Class 08s around Exeter

[Cowley]

Would any knowledgeable person out there know which class 08s were used around Exeter in the late 70s early 80s? It's for an 0 gauge project I'm doing with a friend based on the Barnstaple/Bideford area. I have in my mind possibly 08576 as one but I'm not sure. Can't seem to find anything much online.
Thanks.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Probably of no help at all but I have a picture of 08839 taken at Taunton in the mid 1980's (maybe 1984).

 

[Cowley]

That is a help thanks. I thought I'd gone too obscure even for here... So far I've come up with 08576, 08953 and now 08839 in at least the early to mid 80s. I do remember these ones but I wasn't sure if they were there around 1980, now I think they were.
Hard to imagine Exeter having so many 08s now.
They were all outbased Laira ones.

 

[JohnR]

Didnt the Intercity Society do some books in the 80s called "Shunter Duties" which may be of assistance?

 

[Cowley]

Didnt the Intercity Society do some books in the 80s called "Shunter Duties" which may be of assistance?

I'll have a look for that then thanks

 

[RichmondCommu]

Didnt the Intercity Society do some books in the 80s called "Shunter Duties" which may be of assistance?

Yes it did! I have a copy of the 1982 edition which shows Laira based 08s carrying out the following duties at Exeter in 1982; Exeter St David's Station Pilot and Exeter Riverside Yard with trips to Central Station and the City Basin Oil Terminal. There was also a spare loco which therefore leads one to assume that Exeter had three class 08s in 1982.

I can only apologize for not thinking of this last night.

Kind regards,

Richmond Commuter!

 

[Cowley]

Excellent stuff.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Excellent stuff.

You are most welcome! I looked through the book for any pictures at Exeter but couldn't see any.

Give me a few days (i.e. the weekend) and I'll look through the rest of my photo's and see if I can see any class 08s at Exeter.

 

[Cowley]

That'd be great, we're going for something in the Exeter to Bideford sort of area. I realise that 08s stayed around Exeter and wouldn't have strayed too far but my friend's bought a 25 in 0 and that was 900 quid weathered with sound so I'm setting my sights a bit lower!
He's making up some boards at the moment and I have a picture in my mind of something a bit like Fremington Quay, ie a bit overgrown and the last knockings of trip freights (at least we won't need much stock).

This should probably be in the modelling section, hope I don't get told off I remember the cement trains to Central and City Basin sidings, wouldn't mind incorporating some of that too, unfortunately I don't have Pete Watermans space or budget...

 

[Taunton]

Probably of no help at all but I have a picture of 08839 taken at Taunton in the mid 1980's (maybe 1984).

A big batch of Darlington-built shunters came to the "83" group of Western depots in 1962, D4158-69, which later were 08928-39. They were some of the last 08 shunters built. Taunton got three, D4163-5, which were stalwarts there for years afterwards. They displaced about half a dozen 57xx pannier tanks. One was for some years generally the west end passenger pilot, used to draw back arrivals from Minehead/Barnstaple/Exeter local, across the west end layout, and then propel them into the down side bays. These services changed over to dmus over the years following, apart from summer Saturdays when they continued as Hymek-powered hauled services. The other shunters worked the various freight yards around Taunton station.

Taunton also had class 03 D21xx shunters allocated, but they didn't work there, all their duties were down at Bridgwater. One would waddle back to Taunton on odd afternoons for refuelling.

 

[Cowley]

Thanks for that Taunton. A bit before my time but I do remember the odd 08 stabled in the west end bay. There used to be an 03 at a factory in Bridgewater in the 80s, it was privately owned and I remember seeing it a few times.

 

[AJM580]

If you can get hold of one, a platform 5 book from that era might help. They used to have a little section at the back of the loco book showing the depot allocations grouped by depot. As Laira depot used to supply Exeter with 08s their allocation list should show the numbers you want.

 

[Cowley]

If you can get hold of one, a platform 5 book from that era might help. They used to have a little section at the back of the loco book showing the depot allocations grouped by depot. As Laira depot used to supply Exeter with 08s their allocation list should show the numbers you want.

That's a good idea, I hadn't thought of that. I'll have a look online later. I'm not sure when they were first published but I remember having a 1985 one when I first started spotting.

 

[Rover]

Take a look HERE

These are my observations on the stabling point at Exeter in the 80s. Plenty of 08s to choose from. One that was very rare at Exeter (I never saw it there) was 08584 which was normally to be found at Meldon Quarry. You're right about 08576 - it was there!

regards
Kev

 

[Cowley]

Excellent Kev, thank you for that. I think I might go for 08955 as I remember that one from 86/87 and your notes show it being around in 1980 which is perfect. I'll have a look at the rest of your site when I get the Internet sorted out hopefully on Monday.
I didn't realise or had more likely forgotten that there was one outbased at Meldon, I imagine that was quite a difficult one to capture!
This has been most helpful.

Nick

 

[Rover]

The one at Meldon was way off the beaten track. No rail service in them days you either had to catch a bus or have a car. Although 08584 was a regular there it wasn't always there. I've never been to Meldon Quarry and I have seen 08584 so it got me thinking where did I see it? Turns out it was on Newton Abbot shed 6 June 1981.

Glad you found it useful.

Kev

 

[EbbwJunction1]

My copy of the Inter City Railway Society's "Shunter Duties" publication for 1979 says the following:

The shunters were provided by Newton Abbott (NA) and the duties for the Exeter area were:

1. Meldon Quarry Pilot
2. Exeter St David's Station Pilot (Air Braked)
3. Exeter Riverside Yard
4. Exeter Local Trip Pilot

Numbers 1 & 2 were continuous. No. 3 was weekdays and nights only, with the loco being stabled at Exeter Stabling Point at weekends. No. 4 was based at Riverside Yard, with trips daily to Exmouth Junction sidings and City Basin Oil Terminal; it stabled or shunted at Riverside Yard at night and was stabled at Exeter Stabling Point at weekends.

Sadly, there's no section in this book saying what the numbers of the actual shunters were, but I thought that thus would be useful as background.

 

[Cowley]

Thanks for that and for everyone's input.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Apologies for going off topic here but when the did the depot at Newton Abbot close? I'm guessing that it would have closed when the station was re-signaled?

 

[Cowley]

Apologies for going off topic here but when the did the depot at Newton Abbot close? I'm guessing that it would have closed when the station was re-signaled?

I think it shut quite a lot earlier than that, the main depot in the early 70s maybe and the remaining bits like the fuel point in the early 80s, certainly it was derelict by the mid to late 80s.

 

[Taunton]

I think it shut quite a lot earlier than that, the main depot in the early 70s.

The diesel depot at Newton was always a bit of a curiosity with the main diesel depot at Laira just 30 miles down the line. Furthermore there never seemed any distinction in duties of the main line loco allocations between Newton and Laira, the Warships and D6300, which I think were the only two types actually allocated to Newton, seemed to be operated in a common pool, and any could turn up anywhere. I believe no Western, or any main line diesel-electric type, was ever allocated there.

If the Swindon and the North British Warships, with their different engines and transmissions, had been allocated one each it would have made some sense in terms of engineering skills and spares, but in practice half the fleet of each type were allocated to each of Newton and Laira. The same applied to the D63xx, which are effectively half a NB Warship.