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STEAM SERVING OXFORDSHIRE INDUSTRY IN COLOUR

May 2022 | £4.95

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SWINDON-BUILT STANIER ‘8Fs’

MAY 2022 £4.95

PLUS LONDON SHED BASH 1963

GLASGOW CROSSRAIL? PRE-MODERNISATION

WEST COUNTRY RAIL ROVER: THE FAR WEST

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No 393

Cover: Built in 1943 as LMS No 8418, this Stanier ‘8F’ was one of 80 built and first used by the GWR before heading for LMS territory post-war. As No 48418 it was back on Western Region metals by June 1956, at Pontypool Road, although this view in Leominster goods yard is probably after it reached Shrewsbury shed in December 1960, its time there ending with withdrawal in September 1966.

R N Smith Collection

May 2022

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Trains of thought

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West of England Rail Rover 1960 To Truro and the far west Heading west for a week of travelling on everyday services as a Rail Rover adventure, Leslie R Freeman and a friend set out to discover the railways of Cornwall and Devon.

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Steam Days subscriptions

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Glasgow Crossrail?

Eric Stuart looks at Glasgow’s two rival subterranean east-west suburban lines, established by the North British Railway and the Caledonian Railway, and their services through to 1960.

EDITORIAL & DESIGN Rex Kennedy, Andrew Kennedy, Andrew Wilson, Roger Smith and Ian Kennedy 64 Littledown Drive, Bournemouth BH7 7AH 01202 304849 red.gauntlett@gmail.com

ADVERTISING Craig Amess 01507 529537 camess@mortons.co.uk Fiona Leak 01507 529573 fleak@mortons.co.uk Group advertising manager: Sue Keily skeily@mortons.co.uk Publisher: Tim Hartley Publishing director: Dan Savage

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On 13 April 1957 Oxfordshire Ironstone Co Ltd 0-6-0ST No 4 The Dean has arrived at Wroxton from the nearby quarry with ironstone for processing and then loading into BR-bound wagons. R C Riley

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STEAM DAYS in Colour 209: Steam serving Oxfordshire industry The bulk traffic flows moved by BR, so often linking to private railway systems, have always been core business to the main line railways, this photo-feature offers a few Oxfordshire examples, including the cement, limestone and ironstone industries.

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Swindon’s Stanier ‘8F’ 2-8-0s As part of the war effort, Swindon built 80 Stanier ‘8F’ class 2-8-0s.

Andrew Wilson looks at their working lives.

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An extended London area shed bash Bruce Laws recalls an Ipswich Land Transport Society trip to the capital that took in Eastern, London Midland, Western, and Southern Region engine sheds on Sunday, 21 April 1963.

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Tail Lamp

ARCHIVE Enquiries: Jane Skayman 01507 529423 jskayman@mortons.co.uk

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MAY 2022

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TRAINS of thought

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Next month...

From steam to Glasgow ‘Blue Train’ – a troubled transition Steam Days at Sutton Coldfield St Ives (Huntingdonshire) an operational overview BR ‘3MT’ No 77014 on the Southern Recalling the ‘Kings’ – in full colour On sale Thursday, 19 May 2022

Steam Days Magazine

MAY 2022

hen I lived in Lowesmoor Terrace, Worcester in the 1960s in a house that has now been demolished, the top bedroom of our house overlooked the railway bridge on the Worcester to Hereford line that spanned the Worcester to Birmingham canal.

On this bridge was the southern end of the triangle of lines that enabled locomotives coming off trains from Paddington at Worcester (Shrub Hill) station to go on shed. On 28 October 1965 I could not believe my eyes when sat on this railway bridge ready to go on shed was Southern Bulleid Pacific No 34079 141 Squadron. This unusual sight regenerated my temporary dormant interest in chasing steam, and hearing of the lines of withdrawn engines sat at Barry docks I, together with my workmate Roy Daniel, decided to pay a visit to Barry and other scrap yards in South Wales on Sunday, 1 May 1966. As my 8-year-old son, Ian, who now designs STEAM DAYS magazine each month, had already taken up an interest in train spotting by then, he obviously wanted to join us, this being his first long-distance spotting trip.

