From the Camel to the Exe

FROM THE CAMEL TO THE EXE Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

Images from the Transport Treasury archive

Compiled by Jeffery Grayer

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Reviving the memories of yesterday… © Images and design: The Transport Treasury 2023. Text Jeffery Grayer.

ISBN 978-1-913251-49-9 First published in 2023 by Transport Treasury Publishing Ltd., 16 Highworth Close, High Wycombe, HP13 7PJ www.ttpublishing.co.uk Printed in Malta by Gutenberg Press Ltd., Tarxien, GXQ 2902 The copyright holders hereby give notice that all rights to this work are reserved.

Aside from brief passages for the purpose of review, no part of this work may be reproduced, copied by electronic or other means, or otherwise stored in any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the Publisher. This includes the illustrations herein which shall remain the copyright of the copyright holder.

Front Cover : T9 No. 30709 is signalled away from Launceston with the 9:56 am service from Okehampton to Padstow on 27th. May 1961, the last summer of operation of Drummond’s famous Greyhounds over the route. Although aesthetically rather attractive, the curved iron footbridge drew some complaints from passengers regarding the steepness of its stairs and once these had been negotiated they were also faced with a long slog up a steep hill to reach the town centre. (LRF5810) Frontispiece : With steam to spare, Maunsell mogul No. 31837 with a Wadebridge service gets away from its Launceston stop on 8th. September 1962 passing underneath the road bridge which carries the A388. As mentioned above, the station at this Cornish town was inconveniently sited at the foot of a long hill and today this bridge looks down not upon the tracks of the North Cornwall line but upon the buffer stops of the narrow gauge Launceston Steam Railway terminus. (LN2325) Rear Cover : The melancholy occasion of the final visit of a T9 to the North Cornwall line is captured in this view of the RCTS/PRC “‘North Cornishman”’ railtour of 27th. April 1963 which is about to depart from the terminus at Padstow with the preserved No. 120 in LSWR livery at its head. (PG3138)

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CONTENTS Introduction .............................................................................. 4 Padstow – Bodmin North ......................................................... 6 Wenfordbridge branch ............................................................. 25 Wadebridge – Halwill Junction ................................................. 28 Halwill Junction – Meldon - Okehampton ................................. 60 Okehampton – Exeter ............................................................... 80 Remembering the ‘Greyhounds’ ............................................. 100

‘The next five and a half miles beside the broadening Camel estuary to Padstow is the most beautiful train journey I know’. Thus wrote the poet John Betjeman seventy years ago in his collection of essays entitled ‘First and Last Loves’ and seeing the above image who could disagree.

This view looking east showing the perfectly manicured permanent way and the curving estuary of the River Camel was taken on 1 July 1961 and just visible in the middle distance is the final member numerically of the Battle of Britain class, No. 34110 66 Squadron, with the Padstow portion of the down ‘Atlantic Coast Express’ (ACE) nearing the end of its 260 mile journey from Waterloo. (1796) 3

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T

Introduction

ransport Treasury is fortunate to have acquired the photographic archives of several well known photographers including Terry Gough, Gerald Daniels and Dick Riley who visited the SR lines in North Cornwall and West Devon in the days of steam. This volume is based on a number of collections containing views of that much missed line from the far west at Padstow to Exeter, one of the routes making up what became known somewhat disparagingly as the ‘Withered Arm’. This phrase first appeared in a short story by Thomas Hardy published in 1888 and was latterly appropriated to describe the far flung reaches of the SR empire in the West Country west of Exeter. It appeared as the title of a railway book by one Thomas William Edgar Roche in 1967 and I can do no better than quote from the book’s introductory page where, whilst admitting his preference for all things Great Western, the author goes on to say ‘that does not prevent me from having had, for the last forty years, a great liking and sympathy for that Other railway whose Withered Arm, as the cynics called it, stretched its long tortuous limbs west and north east from Exeter to the Atlantic coasts of Devon and Cornwall. The Withered Arm was a railway of great distances, whose towns were far apart and population sparse, yet however remote there were always green coaches proudly flaunting the legend ‘WATERLOO’ to remind one of links with the outside world.’

not overlooking the branch to Bodmin North and the fabled Beattie well tanks used on the Wenfordbridge mineral line, before following the North Cornwall route to the remote but important crossroads of Halwill Junction. This fascinating location where connections were made for stations to Bude and Torrington is covered in some detail before we continue eastwards to the junction at Meldon where the main line from Plymouth was joined. We then cross Meldon Viaduct to reach Okehampton, now connected once again to the national rail network after a gap of some half a century.

Joining the North Devon line from Barnstaple and Ilfracombe at Coleford Junction near Yeoford, we cross the waters of the river Exe to reach Devon’s county town and the hub of the SR’s West Country operations at Exeter Central, motive power being supplied by nearby Exmouth Junction shed. As an epilogue we feature the class of locomotive perhaps most associated with the North Cornwall line - the famous Drummond T9 ‘Greyhounds’ - captured during the final years of their operation here. It is a sad fact that the ex-SR lines west of Exeter were decimated in the mid-1960s so hopefully this record of how they were more than sixty years ago will act as a poignant reminder and captures the special appeal of that part of the late lamented ‘Withered Arm’ which served North Cornwall and West Devon.

Jeffery Grayer Devon 2023

Beginning in the farthest flung outpost of Waterloo at Padstow, situated on the estuary of the River Camel, we journey eastwards visiting the important centre of Wadebridge,

Above : LSWR notice at the entrance to Ashbury station. (LN5729)

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THE SOUTHERN SYSTEM WEST OF EXETER

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PADSTOW – BODMIN NORTH

Above : The beginning of the SR’s long route to Waterloo, 259¾ miles distant to be exact, was at Padstow, seen here with the line’s classic motive power in residence in the shape of a Drummond T9 class – what better way to begin! No. 30709 has steam to spare as it awaits departure time with a service to Okehampton on 19 August 1956. (2116)

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

Above : Journey’s end for N Class No. 31845 which has just arrived at Padstow with a service over the North Cornwall line. These 2-6-0s were very much at home on freight, initially, and later passenger workings over this route, having been trialled in the area as far back as 1924 in an effort to replace the less powerful and ageing Jubilees and 4-4-0s. After a spell in the south east during wartime, the moguls returned to the area in force in 1945 with over 40 different members of the class being at one time allocated to Exmouth Junction. They assumed all the former T9 duties from 1961 and lasted here until the autumn of 1964. Possibly as a consequence of working over the switchback curves of the steeply graded North Cornwall line, many class members had their frames rebuilt when distortion cracks started appearing, although No. 31845 escaped this modification. (1804) Left : A service which photographer Terry Gough recorded in his notes as being the 7.30 am from Waterloo, which in 1961 only operated between 1 July and 18 August, has reached Padstow on its first day of operation hauled by Bulleid pacific No. 34033 Chard. The locomotive has just uncoupled from the two coach set, augmented by a loose corridor third as this was a busy Saturday the 1 July, prior to running round. The two headcode discs carried on the smokebox denoted, amongst a variety of other routes in various parts of the SR, a service from Exeter Central to Padstow. In the station yard can be seen a Southern National bus waiting to convey passengers to Newquay, a reminder perhaps of the LSWR’s thwarted ambition to build a line from Padstow to Newquay and Truro and from there, with running powers over the GWR, to reach Falmouth and even Penzance. Although a parliamentary notice was issued in 1894, the scheme came to nothing but this invasive threat probably prompted the GWR in 1905 to seek powers, which were granted but never in the event exercised, to shorten its route to Newquay by way of a cut-off near Bodmin Road to Roche. In the first decade of the 20th century. there were several plans for light railways between Padstow and Newquay but none came to fruition. (1788) 7

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Padstow - Bodmin North

Above : Not so popular with enginemen or management was the U1 Class, four members of which, Nos. 31901-4, were allocated to Exmouth Junction in May 1961 ostensibly to act as replacements for the T9s. Their stay was to be short lived however for by September they had all gone, reflecting concerns raised previously when they had been trialled in the area in the late 1930s. It had been hoped that on the basis of their 6 foot wheels, larger than the Class N’s 5ft. 6ins., and quicker acceleration, their use would contribute to a speeding up of services and to a reduction in the need for double heading on the lengthier trains. However, they were found to be heavy on water and coal and their three cylinders drained the boiler much more rapidly than the two cylinders of the N Class.

Excessive flange wear on the leading driving wheels, brought about no doubt by the sinuous nature of the North Cornwall line, was also a concern. Having worked in on the 5.51 pm from Okehampton during their brief second sojourn in 1961, No. 31904 was captured on Padstow turntable which was situated adjacent to the clear waters of the Camel estuary. This turntable of 70 foot diameter had been installed in 1947 to cater for the newly arrived Bulleid pacifics. (1863) Top right : With N Class No. 31837 at its head, the coaching set forming the 6pm departure for Okehampton receives a ‘wash and brush up’ in the sidings at Padstow from a couple of railway staff armed with buckets and long handled brushes. The driver of U1 Class No. 31904 at the platform oils round prior to setting off with the 3.13 pm service to Exeter Central. On the far right behind the brake van can just be glimpsed an old LSWR Ironclad brake third coach relegated to duty with the Engineer’s Department. The signal box situated at the end of Padstow’s single platform dated from the opening of the line in 1899 and contained an 18 lever Stevens frame. It remained in service until January 1966 after which it was promptly demolished, leaving a ground frame to control the remaining run round loop until the line closed some twelve months later. The large fish shed seen behind the coaches remained in situ until it was demolished in 2000. (1789) 8

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

This bird’s eye view of the 8.12 am service on 3 July 1961 departing from Padstow bound for Bodmin General, where there was a connection for Bodmin Road, reveals that the ‘other’ company – the GWR – also had a presence at this Southern outpost. Headed by prairie tank No. 5553, this image provides a glimpse of the small goods shed with canopy on the left and of the loading gauge. The buildings on the far right are the fish curing store and depot operated by Pawlyn Brothers and in the yard are several coaches, including a couple bearing carriage boards no doubt for the Atlantic Coast Express, awaiting their next turn of duty. (1862) 9

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Above : Having previously brought in the Padstow portion of the down ACE, No. 34110 is captured scuttling back light engine to Wadebridge depot for servicing on 1 July 1961. The completion of this final member of the West Country/Battle of Britain class named 66 Squadron in January 1951 had been delayed pending consideration of proposals from British Railways management for a major modification to a standard two cylinder design, dispensing with the troublesome chain-driven valve gear. However, the locomotive entered service as Bulleid originally intended and it remained in unrebuilt condition until withdrawal. One result of the delay in completion was that the squadron crest for 66 Squadron was never made as the manufacturer had apparently retired during the intervening period. In spite of the appearance of a crest on the above image, on closer inspection this proves to be just some artistic cleaning of the boiler side in the place where a crest would have been mounted. Thus 66 Squadron was destined to be the only Battle of Britain class member not to sport a crest and indeed proved to be one of the shortest lived, being withdrawn in November 1963, the year which saw the demise of a batch of ten pacifics. With just 609,147 miles on the clock, this was to be the fifth lowest mileage total recorded by members of the class. Had a crest been fitted it would have featured a rattlesnake with the motto Cavete Praemonui translating as ‘Beware I have given warning’.

