Great Western Railway Trains at Liskeard on July 29th 2022

2nd visit to Liskeard Station on the Cornish Main Line as well as the terminus of the Looe Valley Line from Looe and first visit since October 2018.

Featuring services from Great Western Railway and a surprise guest from a Network Rail Maintenance Train with 2 ex LNER HST Locos from Reading Triangle Sidings to Paignton via Penzance and Dawlish Warren

On the day of filming there was disruption due to a Distressed Cow on the main line between Newton Abbot and Totnes near Dainton earlier that morning which caused severe delays and cancellations especially London Bound Trains were worst affected.

At 03:38 802015 from Newquay would get Swapped with 800020 & 800024 at Plymouth) and then attached to 802006 on a late 1414 service to London Paddington leaving Plymouth 26 minutes late and would eventually arrive at London Paddington 53 Minutes Late

Liskeard station was opened on May 4th 1859 by the Cornwall Railway situated 0.5 mile south west of the Town Centre itself.

Today there are 3 Platforms with Platforms 1 and 2 being the Cornish Main Line whilst separately Platform 3 is used by Hourly services on the Looe Valley Line to Looe

The first rail line to Looe wasn't the Looe Valley Line itself in fact there was another rail line from the village of Moorswater located west of Liskeard was opened on December 27th 1860.

The present line from Liskeard was opened on February 25th 1901 which connects at Coombe Junction however the incline is steep of 1 in 40 which passes under the Cornish Main Line via Liskeard Viaduct.

Nowadays at Coombe Junction which is only served by 2 trains a day to operate the junction has to be switched manually by the guard.

Like other Branches like the Tamar Valley Line to Gunninslake, Atlantic Coast Line beyond North of St Blazeys junction and the St Ives Bay line from St Erth to St Ives only one train is allowed onto the branch line at a time.

The only times that Looe trains terminate outside Platform 3 is early morning or late night with trains proceeding to Plymouth which stock for the branch line are either maintained at Long Rock near Penzance, Laira near Plymouth or Exeter TMD opposite to Exeter St Davids Station.

The former Brunel booking office is still intact today however the recent modernisation with an extended building in a curve glazed canopy dates from 2004.

London Bound Trains still remain 1 every 2 hours nowadays provided by Class 800 and 802 IETs although on Summer Fridays and Saturdays up until 2019 and since June 2022 it's not just services to Penzance serve here but also 1 train a day from London Paddington - Newquay however outside that Newquay services would normally start from Par.

In between Half Hourly services in between either from Plymouth, Exeter St Davids, Bristol Temple Meads or in recent times Cardiff Central and on weekdays 1 train a day starts from Gloucester with most provided by Class 43 HSTs however in short set formation known now as Castle HSTs with other stock including Class 150s which now are the main stay for the Looe Branch Line as well as Class 158 Sprinters.

North of Liskeard and Moorswater Viaduct are signs that the signalling is changing with modern LED signals slowly taking over the former Semaphore Signaling which at the time of filming is still controlled by Liskeard Signal Box situated to the rear of Platform 1 however its on borrowed time which is due to be replaced completely by the end of 2023 which will result in Liskeard, Par and Truro Signal Boxes being closed completely with the signalling control being handed to Plymouth.

Music used:
JJD - Adventure
Music provided by NCS

Video link:
NoCopyrightSounds
   • JJD - Adventure | Glitch Hop | NCS - ...  

Filmed on Friday July 29th 2022 on iPhone 12 Pro and edited on iMovie

#greatwesternrailway #gwr #cornwall