Over the years I have heard many tales where all the males in a family followed father’s footsteps by working on the railways, and also in the coal-mining industry too, many years ago.

In March 2022, my son, Ian, was 64 years of age, and my thoughts go to other ‘father and son’ situations when there was a shared interest in railways from both a spotting and photography point of view, and many of these with a similar interest have provided interesting facts and figures and photographs for STEAM DAYS magazine over the years. A few of the names that come to mind are Henry and Richard Casserley, Derek and David Cross, Hamish Stevenson and his father and, no doubt there are many others.

My younger son, Andrew, now compiling and editing STEAM DAYS magazine each month, is now 56 years of age, being born in 1965, the year that steam ended on the Western Region, and he, like Ian, has travelled the world filming and photographing the railway scene for many years and has created many interesting railway videos for us all to enjoy. With my two sons I recall many interesting days away from home chasing and photographing the steam and diesel scene and also following our other interest – buses. In fact, Andrew and I alone took over 10,000 photographs of the bus scene in Great Britain between 1981 and 1985. All those days out were truly happy days with my two sons, never to be forgotten.

In this issue of STEAM DAYS magazine we take a look at the LMS Stanier 2-8-0s of which eighty were constructed at Swindon Works. Coincidentally, one of those locomotives, No 48431, was in the line-up of withdrawn engines at Barry on our first visit to Woodham’s scrapyard in Barry docks when Ian was with us on our memorable visit to South Wales on 1 May 1966. This locomotive was one of the eight Stanier ‘8F’ 2-8-0s saved from the cutters’ torch and can now be found on the preserved Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, the only one of the Swindon-built engines of the class to be saved.

Both I (now aged 88) and my eldest son, Ian, started our train spotting and bus spotting days at the age of eight, and together with my younger son Andrew have countless happy memories of our days out with notebook, pen, and cameras, travelling the length and breadth of Great Britain in all winds and weathers. There is nothing more pleasurable and special than having a shared interest with your sons. I am sure the same applies to daughters and their mothers too. Enjoy your read and recall your own happy days out, hopefully with your sons, like me.

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At Woodham’s scrapyard, in Barry docks, on a sunny Sunday, 1 May 1966, my eight-year-old son, Ian, now the designer of STEAM DAYS magazine each month, shares the podium with one of my workmates on the front of withdrawn Southern ‘Battle of Britain’ class Pacific No 34070 Manston, on Ian’s very first ever major train-spotting trip away from home. Rex Kennedy

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West of England Rail Rover 1960 To Truro and the far west

Heading west for a week of travelling on everyday services for the adventure, Leslie R Freeman and a friend set out to discover the main lines and branches of Cornwall and Devon. All photographs and text courtesy of Transport Treasury. he following account is based on the extensive diary notes of Leslie R Freeman, his opening gambit to Day One of this great adventure being ‘This was the start of an excellent week spent in the West Country in the company of Jim Harrold, during which we covered most of the lines in Cornwall and Devon using West of England Rail Rover tickets.’ On that first day – Sunday, 29 May 1960 – the itinerary was largely based on getting to Cornwall, so this account covers the outward journey and also Day 2 to include a flavour of the week away from home.

