RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted February 7, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 7, 2013 I had occasion to make a work-related visit to the Alphington scrap branch in Exeter today, so here are a few photos taken on my walk along the track (please note all done in full high vis and under safe conditions): The view looking towards the main line: Looking the other way, towards the scrap yard: Walking a bit further on, towards the bridge over the road through the industrial estate: It's really not much further to the gates to the scrap yard: Taken through the gates, the view of the track as it would originally have curved away towards Ide, Longdown and Heathfield: Turning around, the view back towards the main line and City Basin: 18 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Like the micro weighbridge (assuming i'm guessing what it is right!) 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R A Watson Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Are we planning to go all the way to Newton? Could be the start of a good rumour! Wally 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold JohnR Posted February 7, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 7, 2013 I've always felt this branch was underused, considering it goes right into the largest industrial estate in Exeter. Its also a shame that it would be difficult/expensive to extend it at the far end to become a suburban branchline/park & ride. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 Trouble is there's not much in the way of 'bulk' industries that could use it. At least the scrapyard is regularly shipping by rail again these days. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
10800 Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 Taken through the gates, the view of the track as it would originally have curved away towards Ide, Longdown and Heathfield: Is that Matford I see in the distance? 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ogauge83A Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 GBRf ran its first train of 2013 on the branch today with 66711 at the helm of 6C55 Cardiff to Exeter via Newton Abbot and the 6B56 return Exeter to Cardiff. The picture shows the shunting before departure taken from the B and Q car park (which the former trackbed to the old good yard (the B and Q site) can be seen used as the road/track Tony and the link to the shots at Newton Abbot and Dawlish early this morning http://antony-christie.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/gbrf-66711-on-6c55-scrap-at-newton.html 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
floss_4 Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 GBRf ran its first train of 2013 on the branch today with 66711 at the helm of 6C55 Cardiff to Exeter via Newton Abbot and the 6B56 return Exeter to Cardiff. Why via Newton Abbot? Is Riverside still DBS infrastructure? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R A Watson Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Why via Newton Abbot? Is Riverside still DBS infrastructure? Going to Exeter via Newton, on that line, is my post No 3 more relevant than I thought? Wally 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 (edited) Why via Newton Abbot? Is Riverside still DBS infrastructure? It does also have the advantage that you can back the whole train onto the branch in one go, with no need to do (multiple) runrounds of parts of train on-site. Edited March 14, 2013 by Glorious NSE Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted March 16, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 16, 2013 GBRF are now aware of the option of using Riverside, as most of the yard is now back with NR, but for the moment, they have chosen to stick to their original train plan, which is via Newton Abbot. This will be reviewed in due course, at their convenience. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted March 24, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 24, 2013 I've always felt this branch was underused, considering it goes right into the largest industrial estate in Exeter. Its also a shame that it would be difficult/expensive to extend it at the far end to become a suburban branchline/park & ride. Matford? 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted March 24, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 24, 2013 The very end of the line....(currently?!)....! Had 'Matford (park & ride)' really existed it would have been a few hundred metres further on! Snap taken on a hot summer afternoon some years ago whilst accompaning the Captain. Probably now totally overgrown. A bit further back there was some interesting pointwork in all the undergrowth. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted May 9, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 9, 2013 It was good to see a decent amount of freight in South Devon this morning - ColasRail Class 56 being prepped in the old Platform 9 at Newton Abbot, prior to working the timber train back up to Chirk this afternoon, a DBS Class 66 running through St Davids station with scrap wagons for Alphington, a Hanson stone train in No.14 Road, Riverside Yard, and a rake of bogie clay wagons on No.1 Road, Riverside Yard... Steam charters today and tomorrow with Clan Line - arriving this afternoon at St Davids (via Honiton) with 1Z90 at 1732, and then running at 0813 tomorrow morning (Fri 10/5/13) to Cardiff (but via Okehampton and back!!). 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 And GBRf worked to Alphington yesterday again. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted May 9, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 9, 2013 And GBRf worked to Alphington yesterday again. And I'm told are doing so again tomorrow. Heavy demand in the scrap sector, apparently... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
10800 Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 (edited) It was good to see a decent amount of freight in South Devon this morning - ColasRail Class 56 being prepped in the old Platform 9 at Newton Abbot, prior to working the timber train back up to Chirk this afternoon, And here it is on schedule at Sprey Point slowing down for the continuing TSR for the cliff fall works - video a bit rubbish after the HST passes but trimming MP4s is not a straightforward task (for me anyway, just end up with a format that is only useable in the editing software). Edited May 9, 2013 by 10800 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
floss_4 Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 It was good to see a decent amount of freight in South Devon this morning Yes but would be even better if some could develop further west such as scrap from Plymouth(again) or the on/off intermodals to Plymouth/Truro. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Nice - it's reminded me I need to catch the logs again to shoot the new blue wagons in their current incarnation... There's a basic video editor within YouTube by the way, can't recall whether you can crop or not but i'd expect you can? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted May 10, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 10, 2013 Yes but would be even better if some could develop further west such as scrap from Plymouth(again) or the on/off intermodals to Plymouth/Truro. I quite agree and some of us are working extremely hard towards that worthy goal! 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
floss_4 Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 I quite agree and some of us are working extremely hard towards that worthy goal! Appreciate the hard work being done CK. What's the current situation with this new traffic? I know some work was done to get Truro ready but heard there had been a setback? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted May 11, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 11, 2013 Appreciate the hard work being done CK. What's the current situation with this new traffic? I know some work was done to get Truro ready but heard there had been a setback? Can't really comment in public, but all is not totally lost, work still going on re one of the sites (PM sent). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted May 18, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 18, 2013 I've found a couple more of the stops at Alphington taken when accompanied by CK. (plus a few more locos at St Davids snaps on http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/69802-seen-at-exeter-st-davids-a-few-years-ago/ (Matford would've been behind camera!) I wonder if anything will ever get this far down again. Would be nice! 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crompton48 Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 The very end of the line....(currently?!)....! Had 'Matford (park & ride)' really existed it would have been a few hundred metres further on! Snap taken on a hot summer afternoon some years ago whilst accompaning the Captain. Probably now totally overgrown. A bit further back there was some interesting pointwork in all the undergrowth. img029a.jpg Matford Park and ride does exist now known as the Green park and ride service by Stagecoach Southwest from Exeter cattle market into the city centre Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crompton48 Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 I often pass the remaining pieces of trackbed from Ide onwards to Christow what a superb preserved railway the Teign Valley line would have made Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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