North Cornwall - BR Steam

[Chris in Prague]

To compliment my existing thread on BR Diesels in North Cornwall, I'm starting this one as I'm modelling the 1960s steam - diesel transition period.

Locomotives allocations 1960
The following are allocations of engines known to have worked to the area during 1960.

Wadebridge
Class 0298 2-4-0T (Beattie Well Tank) : 30585 - 30586 - 30587
57xx 0-6-0T : 4666 - 4694
Class O2 0-4-4T : 30200 - 20236 (30236 withdrawn in Jan. and 30200 stored in Feb.)

Okehampton
Class T9 4-4-0 : 30313 - 30338 - 30709 - 30710 - 30715 - 30717
these were also used for part of the summer 30718 - 30719 30729

Exmouth Junction
Class WC/BB 4-6-2
34030 - Watersmeet
34033 - Chard
34038 - Lynton
34069 - Hawkinge
34080 - 74 Squadron
34110 - 66 Squadron
Class N 2-6-0 : 31834 - 31836 - 31839 - 31840 - 31841 - 31845 - 31847 - 31853

The above taken from A. Henderson's article in the July 1997 BackTrack magazine.

SOURCE: http://grogleyjunction.blogspot.cz/search/label/Locomotives

[Chris in Prague]

BackTrack Volume 22 (2008):

Number 1 (January)

Thrower, David. Southern gone West: the North Cornwall line.

Part One. 4-13.

To the precis writer, who is ever thankful that he traversed this line, it is always associated with John Betjeman, but the Author manages to quote Tennyson:

But after tempest when the long wave broke
All down the thundering shores of Bude and Bos...

Begins by noting the emptiness of this particular quarter:

between Halwill and Padstow the settlements were Launceston, Camelford and Wadebridge. To the north of the railway there were smaller townships at places like Port Isaac and Tintagel. The LSWR had acquired the Bodmin & Wadebridge in 1846, but was very reluctant to extend from Exeter towards it. In 1882 the North Cornwall Railway obtained powers to build a line from Halwill to Padstow and this remained nominally independent until the Grouping in 1923. Many of the "keywords" emerge from the list of illustrations, but Delabole, with its vast slate quarry (including its narrow gauge railway (1ft 11in) and its motive power, and the presence of a turntable (it was a temporary terminus) are mentioned. Launceston had two stations (the older one had been broad gauge), but they remained unconnected until 1943 during WW2, and from 30 June 1952 Western Region passenger trains were diverted into the North Cornwall station.

Launceston used to have two engine sheds. Egloskerry is pure Betjeman. West of Wadebridge one can still cycle along the line and cross the girder bridge at Little Petherick Creek. If one is fortunate the sands may be golden, and the Camel blue, but one Easter family trip was made in near blizzard conditions. Colour illus. (all by Peter W. Gray unless noted otherwise): Halwill Junction on 31 August 1964 with 80037 on 10.00 Okehampton to Padstow, 75022 arriving on 08.48 from Padstow and DMU from Torrington; N class 2-6-0 No. 31846 on Padstow portion of Atlantic Coast Express near Tresmeer on 22 August 1964; Ashwater station on same day as previous; 31846 arriving Halwill Junction with 08.30 Padstow to Waterloo on 22 August 1964; 34079 171 Squadron waits to leave Padstow with three coaches in August 1963 (HMRS/Colour-Rail); 34110 66 Squadron at Halwill Junction with down Atlantic Coast Express in September 1962 (Bruce Chapman). Black & white: N class No. 840 with 16.10 Okehampton to Padstow service at Halwill Junction on 16 June 1926 (note the oil lamps on fluted columns) (H.C. Casserley); T9 No. 30771 at Wadebridge on 12.45 Padstow to Waterloo on 18 May 1959 (J.S. Gilks): letters from Roger Whitehouse and Jonathan Edwards (page 188) insist that this was a down working to Padstow; Tower Hill station in 1939 Jonathan Edwards (page 188) states that main building demolished by accident; T9 No. 30313 at Wadebridge on 15 August 1960 (Alan Tyson); Tresmeer Station in 1963; Otterham station in 1963; Camelford station; Otterham station with T9 No. 30313 waiting to cross 34058 Sir Frederick Pile on down train on 15 August 1960 (Alan Tyson) and St. Kew Highway (Stations UK).. : .

Number 3 (March)

Thrower, David. Southern gone West: the North Cornwall line. Part Two. 148-55.