We commenced our holiday by travelling down to Truro from London (Waterloo), changing onto the former Great Western Railway route at Plymouth. The day was fine and sunny, and so it remained all week. Our train was the 11 o’clock service, the stock of which was brought in by Drummond ‘M7’ class 0-4-4T No 30241. Rebuilt ‘Merchant Navy’ class Pacific No 35012 United States Lines was the motive power and had the substantial load of 13 ‘corridors’, which by departure time were very well filled. Rather unusually for Waterloo we were four minutes late leaving, but the start was quite good, although short-lived as we were brought to a stand by signals at Raynes Park. There a pilotman (complete with ‘LSWR Pilotman’ armband) gave the driver some instructions and hand signalled us on to the up fast line. I

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Seemingly a world away from the hubbub of London and its suburban railways, Leslie R Freeman’s trip to Cornwall in May and June 1960 was his first to the county, and without doubt for railway enthusiasts the best option to experience the area is with a Rail Rover ticket. Given that freedom, he and his friend Jim Harrold travelled on the 4.12pm St Erth to St Ives train and upon reaching this station, Carbis Bay, opted to alight to photograph their train continuing towards its seaside terminus. Leslie Freeman took his shot of Churchward ‘4500’ class 2-6-2T No 4570 first, and he can just be seen behind another member of the public as Jim records this view. Such was the frequency of St Ives branch passenger services on Spring Bank Holiday Monday, 30 May 1960, that No 4570 (having continued to St Ives, gone back to St Erth again and then headed the 4.55pm duty from there) would repeat this departure scene a little more than 40 minutes later, but on that run with our illustrious travellers back on board. James Harrold

noticed two photographers on Raynes Park station and more at New Malden, all recording the unusual sight of a down express on a four-track main line using the wrong road. The cause of this diversion was the building of a new overbridge at New Malden, the spans for the down side of which had just been put into position. As is often the case when the engineers obtain possession of the line, the scene appeared one of complete chaos, with two heavy cranes in attendance and sundry other service vehicles, plus Bulleid ‘Q1’ class 0-6-0 No 33007 and Maunsell ‘U’ class 2-6-0 No 31796 providing motive power.

Once clear of the obstruction, we were soon back on to our proper line and with a fierce bark were soon pounding our way towards Woking where, after attaining 62mph at West Byfleet, we arrived at 11.42am. On hand in East Sidings we had spotted Maunsell ‘U’ class Mogul No 31621 and Drummond ‘M7’ class 0-4-4T No 30132. We left a shade after 11.44am (now 14 minutes late) and after a poor start with quite a lot of slipping, we made 48mph on the ascent to milepost 31, with a maximum of 66mph at Fleet on the easier grades beyond. This steady if unspectacular running brought us into Basingstoke 12 minutes down. Unfortunately, instead of spending only a minute here, we changed crews and took water and spent four minutes as a result. When we left at 12.19pm, again slipping badly, our lateness had risen to 18 minutes. www.steamdaysmag.co.uk

Locomotives espied at Basingstoke, including on the shed to the west of the station on the north side, were ‘N15’ or ‘King Arthur’ class 4-6-0s Nos 30793 Sir Ontzlake and 30794 Sir Ector de Maris, Maunsell ‘V’ or ‘Schools’ class 4-4-0 No 30905 Tonbridge, Maunsell ‘S15’ class 4-6-0 No 30840, Maunsell ‘N’ class 2-6-0 No 31812, Billinton ‘E4’ class 0-6-2T No 32505 and Adams ‘G6’ 0-6-0T No 30258, the latter locomotive in store, very rusty and under the hoist.

Some good running followed between Basingstoke and Andover Junction, where we pulled in at 12.38pm, leaving again after three minutes and now 16 minutes late. Slipping was in evidence once more on departure and despite the vigorous running that followed, no more time could be recovered before we reached Salisbury at 1.03pm.

No sooner had we stopped than the usual squad of engine cleaners descended on No 35012 United States Lines and began pushing the coal forward and filling the water tanks, while another new crew took over, the driver going round the oiling points. Just when these operations had almost been completed, a group of sailors hove into sight with a mountain of kit bags, which they proceeded to load into the leading brake van.

However, long after the final sailor had climbed aboard, we remained waiting and weren’t given the right-away until 1.14pm, by which time our lateness had increased to 24 minutes.