66 Squadron, which had flown Spitfires during the Battle of Britain as part of 12 Group Fighter Command, was disbanded in 1969. (1800) Below right : Bowling along near Oldtown Cove in fine style on 1 July 1961 with an afternoon service from Padstow to Bodmin North is 5700 Class pannier tank No. 4666. The two coaches seem well filled with several passengers taking the advantage of the drop down windows to lean out or to stand in the corridor to appreciate the stunning scenery on this part of the line. This Collett tank was transferred to the SR at Exmouth Junction shed in November 1959 but was transferred, along with three other classmates, two of which had very short stays, to Wadebridge depot a month later where it remained until transfer back to Exmouth Junction in February 1963. These 0-6-0PTs were often to be found on the Bodmin North – Padstow locals, having replaced the last of the ageing Adams O2 tanks based at 72F which had been withdrawn in January 1960. In 1958/9 there were seven services daily from Bodmin North which had reduced to five by 1963 and by the time of closure in 1966 just two departures were offered. (1795) 10

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

Above : On 1 July 1961 N Class No. 31837 rattles across the girder bridge spanning Little Petherick creek with the three coaches forming the last train of the day over the North Cornwall line, the 6pm all stations service from Padstow to Okehampton. It would take 2½ hours to cover the 62½ miles with 14 intermediate stops. A connection was available at Okehampton, after a 21 minute wait, into the 7.20 pm service from Plymouth, reaching Exeter Central at 9.48 pm. A marathon journey approaching 4 hours to cover just 88½ miles! The bridge consisted of three spans of 130 foot length with 8 foot diameter supporting cylinders filled with concrete which had been sunk 53 feet through mud to reach solid rock. The track crossed the bridge on a 20 chain radius curve with super elevation and on gradients of 1 in 132 down approaching the crossing. Special carriers, which can be seen on the top of the structure, were installed to carry telegraph wires across the bridge. (1802)

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Padstow - Bodmin North

Proof that past summers of rose-tinted memory were not always sunny and bright is this view of Wadebridge station taken on the dismal wet day of 19 August 1956. Class T9, stalwart motive power of the North Cornwall line for so many years, No. 30709 will shortly leave for journey’s end at Padstow. This Victorian veteran, built at the very end of the 19th century in June 1899, would go on to become one of the final quartet of such 4-4-0s withdrawn in July 1961. (2114)

The 27 May 1961 was obviously a somewhat sunnier day at Wadebridge as T9 Class No. 30709 runs in to platform 2 with the 3.13 pm Padstow – Okehampton service. A number of passengers are waiting to board and some parcels traffic also appears to be offering. An SR parcels/mail van is in the consist which also contained a pair of Maunsell and Bulleid coaches. (LRF5827) 12

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

A venerable vehicle caught on camera at Wadebridge is this former SE&CR three compartment 45ft long brake third with the unusual feature of a lavatory fitted in the guard's compartment, this being one of only two so modified. Built by Metropolitan in July 1900 as SE&CR No. 2298, it became SR No. 3245 and was withdrawn in June 1944 from SECR ‘long’ set No. 910 to become breakdown van 1969s (later DS1969). It was originally based at Newhaven but was later moved to Wadebridge. Transferred to WR stock in 1963, it was noted as being still in residence at Wadebridge in July 1964 although its final disposal is unknown. The coach is endorsed with the legend ‘Breakdown Train Wadebridge’ and still carries, on the plate just above the left hand buffer, details of the dimensions - 48ft. 8ins. length, 9ft. 1in. width with a tare weight of 23 tons. (1761)

Class N mogul No. 31834 halts at Wadebridge’s down platform on 3 July 1961 with a service from Okehampton whilst Beattie well tank No. 30586 shunts in the up side sidings and behind which can be seen the depot’s shear-legs which enabled lifting of locomotives for maintenance at this far flung outpost of the SR, thereby obviating the need to send them back to Exmouth Junction for attention. A lone passenger and her dog comprise the sole visible custom on the platform whilst the water crane and ‘fire devil’ are interesting items of platform furniture. (1857) 13

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Padstow - Bodmin North

Above : Inside the two road wooden shed at Wadebridge on 2 July 1958 are Class O2 No. 30200 and Class 0298 No. 30587. I vividly recall my own first outing to Wadebridge in August 1962 when I photographed No. 30587, then the last remaining Beattie tank, in a similar position inside the shed at Wadebridge. Its two sisters had already departed for Eastleigh and the sole survivor was being retained to work a brake van special the following month after which it would leave the West Country for the final time. Notice the large roof mounted smoke duct installed to conduct smoke away from the inside of the depot. (TG18-3) Bottom right : N Class No. 31834 rolls in with a short goods train from Padstow comprising just two brake vans and a couple of box vans. Freight traffic at Wadebridge would go on to outlast the withdrawal of passenger services by some twelve years with the final freight service departing in 1978 when powdered slate from Delabole quarry was brought in by lorry and transferred to Presflo wagons at Wadebridge for transit by rail to South Eastern Tar Distillers of Tonbridge in Kent. A goodly pile of coal sits next to the Beattie tank on the right, supplying the depot’s allocation of locomotives which at this date comprised the three Beattie tanks plus two 57xx pannier tanks. There were of course visiting locomotives from Exmouth Junction depot, such as the mogul seen here, and from the WR that also required to be coaled. (1762) 14

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

Above : A scene of some considerable activity, at least by the standards of the Withered Arm, is captured at Wadebridge on the morning of 1 July 1961 as 45xx Class prairie tank No. 4565 runs in with the 7.50 am service from Bodmin Road to Padstow, shortly to pass Beattie well tank No. 30586 acting as station pilot and engaged in some shunting. At the main departure platform West Country pacific No. 34072 257 Squadron, positioned slightly ahead of the impressive signal gantry such that the first coach cannot be boarded from the platform, is ready for the off after its five minute stop here, to enable what appears to be a goodly crowd of intending passengers to board, with the 8.30 am ‘Atlantic Coast Express’ through train from Padstow to Exeter Central where it would join the ACE portion from Plymouth for the run up to Waterloo. Perhaps ‘Express’ was rather a misnomer for the progress of this train from Cornwall as far as Exeter however, after that it certainly put on a spurt on the main line up to London. (1774)

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Padstow - Bodmin North

I know the cabs of the Beattie well tanks were cramped to say the least, but perching on the cabside seems hardly to be a more comfortable way of taking a breather as this crewman of No. 30586 is doing in Wadebridge yard whilst engaged in some shunting on 1 July 1961. The attractive dwellings in Guineaport Road seen behind the locomotive are still there today though looking down on the far less interesting scene of housing built on the old trackbed, although the old Goods Shed and station building do both survive. This was the only member of the surviving trio of veterans not to be preserved although it lingered on in limbo after withdrawal at the end of 1962, after a service life of 87 years, until scrapped in the early part of 1964. (1770)

Passing Wadebridge East signal box on 16 June 1961, and with a member of the footplate crew perched on the cabside, comes Class T9 No. 30709 with a service for Okehampton. This stone built box with a central pillar was constructed to an LSWR style dating from the last decade of the 19th century. With 43 levers, eight of which were spare, it controlled movements to St. Kew Highway, Boscarne Junction and Wadebridge West box. (DA24867) 16

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Hauling a short freight from Wadebridge to Bodmin consisting of just one open wagon, a box van and a brake van, N Class mogul No. 31857 heads south east on 1 July 1961 passing the signal controlling the approaches to Wadebridge which here comprises two single tracks, the most northerly being the North Cornwall line and the southerly being the route to Bodmin.

Originally, from the opening of the line from Delabole in 1895 there was only a single line between Wadebridge Junction and Wadebridge shared by traffic from Bodmin which was controlled by Wadebridge Junction signal box but with the provision of a second track in 1907 the signal box was closed. In the summer of 1961 No. 31857 was allocated to Exmouth Junction shed having transferred there from Feltham in February of that year. (1783)

Seen from the rear carriage of a departing service, as evidenced by the white clouds of steam, this 19 August 1958 view of the small halt of Nanstallon, which opened in 1906, reveals that it was in a somewhat isolated position serving little immediate habitation apart from the railway cottage. It did however possess a small level crossing, complete with gatekeeper’s hut, a couple of signals, a pagoda type platform building and a trio of rather attractive lamps and, in the left background, the white gate gave access to a small siding. Goods facilities were withdrawn here from May 1960 and the associated ground frame taken out of use in April 1961. (AEB3993) 17

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Padstow - Bodmin North

The concrete platform which replaced an earlier timber one at Nanstallon Halt witnesses the arrival on 27 May 1961 of No. 4552 bunker first, having run round its train from Bodmin Road at Bodmin General. This was the 12.20 pm service from Bodmin Road, which provided a connection out of a long distance Manchester – Penzance service, to Wadebridge. (LRF 5815)

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

Above : With Boscarne Junction signal box just visible in the background, 4500 tank No. 5553 hurries along with the two coaches of the 3.24 pm service from Wadebridge to Bodmin Road on 3 July 1961.

