Sidings at Liskeard

[TrainClips]

I was at Liskeard station around a year ago now, and I honestly don't know why this popped into my head, but I was just thinking about the 2 sidings adjacent to the Looe platform. They're visible on google maps which is probably what reminded me; but I just started thinking when and why was the last time they were used. If anyone has any information it would be appreciated.

Troy

 

[30907]

If the satellite view is to be trusted, the north end points in the former goods yard have been part plain-lined, leaving only the through siding which AFAIK is in daily use and the remains of a loop siding which is still accessible from the south. Doesn't really answer your question but I don't remember the yard being in use even in 1970.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Are we talking about the old track adjacent to the Cornwall Farmers premises?

 

[Gloster]

In the mid-1980s the sidings could be used for engineer’s wagons, or clayhoods if they were stopped or the load needed to be brought up from Moorswater in two runs. It wasn’t frequent, but it happened.

 

[TrainClips]

Are we talking about the old track adjacent to the Cornwall Farmers premises?

Yes

In the mid-1980s the sidings could be used for engineer’s wagons, or clayhoods if they were stopped or the load needed to be brought up from Moorswater in two runs. It wasn’t frequent, but it happened.

Oh wow so they havent been used in a while. Wonder why they havent been ripped up then.

 

[Gloster]

Oh wow so they havent been used in a while. Wonder why they havent been ripped up then.

I don’t how long they continued to be used: it might well have been as long as there was clay traffic to Moorswater. That ended in 1997, but the sidings could have remained available after that.

 

[richw]

I took this on 21 June 2017 from the station car park, not sure if it helps any of the questions

 

[Right Away]

There are a couple of pictures showing 33207 stabled in the sidings when the Steam Railmotor visited Looe on consecutive Sundays during November 2012. The 33 was used to move the railmotor on the main line as it was only permitted to be used under its own steam once on the Looe branch.

The first picture, found by scrolling down the page to the relevant article, shows the railmotor arriving into the bay at Liskeard with the 33 stabled in the background. The second picture is a view of the 33 stabled taken from the car park. It appears to be stabled in one of the dead end sidings and not the 'through' line used to access the branch from the main line.

Looe branch including Moorswater

Liskeard to Looe branch & Moorswater

www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk

Steam Railmotor No.93, Liskeard Station. Sunday 11th.November 2012.

Rail Traction Photos by Richard Smith

railtractionphotosbyrichardsmith.weebly.com

Further to the above, there is a video on YouTube called 'Steam railmotor ascending bank from Coombe to Liskeard' taken from onboard that clearly shows 33207 stabled in the dead end siding at Liskeard closest to the bay platform. 6:10 to 6:40 on the video.

 

[TrainClips]

I took this on 21 June 2017 from the station car park, not sure if it helps any of the questions

Good picture, but I'm on about the sidings next to where the train is. Thank you though!

 

[DelW]

Oh wow so they havent been used in a while. Wonder why they havent been ripped up then.

At a guess, because lifting them costs money while leaving them in place doesn't? I doubt if the scrap value of the rail would cover the costs of removal and transport.

 

[30907]

Good picture, but I'm on about the sidings next to where the train is. Thank you though!

Useful too, because it shows that the north end points I mentioned were still usable in 2012 but not 2017.

 

[TrainClips]

There are a couple of pictures showing 33207 stabled in the sidings when the Steam Railmotor visited Looe on consecutive Sundays during November 2012. The 33 was used to move the railmotor on the main line as it was only permitted to be used under its own steam once on the Looe branch.

The first picture, found by scrolling down the page to the relevant article, shows the railmotor arriving into the bay at Liskeard with the 33 stabled in the background. The second picture is a view of the 33 stabled taken from the car park. It appears to be stabled in one of the dead end sidings and not the 'through' line used to access the branch from the main line.

Looe branch including Moorswater

Liskeard to Looe branch & Moorswater

www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk

Steam Railmotor No.93, Liskeard Station. Sunday 11th.November 2012.

Rail Traction Photos by Richard Smith

railtractionphotosbyrichardsmith.weebly.com

Further to the above, there is a video on YouTube called 'Steam railmotor ascending bank from Coombe to Liskeard' taken from onboard that clearly shows 33207 stabled in the dead end siding at Liskeard closest to the bay platform. 6:10 to 6:40 on the video.

That video is really good, thank you!

 

[richw]

Good picture, but I'm on about the sidings next to where the train is. Thank you though!

Near to the loco you can see they don’t appear to be connected any more.

 

[DerekC]

This is what's shown in the Sectional Appendix:

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/indus...ators/national-electronic-sectional-appendix/

It looks as though there are two sets of points still operational.

 

[30907]

Interesting, because the photographic evidence suggests a different siding is still usable (facing from the main line, not trailing).

 

[richw]

This is what's shown in the Sectional Appendix:

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/indus...ators/national-electronic-sectional-appendix/

It looks as though there are two sets of points still operational.

All that appears to show is the links to mainline from branch line, and the reversal into the platform

Interesting, because the photographic evidence suggests a different siding is still usable (facing from the main line, not trailing).

There is 100% not a trailing siding.

 

[Gloster]

Google maps, date unknown, just shows a loop/loop siding alongside the connection between the mainline and the branch, a short overrun/headshunt at the ground frame connection between the connection and the branch, and a short siding off the loop that is alongside the branch platform line. As far as I can see, the diagrams in the Sectional Appendix only shows how and where sidings, etc. are connected with the running lines, not their actual arrangement. I think that the line connecting the mainline and the branch is regarded as a through siding, not a running line. The line alongside the Up mainline east of the signal box appears to be disconnected.

 

[DerekC]

This cab video, posted in April last year but I guess shot in Summer 2018, shows the ground frame area quite well (start at 24:30). It looks as though the GF controls only the pair of switches which are set reverse to give access to the branch, when normal leading to the headshunt mentioned by @Gloster . The next switch along towards the main line, which gave access to the loop siding and the dead end siding the Class 33 was standing on in the "railmotor" video above has got a switch rail missing. Although the Sectional Appendix suggests that the dead end siding is still connected, it clearly isn't!

 

[richw]

I think that the line connecting the mainline and the branch is regarded as a through siding, not a running line. The line alongside the Up mainline east of the signal box appears to be disconnected.

On rare occasion a special charter has run to looe they have to get off, as no passengers allowed to travel over the connection

 

[Gloster]

This cab video, posted in April last year but I guess shot in Summer 2018, shows the ground frame area quite well (start at 24:30). It looks as though the GF controls only the pair of switches which are set reverse to give access to the branch, when normal leading to the headshunt mentioned by @Gloster . The next switch along towards the main line, which gave access to the loop siding and the dead end siding the Class 33 was standing on in the "railmotor" video above has got a switch rail missing. Although the Sectional Appendix suggests that the dead end siding is still connected, it clearly isn't!

The points at the ground frame would be set for the overrun and can only be set to run onto the branch once the ground frame is operated, which presumably needs the token to unlock it. Therefore you can’t get on to the branch without the token. Because of the missing rail the short siding alongside the branch platform cannot be accessed. As there looks like an upturned sleeper on the loop siding, it may be accessible from the mainline end, but not from the other end.

 

[richw]

As there looks like an upturned sleeper on the loop siding, it may be accessible from the mainline end, but not from the other end.

The sleeper has a stop sign and light for trains coming from the main line direction