Western Soundscape 2. More Class 52s at Bodmin 1975

...More Maybach Melodies from my day spotting 'Western' diesel-hydraulics at Bodmin Road station. 14th August 1975. The Cornish main-line was still dominated by the whizzos at that time but their command was fading fast. Witness the Peak ambling through with a rake of clay 'hoods' ; I couldnt bring myself to record any of the new regime of class 50 'Hoovers' taking over some of the passenger duties.
Herewith then,another helping of beloved class 52 music for your nostalgic enjoyment.
Again,a big thank you to the photographers who have posted their lovely images on the internet,and hoping they find the use of them here only brings out the nostalgia and atmosphere that they captured.
Mark Harrington,Dave Ashurst,'rugd1022',Mark Koch,Forest Pines,'Fray Bentos'.Roger Geach,Jim Payne,Ray Powell and others not identified.
Thanks again to my son Olly for converting my tapes to digital www.ontrackstudio.co.uk

If there is interest, I have much more material-particularly recorded at Oxford/Didcot,so may make further future episodes.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Western
• diesel
• class
• 52
• D1015
• clag
• cornwall
• train
• bodmin
• hydraulic
• champion
• thrash
• sounds
• maybach

[DD1011]

Hi-Lucky Man! Not that I'm biased but you always got the impression when watching a 52 powering away (especially heavily laden) of massive low-end torque & an unburstability. I used to spot at Oxford & Didcot in school hols,mid 70s.Usually a nice variety of stuff + a smattering of wezzos on trains to Bristol,+ parcels/stone/Birmingham trains via Oxford. Since you mentioned stone,assume youve heard my tape of D1022 storming out of Oxford;you may have been on it! Thanks for your memories

[DD1011]

Glad you enjoyed Mike. Happy daze....

[DD1011]

Hi Sandfordmerlin-thanks for your kind comments.My bashing ended with the loss of the wezzos,and like you there was a tremendous sense of being short-changed if a 47 or 50 appeared instead of the hoped-for 52 power... Incidentally I revisited the old haunts for a week last month; Bodmin was nice still,but St Austell very different-the up side buildings are about to be torn down & the signal box (by the public footbridge-home of many spotting hours) in a sad way.An HST thru Par left me cold!

[DD1011]

Thanks-nearly left out the filthy D/E but felt should leave it in due to its dubious 'celebrity' status!

[TheBritishLegions]

Oh my goodness 46009?!! aka the flask smasher!!

It was famous for being the one that was used in the nuclear flask test at Derby in 1984 and was totally destroyed!

RIP 46009 : (

[DickHBox]

I was a Guard at Didcot in the early 70's, in the bottom link, with, amongst other workings, 2 stone-trains from Westbury, to Bletchley & Hendon. All brake-vans, fitted vacuum-head of about 10 or 12, around 2000 tons of train! The fly-over at Bletchley was the place to feel the difference between the 52's & the 47's, as the 52's would just walk away from the stop-board at the top, while the 47's were a lot slower to get away! Thanks for the memories. Lovely engines. hydraulic traction rules!

[DickHBox]

I was a Guard at Didcot in the early 70's, in the bottom link, with, amongst other workings, 2 stone-trains from Westbury, to Bletchley & Hendon. All brake-vans, fitted vacuum-head of about 10 or 12, around 2000 tons of train! The fly-over at Bletchley was the place to feel the difference between the 52's & the 47's, as the 52's would just walk away from the stop-board at the top! Thanks for the memories. Lovely engines. hydraulic traction rules!

[NN2Blue]

What an excellent presentation! - Thank you for sharing! - Mike

[sandfordmerlin]

Yes please do upload some more of these magic sounds & visions, of a truly golden era

[sandfordmerlin]

Magical sounds from a magical era. I may well have been on some of those express's, as this was also our 'holiday time', we used to stay at Dawlish, whilst the rest of the family were doing seaside things, I would be off on a West Of England railrover for the 2 weeks :-) Glad you left the peak in too, as this also brings back fond memories for me, as it was the Laira 46's I would go on to bash after the demise of the Western's, well what else was there down these parts, duffs or 50's no way!!

[englischlokfuehrer]

Just lurve that Maybach Music. Reminds me of being at Bristol TM on a summer's night about that time waiting for all the overnights to the west country.