One of the footplate crew espies the photographer standing close to the lineside where the signal wires can be seen supported on guides attached to metal supports. (1851) Left : A rake of wooden bodied china clay wagons stained from the residue of their cargo wait in a siding added in March 1914 at Boscarne Junction where the line to Bodmin Road leads off to the right and the line to Bodmin North and Wenfordbridge heads off to the left of the small ground frame situated between the two. This would later be the site of a small, short lived exchange platform providing an interchange between the two routes, operative from June 1964 until initial closure of the platform in April 1966 only to be followed by a re-opening the following month by order of the MOT. It finally closed on 30 January 1967 together with the remainder of the line. (1850) 19

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Padstow - Bodmin North

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

Top left : Seen near Dunmere Junction, a returning freight service from Wenfordbridge hauled by No. 30585 awaits clearance whilst the crew, having opened the gates protecting the line, take it easy on a convenient seat near the attractive cottage. The small hut between the two routes housed a PW trolley with its own short length of run-off track whilst the line curving off to the right leads to Dunmere Halt and Bodmin North. Note the catch point on the far left which was designed to protect the passenger route to Bodmin. (1848) Above : The SR’s station in Bodmin was designated Bodmin North and is seen here looking towards the buffer stops on a rather damp day in August 1956. At the platform ready to return to Wadebridge is Class O2 No. 30200, a regular performer on this service, with its two coach train seemingly attracting little custom on this occasion. (2081) Bottom left : Although featuring a GWR type pagoda building, the small platform at Dunmere Halt was always a Southern affair. It opened in July 1906, along with Nanstallon and Grogley halts, following the introduction of steam railmotors by the LSWR between Wadebridge and Bodmin a month previously. Apart from a nearby public house, the Borough Arms, there was little population nearby to generate traffic, although since closure Bodmin has spread out towards the old line which now forms part of the Camel Trail. (1847) 21

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Padstow - Bodmin North

Above : The attractive stone exterior of Bodmin North is seen in this image taken from the approach road on 4 June 1960. The suffix ‘North’ was added in September 1949 and as can be seen from the totem sign visible beneath the canopy this was somewhat unusually orientated at right angles to their supports rather than flush as was the case elsewhere on the station. (LRF4937) Top right : Unusual motive power for this short train to Wadebridge was Maunsell mogul No. 31875 seen here on 20 June 1962. The solitary brake coach was S6734S and at this date there were just five departures daily from Bodmin North. (RCR16524-29) Bottom right : A couple of days later more usual motive power was evident in the shape of Ivatt tank No. 41272, seen here at the terminus on 22 June 1962. The looming presence of Bodmin Gaol can be seen in the left background and, rather ghoulishly, in the past trains were sometimes halted below the prison walls to allow passengers to view public executions. When two notorious brothers were executed in 1840 it was estimated that a crowd of around 25,000 people gathered outside the gaol to watch. Public executions finished in 1868 following the passage of a law stating that executions should henceforth take place in private. (R16566) 22

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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Padstow - Bodmin North

Above : With the infiltration of WR locomotives, pannier tanks were also allocated to the Bodmin – Wadebridge shuttles and here 5700 Class 0-6-0PT No. 4666 prepares to depart with the 11.20 am service from Bodmin to Wadebridge on 4 June 1960. This locomotive was allocated to Wadebridge shed from December 1959 until transfer to Exmouth Junction in February 1963. The substantial goods shed is seen behind the locomotive. (LRF 4941) Right : The roadside sign indicates that ‘Trains Cross Here’ and indeed they do as witnessed by Beattie tank No. 30585 which makes its way gingerly over the ungated crossing of the main A389 road under the control of a flagman with the Wenfordbridge freight on 3 July 1961. Today the road is a lot busier but it does remarkably retain an isolated set of rails embedded in the tarmac at this point. (2134)

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WENFORDBRIDGE BRANCH

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Wenfordbridge Branch

Above : This close up view of No. 30585 reveals the attractive lines of this diminutive 2-4-0 tank captured in the short cutting near Dunmere Junction on 3 July 1961 en route to Wenfordbridge. The first member of this class had arrived at Wadebridge as long ago as 1893, having travelled by sea from Southampton as the LSWR had no access to the town until their North Cornwall line arrived two years later. Thus began a long association of the class with the area which only ended in 1962 by which time all three had run more than 1¼ million miles and constituted the oldest working locomotives on BR’s books. (1817) Top right : No feature on the Beattie well tanks on the Wenfordbridge branch would be complete without an image taken at the famous watering spot deep in Pencarrow Woods. Here No. 30585 receives liquid refreshment on a June day in 1962 whilst the fireman, having previously ascended the ladder, perches precariously atop the water tank. (2079) Bottom right : Whilst the locomotive gently simmers, the crew, having noticed the photographer perched high on the bank of an adjacent field, take a break in the cab out of the glare of the summer sun prior to shunting some vans on the approach to Wenfordbridge. The delightfully rural nature of the scenery hereabouts is apparent with the trackside being well wooded. The locomotive duty encompassing the round trip of some 22 miles to Wenfordbridge saw a departure from Wadebridge at just after 10 am with an arrival at Wenfordbridge at 12.41 pm. Here there was a shunting allowance of 35 minutes until departure at 1.20 pm with an arrival back at Wadebridge at 3.58 pm, booking off 10 minutes later. Not a bad day’s work in such pleasant surroundings. (1835) 26

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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WADEBRIDGE - HALWILL JUNCTION

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

Top left : We return to the North Cornwall line with this view of a rock cutting situated between Wadebridge and St. Kew Highway where U1 Class No. 31904, a recent transfer to Exmouth Junction from Tonbridge in Kent, rounds the curve on a falling 1 in 75 gradient with the 10.12 am Okehampton to Padstow service on 1 July 1961. (1780) Bottom left : St Kew Highway, like most stations on the North Cornwall line, had a passing loop and here N Class No. 31830 is crossing with an up service on 18 June 1960. Although there was not much local habitation in the vicinity, most trains called here as it was the nearest railhead to the popular beaches at Polzeath. (2126) Above : The signal box at St. Kew Highway is seen on 12 July 1961 and was an example of the standard box constructed for the line having a timber framed housing atop a stone built locking room. Sliding glazing was provided and the frame here consisted of 17 levers with three spare and the box was equipped with the Tyers single line tablet apparatus. Following closure of the goods yard in November 1964, the box was closed in November 1965 when the loop line and associated sidings were taken out of use. (RCR16076) 29

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Wadebridge - Halwill Junction

Above : Terry Gough captured several of the attractive North Cornwall line station buildings on film and this is Delabole, adjacent to the massive slate quarry which has been in operation for some 1,000 years, being first recorded in the Domesday Book, with over 10 million tonnes of slate having been extracted in that time. Appropriately the station is slate hung, as are many on the line, as protection against the elements. Close inspection reveals the sign above the door reads ‘Southern Railway Booking Office, Parcels and Cloakroom’. There are a couple of ‘Presflo’ wagons in the yard, these being used to transport slate dust. Today the station house survives, albeit hemmed in by a surrounding housing development in a street named rather unadventurously ‘The Sidings’. (1814) Top right : Southern National service No. 122, which provided a connection with trains at Camelford station, is entrusted to a Bristol LS5G single decker Fleet No. 1766 and registration plate RTT 985. It is seen here at Delabole garage in October 1965. The site of the garage here was taken over by First Group but closed in 2003. (RH657) Bottom right : Class N No. 31830 pulls into Port Isaac Road on 11 April 1956 with a down goods service. Even with the popularity of the TV series ‘Doc Martin’, based at nearby Port Isaac masquerading as Portwenn, and had the line remained open today, I’m not sure many rail passengers would be prepared for the four mile trek from the station to the village. (TG413-1) 30

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01/06/2023 10:57:09

Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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Wadebridge - Halwill Junction

Above : Basking in the summer sun of 2 July 1961, the running in board at Camelford station reads ‘For Boscastle and Tintagel’, the connection for these two destinations being courtesy of Southern National bus service No. 122 which connected Bude with Wadebridge. Details of connecting bus services were usefully shown in the SR timetable although the connection off the ACE was hardly convenient, meaning a wait of 30 minutes for the bus but I suppose this was useful when the train was running late. Even in 1969, three years after closure, ‘Camelford Station Approach’ was still listed in the bus timetable for the re-numbered service 322 now operated by Western National following the merger with Southern National in that year. Today GoCornwall Bus operates a similar service but ‘Station Approach’ unsurprisingly no longer features in the timetable. The signal box seen on the up platform housed a Stevens 17 lever frame and the platform loop, which was extended in 1911, could accommodate lengthy 12 coach or 35 wagon trains. Goods services were withdrawn in September 1964 but the goods yard, the connection to which can be seen at the far end of the down platform, remained in situ for a further 14 months. (1813) Top right : The 3.35 pm stopping train from Okehampton to Wadebridge is in the charge of No. 34030 Watersmeet as it enters Camelford station on 27 June 1961 at just after 5pm if running to time. This service provided a connection at Okehampton from the down ACE which did not serve all stations on the North Cornwall route. Some mailbags on a handcart on the opposite platform await the arrival of the last up service of the day, the 6.46 pm to Okehampton. Apart from brief spells at Ramsgate and Stewarts Lane depots when new, No. 34030 had been a long term Exmouth Junction resident since December 1948 and would remain there until withdrawn in September 1964. (1755) 32

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01/06/2023 10:57:11

Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

Although sheltered by a belt of pine trees, in time honoured railway fashion, Otterham was one of the most exposed locations on the whole route, situated as it was some 850 feet above sea level just a mile or so from the 860ft summit of the line at milepost 237. It was exposed to strong winter gales, driving rain and sea fogs which fortunately did not obstruct this view taken on a relatively benign July day in 1961. The main station building was in local Delabole stone with Portland stone decoration and was slate hung to deflect the worst of the weather. Next to the signal box can be seen a couple of PW trolley stores, behind which is the 2½ ton yard crane. A trolley on the platform contains several churns, possibly containing whey cream bound for Wincanton on the S&D, as milk products were an important traffic from the nearby Cow & Gate factory at Davidstow. (1812) 33

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It seems remarkable that one could catch a through train to London from such a seemingly remote spot but this is the up ACE headed

by No. 34011 Tavistock entering lonely Otterham station on the 5th July 1961. Only unrebuilt examples of these pacifics were permitted to travel over the line due to weight restrictions and No. 34011 would only have another couple of years in service before withdrawal in November 1963. The station served a scattered local community including Otterham village, lying 1¼ miles away, Davidstow, Crackington Haven, St. Gennys and the hamlet of St. Juliot made famous by Thomas Hardy’s visits, in pre-novel writing days when in architectural practice, restoring the local church and incidentally meeting his future wife at the vicarage. Today the overbridge is long gone and the busy A39 main road crosses the former trackbed on the level with the former station house now screened by trees. (1895)

