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Par Photo Gallery

Par lies about halfway along the Duchy of Cornwall, and is the junction for the branch line to Newquay. Like Lostwithiel, it retains a lot of Great Western character, retaining a full set of lower-quadrant semaphore signals. The stone-built station building also survives. Like Lostwithiel, it's a good prototype to model, perhaps a slightly less-attractive setting, but a much more compact layout.

Most of these photographs were taken between 1988 and 1990, in the last years of the Speedlink wagonload network, and I make no apoligies for the bias towards wagonload freight trains in the photographs I have selected. Par was a good place to photograph wagonload freight in action; almost all freight traffic ran first to St Blazey yard, which lies half a mile along the Newquay branch. Trip workings between St Blazey and points west must reverse in the station, as the junction faces east. Email me if you have questions or comments.

Looking north from the road bridge in March 1988 sees ex-works class 50 No 50003 "Temeraire" heading a Plymouth to Penzance local. 50003 was the last class 50 to receive an overhaul, and it's Network South East livery seems a little out of place this far west. Two months later these loco-hauled workings were a thing of the past, replaced by plastic sprinters. Note the junction signal on the wrong side of the track, for better visiblity for drivers coming round the curve.

Looking through the same road bridge in June 1990, Class 47 No 47337 "Herbert Austin" arrives with the morning Tavistock Junction to St Blazey Speedlink working. At the time, all freight workings were diagrammed for Class 37 haulage, so a 47 on freight was rare. All the wagons apart from the leading oil tank are empty china clay wagons, either slurry tankers or bulk covered hoppers.

Back on the bridge again, 47489 "Crewe Diesel Depot" heads a late-running Leeds-Penzance parcels. The locomotive is painted in the then-new parcels sector livery, it's smart appearance a contrast to the scruffy vans making up the train.

In June 1989, Class 37 No 37671, named "Tre, Pol and Pen" is in charge of a single wagon being tripped from St Blazey yard to one of the clay dries in the St Austell area, probably Parkindillick. It had just run round the wagon, and propelled it out onto the main line. The locomotive is painted incorrectly in Railfreight Metals livery, which it carried for several months.

Moving forwards to 1998, 37673, now in the already obselete Transrail livery passes through with a rake of empty CDAs from Lostwithiel.

By 1989, class 50s were very rare this far west. Here, 50001 "Dreadnought" passes with a train of empty 'Dogfish' ballast hoppers, presumably returning from engineering work further west.

Another 50, No 50046 "Ajax", passes slowly through the station, arriving to pick up the Laira breakdown crane. Two days earlier a train of CDAs had derailed on the points behind the locomotive, and repair work is in progress behind the locomotive.

Another 47 on local china clay work. 47258 arrives with the midday Drinnick Mill to St Blazey trip working, which will run round in the station before rounding the curve visible in the far right of the picture towards St Blazey yard. The two vans in the middle of the train were added to the afternoon Speedlink working to Gloucester, while the four PBA covered hoppers will form part of the overnight 'Clayliner' to Cliffe Vale near Stoke-on-Trent.

The only picture I have of the old 12ton 'Clayhood' wagons. On a summer Saturday in 1988, these wagons were on the first part of their final journey to the scrapyard, having been replaced a few months earlier by the more modern CDA hoppers. The locomotive in 47441.

Another 1990 example of the wonderfully-mixed trip workings in the area. It's conclusive proof that Yeoman hoppers don't only run in block trains. This is the early morning (7am) trip from St Blazey to Parkindillick. The first two wagons will be loaded with calcified seaweed.

June 1998. 37521 backs onto the midday trip working from Burngullow to St Blazey, having run round. Once coupled up, the train will reverse out of the station before proceeding round the curve to St Blazey. Once upon a time those slurry tanks were clean.

In June 1988, the last year when Class 50s were still a common sight in Cornwall, No 50005 approaches the station with the midday Penzance to Glasgow mail. Note the class 122 'bubble car' stabled in the carraige siding. This is the Newquay branch train, waiting out of the way so that freight trains can use the platform road. The siding is actually level, the mail line descends at something like a 2% gradient. There was nothing quite like the sound of a 50 hitting that grade from a standing start with 13 coaches. Those were the days! The large building in the background is the clay dries at Par docks, most of who's output is exported by sea, although it does still generate a little rail traffic.