Diesel Hydraulic
"Vanguard" Shunter

In June 1963 a new half a mile connection, blasted through a 70,000 cubic foot rock cutting, between the site of the former Plymstock station, on the ex G.W.R. branch line to Yealmpton, and the 1961 built Plymstock cement works, was completed by T.W. Ward Ltd. of Sheffield, for Associated Portland Cement Manufactures Ltd. The contractors were better known, at the time, for their demolition of the West Country's railway lines following the "Beeching Plan", rather than building new lines. The track ran around the north side of the cement works to specially constructed loading bays. British Railways had produced special wagons capable of carrying 20 tons of bulk cement, and one of the regular routes for the bulk loads was to Chasewater, in Cornwall, where the company had a storage silo. Incoming freight traffic to the plant consisted of quantities of paint and kiln bricks. The building of the railway into the plant cost some £2 million, and to work this heavy traffic over the sharply curved and graded connection, an 0-4-0 diesel hydraulic "Vanguard" shunter was purchased from Thomas Hill (Rotherham) Ltd.

Later in 1965, work started on the other side of the old station site on the construction of a depot for the unloading of Liquid Petroleum Gas, for South West Gas. The liquid gas was carried in special rail tankers at 20p.s.i., and then piped across to a giant 860 ton "Horton Sphere" in the nearby Breakwater Gas Works. At the peak of this traffic, about 300 tons of L.P.G. would arrive a week to increase the calorific value of the locally produced gas. When North Sea gas eventually reached the West Country, the Gas Works was mothballed, and this traffic ended, eventually the Breakwater Gas Works was closed and demolished.

During the mid 1980's the traffic being generated by the cement works was reducing, and members of the Plym Valley Railway helped to shorten and reduce the rail network on the north side of the plant. Several points and a length of track were removed and transported back to the Plym Valley, and now form part of the carriage sidings at Marsh Mills. In 1988 rail traffic ceased completely, and the Vanguard locomotive was moved to the Plym Valley in 1990. The road transporter came out of the works and over Laira Bridge and back out towards Marsh Mills past the British Rail, Laira Diesel Depot, where the Vanguard had been taken several times by rail for maintenance and wheel turning. Once off-loaded from the transporter 13002 was used to tow the Vanguard up the old access ramp and onto the main site. Blue Circle Industries P.L.C., as the cement company had become, had kept the locomotive in good condition, it being driven onto the road transporter by the Blue Circle driver, so once crew familiarisation was carried out, the Vanguard took her turn with 13002 on engineering trains, during construction of the first section of the Plym Valley Railway.

The cement works itself has now closed and been demolished. Blue Circle cement is now distributed from the old china clay dries at Moorswater, just below Liskeard in Cornwall. The site is rail connected, with trains normally operating on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The Vanguard has been re-painted into a new blue livery, and is used on engineering trains as the railway extends the line from World's End to Plym Bridge. Unfortunately the locomotive is not fitted with vacuum brakes, so it cannot be used on passenger services.

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Vanguard in the loco shed at  Blue Circle, Plymstock	Vanguard coming up the old access ramp before it was dismantled, Dec 1990	Vanguard on the curve up to Bridge No. 2
Vanguard on a works train at Bridge No. 2	Shunting the D.M.U. prior to a July running day	Shunting Byfield, 13002 and Albert. Dec. 2008.

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