Wadebridge - Halwill Junction

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N Class mogul No. 31836 pauses underneath the overbridge at Tresmeer on 8 September 1962 whilst what looks suspiciously like a group of jacket clad railway enthusiasts walk back along the platform to rejoin the train. (LN2326)

Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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Wadebridge - Halwill Junction

Above : Tresmeer’s attractive signal box is seen here in the summer of 1960. Following closure of the small goods yard in September 1964, the box closed in November 1965 when the up platform was also taken out of use, just one platform being more than adequate for the sparse service, generally provided by a single car DMU, offered towards the end. (LOSA 39349) Bottom right : A solitary lady is seen on the down platform at Egloskerry either waiting to board the recently arrived 5.51 pm service from Okehampton to Wadebridge hauled by T9 No. 30709 on 2 May 1961 or perhaps she was meeting the lady who has just alighted from the train as they seem to be in conversation. (LRF5739) 36

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

Above : Passing the down home signal at clear, No. 34084 253 Squadron runs into the loop at Tresmeer, 231 miles 29 chains from Waterloo, on 8 September 1962 with a service for Padstow. The loop here was rather short with capacity for just 24 wagons initially controlled by an 18 lever signal box situated on the up platform which had its telephone, tablet machines and telegraph moved to the Booking Office as an economy measure in 1930. (7/53/1)

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The 3.13 pm from Padstow to Okehampton waits at Egloskerry on 27 May 1961 whilst the crew of No. 30709 chat with another member of staff on the opposite platform. This train was scheduled to pass the down ACE at the previous station, Tresmeer, at 4.25 pm but due to late running of the service from London passing was effected at Egloskerry some 10 minutes later. Stations on the North Cornwall were well provided with passing loops which were particularly valuable during the summer timetable. (LRF5829)

Wadebridge - Halwill Junction

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On 27 May 1961 and about to enter Egloskerry is West Country pacific No. 34023 Blackmore Vale which has charge of the down ACE even though no headboard was carried on this occasion. Its nameplate had originally been spelt Blackmoor Vale but this was changed to the spelling above in April 1950 when the locomotive was repainted Brunswick Green with two orange and black stripes and the early BR emblem was affixed to the tender replacing the original ‘BRITISH RAILWAYS’ logo. (LRF5830)

Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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Wadebridge - Halwill Junction

This view of Launceston was taken on 2 June 1960 and shows the double facing signal box on the up platform which controlled both the WR and SR lines, the former WR terminus lying behind the signal box. Also on the up platform is a well laden trolley carrying mailbags awaiting the arrival of the next up service. Some lumps of coal lie between the rails on the down line, no doubt having fallen from locomotive tenders. (LRF4841)

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

The exterior of Launceston station is well adorned with posters advertising the delights of rail travel – ‘It’s quicker by Southern... in the long run’ states one of them – I’m not sure travellers on the North Cornwall line would necessarily agree with that as the line was not noted for the speed of its services!

Also of interest is the BR vehicle parked outside which is a BMC Austin commercial tractor unit fitted with a Scammell coupling painted in BR’s corporate crimson and cream livery. (LRF4840)

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Wadebridge - Halwill Junction

Above : The down ACE, also sans headboard, departs Launceston on 2 June 1960 in the hands of Bulleid pacific No. 34032 appropriately named Camelford, one of the stations on the North Cornwall line. (LRF4838) Top right : This 1962 view shows the double sided nature of the signal box at Launceston. The original LSWR signal box had been extended in 1916 towards the former GWR station at the rear to enable signalmen from that company to work a separate frame. The little girl on the poster is about to feed her dog with the phrase ‘Wait till I say - Winalot Shapes’. These canine biscuits were the product of a flour miller originating in Bridgwater in 1829. The company later graduated to the manufacture of ships’ biscuits and then started catering for canines in 1927 with the Winalot brand. (LOSA 39298) Bottom right : Although the crew seem in no hurry to get going, T9 No. 30717 is signalled away from Launceston’s up platform with the 6pm service from Padstow to Okehampton on 25 May 1961.

The roofless structure seen behind the water crane is the remains of the former engine shed still in use at this date as a stabling and turning point where a 48 foot turntable was provided. The SR line curves round to the right whilst the connection to the WR line to Tavistock and Plymouth can be seen straight ahead, controlled by the left hand signal on the junction bracket. (LRF5744) 42

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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Having the benefit of a straight run through the station which continued on for a further two mile section towards Launceston, T9 No. 30719 awaits the arrival of Battle of Britain No. 34110 66 Squadron into the loop at Tower Hill on 15 July 1960. The wooden hut at the end of the platform housed platelayers’ trolleys. (RCR15030)

Wadebridge - Halwill Junction

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

West Country Class No. 34107 Blandford Forum rounds the curve from the North Cornwall line and prepares to enter the interchange point of Halwill Junction passing some cattle wagons on the left.

Cattle were an important traffic here with a slaughterhouse being adjacent to the station complex.

(5195)

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Wadebridge - Halwill Junction

Above : Passing the junction for Padstow on the left, on which there appears to have been some concrete sleepers laid, the Bude portion accelerates away past the ground signal with its three coach load, only the last vehicle of which, Brake Composite No. 6751, sports an ACE carriage roof board having journeyed all the way from London. Journey time for the 18½ miles remaining to Bude will be 37 minutes with three intermediate stops. A passenger seen in the last vehicle gazes out perhaps speculating, if they had come from Waterloo, how much longer this seemingly interminable journey would take. (1918)

Right : N Class No. 31857 rolls into Halwill Junction where it is scheduled to stop at just after 4 pm with the 3.15 pm service from Bude to Okehampton. A train is signalled for the North Cornwall line seen branching off to the left, however, as nothing is scheduled for this line at this time of day, this probably means that the ACE is running late, a not uncommon occurrence in the busy summer months, as it should have left Halwill some twenty minutes before at 3.41 pm. Note the extensive lineside rodding required to operate the points and ground signals controlled from the signal box on the up platform. Also of note is the fact that the clear positions of the two signals differ in that one is angled upwards whereas the other is angled downwards. (1919) 46

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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Wadebridge - Halwill Junction

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

Above : This view uninterrupted by trains shows the divergence of the Torrington line curving away sharply on the right from the Bude line on the left. The Torrington line, known by the somewhat grandiose title of the North Devon & Cornwall Junction Light Railway, was a latecomer to the railway map, not being opened until 1925 having been being built primarily to carry clay from extensive pits in the area. Following closure of the Halwill - Torrington section to passengers in March 1965, the track between Halwill and the clay workings near Meeth was promptly lifted the following year. Clay trains continued to operate via Bideford and Barnstaple until 1982. (1923)

Left : On the 5 July 1961 N Class No. 31849 was proceeding tender first to Holsworthy to pick up a cattle train. This traffic, which had been hard hit by the 1955 rail strike, was all but finished just three years later in 1964 although BR’s last cattle wagons continued in service until 1972. However, Holsworthy’s £7m cattle market is still trading and forms one of the leading auction centres in the south west, now of course served solely by road. (1921)

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Wadebridge - Halwill Junction

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

Below : Terry Gough captured some of the manoeuvrings that took place regularly at Halwill involving the attachment and detachment of carriage portions. West Country pacific No. 34011 Tavistock, which had taken over the train at Exeter Central, has just arrived with the down ACE, the front portion being through coaches for Padstow. After a short stop of just two minutes to allow the rear coach for Bude to be uncoupled it will get on its way over the North Cornwall line. The station’s tall signalbox is prominent on the up platform and displays the extension necessary to house the tablet machines required when the line from Torrington arrived in 1925. The single line tablets for the routes radiating from Halwill were apparently lowered to platform staff for handing to locomotive crews by a pulley system. The concrete hut adjacent on the platform housed the permanent way inspector whose considerable territory encompassed the route from Meldon Junction to Egloskerry on the North Cornwall line, the whole of the Bude branch and as far as Hatherleigh on the Torrington route. (1914)

Left : The procedure in the up direction was also captured by Terry Gough as evidenced here with Standard Class 2 No. 82018 attaching the two coaches of the Bude portion, which it had brought into Halwill Junction six minutes before, to the recently arrived three coach set from Padstow headed by N Class No. 31836. This was a fairy slick operation in steam days with just a two minute stop timetabled for the portion from Padstow to allow for attachment. The crossing gates at the end of the platform have already opened to rail traffic indicating that departure of this Waterloo bound service on 5th.

July 1961 must be imminent. As can be seen by the running in board the station was actually “Halwill for Beaworthy” rather than plain Halwill, the name which appeared in the public timetables, although the station and indeed the settlement surrounding it were, and still are, generally known as Halwill Junction. (1910) 51

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Wadebridge - Halwill Junction

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

Top left : Four minutes after departure of the Padstow portion, the one through carriage from Waterloo to Bude, augmented by two coach set No. 168, also departs with Standard tank No. 82017 working bunker first as it crosses from the down platform to the centre road for the Bude line.

Allocated to Exmouth Junction shed when new in August 1952, this 2-6-2T remained at 72A for 10 years until transfer to Eastleigh in September 1962. The short platform for the Torrington trains added in 1925 can just be seen in front of the locomotive. Such comings and goings would happen several times each day when the junction came alive with coaching sets being split and combined and passengers changing trains, whilst at other times an almost sabbatarian calm descended as it sank back into long periods of inactivity. (1917) Bottom left : Whilst No. 41298 simmers in the Torrington bay having run round in preparation for its return journey at 6.30 pm, N Class No. 31833 is busily engaged in attaching five conflat wagons with insulated containers to the rear of the train in the up platform which is the 3.13 pm from Padstow to Exeter Central due away from Halwill at 5.26 pm after a six minute stop. There was quite a busy goods yard at Halwill even at this relatively late date with the firm of Bibby having a store for cattle feed and Silcock having one for fertilisers. In addition there was a slaughterhouse originally developed by the Southern Railway but latterly owned by North Devon Meat, a farmers’ co-operative. This traffic finished some four years later when refrigerated road transport spelt the end of insulated containers.

