FOLLOWING the trauma of Saturday, December 29, 1962, when I didn't get home until 1.55am Sunday morning, it just so happened I was due to attend a committee meeting in Plymouth that Sunday afternoon.

This was to plan next year's railtour, which was to be a return trip from Exeter Central to Padstow, hauled by the 'preserved but still in BR service' T9 class 4-4-0 No.120, already in the London & South Western Railway's light green livery.

Though doubtful if I would reach Plymouth in time to contribute anything useful to the proceedings, I set forth from Shiphay at 2pm, hoping to catch the down 'Cornish Riviera Express' which stopped at Newton Abbot on Sundays at 2.31pm.

It had still been snowing that morning until 11am, but nevertheless the No.28 buses were running, the first one getting me to Newton by 2.40pm.

As expected, I need not have worried about missing the train, because the overnight Manchester to Penzance service, due at 10.30am, had not yet arrived! This was expected soon.

Otherwise, the station looked pretty much as I had left it at 1.20am that morning. Indeed on inquiry, I was told there had been no trains up from Plymouth since the one I saw arrive at 1.05am! The down milk empties had evidently been terminated at Newton, and the stock was now reposing on the down through line.

An emergency timetable appeared to be in operation. Warship class diesel-hydraulic No.D801 Vanguard came up from Paignton at 2.47pm with a scratch coach formation, and connected into a nine-car DMU set, which left platform No.8 at 3.05pm bound for Bristol.

At 3.30pm, now almost five hours late, the overnight Manchester arrived behind an unidentified Warship class diesel.

Vanguard had by now run around its train, and at 3.40pm provided a connection down to Kingswear. I boarded the Manchester, and now with a D63XX pilot on the front, we left for Plymouth at 3.55pm.

Trains were now starting to roll out of Plymouth, we crossed two either side of Totnes, where an extended stay lasted 13 minutes.

Probably a depleted Sunday staff were finding it impossible for one man to despatch trains from both up and down sides at the same time.

Beyond Totnes, as the line climbed through Tigley and Rattery to Brent, the snow layer became deeper, and through the cuttings beyond Brent, at Bittaford and before Ivybridge viaduct, the snow had drifted to several feet deep.

Worse was to come, with drifts eight feet deep near the Ivybridge up distant signal and again in the cutting before Cornwood, where a stretch 50 yards long had been covered with snow five feet deep.

It was clear the snowploughs must have been out all night.

On arrival at Plymouth at 5.25pm, I found there was a train of sorts waiting to go back to Newton, so I boarded it post-haste and was on my way back to Newton at 5.30pm.

The train was probably the 5.05pm Perishables service from Plymouth Millbay to Paddington, which on weekdays normally carried one passenger coach in its formation.

This was confirmed when we stopped at Tavistock Junction yard, and backed down on to 21 vans of broccoli, which in these circumstances will probably fetch a good price in London on Monday morning, where this train was due to arrive at 2.40am.

The committee meeting was reconvened for the following Sunday.