esngblog

Buckfastleigh station is very well kept, and has some good branchline touches, like the trolley for the luggage and the milk churns awaiting collection.

1930’s carriages sit next to the preserved line’s staple piece of rolling stock – the BR Mk1 carriage.  The different shades of early BR livery are interesting.

And every preserved line needs an O3 shunter.  The SDR does run heritage diesel services as well as its historic steam trains.

At the back of the yard was this Hall class 4-6-0, in need of some TLC.  I have always liked these medium sized GWR 4-6-0’s better than the large Castles and Kings.  The cylinders situated at the mid-point of the bogie, with a straight steam pipe feeding them looks much neater than having the cylinders behind the bogie.

Also at the back of the yard were a coupe of diesels, a single railcar, and some wagons.  The original line to Ashburton would have been through the crossing gate in the background.

Back at Totnes, this Hawksworth brake composite was on the end of our train.  Handsome carriages, with their curved roof profile, and minimal tumblehome on the bodies.

Also in Totnes was this BR Southern Region ferry van, for services into Europe on the cross-Channel train ferry.

And a GWR ‘Monster’ – like a very large, flush-sided, Siphon.  I’ve always wanted a model of one of these.

Another regular on preserved railways – the standard BR brake van.

And a line of wagons, including a pipe wagon.

Back at Buckfastleigh, we waited for the next train to leave.

And we then drove a mile or so to visit Buckfast Abbey.  Founded in 1018, but ruined during the dissolution of the monasteries, it was rebuilt between 1907 and 1938.  The abbey is an attractive building, with its light stone interior making it an ‘airy’ place.

And it’s a bit of a contrast to the little Methodist chapel, that overlooks the abbey.  It predates the rebuilding, so there’s no sense of competition here – just two very different but equally attractive places of worship.

A week’s holiday in the south-west started with a company reunion meal in the RNLI at Poole, Dorset.  Wonderful views of the harbour and the lifeboats parked moored outside the headquarters building.  We also had a tour of the training college, and a chance to have a go on the lifeboat simulator – a full bridge simulator with 3D projection through all the cabin windows – allowing you to navigate a lifeboat out of Dover Harbour and rescue people from a sinking ship.  It became more interesting when they wound the waves up – it was so realistic that you swayed from side to side to keep your sea legs even though the simulator itself wasn’t moving.

Weekend in Poole, then on to Brunel Manor in Torquay – for more reunions, this time from the church I attended for 20 years (on-and-off) in Hong Kong.  Brunel Manor was never occupied by Brunel, but he bought the land for his retirement home, then died before enjoying it.  The grand house was built after his death.

He would have had a good sea view, especially as most of these trees wouldn’t have been there 100 years ago.

We had a difficult choice.  Should we visit the Paignton to Kingswear railway and have a ride across to Dartmouth on the ferry?  Or visit the smaller South Devon Railway (formerly the Dart Valley line)?  The South Devon Railway won, partly from nostalgia – I had visited it in its early days about 45 years ago with my parents – and partly from convenience, as there is a large free car park at Buckfastleigh, and we didn’t have to park in Paignton.

We thought we had missed the train we were aiming for, but this GWR small Prairie tank was still in the station due to a signalling problem, so we had plenty of time to get aboard.

The station yard had more diesels than steam on show.  No doubt the steam locos were tucked safely away in the engine shed.

The half-hour trip to Totnes was in a 1930’s Collett carriage, and we enjoyed the views of the River Dart – the railway and river run very closely parallel for much of the way.

Pausing at Staverton, the one intermediate station, we were soon under way again.

And arrived at Totnes.  The branch station is just outside the main line station, as it dates from the period when British Rail wouldn’t allow preserved lines to share a station.  So short sighted.

High speed trains were passing on the main line behind, but not when I was looking at it!

The locomotive then ran around its train and took on water.  It’s operations like this that make steam branchlines interesting!

And we then returned to Buckfastleigh.  I’ll post some more photographs next time.