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The 11am Plymouth and Ilfracombe service from London (Waterloo) calls at Salisbury on Sunday, 29 May 1960, the stop including the need to water Nine Elms-allocated Bulleid ‘Merchant Navy’ Pacific No 35012 United States Lines, and also a crew change. Already 83½ miles out of London, this was the first chance taken by the two friends to photograph their train engine. The new crew and at least one engine cleaner are recorded utilising every second of the stop, and the crew that worked the train down from London, having gathered their things, exit the cab. Note the small version of the early ‘ferret and dartboard’ British Railways crest on the tender, and the mountain of coal still in the tender receiving the attention of the new fireman, while his driver oils round. James Harrold

On the plus side, the extended stop at Salisbury was fruitful for locomotive observations, with Maunsell ‘Schools’ class 4-4-0 No 30908 Westminster on carriage shunting duties, Collett ‘Castle’ class No 5062 Earl of Shaftesbury in the bay with a Western Region service, and two other 4-6-0s also in the station, ‘King Arthur’ class No 30798 Sir Hectimere and Collett ‘Hall’ No 4928 Gatacre Hall. Finally, as our 11 minute stop neared its conclusion, Maunsell ‘U’ class 2-6-0 No 31632 arrived two minutes late, at 1.14pm, with the 12pm service ex-Yeovil Junction, while Urie ‘S15’ class 4-6-0 No 30505 and Bulleid ‘Merchant Navy’ Pacific No 35002 Union Castle were seen on the shed as, in a sound start, our train began to get into its stride.

The new crew at once set about regaining some of this lost time and did very well, with 62mph attained on the long rise to Semley (17½ miles in 21 minutes 50 seconds) and beyond there on the descent to Gillingham the speed rose quickly to 75mph, after which came a permanent way slack at Buckhorn Weston tunnel. This was followed by some hard slogging uphill through Templecombe.

Now came a maximum of 79mph at

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Sherborne and, after breasting the bank at milepost 126¼, we suffered another permanent way slack at the foot of the 1 in 80 through Crewkerne to milepost 133¼.

Undismayed by this slack, our crew made a vigorous attack on the bank and then ran the 1.8 miles from Crewkerne to the summit in 3¾ minutes. Speed duly rose to 75mph on the long descent through Chard and Axminster to Seaton Junction, from where we ran the 5.6 miles to the west end of Honiton tunnel (the summit of the famous bank) in 10 minutes.

After that, we drew into Sidmouth Junction at 2.40pm having covered the 75.8 miles from Salisbury in 86 minutes start to stop, reducing our lateness by six minutes to 18.

Prompt station work enabled another minute to be recovered and we left at 2.42pm to recover a further three minutes with some more fast running, drawing into Exeter (Central) at 2.57pm, 14 minutes late. The only locomotives noted on this part of our journey were confined to British Railways Standard ‘3MT’ 2-6-2T No 82022 in the bay at Sidmouth Junction (on a Sidmouth train), and then Maunsell ‘S15’ class 4-6-0 No 30844 and Drummond ‘M7’ 0-4-4T No 30024 on

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Exmouth Junction shed. Another BR Standard ‘3MT’ 2-6-2T, No 82017, was at Exeter (Central) station, together with two light Pacifics, Nos 34034 Honiton and 34054 Lord Beaverbrook. No 35012 United States Lines came off our train here, the change to light Pacific necessary due to the weight restrictions on the ex-London & South Western Railway main line, our route, west of Exeter, and it was ‘West Country’ Honiton and ‘Battle of Britain’ Lord Beaverbrook that were waiting to work the respective Plymouth and Ilfracombe portions. The changeover was accomplished very smartly, such that at 3.04pm (11 minutes late), No 34034 Honiton drew our three coaches away down the bank to Exeter (St David’s).

Instead of the booked five minutes, we took only two minutes to descend the bank so that, although the Western Region kept us standing in the station for seven minutes (when the timetable allows six) we still managed to reduce our lateness even further to about 9½ minutes on departure from St David’s. Collett ‘5101’ class 2-6-2T No 5195 was the only locomotive I managed to record there.