A small section of the Torrington platform seen on the far left survives today partially hidden in a local nature reserve but otherwise there is little to show that this railway junction ever existed. (1932) Above : Our next view of Halwill sees No. 82017 waiting at the up platform by the informative running in board on the afternoon of 5 July 1961 ready to retire to the yard having just attached stock from a Bude service to an up train. It will then work the 3.41 pm return service to Bude. Parked in the bay platform is No. 41295 which has brought in a short freight service from the Torrington branch with wagons containing clay and cut timber. It is signalled to reverse out in order to deposit its trucks in the goods yard to be attached to a later up service. (1912) 53

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Wadebridge - Halwill Junction

Above : An atmospherically smoky scene at Halwill Junction captured from a perch on the steep bank adjacent to the Torrington bay platform on 18 June 1961 with Class T9 No. 30717 departing for Padstow. The up platform and the Torrington branch bay also house trains all contributing to the general pollution. Based at the outstation of Okehampton, No. 30717, along with three other class mates shedded there, would sadly be withdrawn the following month. (2106)

Right : Pacific power for just two coaches was not unusual on the Withered Arm as No. 34075 264 Squadron restarts from Halwill Junction with the 3.35 pm service from Okehampton to Wadebridge on 5 July 1961. It had been the original intention to station the Battle of Britain class primarily in the area where the battle was fought ie. South East England but with electrification of many lines in Kent and Sussex, several of these pacifics were transferred to the West Country with Exmouth Junction shed having an equal number of Battle of Britain and West Country class locomotives on its books at this time. The plume of steam seen rising at the end of the up platform emanates from No. 31857 heading the 3.15 pm service from Bude to Okehampton. (1920)

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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Wadebridge - Halwill Junction

Above : Standard tank No. 80064 with four coaches and a van in tow rattle over the platform end level crossing and enter Halwill Junction on an unrecorded date in the early 1960s. This 2-6-4T was allocated to Exmouth Junction shed from July 1962 until June 1965 when it was transferred to Bristol’s Barrow Road shed, thus helping to narrow down the likely timeframe of this view. Some of the settlement’s local amenities are visible on the right with an interesting collection of motor vehicles of the period parked outside. (5188) Top right : Having come to a stand, No. 80064 awaits the arrival of a service from the North Cornwall line headed by N Class mogul No. 31837. One of the footplate crew stands ready to hand over the token to the Halwill signalman. The single coach of the Torrington connection can be seen parked at its own separate platform on the right and the substantial twin water towers, which fed the goods yard and slaughterhouse but not the station which had its own separate supply, are visible on the left.

(5190)

Bottom right : With station work complete, the crossing gates closed to road traffic and with the up starter signal ‘off’, the mogul gets its train for Okehampton away from the junction that will no doubt once more relapse into quietude until the next burst of activity. (5191) 56

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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Wadebridge - Halwill Junction

Above : It is Saturday 5 July 1961 and this is the 1pm Saturdays only service from Padstow to Exeter Central with through coaches for Waterloo, still at this date no doubt heavily patronised on the traditional holiday changeover day by returning holidaymakers. Through coaches from Bude are being attached to the rear of the train whilst N Class No. 31836 makes ready to depart at 2.49 pm. Further through coaches from Ilfracombe, Torrington and Plymouth will be attached subsequently to make up this multi-portioned train in the best traditions of SR practice to and from the West Country. (1909)

Right : Our final view at the fascinating location of Halwill is of T9 No. 30709 with the 5.51 pm Okehampton to Wadebridge service, seen as it runs over the level crossing at the entrance to the station on 25 May 1961.Earlier in the day it had been acting as station pilot at Okehampton.

(LRF5736)

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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HALWILL JUNCTION – MELDON - OKEHAMPTON

Ashbury was advertised as being ‘For Northlew’, a village that lay some two miles to the north east, and its station is seen here looking west on 25 May 1961. One of the films in a series made by John Betjeman featuring west country towns contrasts Northlew and Swindon and indeed the film, made in 1962, contains a shot of a mogul leaving Ashbury loop with a lengthy up freight train. Betjeman contrasts Northlew, a place he describes as once important but since bypassed by the railway, in 60

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words spoken to the sound of railway wagon wheels against an image of a sign pointing to Ashbury station situated in the market square of the village - ‘Listen to the warning note in the valley two miles away, the note that emptied the market square. From a place the railways cut short to a place the railways made great – Swindon.’ (RF5728) 61

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Halwill Junction-Meldon-Okehampton

Above : Trains cross at Ashbury as Class N 2-6-0 No. 31802 awaits, with the 5.15 pm service from Okehampton to Padstow, the arrival of an up service on 4 August 1964. The useful loop here was retained even into the diesel era. Notice the signalman at the end of the up platform getting ready to receive the token from the incoming train. No footbridge was provided here, passengers making use of steps up to the adjacent road overbridge. After the loop at Maddaford Moor Halt was closed in 1919, Ashbury became the only passing place between Meldon Junction and Halwill Junction.

(PG3843) Top right : N Class No. 31833 with the 4.24 pm Okehampton-Bude service enters Ashbury on 25 May 1961. This mogul had come to Exmouth Junction in May 1949 and remained there until October 1962.

A couple of years before this picture was taken it had received new frames, cylinders and a standard type 4 chimney. Given the popularity of Bude with the surfing fraternity in recent years one wonders whether retention of the line to this north Cornwall resort would perhaps have been justified.

(LRF5730) Bottom right : The utility of the Ashbury loop is illustrated here as a victim of the late running of the up ACE, T9 No. 30709, waits to cross with the premier train of the day. It has charge of the 9.56 am service from Okehampton to Padstow containing a portion for Bude on 27 May 1961. (LRF5808) 62

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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Halwill Junction-Meldon-Okehampton

Above : Not living up to its name, No. 34065 Hurricane enters Ashbury on 27 May 1961 with the aforementioned late running up ACE, on this occasion sporting the headboard. Normally the relevant up and down services would have crossed at Halwill but on this occasion it was decided to effect the crossing at Ashbury, thus having the knock on effect of also delaying the down Padstow service seen on the previous page. (LRF5809)

Right : This isolated platform, ‘Maddaford Moor for Thorndon Cross’ according to its nameboard, is seen in 1955 looking east. This halt was opened as late as 1926 in response to plans for a health resort but this never transpired and only a few bungalows and a terrace of railway cottages in the vicinity were ever constructed, nonetheless even the ACE stopped here. Rudimentary passenger accommodation, not dignified with the appellation ‘shelter’, was provided by the wooden construction on the platform which was adorned with the apt notice ‘Waiting Shed’. (LSDC2619) 64

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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Halwill Junction-Meldon-Okehampton

Above : With the main line to Plymouth seen in the distance, No. 34072 257 Squadron is negotiating the double reverse curve of 15 chain radius situated on a high embankment leading from Meldon Junction on 5 August 1963 with the down ACE with portions for Padstow and Bude. It will shortly pass one of the ubiquitous concrete platelayers’ huts seen on the left. (PG3345)

Right : The 11.10 am Plymouth – Brighton restaurant car train with through carriages for Portsmouth crosses Meldon Viaduct headed by an unidentified West Country Class pacific in original condition on 7 July 1961. Although only the first four cabside numbers are visible, by a process of elimination and in the absence of a shield, likely candidates for the identity of this unrebuilt locomotive are Nos. 34030, 34033 or 34035, all of which were based at Exmouth Junction shed at the time of this view.

(1941)

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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Halwill Junction-Meldon-Okehampton

Above : Dick Riley was fortunate enough to be able to obtain this view from the footplate of T9 No. 30719 as it crossed Meldon Viaduct on 15 July 1960 heading for Padstow with the 1.00 pm service from Okehampton. (RCR15028)

Top right : The intricate lattice work of the girders supporting Meldon Viaduct is shown to advantage in this view taken from below in 1963. The supposed poor condition of this structure was one of the reasons cited for the closure of the Okehampton – Bere Alston section in 1968. Due to concerns as to its safety, the up line over the viaduct was taken out of use from 24 April 1966 and single line working instituted between Meldon Junction and Quarry signal boxes. (RCR8256)

Bottom right : The driver of N Class No. 31840 looks back at his train as it passes the large disused concrete rock crusher of Meldon Quarry with a down North Cornwall line freight on 7 July 1961.

The signal’s distant arm is at caution so, after having passed over Meldon viaduct, the train will be required to slow to the 10 mph permitted speed in order to pick up the single line tablet at Meldon Junction signal box for the section onwards to Ashbury. (1938) 68

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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Halwill Junction-Meldon-Okehampton

Above : Situated at 199 miles and 22 chains from Waterloo, Meldon Quarry signal box dating from 1903 was kept busy with main line and shunting movements from the nearby quarry. The original upper storey weatherboarded cabin, which incidentally was secondhand, dating as it did from the 1870s, was set upon a masonry base although brick replaced the wooden structure in later years, probably in an effort to combat the weather experienced at this exposed location. Blasting was not permitted in the quarry when trains were passing by and at one time when the quarry face had been located nearer to the box, its windows had been protected by mesh to prevent damage to the glass from flying debris. A small staff platform, Meldon Quarry halt, was situated nearby, used by quarry workers and their families to access Okehampton via special workmens’ trains. The signal box closed from 22 March 1970 when all traffic from Okehampton was concentrated upon the down line. (LOSA 20849) Top right : Class T9 No. 30313, which has charge of a train of ballast hoppers that it will shortly take down to Okehampton, is seen passing the platforms of the small staff halt on 11 August 1960. Also in view is Class O2 No. 30199 which at the time was the temporary shunter in use at the quarry as classmate DS3152, No. 30272, having finished duties here in July 1960, was not replaced until November 1960 when DS682, BR No. 30238, took over until it was replaced in turn by USA tank No. 30062, DS234 in December 1962. (TG425-5) 70

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

Passing the quarry and a long line of ballast wagons on the left, N Class No. 31839 runs down the 1 in 77 grade en route to Okehampton with the 12.58 pm service from Padstow to Okehampton on 11th August 1960. (TG416-5) 71

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Halwill Junction-Meldon-Okehampton

