A very calm sea allows children to play safely with their inflatable dinghy as D1006 Western Stalwart passes through Dawlish on an extra working 1Z45 1220 Paddington to Penzance. The first carriage is a Sleeping Car, no doubt being worked down to Penzance. This view is from the footbridge over the railway between Marine Parade and the Kings Walk section of the Sea Wall. The original 1879 lattice girder footbridge was replaced in 1965 by a pre-cast concrete affair. 31 August 1971
Left: This is Newquay station as it was in August 1972, still with the station buildings and canopies intact. Today only the line upon which D1017 Western Warrior stands survives and there is a ‘bus shelter’ on the platform. The dmu formed a stopping service along the branch to Par, the Junction station for the Paddington – Penzance main line. D1017 had arrived on an additional working from Plymouth. Note the once sizeable car park here. At the time of writing December 2024, the second platform is being re-instated at Newquay along with a proposed passing loop nr the former St Dennis Junction. 24 August 1972
Right Top: D1054 Western Governor arriving at Par at 1920 hours with the 1B94 1800 Penzance – Bristol which took me back to Dawlish. This was followed by a two mile walk along the Sea Wall in the dark back to the chalet at Dawlish Warren. 24 August 1972
Right Bottom: D1024 Western Huntsman thunders along the Dawlish Sea wall in the morning sunshine with the 1A59 0955 Paignton to Paddington service. D1024 was one of the seven of the class that did not attain the magic million miles. It was one of the early 1973 withdrawals, but still clocked up an impressive 984, 000 miles. 25 August 1972
D1023 Western Fusilier rolls slowly through Chesterfield with the famous landmark of St. Mary’s and All Saints Parish Church high above in the background, the crooked spire. The ‘Western Finale’ Farewell Railtour from Exeter to York, had in my opinion the best of the Farewell Railtours headboards. Whoever made it deserves many congratulations and thanks for such an excellent job. The train was running 78 minutes late after hitting cattle that had strayed onto the line at Charfield in Gloucestershire. This was to be D1023’s second visit to York and the train is just starting to cross over to ‘The Old Road’, thus avoiding Sheffield. 12 February 1977
D1013 Western Ranger hurries through Hersham on the Southern Region between Esher and Walton-on-Thames on the Waterloo –Basingstoke – Bournemouth main line with the ‘Southern Belle’ railtour from Waterloo to Bournemouth and Weymouth returning via Southampton – Guildford – Redhill – Reading – and Ascot back to Waterloo. This was the last appearance of a ‘Western’ on the Southern in BR days. 19 February 1977