10th May 1980

Branch Line Society
South Devon Rail Tour

Loco Used 47134
Stock Used load 13
DMUs Used C596 (51099+59416+51076) & B812 (51462+59530+51530)

Route :

Traction

Route
set B812 Bristol Temple Meads – Philips Marsh – Worle Jn - (8) - Uphill Jn – Taunton Goods line – Exeter St Davids – Exeter Railway Jn (Down Main)
set B812 Exeter Railway Jn (Down Main) - Up Main
set B812 Exeter Railway Jn (Up Main) – Marsh Barton Trading Estate (almost end of line, before A379 road bridge)
set B812 Marsh Barton Trading Estate – Exeter St Thomas / Exeter Railway Jn (1)
set B812 Exeter St Thomas / Exeter Railway Jn - City Basin Jn
set B812 City Basin Jn - Exeter City Basin (Texaco Sidings Branch, almost to last level crossing, by Maritime Museum)
set B812 Exeter City Basin – Newton Abbot – Heathfield Gulf Oil Sidings – Newton Abbot (2)
47134 Newton Abbot – Plymouth North Road (3)
set C596 Plymouth North Road – Lipson Jn - Turnchapel Branch Jn (9)
set C596 Turnchapel Branch Jn - Cattewater Branch (to MP 1¼ Cromwell Road LC)
set C596 Cattewater Branch (MP 1¼ Cromwell Road LC) - Turnchapel Branch Jn - Plymouth Friary
set C596 Plymouth Friary - Mount Gould Jn - Speedway Jn - Laira Jn (4)
set C596 (5) Laira Jn - Speedway Jn - Mount Gould Jn (5)
set C596 Mount Gould Jn - Lipson Jn - Plymouth North Road - Keyham West GF
set C596 Keyham West GF - Drake's Platform - RN Devonport Dockyard (just short of exchange sidings)
set C596 RN Devonport Dockyard - Drake's Platform - Keyham West GF - St Budeaux Jn
set C596 St Budeaux Jn - RN Bull Point
set C596 RN Bull Point - St Budeaux - Royal Albert Bridge - Saltash
set C596 Saltash - Royal Albert Bridge - St Budeaux - Plymouth North Road - Newton Abbot (6) - Exeter St Davids - Taunton - Uphill Jn - (8) - Worle Jn - Bristol Temple Meads

Notes :
(1) It was hoped the train could use the direct chord from Marsh Barton to City Basin but, not surprisingly, didn’t.
(2) Unit B812 was declared a failure (broken sidespring). 47134 & 13 coaches commandeered off 13:45 local to Paignton.
(3) The tour was scheduled to run from Laira Jn direct to Friary from Newton Abbot. (see also note 4 below). Train ran direct to Plymouth because of the need to change trains.
(4) Shunter not available to allow the train to reverse at Laira Jn to run onto the main line back to Plymouth. The original route from Mount Gould Jn to Laira Jn had been severed not long before the date of the tour at the Laira Jn end to form dead end sidings for carriage stabling accessed from the Mount Gould Jn end of the Laira depot layout so was no longer available for the tour, necessitating use of the upgraded single line to the west of the depot known locally as the speedway.
(5) Extra move in partial compensation for earlier diversion, (see note 3).
(6) Stopped outside Newton Abbot on return to attend to a door not properly closed.
(7) Timings shown are the 'Booked' timings with mileages being the 'actual mileages'. A loose insert with the ticket letter said "....slight timing adjustments from Taunton to the Exeter area, .... now leave Exeter St Davids at 11.49..."
(8) Via the Weston-super-Mare avoiding line.
(9) Booked reversal point
was Plymouth Friary.
(10) Nick Bowditch has suggested the centre car of unit B812 was W59330 however it seems more likely to have been 59530 as indicated a this, like the outer cars are all class 101s (59330 is a class 116).


A break for participants at Plymouth Friary (photo: Alan Holmewood)

Sources : Andy Pullar (on train to Plymouth on the return leg), Kevin Driscoll
Ian Umpleby, John Broderick, Jon Horswell & Nick Bowditch

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Greg Beecroft, Kevin Driscoll, Ian Umpleby & John Broderick)

