Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2020 i Rail Express

TWO months into lockdown and it is interesting to speculate how we might return to some degree of normality. With social distancing likely to remain in some form until an effective vaccine or cure is available, what will this mean for the railways? They are currently doing an amazing job moving key workers around and helping to keep shops stocked up with essential goods. But with passenger numbers now around 5% of normal levels, there is no way this is sustainable. There is a feeling the Government will have to make the temporary replacement of franchises with management contracts a more permanent position, essentially renationalising all passenger workings. Franchised operators can only make money by running trains near capacity, which is clearly undesirable right now, so losses will inevitably be…

A NEW operator has been found for the Siemens-built Class 707 fleet which, despite having only first entered service in 2017, are being replaced on South Western Railway by new Bombardier Class 701 ‘Aventra’ units. The 30 five-car units will move to Southeastern, where they will be used to provide additional capacity. The trains were ordered by South West Trains in 2014 as part of a plan to boost capacity on routes out of Waterloo. When FirstGroup/MTR took over the South Western franchise in 2017, however, the incoming operator decided to replace the fleet before it had even entered service. The third-rail ‘707s’ were due to have been replaced from the end of 2019 but deliveries of ‘701s’ were delayed by software issues.…

THE number of passengers using London Underground is now at a level not seen since the early days of the network in the late 1800s. Easter Sunday, April 22, saw 64,000 trips made across all lines, down 97% on the same day in 2019. As a result, Transport for London began furloughing staff as a ‘temporary and essential’ measure, but with TfL topping up the Government’s job retention scheme so that employees still receive all of their pay. TfL has also stopped all construction and development work, bar planned engineering work on the Victoria Line at Brixton on May 25, and it has closed stations within central London that do not serve more than one line. Blue markers were applied to platforms at key stations to demonstrate how far passengers…

COLAS RAIL POPULAR BR Green-liveried No. D6757 (37057) was taken out of traffic on April 20 ready for its long rumoured refresh into Colas colours. Returned to as-built 1960s condition by HNRC before being sold to the orange team, it remains to be seen whether the operator will opt for a similar approach as Boden Rail and reverse the backdated details, or whether this will be released as is with a new coat of paint. DB CARGO CLASS 67 No. 67017, which was recently repainted in Transport for Wales livery, has been reinstated to the operational WQAA Class 67 pool from the WACC stored locomotive pool, while No. 90034, which was hired to Greater Anglia at Ilford Depot since March 2018 for use as ETS supply, was returned to Crewe…

THREE more Class 91s have been stood down by LNER, leaving just 18 in service on the East Coast Main Line. No. 91112 was the first to be removed from traffic during the period under review, being stored on April 4. Moved north as part of a 5Z91 Bounds Green-Doncaster Decoy Yard stock transfer of Mk.4 coaches behind No. 66773, it was dropped off at the former Railnet terminal at Doncaster, where it joins Nos. 91104, 91113 and 91129. Just six days later on April 10, it was the turn of No. 91116 to be stored and this made a similar journey to Doncaster RMT that day, hitching a ride on another stock move, this time behind No. 66779. Finally, it was the turn of No. 91131 to be given…

CHILTERN ‘SLAMMER’ SET MOVES TO LONG MARSTON FOLLOWING timetable reductions, Chiltern Railways sent its eight slam-door Mk.3 coaches (Nos. 11029/031,12017/036/043/054/094/119) to Long Marston for storage on March 27. Hauled by No. 47815 Lost Boys 68-88, it ran as the 5V94/08.50 Wembley LMD-Long Marston. ELY HST DEPARTURES APRIL 20 saw six former GWR HST coaches, Nos. 40707/755,42284/361/505 and 44043, moved from Ely Papworth to Eastleigh Works by Nos. 20311/314 following disposal to Arlington Fleet Services. Also in the convoy was No. 47813 Jack Frost, which was en route to Eastleigh for attention.…

I FIRST met John on a charter from Watford Junction to Bridgnorth in the mid-1980s and immediately became warm friends. This continued when he became my customer from 1994 when I found myself in charge of all charter services for Railtrack. Railtrack was often (incorrectly) slated for charging extortionate access charges to charter operators, and John radically altered the charges for the dining train market segment. He invited me to join him on April 5, 1995 on one of his ‘Ocean Liner Express’ services and over lunch en route to Weymouth he explained why my dining train charging proposals were incorrect. He used that lunch to demonstrate, in logistical and financial terms, what it cost to put on a top-end luxury charter train. It should be noted, however, that the…

