Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway
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Situated in Devon and arguably one of the most picturesque lines in England, the standard gauge Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway operates from Paignton to Kingswear along the former Dartmouth and Torbay Railway line.
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[edit] Route
Starting adjacent to Paignton main line station, the steam railway runs for about 7 miles in a south-westerly direction. The first half of the journey (from Paignton to Churston) is up-hill along the rocky Devon coastline. The line crosses Broadsands viaduct, and the larger Hookhills viaduct before reaching its summit at Churston. From Churston the line turns inland, cuts through Greenway Tunnel, descending along the Dart valley until it reaches Kingswear. From Kingswear, one can cross the Dart to the old town of Dartmouth by ferry. Dartmouth Station is unique in that it has never seen a train. In GWR days, passengers would arrive at the station by means of the ferry from Kingswear. The line was originally laid to Brunel's Broad Gauge, but reverted to standard gauge in May 1892
[edit] Steam Locomotives
- GWR 4-6-0 Manor class No.7827 'Lydham Manor' - In service - Great Western Green
- GWR 2-8-0 5205 Class No.5239 'Goliath' - Undergoing overhaul - Great Western Green
- GWR 2-6-2 45xx No.4555 'Warrior' - In service - Great Western Green
- GWR 2-6-2 45xx No.4588 'Trojan' - Undergoing Overhaul - Great Western Green
- GWR 0-6-0 No.6435 'Ajax' - In service - Great Western Green
- BR Standard 4MT No.75014 'Braveheart' - Undergoing overhaul - BR Black
[edit] Diesel Locomotives
- BR Class 25 Bo-Bo no. D7535 -In service-Two-Tone Green
- BR Class 08 -In service-BR Blue
- BR 0-6-0DM D2192 Ardent / Titan 03
[edit] Special Coaches
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- Pullman Observation Saloon 'The Devon Belle'. Used very regularly on passenger trains and provides a unique view of the railway, only cost 1 pound extra to travel in it.
- GWR Autocoach "Charlotte".
[edit] Images
 Approaching Kingswear |
 From Kingswear approaching Greenway tunnel |
 Diesel engine in Paignton |
[edit] Observations
- Due to the location of this line - at the heart of the English Riviera - it is essentially run as a profit making business attracting summer tourists. Steam & Diesel gala weekends stopped in the late '90s when the main organiser, the Devon Diesel Society moved over to the South Devon Railway at Buckfastleigh, and with that the enthusiast and volunteer interest was lost. But the livery of rolling stock is almost authentic GWR despite being of post nationalisation design and build.
- A significant part of the heritage feel has been lost with the total abolition of semaphore signalling having been replaced with colour lights.
- In 1973 and 1993 the steam locomotive The Flying Scotsman hauled regular service trains on this line.
- In more recent times the line has seen regular visits during the summer season from LNER A4 No 60009 Union of South Africa and GWR King No. 6024 King Edward I on the Torbay Express excursions from Bristol
- The line uses (amongst others) an ex-BR Standard 4MT No. 75014 'Braveheart', GWR 2-8-0T No. 5239 'Goliath' and newly overhauled GWR 4-6-0 No. 7827 'Lydham Manor'
- The branch from Churston to Brixham was closed and lifted in the 1960s and is not a part of this line.
[edit] External links
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