Photo above by ‘I T LANGHORN. Copyright: http://www.the-transport-photo-interchange.co.uk
Class 50’s arrived in various states of appearance, though most were quite respectable: this arrival with a down passenger at Penzance has a grime-caked roofline. The mis-match of walls from the abandoned continuation is evident behind by the lamp post. 75###AD01-PNZ-500##-PAS_D
With arrival of the Spring term in 1975, my college transferred to a new campus a quarter of a mile from the site of Carn Brea station which had closed in the early 1960’s, and I was based high up a tower block which gave clear sight of a fair stretch of the mainline there. The station area was now merely levelled ruins surrounded by remnants of GWR spear-topped fencing, with the exception of a pretty-well redundant siding similar to Dolcoath’s not far west of here – that remained for road tankers for filling rail six-wheeler milk tanks, to be added to milk trains going east. Although a bit of a stretch, I would sometimes have my lunch up there, seeing a few trains hastening past at close quarters.
Just beyond the site of Carn Brea station, a ‘Western’-headed Penzance service runs through an area very contaminated by mine workings, so lineside vegetation is sparse. 750531A28-CBR-D10##-PAS_D
Across the road from the college were the main offices of ‘Holmans’, a company which produced hard rock mining equipment and compressors that could often be seen around the country at road works, providing power for jack-hammers. Their main production complex was near the station in Camborne something like a mile away, and they had an industrial siding at Roskear where they loaded their goods for markets “up country” or beyond. When my college was in Redruth, I had periodically seen flat wagons bearing their products at Drump Lane goods yard, waiting to be formed with other vans into a train.
My lunchtime shot of D1066 ‘WESTERN PREFECT’ shunting Drump Lane Goods Yard – by now owned by National Carriers Ltd. This was still quite a busy transit point at this time. 740506A05-RDL-D1066-SHU_G
As there was a free college bus service from Penzance, I only used the railway when I couldn’t catch that, and usually in the evening after additional evening classes, but as the bus was a double-decker, and it ran alongside the rail track from Penzance to Long Rock, I was often able to see a lot of what was going on there anyway. Appearances at Penzance seemed much as they had previously been, and remained so for much of the year. A Laira visit on 25th January had revealed 7089, D1003, D1029 and D1035 in the scrap line, and as according to ‘Railway Magazine’ only 16 had officially been withdrawn, even assuming a number more unserviceable, there were apparently still a lot in service.
A dismal day adds poignancy to the sad sight of three ‘Western”s stored awaiting disposal at Laira depot. The sunken trackbed for access below locomotives showed that this was once part of the old steam shed. 7#####A01-LRA-LOCOS-SCRAP
A third 08 arrived, to facilitate a swap-over at Penzance; some sand dunes were strengthened with mesh-encased granite rocks; and an ex-works combination of 50046 and D1057 were seen on an up passenger service at Hayle in March. A very rough-looking Western Gauntlet billowed clouds of blue smoke on Long Rock MPD; namer 47’s were more common; and class 25’s only put in exceptional appearances. ‘Railway Magazine’ reported the demise of the Hymeks in its June issue, leaving Westerns as the sole representatives of hydraulic traction on the Western Region.
A withdrawn ‘Hymek’, D7089, is caught from a train passing Laira depot in October, its logo shining strong from a very washed-out livery; behind it to the right is a ‘Western’, other set-aside vehicles, and the direct line from North Road to Friary. 7510#AA01-LRA-D7089-SCRAP
It was at this time that I was beginning to specialise in graphic design at college, and I came under the tutelage of Ken Lamble, who used to work for Design Research Unit which had a big input into the British Rail Corporate Identity. He showed me a copy of one or two of the Manual parts that he’d had involvement in – uniforms and fitting out the ferries, I think – although his personal preference for the logo was for some of the more heraldic versions proposed.
From compliment slips to the sides of ferries – everything could be found in this manual: what to do, and what not to do. It was a huge transformation project, and came out in ring-binder form in three volumes covering different application areas.
I must have made 550 Western sightings that year on about 200 visits to the railway. A third of these were unidentified because I could make out the class but not the number (e.g. from the top of a bus, or peering from the train in the dark) and about a third of all sightings were when they were parked up on Long Rock depot between duties. Most frequent visitors, to my experience, were Westerns Musketeer, closely followed by Lady, then Marquis, Fusilier, Sentinel and Venturer. Least were Westerns Dragoon and Rifleman with single appearances.
D1058 “WESTERN NOBLEMAN” leaves Penzance with an up service, as a carriage cleaner waits for access to the railmen’s mess situated just behind the loco. A large puddle has accumulated at the end of Platform 3. 75###AE01-PNZ-D1058-PAS_U
On weekdays I would pass the Mount’s Bay section of the railway on a bus at about 8.30 am, and return at about 5 pm – a couple of days a week my return journey would be by rail and get me into Penzance at something like 7 pm. I knew the section of that line from Redruth to Penzance very well, and could tell whereabouts I was by the blast of exhaust on a bridge, the sinuous sway of the track, the check in speed for a curve, etc.
