The extremely rare sight of a group of elderly enthusiasts at Penzance watching the arrival of a ‘Western’. Normally I’d go months without seeing anyone else interested in locos, and certainly not more than one or occasionally two. 7####BP01-PNZ-D1028-PAS_D
The swan-song of the Warships had arrived, and although I was oblivious to it at the time, large-scale withdrawals of Hymeks were also swelling the scrap lines at St Philip’s Marsh Junction and Swindon Works. With the ‘lead time’ necessary to produce the ‘Traffic and Traction’ column in ‘Railway Magazine’ being about three months, such sad information didn’t arrive until April – though there was an intimation in the previous issue of that publication, that reported that Swindon would no longer be undertaking repair work, and that there would be heavy redundancies.
A neat line of withdrawn Class 22 locomotives, in varying livery finishes and external condition, stretches away neatly into the distance, awaiting their fate at Marsh Junction, Bristol. An empty siding parallel to the line lays before it. 711003A01-BMJ-D63XX-SCRAP
In the far West, things seemed pretty-well unchanged, although the slow fall off in Warship appearances continued, averaging one or two sightings per visit in January to them being exceptional from May. Westerns largely took over their turns and dominated the scene at Long Rock MPD; though along with green Brush 47’s – and only occasional visits from class 25’s and Peaks – there was still a ‘Great Western Region’ feel to the open setting before the red-brick shed, and in the shadow of the coaling tower.
814, shorn of its ‘DRAGON’ nameplates, is buffered up to 4185 in the sidings across from the platforms at Exeter St Davids. These loco’s days were definitely numbered by now! The empty tracks before it run to the Stabling Point, right, and main line, left. 720911A01-EXD-D814–PARKD
To get to the sheds from the station in those days one could either follow the recommended ‘Loco Shed Book’ route along the A30 road eastwards, or take the seaside alternative that was infinitely better for viewing railway movements. The latter involved a quick circumvention of the station yard until, having scrambled onto the sea wall, we felt safe from accusations of trespass, as we could theoretically have arrived there from the beach (tide permitting). In the Summer it was a nice spot to just sit and watch station movements from, or if the sun was too hot, to float in the cool water for a while and enjoy the panoramic view across to Long Rock – where the arrival of a down train could just be determined.
A fresh southerly breeze brings in choppy sea to the station wall at Penzance. The Scillonian ferry is sheltered by the north arm of the harbour, and the chilliness can appropriately be “felt” by the absence of people in the picture. 7####AV01-PNZ-WALLS-VI__S
If I arrived early at the station on a Saturday morning, I’d generally see the down sleeper at the platform, headed by a Western or Brush ’47, or the sleeping cars being serviced at ‘Sloper’s Siding’ – a long siding westwards of Ponsandane Box, inland of the main lines. Regardless of the fact that my grandfather had now switched from parcel delivery to carriage cleaner, the cleaning team had a well-deserved reputation for the quality of their work, and I’d often notice the crystal-clear windows on early departures from Penzance which I was aboard. In those days rubbish was removed and burned on the opposite trackside, where there was a granite path between the boundary fence and sea defence boulders. Rats lived off the “pickings” which hadn’t got burnt, and using this path in the early morning to get to the sheds you’d often see or hear one or two scuttling for cover.
This is the walkway that extended from Chyandour to Ponsandane. Formed of granite blocks, roughly but soundly laid, the path was flanked with sea defence boulders and a railway siding. It was against the slope on the left that rubbish was burned. 8509#AA01-50014-PAS_D
In July of this year, just the other side of the nearby signal box, I can also remember packing an old squarish wooden railway container, fitted to a flat four-wheel wagon, with camping kit for Cornwall’s County Scout Camp at Chingford, just north of London. This was of the sort that had doors at the back and could be hooked by a crane and loaded or off-loaded. Reflecting the run down of National Carriers Ltd who operated locally from the goods yard, the platforms were deserted with the exception of this vehicle, and I can recall stuffing tents just under the roof at ‘Overhead Live Wires’ height, with a stiff breeze from the South West producing “white caps” on the waves across the bay. The platforms were used so rarely for anything other than storage of stock that I wouldn’t have been surprised if ours was the last loading handled there. A week or so later I was peering from the window of our special train most of the night, particularly where well lit, and when negotiating the inter-regional lines in the London area.
