Waterloo to Exeter in the 1980s

Sorting through some of my old 35 mm slides recently, I came across some photographs that I took during the 1980s of trains, mostly hauled by Class 50, on the Waterloo to Exeter line.

So, I thought I would post some of the better ones on the blog, beginning with three photos of Class 50s at Waterloo.

In these three photos we see, from the top, 50003 'Temeraire' and 50050 'Fearless' at the buffer stops both having arrived with trains from Exeter St Davids.

While, in the third photo, 50037 'Illustrious' waits to depart with a train for Exeter.

In this photo we see an unidentified Class 50 about to enter Sandley Tunnel, between Templecombe and Gillingham, with an evening train for Waterloo.

Templecombe station before there was a footbridge, meaning all passengers had to enter and exit via the crossing, just behind the photographer.

Of course the far platform has recently been reinstated meaning that the platform pictured here is now closed to passengers.

While at Templecombe we see the naming ceremony of 33112 'Templecombe, which took place on a very wet day in November 1987. This loco was chosen to be so named because Templecombe is 112 miles from Waterloo.

In better weather we see an unidentified Class 47 departing Templecombe, and crossing over to the down line, with a train for Exeter.

With the sun still shining, we next see 50012 'Benbow' at Sutton Bingham, between Yeovil Junction and Crewkerne.

Down the 1 in 37 from Exeter Central and around the curve into Exeter St Davids station. Oh wouldn't it be nice to have loco hauled nine coach trains on this line now!

Finally we see 50043 'Eagle' at the northern (Paddington) end of Exeter St Davids.

Midsomer Norton Diesel Gala

This weekend (7th & 8th March) saw the Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust's Spring Diesel Gala at Midsomer Norton.

They had arranged for D5343, from the Gloucester Warwickshire Railway, to visit and, thereby, become the first Class 26 to travel along S&D metals. But, unfortunately, she sustained an engine fault and could not appear.

Obviously this was a shame but they still had their own diesel shunters in attendance, namely: 

Class 08 'D4095' and English Electric (ex-NCB) D1120 - although this latter loco also failed on the Sunday. 

Plus they had a visiting Class 03 shunter 'D2128'.

The photographs below were all taken on the Saturday, a cloudy but, thankfully, dry day.

A general view of the station, taken from Charlton Road.

A closer view of the main station building

The first train of the day (10:00 am) is waiting to depart.

The stable block, currently a museum but, one day perhaps, accommodation.

The resident Class 08 at the rear of the train at Platform 1.

Inside the recently acquired (from Swanage Railway) buffet coach.

Outside the same coach and looking along Platform 2.

D1120 and D2128 standing side by side.

The Class 03 is ready to depart.

She departs Platform 1 and commences her journey ...

... up the 1 in 53 ...

... ably assisted by the Class 08.

A view from the train.

The end of the line - for now!

And viewed from the other side of the train.

D1120 and D2128 double-head a departure ...

... with the Class 08 at the rear once more.

A short goods train, a milk tanker and buffet car stand at Platform 2.

Finally, here is a photograph that I took of the station in 1989.

Just goes to show what big difference 30 years and a lot of hard work can make!

Another Fowler - Another Crompton

After visiting the Train and Toy Market at the Matford Centre for the fist time, yesterday, I managed to find two more locomotives to join the fleet. 

The first is this Hornby Fowler Class 4F (5P/4C) 0-6-0 Tender locomotive in S&DJR Prussian Blue, Nº 60.

It was issued as part of the ''Collectors Centres'' series of special Limited Edition models that were produced by Hornby in 2000. 

This one is Nº 60 of only 1,000 models produced and the Catalogue Nº is R2148.

In the photo, above, she is seen at Gunnmere Junction, at the head of a rake of milk tankers.

Unfortunately she is not DCC Ready so will need to be hard wired to convert her to DCC operation.

However, she is a handsome loco and fits in well with the other S&D locos that we have, all bar one of which are in Prussian Blue livery.

Indeed, we already have a Fowler 4F, see below. 

This model is by Bachmann and she was issued through their Collector's Club in 2013. 

The Catalogue Nº is 31-880K and the Running Nº is 58.

The second loco that I acquired at Matford, is this Heljan Class 33 (33103) below:
 

We have long been wanting to add a second Class 33 to our fleet, joining 33025 "Sultan' who we have had, now, for quite a while.

So, when we saw this one in the Fragonset 'Dutch' livery we just knew that she would do nicely!

She is DCC fitted, so can be put to work immediately and will, eventually, have a sound decoder installed.

The Catalogue Nº is 33551 and, although she is second-hand, she came with all of the separately fitted extras and the instruction sheets.

In this photograph we see her at Davemoor with a rake of ventilated vans.

Order of the Druid

Another locomotive that has recently been added to our fleet is this Heljan Class 52 'Western Druid' (D1067) in BR blue livery with full yellow ends - Catalogue Nº 5202. 