With the author’s train just in view on the left, complete with a group of heavily-laden sailors very likely heading from Portsmouth and joining the Plymouth-bound train at Salisbury, across the platform we find Collett ‘Castle’ class 4-6-0 No 5062 Earl of Shaftesbury awaiting departure from the down bay with a Western Region service. The ‘Castle’ is Bristol (Bath Road)-based and will take the Warminster and Westbury route to return home. The 4-6-0 was new from Swindon Works on 15 June 1937 as Tenby Castle but was re-named in the November, the move to rename a series of ‘Castles’ around this time ameliorating a group of earls by the provision of express locomotives to carry their names, but in this case it left ‘Tenby Castle’ as a spare name until finally adopted by the BR-built No 7026 in August 1949. James Harrold

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Exeter (Central) was something of a frontier in regard to Southern Region operations as it was the point where locomotive changes were undertaken for trains to and from the west, and often allied to this was the splitting and merging of portioned trains, with Plymouth, north Devon and north Cornwall all served by what were single trains east of Exeter.

Practically, Central station was the end of the line for the heavy ‘Merchant Navy’ Pacifics barred from the main line through Okehampton, hence No 35012 United States Lines scuttles off, making for Exmouth Junction shed to be readied for its next up duty.

Meanwhile, an unseen shunter will be splitting the coaching stock, the leading three coaches for Plymouth and the rest (10) in a single formation for Ilfracombe, with 2.55pm and 3.10pm the booked departure times. The 11am service ran as the ‘Atlantic Coast Express’ on weekdays and was a far more complicated operation of through carriages to cover the Southern’s extremities in Devon and Cornwall, the Sunday duty being much simpler and untitled. James Harrold

With such a modest load, even the fearsome climb to Okehampton was hardly of concern to Honiton and time was steadily recovered through to our arrival there at 3.49pm, six minutes down. Unfortunately, due to the late running of BR Standard ‘3MT’ 2-6-2T 82011 working the 2.28pm ex-Bude service, we were forced to spend six minutes waiting at Okehampton instead of the booked four. Also, because of the speed restrictions on the sharp descent from Meldon summit, little can be done to recover time on what on the face of it appears to be a rather favourable stretch. However, the crew did win back a bit more time and we finally stopped in Plymouth (North Road) station only 6¾ minutes later than our booked arrival time

of 4.49pm; all in all it was a very creditable performance.

An interesting observation on this last part of the journey was of two Bulleid ‘West Country’ Pacifics, Nos 34033 Chard and 34020 Seaton respectively on the front and rear of an up special that was standing empty at Tavistock North. This appeared to have been a troop train, which I believe reversed to follow us as an empty stock move back to Plymouth.

We had about 45 minutes to wait before our train to Truro was due at the station, but the only items of interest were two Collett ‘6400’ pannier tanks, Nos 6400 and 6421. Our train was the 1.30pm ex-Bristol and this arrived just three minutes late, at 5.33pm – it

A pause at Okehampton station allowed our intrepid travellers, now nearly 198 miles from Waterloo, a chance to record their replacement train engine since Exeter (Central), Bulleid ‘West Country’ class Light Pacific No 34034 Honiton. Still in air-smoothed form, this was not to last as a works visit was pending that would bring about its rebuilding before the end of August, including the loss of the streamline guise and chain driven valve gear, the latter replaced by Walschaerts, and it would also see the locomotive gain AWS equipment. A long term resident of Exmouth Junction shed, this would not change post rebuild, although sometime in October/November 1961 Honiton would pass to Eastleigh shed and thus not be on hand to see the passing of the ex-London & South Western Railway/Southern Railway route west of Wilton to the Western Region in 1963. Leslie R Freeman

MAY 2022

was made up of seven corridor coaches and was hauled by Collett ‘Hall’ class 4-6-0 No 4976 Warfield Hall ahead of Hawksworth ‘County’ class 4-6-0 No 1014 County of Glamorgan.

