46 years on ...

DAWLISH WARREN

(All 1.12.2017 and 2.12.2017 copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)

FACEBOOK - RAIL THING ROUTES - TRAINS ON THE DAWLISH & TEIGNMOUTH SEA WALL

I took my first ever railway (or indeed any sort of photo) on 9 July 1971, just south of Dawlish Warren station, on our first summer holiday to Devon. 

Last weekend I revisited the area for a weekend and took loads more!

The trip included the classic walk along the sea wall and it was good to see the work done where it was breached. The line seemed pretty busy with a succession of trains in both directions, including plenty of HSTs. I even manged to catch a surprise whilst waiting for the train back to Dawlish Warren at Dawlish station, when a couple of class 66s came through on an RHTT.

It was this area which really got me into running railways, up until then I'd really been into disused lines, and it's ironic that this may be one of the few railways that close in the future, thanks to sinking land, rising sea levels and a deteriorating climate with more storms, but for now it's all still there, a free work of art for anybody that appreciates such things!

The Rail Thing (and the rest) 2014

(Villars, Switzerland, 1987 pic copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)

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Right, it's all winding down for Christmas now and this is my very last piece of work before I take a break!

2014 has been an amazing year for the Rail Thing Facebook groups (and also Flashback and Reversing Beeching groups) with about 400 groups now, most added this year. Many now have well over 1000 members and the biggest (Disused Railways) is  not far off 10,000! 

I'd like to thanks all the various admins and, of course, the members who have been so kind sending in their photos and memories. It's the content (plus the fairly strict rules!) that make the groups what they are. 

I've had a busy year with all this explosion of Facebook activity - I suspect 2015 will be a year for consolidation rather than rapid expansion.

Out in the real world we only managed to take two holidays this year, the first in Lisbon and the second in Dawlish Warren. Both, of course, have loads of rail interest! In fact I took my first ever railway photograph at Dawlish Warren on 9 July 1971.

The other place I've been to a lot this year is Bristol Temple Meads. My son Wulfric moved to Sway in September and since then has regularly come up to visit by train. No big deal for a 20 year old you'd think, but before he moved he rarely went more than 10 feet by himself! He's blind and the railway has been fantastic with their support services giving him a confidence I thought he'd never gain!

So a big Christmas thanks to the railway companies for doing this, to all of you who have joined the Facebook groups and to everyone (even non-members!) who have worked like demons to keep our railways and tramways moving, whether of the national network type or the heritage type!

See you again after the festivities!

Lisbon Elevador Gloria March 2014

Dawlish September 2014

Bristol Temple Meads 15.12.2014

(All pics copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)

on the frontline

Dawlish 50 021 10.9.1984

Dawlish 47 353 10.9.1984

Dawlish 10.9.1984

2.9.2014

2.9.2014

4.9.2014

4.9.2014

4.9.2014

143 621 4.9.2014

Dawlish Warren 10.9.1984 

 

31.8.2014

Dawlish Warren 10.9.1984

FACEBOOK - TRAINS ON THE SEA WALL AT DAWLISH

I took my first ever railway photo (indeed photo of any kind!) at Dawlish 

Warren on 9 July 1971. We were staying at Warren Sands campsite just along the way and the railway was an inevitable draw to a 14 year old with the beginnings of an interest in railways. I've been back a few times since on day trips, but got to spend a whole week there last week.

The line has been in the news recently and it certainly has an atmosphere of being in the front line in the coming 'war' against us and climate change. There are now strong moves to get a diversionary route or two in place in an attempt to avoid a repeat of the disgrace of last winter's inevitable six week closure.

I think we all need to visit this line as much as we can and record it in all its moods. It's now probably the only railway in the UK that may close in the future. That would be a tragedy.

We're planning to buy a caravan in Dawlish Warren (safely up on high ground and well away from any cliff edges of course) in 2016. My plan is to visit regularly and record the last decades of this line. 

My first railway interest was stirred by the Gothic remains of recently closed railways in Sussex - Fittleworth, Bramber, Lavant. And then I got deeper in, visiting the Selsey Tramway and others. Holidays took me further afield and I got to see lines in their last years - Kingswear, Okehampton, Yarmouth to Lowestoft. Dawlish was an eye-opener, an interesting (and open!) main line! Of course in the 70s it was Westerns and Peaks and class 47s, with first generation DMUs filling the gaps, plenty of freight etc. There were even still semaphore signals, and the line was haunted by the recent passing of steam, exemplified by the postcards being sold at Dawlish Warren, many of them featuring classic steam on the sea wall.

Steam has now returned of course, and we got to see the double headed Atlantic Coast Express on the sea wall. Most of the rest of the trains seemed rather dull with the occasional HST adding a touch of flair and history, and an image of the future, amongst the Voyagers and modern DMUs.

So expect a lot more from me on this stunning line over the coming years (and the next few days).

a western at Truro

TRURO

(Copyright 18.8.1972 Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)

FACEBOOK - RAIL THING - WESTERN REGION DIESEL HYDRAULIC LOCOMOTIVES

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I've never been a great loco fan but the Western Region diesel hydraulics were distinctive even to me! Family holidays spent at Dawlish Warren in the early 70s introduced these exotic locos to me, and I did manage to capture a few of them on film before they disappeared. This one was at Truro on 18 August 1972.

dawlish warren - inspiration

My interest in railways stirred around 1970, and a holiday in Dawlish Warren in July 1971 really got me started. In fact I took my first ever railway photograph there on July 9 1971 - which will no doubt eventually be scanned and will appear here. There was something about a busy railway running right along the seafront that fascinated me, and I've never looked back since.

These shots were taken on 10 September 1984 and it's a location I've returned to many times since 1971.