How could I resist filming a train with my name in its name?!!!! I wouldn't have missed this one anyway, as it was the return of the "real" engine - "Braunton" - with its real name. Gone is our wartime hero Lord Dowding and here, once again, is the delightful West Country village of Braunton.
Be that as it may, what you are interested in is what there is in this mini-programme. It's a record of the Saphos Trains' railtour of 16th June 2019 which ran from Bristol Temple Meads via Westbury and Taunton to Paignton and then over the Torbay Steam Railway to Kingswear "for Dartmouth". It was entitled "The English Riviera Express" although it only bore Saphos' own headboard.
I first saw it in the Avon Valley at Avoncliffe where I endeavoured to capture steam and water in one shot. The water was on two levels, in the river below and the canal above the railway. Sadly the weather was crap so, although I arrived there in sunshine, by the time the train arrived it was dark from black clouds.
I moved on to Castle Cary, where the train ran through at speed and I then made my way to Dawlish where the "Orange Army" had reassembled at the beginning of the week to attempt to correct the problems on the sea wall for good. A rail train behind a Colas class 70 looked as though it would obscure the steam but this tragedy was avoided and "Braunton" powered past just before a nasty class 150 train tried to do the same.
I couldn't get through Torbay (where all the car drivers appear to be dead people) so the scene at Kingswear shows some stock movements: this gives us the chance to see one side of "Braunton" and confirm that there hadn't been time to line the engine out!
Next I went to Churston, to see the other side of the engine and it being turned. It went l/e to Paignton for coaling so I shot it returning south - from the beach at Goodrington as the weather proved to be more suitable for the seagulls.
Departure from Kingswear came as "Kingswear Castle" approached: not a Collett masterpiece but a fabulous Paddle Steamer. "Braunton" made an energetic departure and ran at the bank up to Churston.
I moved on to Newton Abbott where the modern "GWR" had provided one of its "Castle" class trains - a sadly-foreshortened HST. The tour train was now running quite late due to a check at Torquay and then had had to wait for a number of service trains to pass. I got it twice more on the return with - at last! - plenty of clag, whose strange behaviour shows how horrendous was the weather! Burlescombe was energetically charged with, apparently, a speed of 58mph into Whiteball. Further delays at Taunton made it pass me just before the site of Curry Rivel Junction (I've always wanted to caption a shot there!) and she was going such great guns thereafter that I couldn't catch her again, but was satisfied with my day's "captures". I hope you will be too.
Captions show locations, times and variations from the scheduled times. all the lateness was recovered on the return!