Above : Following strengthening of Meldon Viaduct in July 1959, rebuilt Bulleid pacifics with their heavier axle weight were allowed to cross en route to Plymouth although they remained prohibited on the North Cornwall and North Devon lines. Here No. 34056 Croydon, which had been rebuilt only a few months before at the end of 1960, is in charge of a freight bound for the naval port and is about to pass the small staff halt at Meldon Quarry used by quarry workers and their families for trips into Okehampton. The small shed immediately to the right of the rock crusher housed the resident quarry shunter which at this time, 7 July 1961, was Class G6 No. DS 682, formerly No. 30238. (1939) Top right : Class G6 DS682, formerly No. 30238, was posed by the small one road loco shed at Meldon Quarry in this view taken on 7 July 1961. Opening in 1874, the quarry was developed in 1897 to provide a large part of the ballast requirements of the LSWR. By the 1980s however its remote location in south west England militated against its further viability as a national supplier and it was found cheaper to bring stone from Scotland by coastal shipping to Tilbury. The quarry was sold to English China Clays (ECC Quarries) in 1994 along with the railway track from Coleford Junction to the quarry as part of the BR privatisation process. Sadly, as demand continued to decline, the quarry was closed in 2011 and initially mothballed with some demolition and infrastructure recovery taking place. Today the disused quarry is designated as a geological SSSI and for safety reasons is out of bounds to the public. (1944) Bottom right : With a couple of ‘P’ coaching sets in tow, No. 34030 Watersmeet, with a service from Padstow and Bude, heads down the bank from Meldon and is about to pass under Park Road bridge No. 610 en route to Okehampton on 7 July 1961. A couple of permanent way men are strolling nonchalantly along the down line seemingly undisturbed by the passage of the train. (RCR16017) 72

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01/06/2023 10:57:41

Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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Halwill Junction-Meldon-Okehampton

Above : Somewhat excessive motive power for a two coach local service from Exeter. West Country No. 34030 Watersmeet halts at Okehampton’s No. 2 platform on 13 October 1962 whilst the driver chats to station staff. An Exmouth Junction allocated locomotive since December 1948, it remained there until withdrawal in September 1964. (AEB6183) Top right : With an extra coach recently attached from the sidings at Okehampton, N Class No. 31874 sets off for Plymouth with the 3.20 pm departure calling at all stations to Bere Alston thence Devonport Kings Road before arriving in Plymouth at 4.25 pm. An unidentified Bulleid pacific has the stock of the following 3.35 pm departure to Wadebridge in the bay platform. This Wadebridge service came just a few minutes after departure of the ACE portion for Padstow and called at all stations to Wadebridge, thus serving the eight stops not observed by the preceding ACE departure.

No. 31874 is the only N Class in existence today, being currently based on the Swanage Railway.

(1960) Bottom right : Having called at Devonport and Tavistock only, No. 34015 Exmouth gets away from Okehampton with the 4.02 pm Plymouth-Waterloo through service on 18 August 1960. At Exeter Central a Restaurant Car and through coaches from Ilfracombe would be attached with arrival into the capital at 10.00 pm. (WS4968) 74

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01/06/2023 10:57:43

Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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01/06/2023 10:57:44

Halwill Junction-Meldon-Okehampton

The lofty situation of the railway at Okehampton above the town in the valley below is readily apparent in this almost aerial view of T9 No. 30712 and Bulleid pacific No. 34017 Ilfracombe on 10 October 1953. The West Country was waiting to take over the portion of the up ACE which had originated at Padstow. (REV 80A 2-1)

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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01/06/2023 10:57:46

Halwill Junction-Meldon-Okehampton

Above : No. 34034 Honiton awaits departure from Okehampton with a Plymouth service on 29 May 1960 which was to prove the pacific’s final full month in original condition as it would be rebuilt at Eastleigh Works between June and August 1960. It lasted in service almost until the end of SR steam, being withdrawn during w/e 2 July 1967. (H1322)

Right : N Class No. 31842 is seen on the Okehampton turntable on 4 June 1960, next to which is a fine cast iron LSWR notice – very much a collector’s item today. Note however that it is the WR highlighted in white paint not the SR! Boundary changes in the area west of Exeter occurred in April 1950 when the WR assumed control of the former SR lines, only for this to revert back to SR control in February 1958. However, the WR finally assumed responsibility for all ex-SR lines west of Wilton in January 1963. (H1550) 78

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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01/06/2023 10:57:47

OKEHAMPTON - EXETER

The majestic sweep of what used to be the SR’s superbly engineered double tracked main route to the West Country is captured in this view of the line as it climbs towards Okehampton station. Note the neatly trimmed ballast and the lineside banks kept clear of vegetation unlike much of today’s lineside. Some of the five arches of Fatherford viaduct, which crosses the East Okemont river and was constructed on a curve of 30 chains radius, are visible in the left background. No. 34033 Chard, making light work of its eight coach load up the grade to Okehampton, passes the outer home down signal whilst hauling the ‘Atlantic Coast Express’ which, after departure from Exeter St. Davids, will have called only at North Tawton before a scheduled arrival in Okehampton at 3.08 pm. Here the train will be divided and just four minutes later the Padstow portion will depart followed by the Plymouth portion at 3.20 pm. This was all part of a slick operation affording even the remotest parts of Devon and Cornwall connection to London and the wider world. The line here was built into a ledge on the hillside in order to climb up to Okehampton station perched high above the town. Today the peace of that July afternoon more than sixty years ago is shattered by the roar of traffic on the Okehampton by-pass which closely parallels the single track of the railway hereabouts. (1956)

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No. 34034 Honiton is captured threading the delightfully wooded section of the line between Okehampton and Fatherford Viaduct on its way towards Exeter. (REV 80A 4-4)

Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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Okehampton-Exeter

Crossing the aforementioned Fatherford Viaduct and under sunny skies, an unidentified Ivatt 2-6-2T runs light engine towards Okehampton. A quarry, with its own narrow gauge tramway which ran to a site near Okehampton station but which was lifted in the 1930s, was located some hundred yards from Fatherford Viaduct and was probably the source of the stone used in the building of this structure. (REV80A 4-3)

This panorama of North Tawton station dates from 1955 and reveals the grandiose nature of the facilities provided here at what became a relatively unimportant wayside station although several Waterloo services continued to call into the 1960s. It had not always been so however as the station had originally been opened as a terminus by the Devon & Cornwall Railway in 1865 serving the then important town of North Tawton some 1½ miles away and acting as a railhead for the area to the west not yet served by a railway as the line was not extended to Okehampton until 1871. The substantial footbridge was removed after closure and re-erected at Ropley on the Mid Hants Railway. (LSDC2620) 82

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

North Tawton’s signal box situated on the up platform is seen here during the 1960s.

It contained an 18 lever Stevens frame and remained in operation until closure in 1967 with the station becoming unstaffed the following year when conductor guards were introduced on the remaining shuttle service between Exeter and Okehampton. (LOSA20848)

Preparing to stop at Bow, again a similarly ill sited station for the village of the same name, on 3 August 1955 is Bulleid pacific No. 34056 Croydon, then in original condition, with what the photographer recorded as being the 9.35 am service from Padstow to Waterloo due here at 11.52 am. The platform extensions seen here were fabricated using standard precast concrete sections from the Exmouth Junction Concrete Works. (LSDC2626) 83

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01/06/2023 10:57:50

Okehampton-Exeter

No. 34033 Chard halts with the 8.30 am train from Padstow to Waterloo at Bow also on 3 August 1955. The number of chimneys on the station buildings appears to be a little excessive even by Victorian standards. The station was unstaffed from January 1964 when the signal box was closed, the line being singled from October 1971. (LSDC2623)

On 20 June 1964, N Class No. 31840 hauling the 10.35 am Waterloo – Padstow service is seen negotiating the 20 chain radius curve on the Plymouth route which carried a speed limit of 40 mph.

This viewpoint illustrates the parting of the ways near Coleford Junction with the North Devon line to Barnstaple apparent in the background. When the line to Okehampton was singled, the speed restriction here was reduced to 20 mph. (PG3773) 84

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The once important junction station of Yeoford, which had up and down bay platforms in addition to the two main platforms, is seen in some detail here in this view of 26 May 1961 looking towards Coleford Junction where the Barnstaple and Plymouth lines diverged. At one time this station, now an unstaffed request stop with just one of the former platforms in use on the present day Tarka line, boasted a refreshment room for the benefit of passengers changing trains between the North Devon and Plymouth lines. During a lull in trains there seems to be some attention being given to the track by a number of gangers in the vicinity of the footbridge. (LRF5759)

West Country pacific No. 34002 Salisbury with the 11.47 service from Exeter – Plymouth slows on the approach to Yeoford on 11 August 1960 whilst, in the bay platform, No. 34056 Croydon is at the head of an up goods service. Some of the extensive sidings provided here can be seen on the right.

(TG400-5) 85

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01/06/2023 10:57:51

Okehampton-Exeter

Above : As if to underline its former importance as a junction station, No. 34023 Blackmore Vale halts at Yeoford with no less a train than the up ACE on 26 May 1961. At one time there was a marshalling yard here which was doubled from its original three sidings to six in order to cater for the volume of wartime traffic. At this date the entries for Yeoford in the main West of England timetable (No. 35) were still shown in bold type, indicating again its significance. Today Yeoford echoes Davids lament over Saul and Jonathan expressed in the King James Bible as ‘How the mighty have fallen’. (LRF5758) Top right : Entering Yeoford with the portion of the up ACE originating from Torrington is pacific No. 34011 Tavistock on 11 August 1960. In the absence of a station public address system, it looks as if a member of the platform staff is about to use his loud hailer probably to inform passengers that this was where they needed to change for the Plymouth and North Cornwall lines. (TG395 -5) Bottom right : Standing tall, to allow the signalman a good view over the adjacent road bridge, is the box at Yeoford seen here prior to closure in August 1968. The 19 lever frame provided originally was extended to 31 levers in 1890 although the position of the box was less than ideal as much of the goods activity took place some distance away in the extensive sidings at the Exeter end of the station.

