The lorry supplied by Allely's Heavy Haulage was a little late in arriving due to traffic, but shortly after midday the lorry rumbled into the station yard. The arrival of the lorry caused brief worry to the HRDG crew when we realised the lorry loads the rail vehicle from the front of the trailor and not the rear! Unsure if our Gwinear Road site would facilitate this some hectic phone calls were made to the other group members back in Cornwall. These members were busy back at Gwinear removing fencing and making other last minute adjustments prior to the arrival of the lorry. Credit must go to Steve Thomas, James Packman and Tim Naylor for responding to our worries quickly and getting some more aggregate delivered within hours!!

(left) While waiting for the lorry to arrive at Bishops Lydeard, Helston Railway Diesel Group's Chairman, Perry McDonagh (right), and Diesel and Electric Preservation Society (DEPG) secretary John Cronin pose infront of the trailer car 56169 for a photograph during the handover of the unit. (Below) Power car 50413 pictured on the lorry in the station yard at Bishops Lydeard. Photos: Nathan Stockman.

The Allely's crew were quick and professional in loading the power car at Bishops Lydeard with the resident class 08 shunting locomotive being used to push the unit onto the lorry. It was then Cornwall bound down the M5 to Exeter before taking the A30 over Dartmoor and on into Cornwall. The journey through Cornwall was a little slow with heavy traffic over the A30 Goss Moor section due to road works for the new bypass, then of course our lorry had to divert via Roche village to prevent bashing the Goss Moor railway bridge!!

Shortly after 20:00 the lorry was arriving at Gwinear Road the sun now shining after a day of heavy rain, not helping the ground conditions for unloading the DMU!! The lorry stopped short of the railway crossing at Gwinear Road so the driver could obtain permission from Roskear Signal Box to cross. After waiting for the passage of a Virgin Voyager our class 103 power car crossed the Cornish mainline and the lorry 'shunted' itself into position ready for it to off load the unit into its new home.

50413 rolled off the lorry and into the cattle dock with ease, the track standing up to the job, a credit to all those who have worked up a sweat over the last few weeks getting the site in order.

The arrival of 50413 attracted much attention of passers by and quite a crowd had gathered to watch the event, but with the sun now disapearing it was time for all to head home. After saying a big 'well done' to each other the HRDG crew headed home while the empty lorry and crew parked up overnight at Gwinear Road. Early the next morning (Tuesday 23rd) the lorry was back off to Bishops Lydeard to collect the second vehicle, trailer 56169.

56169 arrived at Gwinear around 14:30 on Tuesday 23rd May allowing time to replace the boundary fencing prior to the evening celebrations!!

With the unit safely in place it was time to party!! Thanks to Keith Lee and family (owners of the site) a marquee had been errected in the adjacent garden and the evening was spent with a barbeque and some well deserved drink!!

The DMU in the cattle Dock.	The HRDG crew.
Photos: Stuart Walker