PLANS to lift the power unit out of No. 50030 Repulse to enable work to be carried out by the Renown Repulse Restoration Group (RRRG) prior to installation of its replacement power unit have had to be put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Preparatory work had already taken place on-site at Rowsley to enable the power unit to be craned out. Arrangements were being made to move the Class 50 Alliance’s power unit lifting beam from the South Devon Railway to Peak Rail, which had been used in February to remove the power unit from the Devon Diesel Society’s No. 50002 Superb to allow it to be sent away for overhaul. A spare, overhauled power unit will be fitted to No. 50030 once work on the main generator…

‘CROMPTON’ ON THE MOVE AFTER a short spell at the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway, narrow-bodied ‘Crompton’ No. 33201 moved to the Battlefield Line during April. The ‘33/2’ had arrived at Chinnor in December, primarily as a visitor for the line’s diesel gala in March, although it saw some use on Santa Specials. In the event, the loco was sidelined with an electrical issue in February, and the gala was subsequently postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. CLASS 119 STOPPED HAVING appeared in service at the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway’s DMU event in March, Gloucester Class 119 DMBC No. 51073 has been stopped for bodywork repairs and repainting. Locomotive Services Ltd’s former Chiltern ‘Bubble Car’ No. 55034 (121034), which also appeared at the event, is planned to remain at Ecclesbourne for…

CLASS 40 QUERY LOCKDOWN has given me the chance to go through some old slides, and I was intrigued to find the enclosed shot of a Class 40. The slide shows No. 40067 at Mexborough on October 20, 1979 at the head of the Thompson B1 Locomotive Society’s ‘GN & GC Railcruise’ from King’s Cross to Manchester via Cleethorpes and Penistone. Looking closely at the nose of the ‘40’, there are two white ‘lozenges’ underneath the headboard, but I do not know what they are. Are you or any readers able to help solve the mystery? John Taylor Sheffield COLAS BRANDING CHANGE COLAS Rail has started to rebrand its locomotives with a revised logo – one that had previously only been applied to its on-track plant. The attached photo of…

LIVERY supplies ■ Fine grade abrasive paper of 1200 grit. ■ Phoenix Precision satin varnish. ■ Phoenix Precision gloss flint grey paint. ■ Phoenix Precision executive dark grey paint. ■ Black and white paints. ■ Phoenix Precision underframe dirt shade. ■ Tamiya medium grey paint. ■ Fox Transfers Trainload Freight Construction logos. ■ Shawplan nameplates for Glyder Fawr. ■ NMS-2 number sets and livery details. ■ Carr’s ‘Transfix’ transfer setting solution. ■ Selection of sable paint brushes from size 00 to 3. ■ Fine cosmetics sponge. ■ Tamiya masking tape.…

GOODWOOD Scenics, known for its growing range of modern scenic materials and wagon loads, offers a range of colour-fast ballast materials for ‘OO’ and ‘O’ gauge in useful colours including light grey and brown. The opportunity was taken to look at some samples of the ballast for colour and size, and test it by making up some simple removable ballast wagon loads. The ballast has welcome variations in colour tone and texture which provides an excellent base for weathering and blending with track colours. The light grey looks like fresh ballast suitable for modelling new track or for weathering with track colours to blend it in. The brown shade appears more weathered and dirty as found on older track sections and sidings. Whilst it would work well on its own,…

FLAKE KING is not normally aname that comes to mind in the world of diesel and electric modelling. Based in Co Durham, the company specialises in materials and equipment for coatings in the industrial and commercial sector. However, it does offer a range of metal effects for the hobbyist and modeller called Flake King Corroded Metal Effects (FX). With industrial modelling in mind, we tried the ‘Mini Shaker Kit’ which requires no specialised equipment to use and contains enough materials for creating rust and corrosion effects in scale modelling. Kit contents The kit contains a surface binder or glue; two types of metallic material, applicator sponge and activator. The metallic materials are supplied in shaker pots for manual application allowing it to be applied in small quantities and without specialist…