My pleasure at seeing this train steamhauled quickly turned to dismay when the pair of locomotives was uncoupled and replaced by a diesel, namely Swindon-built type ‘4’ B-B ‘Warship’ class diesel-hydraulic No D811 Daring. Thus my first journey across the Royal Albert Bridge wasn’t by steam, and neither Jim nor myself was particularly pleased to have to complete our day in this way. However, it proved to be the first of several journeys with diesel traction and I think we became quite used to them!

The station call at Okehampton was needed to be extended to allow late running British Railways ‘3MT’ 2-6-2T No 82011 enough time to arrive with the 2.28pm Bude to Okehampton service, this being the junction station on the Exeter-Plymouth main line, although the physical meeting point of the lines, Meldon Junction, was some way to the west. This fourcoach service was booked to connect with the author’s train to Plymouth, passengers simply crossing the footbridge to join their next train and then head west again, while others wanting to continue towards Exeter could just wait where they detrained in readiness for the 3.01pm Plymouth-Waterloo service that would call at 4.07pm for four minutes. Brand new from Swindon Works to Exmouth Junction on 1 July 1952, No 82011 would remain true to the shed for more than a decade, but see later use at Eastleigh and Nine Elms. Leslie R Freeman

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I shall not describe the run in any detail, suffice to say that No D811 handled its train with apparent ease over the ‘mountains’ and indeed I quite enjoyed my first journey into the delightful Duchy, at this time of the year at its best with the railway flanked by masses of rhododendrons. The journey was also enlivened by the Liskeard ‘incident’. Before leaving Plymouth, No 6400 had added a cattle wagon at the rear of our train for detachment at Liskeard. On arrival we therefore ran well through the station so as to clear the crossover into the goods yard, which is at the east end of the station on the up side and curves round to lie at a 90 degree angle to the main line, beside the Looe branch platform.

Daring was a very considerable way beyond the station and almost out of sight round the next curve, with only the rear coaches in the platform, and there we waited for several minutes while a high level conference took place on the platform. Our driver, out of contact and no doubt wondering what was going to happen, despatched his fireman to find out.

Having apparently found out, he returned to the engine and eventually the points were set for us to reverse. There was then a slight delay until the wishes of the station staff could be communicated to the driver and finally, after much shouting and arm waving, we began to move cautiously backwards. On the crossover we paused for the wagon to be uncoupled, and then another push was meant to send it rolling into the yard, and so it would but for the action of one of the shunters, Nelson by name, who applied the brake on the wagon, thus stopping it just clear of the up line but fouling the points.

There was nothing for it but to reverse again and we finally finished up with the last coach actually over the points into the goods yard!

Needless to say, the station master, signalman and guard informed the unhappy shunter exactly what they thought of him!

After this unexpected ‘rail tour’, the train jerked and creaked back on to the main line, with enquiries from various passengers as to 10

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The doyen of Charles Collett’s ‘6400’ class pannier tanks, No 6400, was new to traffic in the month ending February 1932 and it is busy at the east end of Plymouth (North Road) station on Monday, 29 May 1960, in this case shunting a lone timber-bodied open wagon. The ‘6400s’, a class of 40 engines, had a high working pressure and were auto-fitted, with No 6400 on hand at Laira since late March or early April 1959, and until the four-week period ending 6 April 1963. Unusually, both Exeter (St David’s) and Plymouth (North Road) stations had Southern and Western trains literally poles apart in terms of their up and down directions – from the joint station of Plymouth (North Road) we are looking towards London as the Western Region route, so in the up direction, but also to Lipson Junction and its curve to the Southern Region terminus of Plymouth (Friary), so in the down direction. James Harrold Penzance-allocated Collett ‘4900’ class 4-6-0 No 4976 Warfield Hall leads Bristol (Bath Road)-based Hawksworth ‘County’ class 4-6-0 No 1014 County of Glamorgan into Plymouth (North Road) station with the 1.30pm service from Bristol (Temple Meads). Doubleheading over sections of the Devon banks was common on the Western Region route, with the second engine being regarded as the pilot. More than likely the duo has been put together at Newton Abbot station for the assault of Dainton bank, 1 in 36 at its steepest in the down direction, and then continued as a pair to tackle the next climb from Totnes through to Rattery box, 1 in 46 at its most taxing, and run through. Plymouth (North Road) station would prove to be the site of another locomotive change, but this time a modern diesel-hydraulic was to take over. Leslie R Freeman

