25262 now properly painted since August is at the front of the SDR Explorer 1Z05 11.15 from Buckfastleigh. 33002 is at the rear. Glorious sunshine all day long. The SDR Explorer which is a charity fundraising train run by and operated by the South Devon Railway. The chosen charity was the Encephalitis Society which Nick suddenly died of in 2022. A full day out on the railway sampling all kinds of locomotives based on the line and gricing as many sidings, loops and headshunts as possible. A great opportunity to meet with friends and Nick's family and have a few beers as well. An excellent well organised day in memory of a great and much missed bloke.
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A very heartfelt tribute to her Dad.
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Quite an amazing photo in Nick's collection. Early 1960s. This is the view looking north along the Millbay branch and this was on a triangle with another line to the right out of picture entering Plymouth's main North Road station. The bridge carries North Road West with Patna Place to the right out of picture. Stonehouse Pool Viaduct can be seen through the arch. This line provided a direct link from Cornwall to Millbay and was closed in 1964 and the top of the viaduct demolished. The line from Plymouth station to Millbay was closed in 1971. This slide was probably not taken on quality film and has not aged well but if you look very closely through the arch at the main line there is a train hauled by probably a Castle steam loco and two D63xx class 22 diesel hydraulics.
www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/millbay-friary--stoneho...
A 1985 photo taken the other side of the bridge - www.flickr.com/photos/145100037@N05/49544982431/
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Bickleigh on the Plymouth - Yelverton - Tavistock - Launceston line which closed at the end of 1962. Another of Nick's slides from an unknown photographer, probably early 1960s. For some reason Bickleigh had two signal boxes opposite each other in situ before the line closed though one looks vandalised and likely defunct. The line is now part of the Plym Valley Cycle Trail and is a lovely ride up into Dartmoor and over the impressive Bickleigh Viaduct - www.flickr.com/photos/145100037@N05/51843431884/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Devon_and_Tavistock_Railway
www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/plymouth-to-launceston-...
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One from Nick's collection of acquired slides from an unknown photographer. I've tried cleaning the slide scan up a lot. No idea of the date but I suspect early 1960s, possibly late 1950s.
Horrabridge is a small village on the outskirts of Tavistock in West Devon. The station was one of many on the 31 mile route from Plymouth to Launceston. The railway reached Horrabridge in June 1859 and closed on 31st December 1962. At the time of closure the village had a population of around 1500.
The station was a busy place with reasonable levels of freight received and dispatched from the station right up till closure, with two daily goods workings and 14 passenger workings. Horrabridge was a passing station, with two platforms, although neither were particularly long. Before entering the station, the line crossed the A386 over a particularly unusual bow-string bridge on a high embankment.
The track layout at Horrabridge included up and down refuge sidings, with a capacity of 35 and 44 wagons respectively. The up siding formed a headshunt for the goods shed siding with a similar situation for the down siding – this siding usually held wagons destined for the Princetown branch, as Yelverton, the junction for the branch, lacked goods facilities.
With regard to buildings on the station site, a small wooden building formed the Station Master’s office, booking office and waiting room was located on the up platform, with a small dressed stone shelter on the down platform. A small signal box, built by Saxby and Farmer was located next to the main station building. The site also had two water cranes and a water tower (located near the down siding), a legacy of when the station performed the role of a junction prior to the construction of Yelverton Station. A small goods shed and granary were located along the up siding and refuge line – both of these were constructed from local stone.
Source : RMweb
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Devon_and_Tavistock_Railway
www.steampicturelibrary.com/stations-halts/devon-stations...
www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/plymouth-to-launceston-...
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