FREIGHTLINER placed an order for 30 General Electric ‘Powerhaul’ locomotives in 2007, with an immediate need for 20 locomotives to be built to cover current (at the time) traffic needs, with the remainder being an option should traffic levels develop sufficient to justify them. Deliveries of No. 70001-20 commenced in November 2009 when Nos. 70001 and 70002 arrived at Newport docks. Acceptance of the new locomotives was swift, with both locomotives entering service in December of that year. The last locomotives were delivered in early 2012. Note should be made of No. 70012 which suffered serious damage following an unloading accident at Newport. Ownership was retained by General Electric and the locomotive returned to the USA for use as astatic test bed. Class 70s signalled adeparture in the then typical…

Correct to April 22, 2020 POOL CODES WFMS DB Cargo Fleet Management - Stored ALLOCATIONS 08375 MRSO-MB DL 37240 Re-registered HQ/BREL 50021 CFOL-MBDL 50026 CFOL-MBDL 60010 WQ/WQAA-TO/WCBT 60050 Off registration 60086 Off registration 66006 TO/WBAR-WQ/WFMS 66011 TO/WBAE-WQ/WFMS 66061 TO/WBAE-WQ/WFMS-TO/WBAE-WQ/WFMS 66068 TO/WBAR-WQ/WFMS 66070 WBAT-WBAE 66085 TO/WBAR-WQ/WFMS 66092 TO/WBAE-WQ/WFMS 66099 TO/WBBE-WQ/WFMS 66111 TO/WBAE-WQ/WFMS 66113 TO/WBBE-WQ/WFMS 66114 TO/WBBT-WQ/WFMS 66143 TO/WBAE-WQ/WFMS 66144 TO/WBAR-WQ/WFMS 66147 TO/WBAE-WQ/WFMS 66151 TO/WBAE-WQ/WFMS 66183 TO/WBAE-WQ/WFMS 66198 TO/WBAR-WQ/WFMS 66418 LD/DFIN-FD/DHLT 66419 LD/DFIN-FD/DHLT 66420 LD/DMIN-FD/DHLT 66502 LD/DMIM-FD/DHLT 66508 LD/DMIM-FD/DHLT 66510 LD/DMIM-FD/DHLT 66512 LD/DMIM-FD/DHLT 66514 LD/DMIM-FD/DHLT 66518 LD/DMIM-FD/DHLT 66528 LD/DMIM-FD/DHLT 66533 LD/DMIM-FD/DHLT 66536 LD/DMIM-FD/DHLT 66538 LD/DMIM-FD/DHLT 66540 LD/DMIM-FD/DHLT 66562 LD/DMIM-FD/DHLT 66593 LD/DFIN-FD/DHLT 66598 LD/DFIN-FD/DHLT 66602 LD/DFHH-FD/DHLT 66617 LD/DFHH-FD/DHLT 66621 LD/DFHH-FD/DHLT 67015 WAAC-WAWC 67016 CE/WAAC-WQ/WFMS-CE/WAAC 67017 WQ/WQAA-CE/WACC 67020 WAWC-WAAC 67024 CE/WAAC-WQ/WFMS 70001 LD/DFGI-FD/DHLT 70002 LD/DFGI-FD/DHLT 70003 LD/DFGI-FD/DHLT 70004 LD/DFGI-FD/DHLT 70005 LD/DFGI-FD/DHLT 70006 LD/DFGI-FD/DHLT 70007…

NEWS ROUND-UP METEOR POWER WORK continues to convert No. 08649 to battery power (see last issue), although Covid-19 restrictions are having an impact. All the electronics are sorted and demonstrable, and most of the frames and other infrastructure are ready to fit back on the locomotive. Refitting is being held up though due to the lack of the metal cabinets to fit the systems in. These are being manufactured by a third party currently on lockdown, so there will be no progress there until the restrictions are eased. This has delayed the completion of work and the planned move to the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway for trials. Some testing has been carried out on site at the company’s Silverstone workshop. The locomotive has taken power and been driven backwards…

THE last of Northern’s Class 333s to be refurbished by Chrysalis Rail at Holbeck, No. 333016, was released on April 11. The programme has seen all 16 members of the class receive refreshed interiors and new LED lighting, as well as application of the new Northern purple/white livery in place of the old ‘Metro’ colour scheme. The work has been completed in just over 18 months. The final unit to be dealt with, No. 333016, was tripped the short distance across Leeds to Neville Hill on April 11, by Nos. 47813 Jack Frost and 47815 Lost Boys 68-88. The two ‘47s’ returned to Holbeck with No. 333012 – which, although refurbished in 2019, still needs flooring replacement as there were supply problems at the time the unit was dealt with.…

