Time for a new train line through the south west - train related news

[Alistair20000]

I remember Exewebber 34001 once asking me the same question, years ago!

Oliver Bulleid ?

 

[Grecian2K]

Incidentally I still recall that day (21 Feb 2015) when, leaving the ground after the dismal 1-3 defeat by the Scum I heard the distinctive sound of a Bulleid Spam Can and I emerged from the Jungle Path just in time to see 34067 Tangmere bursting out of Blackboy Tunnel. Just a shame I didn't have my camera with me - it was the only bright spot of an otherwise dreadful day.

 

[Colesman Ballz]

I remember Exewebber 34001 once asking me the same question, years ago!

Before my time on these boards. Although I do have a full size gun metal nameplate used for disguising 34I05 for it's role at Exeter Rail 150, together with scroll, and badge surround. Painting of the badge for the middle is a "Roundtuit" however.

 

[Alistair20000]

I can remember 34102 Lapford steaming on towards the end of steam on the Weymouth to Waterloo line

 

[Colesman Ballz]

I believe that they also weren't allowed to depart Central unless there was a clear run through into Plats 3 & 4 (the old "Southern" ones prior to the 1980s remodelling of ESD) in case they "ran away" down the bank.
Incidentally PC Rail do a Exeter Central signalling simulator, covering the main lines plus the Exmouth and Budleigh Branches, set in the steam days. It's quite challenging keeping on top of all of the simultaneous movements once things get a bit busy, but quite engrossing. The program is a little pricey (about £30) but you can download a demo version to try out which covers the first few hours of a timetable to get a flavour of it for free.

Interesting re the simulator, but although I do sell a lot of signalling stuff in my sideline as a railwayana dealer, and it is always very popular, I have never got bitten by that particular bug. However I know a man who does and will pass that on. He was my sidekick all those years ago, and of particular interest to us were the 17.45 Exeter Centrall to Exmouth (non stop) and thence to Budleigh, and the 17.49 all stations Central to Exmouth. The former was of interest in making sure we didn't accidentally get on it, and then have to explain to an irate ticket collector at Exmouth why we only had tickets to Posloe Bridge Halt !

The routine was, that on safely reaching PBH we would head off to "bunk" Exmouth Junction Shed before heading to our homes for a late tea ! Another feature of those trips, was to engage the foot plate crew of the 17.49 in conversation at Central and hopefully get invited up into the cab for a few minutes. On a couple of occasions we managed to strike gold, and got invited to stay in the cab all the way to PBH ! Ah those halcyon days before 'elf n safety' reared it's ugly head !

If you are interested in signalling, are you aware that when new signalling area control box was brought into use at St David's, the old GWR Exeter West Box was dismantled and re erected at the Crewe Heritage Crewe ? So you can undergo the horrors of signalling a summer holiday Saturday in the fifties on the actual levers.

 

[Stuffy]

Blimey lads, you all speak in tongues. Did you all collect train numbers down at St David's back in the day???

With pencil and book in hand I spent many a hour there. In those days they charged us kids 1d to go on the platforms or sometimes nothing if you said you wanted to use the Buffet. In this day and age I imagine youngsters might be required to dig a little deeper

 

[Stuffy]

Does anyone remember any Southern Region's train drivers and Fireman? My mate Brian Jones was trainee fireman while his dad and older brothers were all mainline drivers. Poor Bri, who passed away many years ago, ended up building roads when the arrival of diesels made his job redundant.

 

[Greyhound]

With pencil and book in hand I spent many a hour there. In those days they charged us kids 1d to go on the platforms or sometimes nothing if you said you wanted to use the Buffet. In this day and age I imagine youngsters might be required to dig a little deeper

2d for a platform ticket in my day. Then I found I could go there on the train from St. Thomas for the same price!

 

[Colesman Ballz]

Does anyone remember any Southern Region's train drivers and Fireman? My mate Brian Jones was trainee fireman while his dad and older brothers were all mainline drivers. Poor Bri, who passed away many years ago, ended up building roads when the arrival of diesels made his job redundant.

I am friends with Richard Parkinson, author of the book "Exeter Memories" Exmouth Junction Fireman, which was published by Kevin Robertson, under the NOODLE BOOKS imprint in 2010.
By the same publisher " Men, Machines & Maintenance at Exmouth Junction" A personal perspective by Robert E Trevelyan (2013) is also a good read and includes appendices listing both footplate and other staff known to have worked there between 1940 and 1967.

Both books contain plenty of photographs of Bullied Pacifics to keep Mr Bookie very happy too. (Other classes are also available !)

 

[Hants_red]

As we're off topic, here is the BFI Night Mail, filmed in the time of King George. 24 minutes well spent!

Watch Night Mail - BFI Player

The flagship of the GPO Film Unit's output and a cornerstone of British documentary, featuring music by Benjamin Britten and the verse of W.H. Auden.

player.bfi.org.uk