Looking up line from the far west of a deserted Camborne station, 50026 passes through with a single van – a significant over powering for this task. Its headcode has been reset to zeros, and it bears a Laira allocation patch. 760407A00-CBN-50026-GDS+D
The most familiar stretch of the line to me then was that from Marazion bridge into the terminus – the stretch that ran along the coast. The line from inland curves from the marshes beneath the overbridge here, and westbound trains using it would generally take the curve at speed and try to coast from then on until it arrived to trundle over the pointwork into Penzance Station. On the far side of Marazion station is an open crossing guarded by “kissing gates”, and so a horn blast as the train thundered through the station was usually long and shrill, and depending on the wind direction, could sometimes even be heard in Penzance. It was a good indicator to warn me, if I was wandering by the water’s edge further down the line, to make my way to the line to see what was coming.
The view from Marazion railway bridge eastward over the marshes, as a ‘Western’ trundles around the curve with a short mixed stock train. Trunking for signal cables lies on an old siding trackbed, indicating further MAS extension towards St Erth. 7####AO01-MZN-D10##-GDS_D
Immediately west of the bridge are the remains of Marazion station, closed and made largely out of use in 1964 with the exception of half a dozen Pullman cars converted to camping coaches that were spaced out along sidings left on the seaward side of the site, and for a while part of the up sidings stored Penzance stock. For some reason Marazion’s granite station building was not demolished along with everything else, and even today stands starkly sentinel from its flattened surroundings. Over the years, since the hydraulics’ demise, sections of track forming the up sidings would disappear from time to time and platforms got bulldozed away.
The camping coaches were still in use when this was taken in 1977. With electricity cables slung between the vehicles, it must have made for an interesting holiday – with great sea views on one side, but frequent and sudden railway noise on the other. 770805A01-MZN-COACH-PARKD
As for Western sightings in this period, the most dominant duties for them were down passenger trains (89), up passenger (77), mail trains (45), goods of various types (40), sleepers (28), milk (11), and shunting (10). All other movements were light engine ones – mostly between sheds and the terminus. 32 different locos looked in prime appearance at some time during the year, and only Western Lord looked awful. 15 of the class had their ‘D’ prefix minimised – either by paint or removal – and inclusive of scrapline Westerns I saw 53 different locos. Co-incidentally, I saw 18 named class 47 appearances, with Titan and Samson most frequent, to my eyes.
Highly unusual for such a moderate climate, D1058 “WESTERN NOBLEMAN” arrives in Platform 3 at Penzance with snow caked on its buffers and headcode. The winter sunshine bleaches out the yellow of its front end. 75###AN01-PNZ-D1058-PAS_D
So – although a trip along the coast to Long Rock crossing, a quick visit to the sheds, and on by road to cross the line again at Ponsondane was my normal loco spotting route, I would often extend it to Long Rock open crossing (as there is a convenient sea side toilet nearby; and on the other side of the crossing a sweet shop), or Marazion station bridge – or even the Mount – if I had plenty of time. The setting for Marazion station is rural, as the adjacent marshes are tranquil, and the blackberry bushes growing in profusion; these were also an enticement sometimes. Yet all the time, the Westerns that powered through, “sounding their whistles” in response to the ‘SW’ board, were deteriorating, and gradually yielding to class 47s and 50s.
Marazion Station Building a few years later, but essentially unchanged from when I first saw it – lavatory roof excepted! The sidings on this side of the line have been lifted and hummocks of grass and gorse have taken over. 81###AA01-MZN-S_BLG-VI_SE
Example of a Loco Log entry during 1975
Sat 26/07/1975 Penzance to Long Rock, return D1058 PassD 1B88 LA WESTERN NOBLEMAN 08840 ShunS PZ 50030 PassD 1B03 BR 50030 LighU 0B03 BR 1015 GoodD 4A13 LA WESTERN CHAMPION (B) D1058 GoodU 1A79 LA WESTERN NOBLEMAN D1059 PassD 1B11 LA WESTERN EMPIRE (B) D1059 LighU 1C29 LA WESTERN EMPIRE (B) 47537 PassD 1V63 BS D1069 PassD 1B25 LA WESTERN VANGUARD (B) 08954 Parkd PZ 47262 Parkd 1V30 BS M50379 Parkd C.C.E.D.V.I.U.No.1 46001 Parkd 6B15 LA 47537 PassU 1A09 BS D1016 Parkd 1V20 LA WESTERN GLADIATOR (B) D1028 Parkd 1V72 LA WESTERN HUSSAR (A)
The Eric Curnow Collection 