■ CAPPAGAH/DC RAIL: After arrival in the UK, 15 of the Cappaghliveried JNA box wagons illustrated in the last issue moved from Wembley to Long Marston for storage on April 9 behind No. 56103 working a 6Z56 service. These are planned to start work when Cappagh’s new Wembley freight hub comes online later this year. ■ DB CARGO: Previously stored FCA container flat ‘twin’ Nos. 610309+610310, which arrived at DB Cargo’s Stoke-on-Trent workshops on the Arpley ‘tripper’ on March 25, was returned to traffic on April 10 fitted with side cages. Meanwhile, two further FIAs from long-term store have been processed and returned to service: No. 31 70 4938 166-6, which arrived from Wigan on March 25 and No. 31 70 4938 175-7 (ex-31 70 4938 513-9), which arrived from…

THE coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on tour planning. Some companies are optimistically pencilling in dates for June, while others are redated for later this year. So much depends on the Government lifting restrictions and what form this will take. Railtours by their very nature have to be full to cover all the myriad of costs, so any form of social distancing brings into question railtour viability. Further tours redated or postponed at the time of going to press are as follows. PATHFINDER TOURS Three steam charters with No. 35028 Clan Line have been regrettably cancelled. Pathfinder says it had looked into running the excursions later in the year, but that has not proved possible. Instead, it hopes to be able to organise them for next year, dates yet…

THE Poulton & Wyre Railway, which aims to reinstate services between Fleetwood and Poulton-le-Fylde using the former Burn Naze power station branch, has taken delivery of the Class 108 unit that it purchased in 2015. The two cars, DMBS No. 51937 and DTCL No. 54484, have been moved from Butterley to the line’s headquarters, which is around a mile north of the former Thornton for Cleveleys station, where they join LNER Passenger Brake No. 70460. The DMU vehicles have both had some work carried out at Butterley but their restoration will be completed by Poulton & Wyre Railway Society members. Neither vehicle has operated in preservation – the pair were among nine Class 108 cars purchased by Mike Hancocks in the early 1990s and based at Peak Rail. Five of…

XP64 COACH CHANGES HANDS ONE of the three surviving ‘XP64’ coaches, TSO No. 4729, has undergone a change of ownership, passing from the Forest of Dean Railway Ltd to the Dean Forest Railway Society. Out of use for many years, and in need of major repairs, plans are being formulated to obtain grant funding to return it to operational condition. The only other surviving XP64 coaches are Nos. 4728 and 25508, which were sold by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway to the Wensleydale Railway in 2016 and are stored pending restoration. Like us on facebook facebook.com/RailExpressMag Follow us on twitter @railexpress…

TOOLS and materials include the following, in addition to the usual workbench hand tools: ■ Fine grade abrasive paper of grade 240 and 1200 grit. ■ ‘Plastic Weld’ solvent cement. ■ 0.45mm diameter brass wire. ■ 40-thou white styrene card. ■ 20-thou white styrene strip. ■ Evergreen 2.5mm channel styrene strip. ■ Evergreen 2mm square styrene angle strip. ■ Coupling hooks. ■ Couplings to choice. ■ ‘Dutch’ yellow/grey livery paint colours: warning panel yellow and Railfreight grey. ■ Matt black and white paints. ■ Matt varnish. ■ Weathering colours: Rust and dust shades. ■ Transfers for the ZCA (Modelmaster generic transfer sheet). ■ Ballast weight (lead –free shot etc.). Optional items for scale modelling: ■ Screw link couplings and hooks. ■ Etched brass heavy duty axle guards. ■ Cast metal…

APRIL 28 saw the start of a 10-part television series looking at ‘The architecture the railways built’. The show is hosted by historian Tim Dunn and is being shown on UKTV’s Yesterday channel. The production team, who were also behind Peter Snow’s ‘Rail Restoration’ show, gathered key people from Network Rail, Transport for London, European operators and heritage sites to talk about architectural and civil engineering heritage, and the way the modern railway looks after it. The first three episodes will have already been aired by the time this issue goes on sale, but they should be available on catch up. These covered a disused Tube station that played a crucial role in the Second World War and the revolutionary wrought iron Bennerley Viaduct; the architectural history of the Ffestiniog…