M.C
Location Booked Revised
Booked
Actual
0.00
Bristol Temple Meads 10.05d 10.05d 10.07½
0.22
Bristol East Jn 10/07 10/07 ?
0.67
North Somerset Jn 10/08 10/08 10/10½
1.38
St Philip's Marsh 10/11 10/11 10/12
2.03
Bristol West Jn 10/15 10/15 10/16
18.42
Worle Jn 10/35 [AL] 10/35 [AL] 10/32
21.35
Uphill Jn 10/38 10/38 10/35½
34.78
Bridgwater 10/50 10/50 10/49½
46.14
Taunton East Jn (goods line) 11/03 [GL] 11/03 [GL] 11/03
?
Silk Mill Crossing 11/25 11/15 11/13
57.11
Whiteball Tunnel 11/38 11/28 11/25
75.63
Cowley Bridge Jn 11/55 11/45 11/45½
77.03
Exeter St Davids 11.57a ~ 11.59d 11.47a ~ 11.49d 11.48½ ~ 11.52
78.21
Exeter Railway Jn (Down Main) 12*03 ~ 12*13 11*53 ~ 12*05 11.59 ~ 12.02½
78.26
Exeter Railway Jn (Up Main)
79.01
Marsh Barton Branch 12.18 ~ 12.23 12.08 ~ 12.13 12.08½ ~ 12.19
79.51
Exeter Railway Jn ?? ~ ?? 12/18 12.26½ ~ 12.27½
80.07
Exeter City Basin Jn 12*28 ~ 12*38 12/28 12.30 ~ 12.32½
80.41
Texaco Sidings Branch 12.43 ~ 12.53 12.33 ~ 12.53 12.35 ~ 12.47½
80.75
Exeter City Basin Jn 12*58 ~ 13*02 12*58 ~ 13*02 12.51½ ~ 12.56½
90.16
Dawlish Warren 13/14 13/14 13/11½
99.65
Newton Abbot East 13*26 ~ 13*31 13*26 ~ 13*31 13.27½ ~ 13.36
104.26
Heathfield (Gulf Oil siding) 13.55 ~ 14.00 13.55 ~ 14.00 13.59½ ~ 14.08½
108.67
Newton Abbot 14*25 ~ 14*27 14*25 ~ 14*27 14.35 ~ 14.39½
112.60
Dainton Tunnel 14/35 14/35 14/52
117.47
Totnes 14/42 14/42 14/58
124.33
Brent 14/53 14/53 15/08½
134.03
Hemerdon 15/06 15/06 15/18
138.63
Laira Jn 15*12 ~ 15*14 15*12 ~ 15*14 15/22
140.56
Plymouth DIV DIV 15.26 ~ 15.38
142.16
Lipson Jn DIV DIV 15/53
142.54
Mount Gould Jn 15/19 15/19 15/45
143.64
Plymouth Friary 15.27 ~ 15.37 15.27 ~ 15.37 DIV
???.?? Turnchapel Branch Jn ? ? 15.47½ ~ 15.49½
145.40
Cattewater Branch (1¼ MP) 15.47 ~ 15.52 15.47 ~ 15.52 15.59 ~ 16.05½
147.16
Plymouth Friary 16.02 ~ 16.07 16.02 ~ 16.07 16.15½ ~ 16.24½
148.26
Mount Gould Jn 16/17 16/17 16/30
148.56
Laira Jn (approach signal) DIV DIV 16.32½ ~ 16.35
149.06
Mount Gould Jn DIV DIV 16.37½ ~ 16.39
149.44
Lipson Jn 16/21 16/21 16/42
151.04
Plymouth 16*24 ~ 16*26 16*24 ~ 16*26 16.48 ~ 16.51
153.21
Keyham West GF 16*31 ~ 16*36 16*31 ~ 16*36 16.56½ ~ 16.58½
153.71
Dockyard Exchange Sidings 16.41 ~ 16.49 16.41 ~ 16.49 17.06 ~ 17.08
154.41
Keyham West GF 16*54 ~ 16*58 16*54 ~ 16*58 17.21 ~ 17.23
154.76
St Budeaux Jn 17*00 ~ 17*05 17*00 ~ 17*05 17.26 ~ 17.28
155.16
Bull Point 17.10 ~ 17.20 17.10 ~ 17.20 17.33 ~ 17.42
155.36
St Budeaux Jn 17*25 ~ 17*30 17*25 ~ 17*30 17.44 ~ 17.51
156.56
Saltash DIV DIV 17.55½ ~ 18.03
160.68
Plymouth 17.39a ~ 18.05d 17.39a ~ 18.05d 18.12 ~ 18.13
162.28
Lipson Jn 18/09 18/09 18/16
167.41
Hemerdon 18/18 18/18 18/23½
177.11
Brent 18/29 18/29 18/35
183.77
Totnes 18/37 18/37 18/43½
188.64
Dainton Tunnel 18/43 18/43 18/50
192.57
Newton Abbot 18/50 18/50 18/58
202.26
Dawlish Warren 19/01 19/01 19/09
212.71
Exeter St Davids 19.14a ~ 19.16d 19.14a ~ 19.16d 19.20 ~ 19.22
214.11
Cowley Bridge Jn 19/19 19/19 19/24½
232.59
Whiteball Tunnel 19/38 19/38 19/42
243.51
Taunton 19/50 19/50 19.53 ~ 19.55
255.06
Bridgwater 20/03 20/03 20/06½
268.49
Uphill Jn 20/15 [AL] 20/15 [AL] 20/18
271.42
Worle Jn 20/18 20/18 20/20½
286.21
Bristol Temple Meads 20.45a 20.45a 20.37


Back to "The Railtour Files"