Goods activity involving remarshalling of trains went on throughout the night so consequently the box was manned 24 hours a day except on Sundays. (LOSA39525) 86

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

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Okehampton-Exeter

Crediton station, located on a long curve of 60 chains radius with a 45 mph speed restriction, is seen in 1955 in this view looking towards Exeter taken from the footbridge. It will be seen that access to the Goods Shed, which contained a 2 ton capacity crane, was by reversal from the down line on the basis that most inward goods would be arriving from the Exeter direction. Goods facilities were withdrawn from December 1967 and the line to Cowley Bridge Junction singled in December 1984.

(LSDC2642)

The waters of the river Exe tumble over the weir in the left foreground as a freight service makes its way sedately over the bridges, observing the 20 mph speed limit imposed, at Cowley Bridge Junction.

The rear of the eponymous signal box can be seen on the right. Here the SR route briefly joined with the WR route as far as Exeter St. David’s station whence SR metals were regained once more on the ascent to Exeter Central. (5247) 88

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

Giving a better view of the weir and sluice gates, this view dates from 21 July 1956 and reveals an unrecorded Bulleid pacific with a train from the SR about to join WR metals. A mobile crane is on site possibly to effect some modifications to the flood defences. (RCR7781)

Allowing diesel power to get just the briefest of look-ins, on the same unrecorded date a North British ‘Baby Warship’, latterly Class 22, diesel with four coaches and sporting headcode 2C51 indicating a Plymouth to Exeter service via Okehampton, passes the same spot. Part of the half timbered Cowley Bridge Inn can be seen on the far right. The lines over the bridges were singled in 1965 during repairs and this became permanent from January 1967. Today single track operates from the junction as far as Crediton. (5262) 89

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01/06/2023 10:57:56

Okehampton-Exeter

Bridge No. 534 crosses the waters of the river Exe near Cowley Bridge Junction and here a short freight handled by M7 Class No. 30668, which the photographer describes as the ‘up Crediton milk’, crosses the structure on 16 July 1958. This area has for long been prone to flooding and much expense has been incurred in recent years in attempting to alleviate this problem. At one time the LSWR had its own signal box in the vicinity but this closed in 1916 when the GWR box took over control of access to the line. (RCR12302)

A better view of the half timbered splendour of the Cowley Bridge Inn is afforded in this image of N Class No. 31841 negotiating the junction on 28 August 1954. Cowley Bridge Junction box remained in service until March 1985 when its operation was taken over by Exeter Panel Box. The inn was closed in 2008, re-opening as the Thai Shanghai Restaurant, but this has now closed. (RCR5283) 90

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01/06/2023 10:57:57

Pacifics meet on the section between Cowley Bridge Junction and Exeter St. Davids on 16 July 1960 as No. 34107 Blandford Forum heads an up service whilst double heading a down train are No. 34058 Sir Frederick Pile and N Class mogul No. 31844. Piles of sleepers and new ballast indicate some recent track renewal activity in this area. (RCR15071)

N Class No. 31830 with a freight which includes a cattle wagon accelerates away from Cowley Bridge en route to Exeter on 5 July 1961. (RCR16003) 91

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01/06/2023 10:57:58

Okehampton-Exeter

No. 34058 Sir Frederick Pile brings an up fitted freight from Plymouth into Exeter St. Davids bound for Faversham in Kent on 14 May 1960. Following rebuilding in 1960, this pacific would go on to become one of many of the class now preserved, in this instance on the Mid Hants Railway where it is a long term restoration project. (PP1151) Also seen at the London end of St. Davids is one of the E1/R banking locomotives used for assisting trains up the incline to Central station. The date is 16 August 1954 and the photographer recorded that No. 32135 was about to assist the 3.13 pm service from Padstow which was scheduled to depart from St. Davids at 6.33pm, terminating at Central station at 6.38pm. This class of tank was largely replaced on these banking duties by the Maunsell Z Class 0-8-0Ts in the summer of 1959 with the last of the Stroudley 0-6-0Ts, No. 32697, being withdrawn from Exmouth Junction shed in January 1960. (PP790) 92

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01/06/2023 10:57:59

Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

No. 34024 Tamar Valley heads the 8.41 am Exeter Central-Plymouth service alongside No. D833 Panther, then just one month old, which is hauling the 7.15 am service from Plymouth-Paddington on 19 August 1960. A porter carrying suitcases is not something you often see on today’s railways.

(WS4975)

August 1963 sees Exmouth Junction based N Class No. 31853 heading a service for Ilfracombe. This mogul was to be withdrawn from 72A just over a year later in September 1964. (PP1434) 93

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Okehampton-Exeter

Having replaced the E1/Rs, the Class Zs were themselves replaced by these Maunsell Class W 2-6-4Ts. No. 31914, along with seven other examples, arrived to take up banking duties in late 1962 only to be replaced in turn, and adding insult to injury in the process, this time by WR pannier tanks. This view dates from August 1963 and just a month later No. 31914 was transferred away to Norwood Junction shed.

(PP1432)

Gaining admiring glances from some boys on the platform, No. 34062 17 Squadron makes ready to depart with the Plymouth portion of the 9 am departure from Waterloo on 25th. May 1961. Since strengthening of Meldon Viaduct in July 1959, rebuilt pacifics had been permitted to operate over the Plymouth route but were not allowed over the North Cornwall line. Coincidentally the locomotive above, No. 34062, was the first recorded working of a rebuilt Bulleid over Meldon Viaduct on 14 July 1959 when it headed the 8.41 am Exeter - Plymouth stopping service and 2.25 pm return. (LRF5717) 94

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01/06/2023 10:58:00

Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

M7 tank No. 30668, dating from 1897, is pictured with a ‘Conflat A’ with a BR container securely fastened by chains to the wagon which was part of a freight service awaiting a path up to Central station seen at St. Davids on 14 May 1960. This veteran Drummond tank would be withdrawn in September the following year. (PP1153)

In August 1963 Battle of Britain No. 34065 Hurricane has reached the foot of the incline descending from Central station and is about to enter St. Davids with a service to Barnstaple. The magnificent Exeter West Box, now preserved at the Crewe Heritage Centre, is visible on the far right. (PP1431) 95

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01/06/2023 10:58:01

Okehampton-Exeter

Our final view at St. Davids shows the incline up to Central station being tackled by N Class No. 31860, making the ascent with a freight train on 1 June 1960. The second wooden bodied wagon carries the legend ‘Loco’, indicating its use for locomotive coal. The spire of the Grade 1 listed St. Michael and All Angels church Mount Dinham pierces the skyline. (H1444)

The severity of the climb up from St. Davids is illustrated in this view of No. 34020 Seaton struggling up the final few yards into Central station with a service from North Devon on 13 October 1962 whilst in the siding on the right is Z Class No. 30956. Steam is also visible in the carriage sidings, at the entrance to which a shunting bell is positioned, situated to the left of this view.

(AEB6177) 96

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01/06/2023 10:58:02

Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

No. 34004 Yeovil erupts from Queen Street bridge and enters Central station passing ‘Exeter B’ signal box which contained a 35 lever Tyer’s frame of Stevens pattern and Sykes lock and block instruments. It was to close in February 1970 when its function was taken over by the former ‘A’ box now renamed ‘Exeter Central’, which itself was to close in May 1985 when Exeter Panel box at St. Davids assumed control. (MC10009E)

Viewed from the footbridge connecting the platforms at Exeter Central, the through lines are clearly seen and these were often the refuge of bankers awaiting their next return to St. Davids. They also of course catered for through freight services and light engines not requiring to call at the station.

No. 34002 Salisbury is at the down platform with the 4.21 pm service to Barnstaple and Torrington on the 16 August 1960. The fireman is perched on the tender raking the coal forward whilst a goodly crowd of intending passengers occupy the platform. (WS4937) 97

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01/06/2023 10:58:03

Okehampton-Exeter

Demonstrating the occupation of one of the through roads at Central station by a banking locomotive is Z Class No. 30955 on 9 September 1962. This 0-8-0T, which arrived at Exmouth Junction in October 1958, would remain until withdrawal just three months after this view in December 1962 by which time its exertions on banking duties along with other class members had given rise to the requirement for expensive boiler repairs which could not at this stage be justified. (LN2364)

No. 34023 Blackmore Vale stands at the up platform with the ACE service on 4 May 1964 whilst Standard tank No. 80041 occupies the down platform. This was to be the final year of operation of this once prestigious service with the final train running on 5 September hauled coincidentally

by No. 34023 from Padstow. In the goods yard adjacent to the bay platform on the far right, some cement wagons are visible, there being a Blue Circle cement terminal located here for many years.

(P 52 – 3) 98

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

Also in the goods yard was a Fyffes banana packing facility served by dedicated freight trains from Southampton Docks as evidenced by the sign seen behind M7 tank No. 30025 which was acting as station pilot on 25 May 1961. Brooding over the whole scene is the imposing facade of Exeter Gaol and one wonders how many prisoners were railway enthusiasts who appreciated their view! Coaching stock for an Exmouth branch service stands in the bay platform.

(LRF5709)

Finally we come to Exmouth Junction locomotive shed. 72A supplied motive power for routes east and west of Exeter and was the principal depot of the SR in the South West. Judging by the lifting safety valve, Battle of Britain pacific No. 34062 17 Squadron, which we saw earlier in rebuilt form, has steam to spare whilst parked outside the 13 road shed where it keeps company with T9 No. 30715 on 4 September 1956. Behind the Bulleid is another ‘Greyhound’, No. 30709.No. 34062 was rebuilt in early 1959 and lasted in traffic until withdrawal in August 1964 – a working life of a paltry 17 years, no comparison to the 62 years’ service given by each of the Drummonds! Situated at the divergence of the Exmouth branch from the main line, the shed was some ninety miles and a world away from our starting point in far off Padstow. (ES3891) 99

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01/06/2023 10:58:05

REMEMBERING THE GREYHOUNDS

I

n 1960 Exmouth Junction had eight examples of the T9 class on its books. Faults were detected in the fireboxes of several members of the class the following year and N Class moguls began to take over their duties. Nos. 30338, 30718, 30719 and 30729 all failed their boiler examinations in April 1961 and No. 30120 was transferred in from Eastleigh in March in order to bolster the fleet until the summer. In May it was reported that of the three examples still active at Okehampton, No. 30709 appeared

to be in a very run down condition with Nos. 30120 and 30313 holding the fort. What were to become the last remaining examples, Nos. 30313, 30709, 30717 together with 30120, were all withdrawn and arrived at Eastleigh Works during the last week in June and the first week of July. Fortunately, after much debate about which T9 was in the best condition, No. 30120 went on to a life in preservation as part of the National Collection and was to make a triumphant return to the North Cornwall line in 1963.