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With Laira-based ‘Warship’ class B-B No 811 Daring now providing the lone motive power at just 7½ months old, Cornwall was reached aboard the 5.40pm train from Plymouth, the 1.30pm ex-Bristol (Temple Meads), this view looking back from the approach to Saltash station recording the magnificent Royal Albert Bridge and the River Tamar, the county boundary between Devon and Cornwall at this point. Barely visible to the left of the singletrack railway bridge we see construction of its neighbouring road bridge underway, whilst the guard takes in the view along the Tamar towards Plymouth Sound. The cattle wagon added to the rear of the coaches at North Road station is bound for Liskeard and its disposal in the yard at the east end of that station, alongside Liskeard’s Looe branch terminus, would prove to be something of a drama. James Harrold There was a flurry of action in Truro station at 7.30pm, the 1.30pm Bristol (Temple Meads) to Penzance train calling at the same time as the 6.20pm Newquay to Truro service terminated.

With the diesel-hauled working now heading west, this view records Truro-allocated Collett ‘4575’ class 2-6-2T No 5509 coming off the train from Newquay on the evening of Sunday, 29 May 1960. This engine was transferred to Truro at the start of the year and although seeing out its days at the Cornish shed, being withdrawn on 21 December 1961, it was called upon to serve from Neyland shed in West Wales from the four-week period to 16 July 1960 for six months. The Newquay service will be that via Perranporth, which joins the main line near Chasewater, about 5¼ miles west of Truro. One of four passenger branch lines west of Truro, it was on the ‘shopping list’ for our travellers as part of their campaign, but not until the Tuesday as it would be part of the return east. James Harrold

A Railway Clearing House map from 1926 locates the three passenger branches west of Truro, 34 years later the core to the plan for Day 2 of a grand tour, but it also shows goods only routes.

Of these, Portreath and Tresavean both closed in 1936 but the riverside terminus of Newham Goods, Truro was still active in 1960, and its junction would be passed. Doubtless after much deliberation and timetable pawing, the itinerary for Day 2 was planned to take in the termini of Falmouth, Penzance, Helston and St Ives, and then return to Truro.

whether the train was still in one piece, and continued its journey 11½ minutes late (after only a three minute late departure from Plymouth). Lengthy waits, particularly at Bodmin Road and at St Austell prevented more than two minutes being recovered before leaving the latter station, but the 28 minute schedule for the 14¾ miles on to Truro proved ample for No D811, which proceeded to recover all of the remaining nine minutes to get us there on time at 7.30pm. The only train I noted en route from Plymouth was the 7.05pm to Newquay that was waiting at Par, headed by Churchward ‘4500’ class 2-6-2T No 4569, whilst our arrival at Truro coincided with that of Collett ‘4575’ class 2-6-2T No 5509 on the 6.20pm ex-Newquay.

So ended a very pleasant journey of around 284 miles (231 of which had been steam-hauled) and we repaired to our very comfortable rooms just a few minutes’ walk from the station.

