Okehampton

[whole diary]

[REVUpminster]

Another trainload of sleepers to Okehampton from Westbury on Realtime trains 6G72 last night disappears after Crediton. 1200 tons.

66723 + 66039 to Fairwater Yard. Anybody know where that is?

[TonyK]

Another trainload of sleepers to Okehampton from Westbury on Realtime trains 6G72 last night disappears after Crediton. 1200 tons.

66723 + 66039 to Fairwater Yard. Anybody know where that is?

Close to Taunton station, I believe.

[eXPassenger]

Another trainload of sleepers to Okehampton from Westbury on Realtime trains 6G72 last night disappears after Crediton. 1200 tons.

66723 + 66039 to Fairwater Yard. Anybody know where that is?

Between Taunton and Norton Fitzwarren.

[smokey]

Whilst the St Ives branch has been closed for 5 weeks, there has been more than track renewal work taking place.

There was a lot of manual work on the St Ives relaying as site access was a problem, and I believe the track work was all but done about 2 weeks ago.

A little historic note about the St Ives branch, opened 1st June 1877 it was Dual gauge from St Erth (called St Ives Road until branch opened) to Lelant Wharf and Broad gauge only beyond Lelant to St Ives.
The last line to be built to Brunel's Broad Gauge!

Approaching Carbis bay from St Erth there is a steep cutting that opens out at the St Ives end.
This was due to the line being built by many Cornish Miners who followed a rich Tin stream and went off course.
Gold (well Tin) in them there Hills. 

[REVUpminster]

I don't suppose they will but if they could lay the new track beside the old using the old track as the work platform for the heavy lifting which would make track replacement quicker and left the old track insitu then double tracking in future would be easier.

On the district line a few years ago they used the adjacent BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) tracks to replace the Westbound underground track at Elm Park,
 Dagenham Heathway, and at West Ham were the tracks are the minimum distance apart.

[Jamsdad]

That sounds remarkably sensible!

[TonyK]

Whilst the St Ives branch has been closed for 5 weeks, there has been more than track renewal work taking place.

There was a lot of manual work on the St Ives relaying as site access was a problem, and I believe the track work was all but done about 2 weeks ago.

A little historic note about the St Ives branch, opened 1st June 1877 it was Dual gauge from St Erth (called St Ives Road until branch opened) to Lelant Wharf and Broad gauge only beyond Lelant to St Ives.
The last line to be built to Brunel's Broad Gauge!

Approaching Carbis bay from St Erth there is a steep cutting that opens out at the St Ives end.
This was due to the line being built by many Cornish Miners who followed a rich Tin stream and went off course.
Gold (well Tin) in them there Hills. 

Fascinating bit of history there, if  slightly off-thread, many thanks! I like the idea of killing two birds with one stone. A small point - we former tin miners refer to it as a "lode". Whatever you called it, tin deposits could be very rich. Most commercial mining starts with a concentration of cassiterite of 1%, but there were some much more concentrated sources in Cornwall. It made perfect sense to follow them wherever they occured.

[REVUpminster]

6C97 Westbury to Okehampton delivering rail Sunday night 21 February. Returned Monday morning. Designated 800 tons.

Another load Thursday 25 February although not allocated a code. Designated 1400 tons.

[REVUpminster]

616Q was it's designation

Comes back today at 1700hrs at Crediton to Westbury.

Also Modern Railways March issue still reporting a passenger service start up during the May timetable even if late summer with eight trains Mon-Sat and six on Sunday. It's a start.

[RichardB]

616Q was it's designation

Comes back today at 1700hrs at Crediton to Westbury.

Also Modern Railways March issue still reporting a passenger service start up during the May timetable even if late summer with eight trains Mon-Sat and six on Sunday. It's a start.

It's all good to see.  Just a reminder of course that the Government still hasn't announced what it will fund re Okehampton i.e. level of service and how much engineering work.  Everyone's very confident but until we get the announcement, we won't know for sure what is happening.

What Modern Railways have seen is that the service has been included in the working timetable which begins in May.  This is simply so it is in the system.  From what I am picking up, I wouldn't expect the service to begin in anything we might think of as "Summer" but hopefully the announcement is not far away now, it'll be positive and we'll then know much more.

[red cuillen]

Taken this morning by a friend of mine

[REVUpminster]

Those trains look only a cigarette paper apart.

The station looks well kept by the volunteers. Lets hope they keep responsibilty and the buffet is used well when we can use it.

[TonyK]

Those trains look only a cigarette paper apart.

They are, as you say, adequately separated.

[REVUpminster]

Engineering work to upgrade track closes the whole line between St David's and Barnstaple 10 April and 18 April with trains to Crediton operating from 14 April.

it does say they are extending the platform at Eggesford as well.

It has to be something to do with Okehampton. Maybe using the existing track to renew the old.

[paul7575]

Possibly would have been better explained as:
Between Sat 10th and Sunday 18th April.
Engineering work taking place from Saturday to Tuesday between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple and from Saturday to Friday between Crediton and Barnstable, closing all lines.
From Saturday to Tuesday, buses will replace trains between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple.
From Wednesday to Sunday, buses will replace trains between Crediton and Barnstaple.