BESIDES those credited elsewhere, this issue has been made possible by the contributions of the following readers, to whom the editor is most grateful: Steve Donald, Barry Duffin, Peter Foster, Stephen Ginn, John Hales, Fraser Hay, Ryan Hayward, Brad Joyce, Steve King, Gordon Kirkby, Peter Laithwaite, Nicholas Ling, Greg Mape, Dave Mumford, Graham Nuttall, Keith Partlow, Chris Playfair, Colin Pottle, Karen Richardson, Craig Scott, Steve Sienkiewicz, Jamie Squibbs, Jack Taylor, Neil Walkling, and many more.…

THE fallout from the coronavirus began to hit freight companies hard in April, with Freightliner, DB Cargo, GBRf and Colas Rail all stepping down surplus locomotives. There has also been a loco cull at Freightliner, with 36 locomotives stored in the DHLT pool during April, including the whole Class 70 fleet. The full list is as follows: Merehead: 66420 Crewe Basford Hall: 66419, 66502, 66508, 66510, 66512, 66518, 66533, 66536, 66540, 66562, 66593, 66602 66617, 66621, 70001, 70004, 70006, 70008, 70010, 70011, 70014, 86614. Leeds Midland Road: 66418, 66514, 66528, 66538, 66589, 66598, 70002, 70003, 70005, 70007, 70015, 70016 and 70020. DBC AND GBRF DBC was particularly hit, storing more than 25 locomotives in the reactivated WFMS holding pool due to the drop in traffic. Sidelined at Toton were Class…

APRIL 23 saw the arrival at Norwich Crown Point of the last of Greater Anglia’s 38 bi-mode Stadler units, the ‘Flirt’ having been brought through the Channel Tunnel the previous day. No. 755403 arrived from Ripple Lane behind No. 66001, completing a programme that began on November 15, 2018. No. 755405, which had been the first set to arrive in the UK, finally entered passenger service on April 8. It had been preceded by No. 755406 on March 30. The only other members of the class still to be put into traffic were the aforementioned new arrival No. 755403 plus Nos. 755325/401. STANSTEDS INTO TRAFFIC The first of the Class 745/1 sets have entered service, operating initially on the Norwich to Liverpool Street route rather than their planned ‘Stansted Express’…

Correct to April 22, 2020 Allocations 62573 off registration scrapped 62629 off registration scrapped 142003/05/07/27-29/31/32/34/37-40/42/44/46/48-50/52-54/56/57/ 60/62 NH/EDHQ-HQ/SCXH 142009/12/14/15/17/19-22/26/30/63/64/67/79/84/86/88/89/91-93 HT/EDHQ-HQ/SCXH 142016/24/25/66 off registration - scrapped 170416/17 HA/HAHQ-DY/EMHQ 315804/14/16 IL/EKHQ-HQ/SAXU 315821/42 IL/EXHQ-HQ/SAXU 321901/02 HQ/SAXU-IL/EBHQ 350402/03/06/07/08/09 AK/EAHQNN/EJHQ 397002/06/08-10/12 HQ/EAHQ-MA/ TPEC 710112 newly delivered HQ/EKHQ 710119/20/23/29 HQ-WN 710276 newly delivered HQ/EKHQ 720524/28/32 newly delivered HQ/ EBHQ 745003/04 HQ-NC 745105/06/07 HQ-NC 800101 HQ-DR 801216 newly delivered DR/HBHQ 801225/26 HQ-DR 802305 newly delivered HQ/PFHQ Now in passenger traffic 345021/58/60 397009 710119/20/23/29 745003/04/05 745105/06/07 800101 801216/25/26 Stored/stopped locations (Note this was the situation in mid-April and units may be rotated in and out of store as required) Barrow Hill: 153302/08/11/18/19/57/72/74/79/81-85 Blackburn King Street: 142004/58/78/90 Bradford Forster Square: 321903 Clacton: 321901/02 Eastleigh Works: 142003/07/14/32/56/89, 442401 Ely: 317722, 317887/89/91/92 Exeter: 143603/11/12/18/19/21 Heaton: 142018/68/70/87/94/95,144015/18/21/23, 322481/82/85 Ilford: 315833/59, 317723/32 KWVR: 144001-07/09-14/16/17/19/20/22…