She is DCC fitted but is, currently, without sound until I have done some research into who produces the best Class 52 sound files.

So, for now, she goes about her duties effectively but silently!

In the top photo she can be seen passing Manxton station at the head of an express train comprising Mk2 carriages.

In the middle photo we see her performing more mundane duties, collecting cattle wagons from the siding at Carswater.

Finally, in the bottom photo, she is seen shunting the same wagons into the siding at High Bridge, on the branch line from Gunnmere Junction.

Going Loco

I recently went mad and added two more diesel locomotives to the ever-growing fleet. Both have DCC Sound already fitted and, to my mind, both are superb-looking machines.

The first is a two tone green liveried Class 24 (Running Nº: D5040, Catalogue Nº: 2407) from Sutton Loco Works, as seen in the two photographs, below:

 We already have a Sutton Loco Works Class 24, in BR Blue Livery (Running Nº: 24081, Catalogue Nº: 2402), which I acquired two or three years ago and, so pleased have we been with the look, performance and sound of this particular locomotive, that it seemed only right to have a green liveried version to work alongside her.

She has not, yet, been fully run-in so is still only operating light engine.

However, I can see her carrying out similar duties to her sister loco and, if she performs as well as 24081 has done over the years, she will doubtless prove to be a very popular member of the fleet.

The second loco to join us is the Bachmann Class 37, 37116, in the striking BR Special Blue Livery, shown below:

Apparently the loco received this variation on the BR blue large logo livery, with some unique embellishments, when it appeared at the Norwich Crown Point Open Day on the 30th May 1987.

Sadly, by June of the following year, after an overhaul at Doncaster Works, it had lost this special livery in favour of the ubiquitous blue large logo livery although it was still unique in being the only Class 37 in this livery to retain its original buffer skirts.

The model is, what Bachmann call, a Sales Area Exclusive Model in that it is only available to order from Bachmann Retailers in certain counties.

I acquired mine through Rails of Sheffield and its Catalogue Nº is 32-781SD.

The SD suffix means that the loco has a Bachmann sound decoder fitted although, to be honest, it is a bit quiet and not the best sound we have heard.

So, it will definitely need to be reblown with another sound file in the not-too-distant future.

She brings the number of Tractors in our fleet to four and, as can be seen from the photos, she is already earning her keep in hauling both passenger and freight traffic.

One Clayton More

For those of you too young to remember, Clayton Moore was the actor who portrayed the Lone Ranger on TV during the 1950s.

Well, we recently added one more Clayton to our fleet of locos, which means, of course, that D8568 Ribble Cement is now no longer the lone Class 17 to range far and wide across the Lakeland Railway, as can be seen in the photo below:

D8529 and D8568 at the head of a train of coal wagons

We also added sound to the new, blue, Class 17 but, unlike D8658, which has a Howes sound decoder, D8529 has been fitted with a YouChoos decoder and the sounds are quite different.

I don't know from where YouChoos obtained their sound files but I would say that it was probably not from the sole surviving member of the class - which just happens to be D8568.

Therefore I daresay we will be changing this sound file for Howes before too long!

A closer look at D8529, which has recently been weathered ...

... and here is her grey-liveried sister.

Here we see them on a return working with a train of small oil tankers.

Great Scot!

Following on from the blue Flying Scotsman, we now have a rake of the blue (and silver) Coronation Scot coaches hauled, not by a Coronation Class steam locomotive, as we do not have one (yet), but by the blue Diesel Prototype DP1, aka Deltic, whose blue (and grey) livery almost matches that of the coaches.

This Bachmann model of Deltic has the Catalogue Nº 32-520 and was produced exclusively for the National Railway Museum in York. 

She is a beautiful model and has been fitted with a Howes sound decoder, meaning she sounds just as good as she looks!

Immediately behind the loco is this Hornby Brake / 1st Class corridor coach. 

This, I believe, is a modified version of R423 (see below), which has been renumbered 5053 and reclassified from the original Brake / 3rd Class coach.

Next is a full 1st Class corridor coach with the Running Nº 1070 and Catalogue Nº 422.

Now for a bit of an oddball in the form of a suitably liveried Kitchen Car. 

This has clearly been custom built from a coach of the correct length and, although the blue does not quite match that of the other coaches, it is nice to have a kitchen car in the rake since there definitely would have been one yet Hornby have never actually produced one.

It was, apparently, quite a bit shorter than the rest of the coaches!

Following the Kitchen Car is a second Full 1st Class corridor coach, currently with the same Running Nº 1070.

Here we have another full 1st Class corridor coach but this one has the Running Nº 1071. Its Catalogue Nº is R4128C so this is a slightly more recent model.

Bringing up the rear, for the moment, is this Brake / 3rd Class corridor coach. It is a renumbered version of this that is now the Brake / 1st Class coach, above.

The Running Nº is 5792 and its Catalogue Nº is R423.

Finally we see the complete train entering, an otherwise deserted, Gunnmere Junction as it heads south.