Day Two: Monday, 30 May 1960 The planned itinerary on this day was purely west of Truro – to Falmouth and return; to Penzance and back to Gwinear Road; an outand back run over the Helston branch; Gwinear Road to St Erth; St Erth to St Ives and return, and finally St Erth to Truro – but in the event there would be an ad hoc change

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Bank Holiday Monday, 30 May, saw an early start from Truro on the 8.08am service to Falmouth, which is recorded at Perranwell in the hands of Collett ‘4575’ small Prairie No 5515. From the main line at Penwithers Junction the branch is double-track but only to just beyond the trailing connection of Newham Branch Junction, passing loops at Perranwell and Penryn thereafter sufficing. The operational need to wait for the 8am service from Falmouth to clear the section ahead offered the chance to nip off the Falmouth bound train to record this view without the worry that the train would suddenly start away!

To the left, the up platform looks busy, with the passing train already arrived, so presumably the signalman, the steps to his elevated box seen on the right, will be in the process of variously acknowledging ‘train out of section’, resetting the road and signals and, along with his neighbouring signalmen, granting authority for each train to proceed. Provided on a cramped site, Perranwell box was an ‘overline’ structure – the only one in Cornwall by this time – above a trailing siding between the down platform and the goods shed; it served until 18 April 1966, being closed upon removal of the passing loop, and was soon demolished. Leslie R Freeman

to increase the chances of steam-hauled miles, which would actually result in upping the overall mileage for the day by 11, to 121.

The first day of our holiday, Spring Bank Holiday Monday, was spent touring the West Cornwall line and commenced with a journey to Falmouth by the 8.08am service from Truro.

We found this train in the down bay, made up of two coaches and moderately full, with Collett ‘4575’ class 2-6-2T No 5515 up front.

We left three minutes late, at 8.11am, and the journey was to prove uneventful, with the locomotive performing competently enough.

Leaving Truro, branch trains use the main line past the shed (where Collett 4-6-0 No 6860 Aberporth Grange was standing in the yard), through a short tunnel to Penwithers Junction, where the single-track branch to Falmouth diverges to the south and immediately makes another junction with the goods line to Newham; this second junction faces Falmouth.

From Penwithers Junction the branch climbs steeply to a double-bore tunnel, after which it descends into Perranwell station (4¼ miles from Truro) where there is a passing loop and both platforms have cream-coloured waiting rooms. There is a signal box on the down side, perched at a high level. Here we had to pass the 8am service ex-Falmouth, so had a short wait before it appeared behind fellow ‘4575’ class 2-6-2T No 4588. There were a fair number of passengers, mainly for the up train.

Leaving Perranwell, the branch wends its way through some lovely countryside to Penryn, another four miles onward. Here again there is a loop with a shelter on the down platform, but the up side has no protection for passengers whatsoever. The main buildings are on the down side, apart from the platform in

While the Falmouth branch runs virtually east-west through Perranwell, it soon curves due south, and about five miles later turns east-north-east about a mile before Falmouth station is reached. Trains depart in a westerly direction, this view recording the station approach as Collett ‘4575’ class 2-6-2T No 5546 awaits departure with the 8.55am service to Truro, the escaping steam at the safety valves an indication that the boiler pressure is near perfect. Note the skyline dotted with the cranes of Falmouth Docks, this station, closed on 1 December 1970 when a new single-platform Falmouth station was added to the branch just half a mile away, would later be re-opened on 5 May 1975 and become known as ‘Falmouth Docks’ from 15 May 1989. Amongst posters on display is ‘Go by train – it’s quicker’. Note the open wagon in the loading dock near the engine, the goods shed being just out of view to the left. James Harrold

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the goods yard. The only other station before Falmouth is Penmere Platform, with its timber built office on the down side; the up side features an oil storage depot.

The terminus at Falmouth has two platforms and a centre siding between them; the main single-storey station offices are on the up side. Before the station on the up side is a yard and the place had a very prosperous look about it, with numerous ships in the docks beyond – no doubt contributing to the railway’s freight traffic. Passenger traffic appeared quite reasonable on our visit, and I imagine that this branch is relatively safe from closure threats.

The intermediate stations contributed a certain amount of traffic but mainly on the return journey to Truro. Like all of the Cornish branches, the Falmouth line runs through

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