Today’s video features a much awaited tour from Vintage Trains, plus another from Saphos Trains in the same area on the same day! WR Castle Class 4-6-0 7029 Clun Castle and LMS Jubilee Class 4-6-0 45596 Bahamas were double heading Vintage Trains’ “The Mayflower” from Birmingham New Street to Plymouth. The tour was diesel hauled from Birmingham to Bristol Temple Meads via Cheltenham, where the best part of the tour started; the diesels backed off the train and the steam locos took charge for the run over the Somerset Levels to Taunton, then via Exe Valley to Exeter, along the sea wall through Dawlish and over the South Devon Banks to Plymouth. GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 5029 Nunney Castle was hauling Saphos Trains’ The English Riviera Express from Taunton to Kingswear and return. The train travelled on the same route as the double header until Newton Abbot where it branched onto the Riviera Line to Paignton and then up the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway to Kingswear. With great weather, quadruple steam and great company abound, today was easily the best day of 2025 so far! It was also a great opportunity see 7029 and 45596 before they go out of ticket.
The video starts with a flashback to yesterday morning, showing the positioning move from Tyseley Steam Trust of 7029 and 45596 heading to Bristol a day early. They departed from Tyseley in style, ready for the journey ahead.
Today I started out from Bristol, having travelled down the day before. I travelled in the car with @adtrainvids9569, @lukealforduksteam, @danielstrainsukofficial9133 and @harrymorris5748. Our first location was West Hewish, near Weston Super Mare. A stopper ahead had just cleared the junction at Worle and the signal went green just in the nick of time for 7029 to open the regulator and thrash by! Then we headed for Whiteball at the top of Wellington Bank, the famous site of City of Truro’s alleged 100mph speed record in 1904. 45596 and 7029 are seen thrashing up the incline towards the summit, looking superb! After, a gap in the two paths allowed me to move for 5029 Nunney Castle, which I filmed just down the line at Beambridge. Though the cylinders sound a tad off beat for a Castle, the loco seemed in fine condition and barked past us with ease in a testament to Collett’s fine piece of design work. Here it was also nice to meet @FullSteamAhead, @steamtothewest-trecanrail and @TheSouthernerYTChannel briefly. Following this, a chase up the M5 and A38 ensued, allowing us to get to Rattery Bank, the second of the fearsome South Devon Banks. Though the timetable should have made it possible to do both Dawlish and Rattery, we didn’t chance it as we correctly didn’t think the planned stop at Totnes would take place! 7029 and 45596 are therefore seen truly raising the sound barrier over South Devon running 30 minutes early! Here it was great to also meet @blackcountrysteamvideos8021. We then headed at a rather leisurely pace over to the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway for a bit of extra steam as GWR 52xx Class 2-8-0T 5239 Goliath worked the local PDSR services. Unbeknownst to us at the time, 5029 Nunney Castle, which was meant to be in Kingswear already, had been held at Paignton as no NR staff were present help move the train over onto PDSR metals. Once at the location, we set up and were promptly informed of this; it finally left Paignton shortly afterwards and roared up Goodrington Bank in style! I then proceeded to also film 5239 here as it worked a PDSR train.
A quick food break later, a leisurely drive over to Cockwood Harbour near Starcross saw us set up awaiting both returns. Great to meet @southwalestrainspotting5090, @brunelheritage, @sidmouth_34010 and @heritageinthe21stcentuary13 here too! The signal leaving Dawlish Warren sadly had an issue meaning everything coming through was being delayed. This worked out well for both shots as both locomotives fully thrashed it past us!! The late running made us worry about getting to the next shot, Highbridge & Burnham station. Apologies to everyone for our very rushed departure from Cockwood Harbour lol. However, some odd signalling around Exeter saved us and shortly after joining the M5, we were already ahead of the trains. We did actually see 5029 go through Tiverton Parkway from the motorway! Upon arrival at Highbridge & Burnham, we set up and got an excellent shot of the locos absolutely ripping through the station at full cry, being somewhat interrupted by the passage of a southbound XC Vomiter train. After that, the day was over and I headed to Bristol Parkway, being dropped off and getting the next train back home!
Thank you very much for everyone who made today possible. In particular thanks to Luke for driving and for my company through the day. Thanks also to Arlo for his help in getting me a place to stay in Bristol. Thank you very much to Vintage, Saphos, the PDSR and the amazing loco crews for their work. I hope you enjoy as I did!
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