The North Cornwall line was well-equipped with passing loops (far better than the impoverished South Western mainline between Salisbury and Exeter), but there were very few train services and even the Atlantic Coast Express was slow, but got to Padstow in time for dinner. The overnight service from Waterloo (01.30 or thereabouts) departure is also mentioned: this was a wonderful newspaper train which also carried passengers. A considerable amount of attention is paid to the decliine of the line under the dead hand of the Western Region. Motive power declined from the T9s and West Country Pacifics, to the Muaunsell Moguls, to residual standard locomotives to single car diesel railcars (it was only spared the Pacers). The illustrations portray this sad progress: 34036 Westward Ho! on the turntable at Padstow (colour: B.J. Swain) see letter from Editor (page 252) which corrects the caption (which was too poetic); 21C114 Budleigh Salterton still in glorious malachite approaching Wadebridge on 09.52 Padstow to Waterloo on 8 July 1949 (b&w: H.C. Casserley); Padstow to Exeter railcar at Port Isaac Road on 1 July 1966 (colour: J.S. Gilks); T9 No. 723 (still in SR black livery) on Wadebridge shed on 4 October 1949 (b&w T.J. Edgington); barely visible T9 hauled 15.13 Padstow to Exeter crossing N class No. 31833 on freight at Camelford on 15 August 1960; 2-6-4T No. 80036 at Padstow waiting to depart on 15.10 to Exeter on 8 July 1964 (also at Otterham) (T.J. Edgington); Padstow station exterior on 30 June 1965 (R.M. Casserley); Padstow to Exeter railcar pauses at Launceston station on 30 June 1966 (also at Egloskerry and at Tresmeer working in opposite direction on same day) (colour: J.S. Gilks: Egloskerry in b&w);  N class No. 31846 at Halwill Junction with Padstow to Exeter service on 8 July 1964 (T.J. Edgington). See also letter from Peter Tatlow (p. 252) conncerning weights of rebuilt versus original light Pacifics. Letter from Roger Merry-Price page 317 on steam remaining on North Cornwall and Bude lines until January 1965.. .

SOURCE: www.steamindex.com/backtrak/bt22.htm

[NB Unfortunately, I do not have either of these two magazines. BUT, Part One can be found here: http://www.pendragonpublishing.co.uk/North_Cornwall_Line.pdf]

[Chris in Prague]

I've read that after the speeding up of the through services from Waterloo to Padstow, etc. by the SR in 1964 (e.g. the 11.15 still left Waterloo at the same time but arrived over 25 minutes earlier at Padstow) the SR had plans to further tighten up the schedule in 1965 but, instead, the WR cancelled through trains from Waterloo beyond Exeter. Does anyone have any information about how many more minutes the SR had planned to cut from the schedule (presumably between Waterloo and Exeter)?

[port perran]

Chris

Are you looking for details of any steam locos known to have worked in the North Cornwall area or just the ones allocated to the sheds that you have listed ?

[Chris in Prague]

Chris

Are you looking for details of any steam locos known to have worked in the North Cornwall area or just the ones allocated to the sheds that you have listed ?

Thanks, I've now got a good list of the locomotives, steam and diesel, known to have worked in North Cornwall and I have the shed allocations for all the local sheds, too.

I'm just interested in knowing what the schedule for Waterloo - Exeter - Padstow train would have been if the SR was still running through trains in 1965 as I read that, in 1964, the SR had proposed a even faster timing from Waterloo - Exeter (for, e.g., the "Atlantic Coast Express") than in 1964  but the WR was not interested preferring to make Waterloo - Exeter semi-fasts only and run expresses to Exeter from Paddington with connections from Exeter to North Cornwall. (To be fair to the WR they did speed up trains from Paddington to Exeter and recast the onwards connections for faster journeys but all to no avail.) And, of course, 1964 wa sthe last year that the "ACE" ran. (The SR would have continued it.)

[port perran]

I can't help on that although, like you, I have read about the SR's plans (but I can't remember where!).
As an aside, I expect you are aware as that the Bodmin & Wenford Railway have recently moved a significant step closer (due to signing a new lease with Cornwall Council) to reinstating the line from Boscarne Junction to a point just outside Wadebridge. Possibly within the next 10 years although there are several more hurdles to jump yet, some of which may prove very difficult to overcome.

[Chris in Prague]

Thanks for that. No, I cannot remember which book it was in either but I think one of the books I have on the "Atlantic Coast Express". (I'll have to look.)

Yes, I read recently in one of the railway magazines that the Bodmin & Wenford Railway had signed a new lease with Cornwall Council for their line but did not release that this was a step closer to reinstating the line from Boscarne Junction to a point just outside Wadebridge (although I know that is their objective). Of course the old station site in Wadebridge has long gone and reinstating track beyond there to Padstow I, guess, is impossible as, even if a way could be made through Wadebridge (highly unlikely I would think) turning the famous coastal footpath back to a railway (even a single-track one) would be highly unpopular with many people, alas. Just getting to the outskirts of Wadebridge though would be a major achievement and I wish them all success with that.

[port perran]

Came across this link re speeding up of the Waterloo to Exeter service :
http://www.kentrail.org.uk/exeter_st_davids_7.htm

[Chris in Prague]

Many thanks, Port Perran, that is just what I was looking for for my hypothetical timetable: "Proposed for 1963, this involved reducing journey times, so that the quickest steam-hauled express [from Waterloo] reached Exeter Central in 2-hours 48-minutes."