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Journey by Journey / Plymouth and Cornwall / Re: Devon and Cornwall resignalling
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on: March 10, 2024, 16:38:30
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That must be Chasewater, Staffs, surely. The station at Chacewater Cornwall (old junction for the Truro-Newquay line via Perranporth) is not part of a heritage line. Unless they mean the Lappa Valley narrow gauge line, built on part of the trackbed of this branch line?
In any case, it's great that these Western Region semaphores are going to live on in preservation, mainly in the South West. Indeed so. And a slight slip on my part: Network Rail (Western) put out this video on 7th March which says three, rather than four, heritage lines (Helston, B&W and Plym Valley) are benefitting from the redundant equipment and the Helston line is getting some of the redundant trackwork too. https://twitter.com/i/status/1765718838627213317Dave Thank you for posting that link. Heartwarming to see the local railway fraternity protecting its heritage. |
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Journey by Journey / Plymouth and Cornwall / Re: Devon and Cornwall resignalling
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on: March 07, 2024, 15:49:51
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I was down at Par on Tuesday and was told that all the signalling at Par has been accounted for and will be divided among four heritage railways (Chacewater, Bodmin & Wenford, Helston and, apparently, Plym Valley) and a museum or two so it is good to see that the redundant signalling, at least where Par is concerned - I don't know about the redundant signalling from Lostwithiel and Truro, will be found a good home rather than ending up in a skip.
I will be interested to see where the bracket semaphores from Par (PR3, PR5 and PR55) are going to end up but Network Rail said on a Twitter post on Tuesday 05th March to "Watch out for an update soon on how old equipment will be heading for new homes with heritage railway groups" so it seems more will become known soon.
Dave
That must be Chasewater, Staffs, surely. The station at Chacewater Cornwall (old junction for the Truro-Newquay line via Perranporth) is not part of a heritage line. Unless they mean the Lappa Valley narrow gauge line, built on part of the trackbed of this branch line? In any case, it's great that these Western Region semaphores are going to live on in preservation, mainly in the South West. |
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Journey by Journey / Plymouth and Cornwall / Re: Mid Cornwall Metro - APPROVED
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on: December 19, 2023, 08:33:18
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If a new halt is built on the MCM route, it should be near Trencreek in Newquay, in my opinion. The town is spreading inland quite rapidly and a rail link connecting the newly developed areas across Trenance valley viaduct to the town centre would be far quicker than any car/bus. St Columb Road would make a good park and ride site for traffic off the A30/A39 into Newquay, too.
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All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: How do you pronounce that?
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on: November 25, 2023, 18:08:57
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The one in Cornwall that irritates me most is Redruth. It's not "red ruth" but "reDRUTH", Similarly Liskeard should be LisCARD, not "LIScard, and Penzance should be "penZANS". One of the joys of rail travel used to be hearing the guard's accent change as you went along but now the endless stream of repeated recorded announcements ( à la "see it, say it, sorted") are pure noise pollution.
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Journey by Journey / Plymouth and Cornwall / Re: Mid Cornwall Metro - APPROVED
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on: October 26, 2023, 13:15:36
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Given how much Newquay has grown, and in keeping with the "metro" concept of this project, I wonder if a halt halfway between Quintrell Downs and Newquay, somewhere in the vicinity of Treloggan Industrial Estate-Tretherras-Trencreek, providing a fast connection between the housing/industrial estates inland and the town centre/beaches, across the valley spanned by Trenance viaduct, might be something worth exploring. Also, a park-and-ride facility at St Columb Road just off the A30 could generate custom and reduce congestion in the summer months.
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Journey by Journey / Shorter journeys in Devon / Re: Storm Babet
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on: October 18, 2023, 18:23:54
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Christmas Day 1962 saw temperatures plummet and the first snowfall, but it was on the evening of 29th December that the blizzard started. Probably not for the '63 episode, but allegedly, given the geography, adverse conditions for the two lines often took turns - weather events would close one or the other, but less often both. Leading to the (apocryphal) last use of the route via Okehampton after it had actually closed but still intact, when weather had closed the GWR▸ route and someone made the enterprising decision to route a freight train from Plymouth via Okehampton. Mark I think that this is one of the strongest arguments in favour of a reopened northern route. True, the northern line won't help Torbay if the seawall is closed but not only do the two lines serve different parts of Devon when both are operational (albeit both linking Plymouth & Exeter) but extreme weather conditions are less likely to affect both at the same time. |
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: FGW Statement on Quiet Carriages
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on: May 11, 2023, 09:59:46
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This week I travelled in a "quiet" IET▸ carriage on a four-hour journey to Bristol. It was anything but quiet, not because of rowdy passengers, screaming children, or misuse of mobile devices but simply because of the relentless stream of automated announcements reminding us to take all our luggage with us, "mind the gap", "be careful when getting off the train", "see it say it sorted", et cetera, between every single station....
Next time, I'm going to see what percentage of the journey time is accompanied by GWR▸ -generated noise.
If rail journeys are going to consist of a continuous onslaught of repeated recorded messages (all of which are simultaneously displayed on the screens), I think I'll be forced to find another means of travel.
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Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Jethro
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on: December 17, 2021, 13:46:46
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I had the pleasure of meeting Geoffrey Rowe on numerous occasions in the late 1990s.
I used to work as a night porter at the Forte Posthouse (now Holiday Inn) next to the M5 in Taunton. He, with his manager/driver would regular come in late at night on the way home to Lewdown from a gig somewhere up country. He'd usually have a cigar and two or three brandies. If I wasn't too busy he and his manager would invite me to join him for a drink (shandy for me) and chat. He was a very good conversationalist and would tell me funny stories (as himself rather than his alter ego) of his time farming and down the tin mines. Once he even tried some new material on me.
He was always a gentleman, an excellent tipper, and one occasion he wrote a letter of praise to my manager.
Didn't stop him taking the piss out of the size of my nose when I made the mistake of sitting at the front for a show at his club in Lewdown. "Christ, you must need wing mirrors on that b*st*rd!"
Top bloke. Rest in peace.
His typically Cornish (West Country) very earthy humour was combined with excellent timing and a large dose of self-mockery, both personal and of his fellow Cornish people. RIP. |
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Journey by Journey / Shorter journeys in Devon / Re: Okehampton
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on: November 19, 2021, 21:48:50
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Btw, isn't it time to add Okehampton to the list of services in the title 'Shorter Journeys in Devon' along with Barnstaple, Exmouth etc? :-)
Your wish is my command... Hope it felt as good to add it as it does to see it there!! :-) |
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