When the weather plays ball there can be few places better to be than some of the idylic parts of the UK. With the forecast looking good and a few days off work last summer, things were aligning for a quick trip to the West Country.
I had a few aims, for which I would need to drive, both to access locations and also to ensure I had the equipment I would need.
The main objectives of the trip were to access some of the locations around Dawlish that are not so easily accessible by public transport; such as the bridge at Powederham, and also achieve some shots that required a pole, drone, steps or even wellies- I'm pleased to report that I did ultimately use all of these!
On into Cornwall this time of year is perfect to capture the GWR Night Riviera Sleeper, a notoriously difficult train to photograph since so much of its route is only covered in darkness. There were some more shots of short 'Castle' HST sets that I wanted to try as well as the big prize of catching a china clay train at the famous location of Golant on the Fowey Branch.
If I achieved all of that I would be more than happy!
The first surprise of the trip came along almost as soon as I had finished the drive from south-west London. Having pulled open train times maps up on my phone I was surprised to see some odd digits- sure enough this did turn out to be one of those hard to come by freight trains in this area. While I'm sure I could have positioned myself better had I known, I was none the less pleased to see 66139 rounding the corner with 6V99 from Exeter Riverside to St Blazey. 14/06/2022.
43154 powers 2C77 west from Dawlish, taken by pole at Horse Cove between Dawlish and Teignmouth. This was another shot I was very keen to achieve while I had the kit with me as since the erection of a paliside fence some years ago the shot is no longer possible without some sort of height enhancement. 14/06/2022.
150247 crosses the Royal Albert Bridge over the Tamar as it heads into Cornwall. This was the final shot of the trip taken on a brief stop off at Saltash since the light was still so good before embarking on the long driver home. 15/06/2022.
Cockwood Harbour on the Exe estuary is another classic spot in this area, though the view from above by drone opens up a new perspective as 43378 heads west with 1V44 the 06:11 Leeds - Plymouth. 14/06/2022.
66165 crosses the causeway in the village of Golant working 6G05 the 20:15 empty china clay train from Fowey Docks to Goonbarrow. The train was fortunately running significantly early allowing the shot to be captured in good light. Our earlier attempt to photograph the inbound working had been caught by a spurious cloud, however waiting several more hours for the tide to come in also made a huge difference to the picture. 15/06/2022
The light doesn't last long on the front of eastbound services at Dawlish, and a shot here in this direction had long been on my list. Happily 43042 + 43009 were able to oblige. 14/06/2022.
43122 leads a class 255 'Castle' HST across the causeway at Cockwood Harbour. These trainsets are now scheduled to be withdrawn by December 2023. 14/06/2022.
43009 and 43042 are captured working an early morning service from Cornwall into Devon seen on the approach to St Germans. 15/06/2022.
A 'nearly' shot at Liskeard with 150261 on the Looe branch while a class 802 IET passes above on Liskeard Viaduct. The two photographs which have been combined to create this image were taken less than a minute apart- it nearly happened! 15/06/2022.
A 'Castle' HST powered by 43154 and 43170 is captured crossing Largin viaduct near Liskeard. I knew a shot here was possible but it took some fighing through vegetation to find a reasonably clear vantage point from which to see the trains. 15/06/2022.
A class 802 is captured near Restormel between Bodmin and Lostwithiel with a Penzance bound service. 15/06/2022.
43040 leads a 'Castle' HST up though Powderham along the Exe estuary as it approaches its next call at Exeter St Davids. 43088 is on the rear. 14/06/2022.
57605 is pictured at the head of 1C50 the 23:45 London Paddington - Penzance 'Night Riviera'. It is only possible to photograph this overnight sleeper train in high summer and we were certainly pleased that the weather played ball when it passed our location at Trerulefoot in full sun just after 06:00. After a late arrival at our hotel in Liskeard the previous night we had not had a lot of sleep, but getting the shot we were really after had made it worthwhile! 15/06/2022.
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