 15 years class 143s formed an important part of the train service. However I think they are still too 'new' for me to choose to ride one if I visit a heritage line if there was a steam or older heritage diesel option. I do agree that some should be preserved, they are an important part of railway history. cheers

A photo from Flickr by Carl Brunnock of 58002 passing Dawlish Warren. The 12.12 Liverpool Lime Street to Penzance passing Dawlish Warren behind 58002, 1/9/84. Carl Brunnock, cheers

In 'SR 150 A Century and a half of the The Southern Railway' there is an account of a run by an elderly 39 year old X2 4-4-0 'Highflyer' No.595, which was recounted by Patrick Stevenson. The down ACE was a failure at Woking, a Lord Nelson with a burst steam pipe had arrived with a load of thirteen coaches. At Woking X2 No.595 was station pilot, facing west, with a driver who knew the road to Salisbury. Arrangements were quickly made for No.595 to work to Basingstoke where something more suitable would replace it. Approaching Basingstoke they were running well and the driver fancied his chances through to Salisbury, the Inspector on the footplate whistled up when they saw the distant against them. The distant came off so they raced through, to the surprise of the loco foreman waiting with the replacement engine. Downhill to Andover Junction they reached about 74 mph, then struggled up to Grateley, and finally arrived at Salisbury with a flourish, but most of the bearings running hot. No. 595 was withdrawn soon after (in 1930), cheers

Maybe not quite the useful underside view you were hoping for but I snapped this at Barnetby in 1982, 20214 and 20103 at Barnetby, 13/10/82, cheers

As spotted by Wickham Green that class 21 or 29 is at Montrose. Here is a view of that distinctive bracket signal, looking the other way, on 20/7/74. Pic from Flickr by the KDH archive, taken 20/7/74 cheers

Might it be somewhere former LSWR/SR? Wadebridge, Padstow, Fremington, Barnstaple Town are all riverside locations, but none look right to me. cheers

There was a thread or two about modern local wagon repair depots including pictures of Westbury on RMweb some years back. The building at Westbury was known by some as the 'Elephant House'. cheers

That is a great comprehensive reply, Frodingham was a place I only visited a couple of times, My last visit over 40 years ago, and I am struggling to place the other photos I took there. Traincrew were boarding 31192 in the yard at Frodingham. 25/6/82 31111 in the yard at Frodingham. What was the yellow van behind the loco, a former fish van? I see on Paul Bartlett's site that 042206 (former 88038) was still in the Scunthorpe area many years later. 25/6/82 cheers