Correct to April 22, 2020 ALLOCATIONS 10401-6/11-17 NC/EBHQ-HQ/SBXH 11066-70/72/73/78/80-82/85/88/90/92-96/99 NC/EBHQ-HQ/SBXH 11075-77/87/91/98 HQ/BXH-CD/LSCO 11100/01 NC/EBHQ-HQ/SBXH 12009/12/13/15/16/19/21/24/26/27/30-32/34/35/40/41/46/49/51/56/57/60-62/64/66/67/73/79/81/84/90/91/ 93/97-99 NC/EBHQ-HQ/SBXH 12103/05/07-11/14-16/18/20/25/26/29/30/32/37/39/41/46-48/50/51/53/54/59/ 64/66/67/70/71 NC/EBHQ-HQ/SBXH 40705/11/35/37/40/ 48/50 EC/HBHQ-NL/EMHQ 41039/40/44/66/90/97-99 EC/HBHQ-NL/EMHQ 41100/20/50-52 EC/HBHQ-NL/EMHQ 42057-59/63-65/91 EC/HBHQ-NL/ EMHQ 42127/28/46/50/82/86/89/90-93/98/99 EC/HBHQ-NL/EMHQ 42238-40 EC/HBHQ-NL/EMHQ 42354 EC/HBHQ-NL/EMHQ 44019/45/61/63/77/80/94 EC/HBHQ-NL/EMHQ 82102/03/05/07/12/14/18/21/32/33/36/43/52 NC/EBHQ-HQ/SBXH RENUMBERED 41052-40622 PRESERVED Barry Island Tourist Railway: 10404, 11066/72/82 Crewe Heritage Centre: 12114, 82118 Midland Railway Centre: 10403, 11096, 12009/93, 12107/50 Northampton & Lamport Railway: 10412 SOLD Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue: 10415, 82143 STORED/STOPPED LOCATIONS Crewe HS: 10411/15/16,11068/70/75/76/77/87/91/98,12111/71, 82127/39/43 Doncaster Wabtec: 42503, 44004/20/24/35/40 Eastleigh TMD: 11094, 12012/19/26/27/41, 12115/51 Gascoigne Wood: 11502, 12704-06, 12802 Landore: 5961/98, 6024/42/54/67, 6158, 9507/20/26 Leicester: 11090/92/99, 12032/97, 82136 Long Marston: 11029, 12017/36/43/54/94, 12119 Worksop: 10304/05/08/32,11201/81/83/89, 11309/11/14/18,11409/11/14/18, 12203/15/29/30,12308/12/15/24, 12410/23/36/37/53/67/68/83/84, 12513/14/26,82206/15/18/20 DISPOSALS C F Booth, Rotherham: Arrival dates: March 30: 42117/63, 42306; April 1: 12016/24/99, 12103/20/41/70; April…

THE summer 2020 programme of events continues to suffer from cancellations, with galas into July being consigned to the dustbin. The latest casualty is the Gloucestershire-Warwickshire Railway’s gala at the end of July. Other events in June/July are yet to be confirmed, so please check with the railways concerned. Diesel Galas May 23/24: Heritage Shunters Trust (Cancelled) June 4-6: North Yorkshire Moors Railway (Cancelled) June 4-7: West Somerset Railway (Cancelled) June 6/7: Swindon & Cricklade Railway (TBC) June 12-14: Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway (Cancelled) June 26-28: Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (TBC) July 2-4: East Lancashire Railway (Cancelled) July 11/12: Chasewater Railway (TBC) July 24-26: Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway (Cancelled) Mixed Traction galas (steam & diesel) June 12-14: North Norfolk Railway (Cancelled) June 27/28: Wensleydale Railway (Forces event - TBC)…

Devon & Cornwall Railfreight By David Mitchell Published by Silver Link Publishing www.nostalgiacollection.com208 pages, colour, hardback. £40 RAILFREIGHT in Devon and Cornwall today is a shadow of its former self, and this book chronicles the decline over the last 50 years of various flows now consigned to history. It begins in the latter steam years, but most of the photos used are of diesels through to the current Privatised era. Examples of lost trade covered include Devon milk trains; Cornish china clay; grain and fertiliser traffic; coal around Exmouth Junction, Plymstock cement works and Falmouth Docks; oil to Exeter, Heathfield, Plymouth and Hayle; Ministry of Defence trains, including nuclear flasks from Devonport Dockyard; cement, timber and aggregates. The book uses a mixture of text, maps and photos – the latter…