30313 BUILT 9/01 WITHDRAWN 7/61

The junction bracket signal is off as No. 30313 hurries along near Exeter Riverside with a Plymouth train on 16 July 1960. The flat area to the right, the valley of the River Exe, is prone to flooding which periodically affected the operation of services over this stretch of track. (RCR15055) 100

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

On 26 May 1961 No. 30313 has just arrived at Okehampton with the portion of the ACE that had originated from Plymouth. It will come off the train here and retire to the shed prior to its next duty a couple of hours later, which was the 1.18 pm to Bude returning from the North Cornwall coastal resort at 3.17 pm. (LRF5756)

Later that same day No. 30313, with headcode discs in place for its next turn to Bude, poses on the 70ft. Okehampton turntable. Note the vacuum hose from the locomotive attached to the turntable mechanism, making the task of locomotive turning much easier for footplate crews. (LRF5757) 101

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01/06/2023 10:58:07

Remembering the Greyhounds

No. 30313 heads the 5.51 pm service to Bude and Padstow at Okehampton’s bay platform on 18 August 1960. The train will divide at Halwill Junction with the Padstow portion proceeding first followed by the Bude portion some three minutes later.

(WS4971)

30338 BUILT 10/01 WITHDRAWN 4/61

The Okehampton signalman seen leaning out of his cabin window on 14 July 1959 watches, along with a porter and a colleague, the activities of No. 30338 which has just attached some container wagons to the rear of the train standing in the up platform. The signal box was a replacement dating from 1936 and it remained in service until 1972. (RCR13883) 102

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01/06/2023 10:58:08

30709 BUILT 6/99 WITHDRAWN 7/61

No. 30709 has just arrived at Wadebridge on 27 May 1961 with the 9.56 am service from Okehampton to Padstow. The driver, having spotted the platform photographer, leans out of his cab to have a good look. An unidentified Maunsell mogul can be seen outside the motive power depot on the left. (LRF5811)

No. 30709 awaits the right away from Launceston on 27 May 1961 with the 3.13 pm service from Padstow to Okehampton. The attractive eight wheel ‘watercart’ tender is shown to advantage in this view. Apparently they were so christened by railwaymen after their similarity to the water carts that were used to spray the streets of Victorian Britain, the similarity being heightened by the fact that the tenders leaked in the area of the bogie mountings and thus sprayed the track in the same manner as the road carts! Although No. 30709 was originally built with a six wheel tender, this was replaced by an eight wheel version in May 1904. (LRF5832) 103

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01/06/2023 10:58:09

Remembering the Greyhounds

No. 30709, with the 5.51 pm service from Okehampton to Padstow, waits at Launceston on 27 May 1961 whilst an up goods train exits the single line, thereby relinquishing the token for the section on to Egloskerry. The water tank which can be seen behind the footbridge was constructed upon a lofty stone base but like virtually every aspect of Launceston’s railway infrastructure this was swept away in the 1970s. Just about the only railway artefacts remaining today are the supports for the former footbridge which now of course lead nowhere. (LRF5738)

A front end view of the waiting No. 30709 at Launceston on 27 May 1961 as the up goods train, which includes a 16 ton metal mineral wagon, rumbles past.

Water was available here as witnessed by the water crane bag lying flaccidly upon the down platform but its services were not apparently required on this occasion.

(LRF5737) 104

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

Entering Launceston on 2 June 1960 comes No. 30709 hauling coaching set No. 168. Partially protected by the wall and cutting side on the right, one hopes the adjacent householder’s washing will not be too affected by passing steam locomotives. (H1468)

Our final view of No. 30709 dates from 18 August 1960 and sees the 4-4-0 on the Cowans Sheldon turntable at Okehampton. The small single road loco shed is visible to the right of the locomotive and it was in fact the third such shed provided at Okehampton. There was also a mess room and office provided together with an inspection pit and small coal stage, the roof of which can be seen behind the locomotive tender. Three of the eight Exmouth Junction allocated T9s were outstationed at Okehampton with one based at Launceston and another at Wadebridge. (WS4970) 105

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01/06/2023 10:58:11

Remembering the Greyhounds

On 20 August 1958 T9 No. 30710 patiently waits the arrival of Bulleid pacific No. 34031 Torrington into the loop at Ashwater before proceeding to Okehampton. The barley twist lamp and wooden post signal are worthy of note at this small station which served the village of Ashwater some half mile distant together with the small adjacent settlement of Ashmill. Staffing at the station ceased from 6 September 1965 with the signal box closing a couple of months later. (AEB4021)

30710 BUILT 6/99 WITHDRAWN 3/59

30711 BUILT 6/99 WITHDRAWN 8/59

To mark the 25th Anniversary of the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society (RCTS) a special was run from London Waterloo whence Class D15 No. 30464 provided the motive power as far as Salisbury. Seen here after arrival at a very wet Exeter St. Davids on 28 June 1953 is T9 No. 30711 which had handled the leg from Salisbury to Exeter where it handed over to Star Class No. 4056 Princess Margaret for the return run to London Paddington. A stop had been made en route at Axminster where the unusual combination of an Adams 0415 tank, No. 30583, and an A1X Terrier, No. 32662, took participants for a run down the Lyme Regis branch. (LRF F909) 106

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01/06/2023 10:58:12

Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

30717 BUILT 9/99 WITHDRAWN 7/61

Photographed in the deep cutting near the summit of the line at Otterham, No. 30717 has charge of the 6.00 pm service from Padstow – Okehampton on 1 July 1958. (TG08-3)

No. 30717 is about to tackle the 1 in 37 gradient away from Exeter St. Davids up to Central station with the 2.55 pm service from Padstow on 26 August 1954. Behind the tender passengers are travelling in coaching set No. 29, one of the famous ‘P sets’, which at this date comprised Maunsell Brake Third No. 2788 and Maunsell Brake Composite No. 6567, both of which contained six compartments. (PP792) 107

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On 25 May 1961 No. 30717 is turned at Okehampton whilst a member of the footplate crew hangs on rather precariously to a smokebox door hinge during the operation. In his other hand he holds a spanner so perhaps some delicate adjustment is required or maybe he just needs to clout something to make it work! (LRF5748)

Having arrived at Halwill on 25 May 1961 with the 6 pm service from Padstow, No. 30717’s train is about to be augmented by the addition of coaches from Bude, seen being propelled onto the rear of the train under the guidance of the staff member standing on the down line. (LRF5745)

108

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Padstow to Exeter in the Days of Steam

In spite of their impatience at the prospect of being delayed, the crew of No. 30717 manage to raise a smile for the cameraman whilst waiting at Egloskerry on 25 May 1961 for the delayed down ACE to pass. No. 30717 was to prove one of the last quartet of T9s to operate in the area. (LRF5742) 30718 BUILT 9/99 WITHDRAWN 3/61

The 1.18 pm service for Bude waits in the bay platform at Okehampton with No. 30718 at the helm. This service filled what would otherwise have been a five hour gap between departures for Bude at 9.56 am and the ACE at 3.12 pm. The service in the up platform, the last coach of which can just be seen, was the 11.46 am from Plymouth which continued on to Waterloo. (H1461)

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Remembering the Greyhounds

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Tower Hill plays host to No. 30719 with the footplate crew augmented by a bowler hatted inspector from Exmouth Junction shed, required as the photographer, Dick Riley, was lucky enough to be enjoying a footplate ride on this service. Note the considerable array of fire irons stacked on the tender. (RCR15031)

At the rear of No. 30719’s train standing at Okehampton’s up platform, an unidentified Bulleid pacific is attaching a van to the 3.13 pm service from Padstow to Exeter on 18 August 1960. (WS4973) 110

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30726 BUILT 10/99 WITHDRAWN 8/59

No. 30726 is seen in the bay platform at Okehampton undertaking shunting duties on 21 July 1959. In the background is the large goods shed which contained a 40 cwt crane whilst outside a 7.5 ton yard crane was provided. The glazed footbridge linking the platforms is on the left. (SUM464) 30727 BUILT 10/99 WITHDRAWN 9/58

Illuminated by the strong sunlight of this summer’s day, No. 30727, working duty No. 532, re-starts its freight train from the middle road at Exeter St. Davids on 16 August 1954. The Drummond is displaying signs of the oft seen scorched smokebox door. (PP791) 111

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30120 BUILT 8/99 WITHDRAWN 7/63 (PRESERVED AS NO. 120)

A final hurrah for the Greyhounds on the North Cornwall line was enacted on 27 April 1963 when preserved No. 120 hauled a railtour from Exeter Central to Padstow and return. The T9 pauses at St. Kew Highway, waiting to pass an up train hauled by N Class No. 31841, with three coach set No. 519 in tow. Judging by the platform adornments there was obviously plenty of time for station staff to devote themselves to maintaining the excellent topiary work seen here. (PG3133) No. 30120 is seen by the signal gantry at Wadebridge. During the overlay, when the locomotive was serviced at the adjacent depot, tour participants were treated to a journey entitled the ‘Camel Valleyman’ up the Wenfordbridge branch, hauled by one of the replacements for the Beattie well tanks, ex-GWR pannier tank No. 1369. (PG3135) 112

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FROM THE CAMEL TO THE EXE

FROM THE CAMEL TO THE EXE

PADSTOW TO EXETER IN THE DAYS OF STEAM

PADSTOW TO EXETER IN THE DAYS OF STEAM

That vast swath of glorious countryside lying between the Rivers Camel and Exe contained the very photogenic route of the North Cornwall line. Terry Gough, Gerald Daniels, Dick Riley and many others whose photographic collections have passed into the safe keeping of the Transport Treasury fortunately recorded Greyhounds to the humblest tank locomotive, and not ignoring the architecture of its wayside stations, their cameras captured images from the dying days of steam on this section of the sorely missed Withered Arm.

Published by Transport Treasury Publishing Ltd. £14.95

C O M P I L E D B Y J E F F E R Y G R AY E R

scenes from Padstow to Exeter on film. From Bulleid pacifics and the graceful

Featuring Images of The Transport Treasury

Compiled by Jeffery Grayer

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