Maybe this was the vehicle that shipped our gear! A ‘door to door’ container is isolated on the sidings at Hertford North, not too far from Gilwell Park at Chingford where the Cornwall County Scout Camp took place that I took part in. 6####DZ01-HFE-WAGON-PARKD
By Penzance being a terminus, track speeds were slow around the bay, varying from about 60mph at Marazion to 15 in the station area. As locos spent long periods between duties, they were accessible for close-examination by my friends and myself; taking rubbings of name, number and builders’ plates; and, if very fortunate, “cabbing” and taking short trips. I remember the driver of a soon to depart passenger train once seeing us trying to get an impression of a class 43 North British builder’s plate and saying that for ten bob he’d unscrew it for us himself. Whether he was serious or not, as we could only raise a few shillings between us it remained elusive – though we quite rightly doubted whether he’d got the sort of permission necessary to do so as an employee!
Not a D63XX plate, but a similar one, once belonging to a shunter. This shows changes to the date, which could have been made because NBL were strapped for cash at the time, and had to push out whichever loco brought more immediate financial benefit. 200708A01-MIS-PLATE-BLDRS
There seemed to be a fair few experiments on class 52’s in this period, or at least I was more aware of the engraved plastic labels attached to the cab sides declaring so, and recorded the black square ventilators on the front of Westerns like “FIREBRAND”. Other minor details like “WESTERN WARRIOR’”s builder’s plate being black when ex-works, and “WESTERN TROOPER”’s bearing silver lettering were also added to the margins of my log book, and one Saturday afternoon when the sheds were quiet, I took advantage of the situation to take a rubbing of 812’s nameplate, and also recorded the wording and dimensions of all the little engraved and relief signs below solebar level on “WESTERN HUSSAR”. How I actually achieved this – the plate being very big and situated well above ground level – mystifies me now, but I do have the rubbing and the entry in my log book.
The central portion of D812 when new at Swindon, complete with white-background builder’s plate, registering the pride of Swindon craftsmanship. From red buffer beam to the lettering of the nameplate, its appearance is definitely GWR-derived. 6####ET01-SWW-D812–PARKD
Temporary demotion of Penzance to a one shunter allocation led to goods shunting being carried out by class 25’s, Westerns and Peaks, although on one occasion “HIGHFLYER” trundled around with a goods brake van as the shunter’s truck – the original of which was usually paired with whichever class 08 was on goods duty, and had apparently gone elsewhere by this time. Perhaps the bulbous nose of the Warship made it difficult for the driver to see the coupling procedure, or the cab arrangement was too awkward to accommodate the shunting staff easily. Whatever the reason, this was the only time I saw this practice.
Although my first sightings, D4013 and D4161, come most readily to mind as Penzance’s shunters, 4181 was probably the longest serving Class 08 in my experience there. In pristine livery, the loco shunts mail coaches in the station yard. 7####DG01-PNZ-d4181-SHU_S
The skill of the men in this unglamorous profession was interesting to watch, though carried out by a large loco it was undoubtedly slower than with a nifty little 08. The locomotive would cautiously approach a wagon, the buffer heads would usually “kiss” together before compression, and using one of the loco’s buffers as a fulcrum, the Shunter would lever the coupling together or apart, and within half a minute or so, it would draw away with the man back aboard. By the end of the year, on runs past Laira in the daytime on three occasions, I noticed seven Warships in total, one of which at one time was “HIGHFLYER”. The last recording I have of a Warship at Penzance was that appearance of “THE ROYAL NAVAL RESERVE 1859 – 1959” mentioned above, parked at Long Rock MPD on 28th October.
Even now on the westward approach through Plymouth my eyes are always glued to Laira depot, even though there is not so much there today. A ‘Western’, two ’47s, a Peak and a breakdown van are glimpsed on a 70s “flash-past”. 7####BL01-LRA-LOCOS-PARKD
Example of a Loco Log entry during 1972
Fri 02/06/1972 Penzance to Long Rock, return
D1033 Parkd 1B85 WESTERN TROOPER
1935 PassU 1M75 (82A)
4181 ShunS
D1070 SleeD 7B89 WESTERN GAUNTLET
D1037 LtEnD 1B83 WESTERN EMPRESS
D7577 ShunG 0E4•
D1070 GoodU WESTERN GAUNTLET
M50379 Parkd C.C.E.D.V.I.U. No.1
D1002 Parkd 1Z14 WESTERN EXPLORER
1642 Parkd 1V72
D1033 ParcU 1A09 WESTERN TROOPER
P557 PassD 2B63
D1037 PassU 1A65 WESTERN EMPRESS
1665 PassD 1B83 TITAN (87E)
D1064 ParcD 1A19 WESTERN REGENT
824 LtEnD 0A09 HIGHFLYER
1665 GoodU 8A21 TITAN (87E)
P557 PassU 2B81
824 PassU 1A09 HIGHFLYER
The Eric Curnow Collection 