MEMORIES - 1960's CEMENT
Obviously we are all familiar with the 'Moorswater Cement' run by EWS and then Freightliner in the present day situation, but Chris Osment has Emailed to ask the following: Chris has a vague memory that, during the mid-1960s, on one (?) day a week (Tue? Thur?) a down cement train passed through Taunton. IIRC almost always this was hauled by a 28xx, which was normally taken off at Taunton and replaced by a diesel, so anyone watching the line west of the station almost never saw it. Does anyone know any more about this service please? Mike Pollard saw the above and has helped out by delving into his notes from his younger years and provided the following information for readers of Taunton Trains. Can you help further? The cement workings were from Blue Circle Westbury to Exeter Central Blue Circle distribution centre(I believe!). I have notes of 29 workings of this service between 12 th December 1963 and 23rd July 1964, but there were probably more during that period, and I have seen a photo of wagons being tripped from Exeter Central to St Davids by an 08 shunter in 1978, so there is a lot more to this story.
A modified Hall passes 40 Steps Taunton heading South towards Exeter in September 1964 (Photo: Mike Pollard) Only three of the services I have noted changed engines at Taunton(marked * below), the remainder went straight
Perhaps someone else can fill in any gaps in the list, and extend it. Also someone will know what used to happen with this train at St Davids -banked by a pair of panniers perhaps? or tripped up to Central one wagon at a time by a West Country?
Another Hall passes Taunton West Signal Box heading South with cement in tow (Photo: Mike Pollard) 03-01-06 Thanks to Rodney Crook who sent this information: The Westbury to Exeter Central Cement trains in the 1960`s. The trains worked through intact to Exeter Central with usually 4 loco`s {train engine plus assistance at front with two bankers on the rear}. At this time I was on the S&T dept. at Exeter Central joining from school in 1961. I can well remember seeing this train on several occasions coming up the bank at Central more often than not at walking pace as this was a very heavy train. I seem to remember seeing a Hall class on one occasion and a 9F on another. The assisting engines were usually the duty bankers with maybe a 2-6-2T maybe off an Exmouth working filling in on the front. Hope this is helpful. 10-01-06 Thanks again to Rodney Cook, and David Tozer who've been looking back at their Archives: Further to my E-Mail the other day on the Westbury to Exeter Central Cement Trains an old school chum of mine by the name of David Tozer has trawled his attic for a diary of 1964 and came up with the following info as observed at Exeter Central. He was working in the goods office at Central station. In addition to these workings there was a production problem at Westbury causing supplies to be sent from Snodland on 19/2/64 and 12/3/64. These came via the Salisbury - Exeter line and were hauled by 34014 & 34063 19/2/64 and 34098 & 34089 12/3/64. David says that sometime during 1964 the load was increased from 21 Presflos to 25. David's recorded workings (Shown in White) have been added to Mike Pollards original list above. Note the working marked (**) Loco 4989 had bankers 4692 and 4694, and head end loco 41291. The train stalled on the bank departing Exeter and had 75025 added to help!
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