Garry Morris

Given that it is at platform 4 The tarpaulined wagon could have originated from Newcourt and is being tripped to Riverside.

Exeter St David's 30.6.73 5823 having been removed from the Paddington to Barnstaple service (in platform 3). 4158 had dragged the train in from Cowley Bridge Junction where it may have run out of fuel. it was then positioned on the through road to await a passage to the stabling point. Not easy on a Summer Saturday! Green 31's weren't too common in Devon.

This is not my own picture but it has no acknowledgement of who's it is on the back. The 02.56 Taunton to Paignton with 33049 on. 30.10.86 at Paignton. This train always arrived on the Down side to gain direct access to road vehicles. In the 1970's one single van would come off the down papers at Exeter and work to Newton Abbot where it was routed on the Down Relief and over the scissors crossover into the Paignton platform. It was then backed onto a couple of vans positioned in the platform with other parcels, coupled up and away to Paignton often chasing the tail of the main train down to Aller Junction. There can't be many shots of this train which is why I bought the picture. Possibly Peter Gray? .

A 31 on Power Car transfer duties coming past Stoneycombe. I have no date or number for this. Poor camera, poor conditions,caught short!

Next in the number series 31231 with the Heathfield tanks at Newton Abbot. 19/5/83 and again in Goodrington Yard on an Engineers working two days later.

The 1980's era at the Paignton Zoo miniature railway. An early spring test run? Clearly no customers. A very non descript diesel based on an American design.

Carrying on from #432 and #442. here's possibly the first diesel on rail in Devon. HSTesq in style; a very modern looking loco awaits departure at Paignton Zoo on 'The Jungle Express'.

Interesting you quote the Newcourt turn. My second day as a Secondman (upgraded Traction Trainee) at Exeter 24/9/74 saw me booked on Turn 109 12.15 Riverside yard,7B71 Riverside to Newcourt also shunt Central yard then as said 15.58 to Barnstaple and 17.55 return with driver Bob Dak who I remember was very accomodating of this rookie. A further note off the information board in the movements supervisors office is...Engine then either left for Basingstoke or take to shed. We had 31110 that day.

The Class 31 Having had a look at the Class 25 in Devon I thought the 31 ought to have it's turn. Possibly even less pictured on the mainline than the 25s were, their only defined role seems to have been on the Barnstaple line. Were they all Bath Road allocated? Hardly ever straying into Cornwall but by default encouraging exotic pairs into the area on the Saturday dated Liverpool to Paignton as crews were familiar with them. This one I have no record of the number, but it's ready for snow. It is at Newton Abbot on the Royal Train. I can't fathom what's going on or why someone is confidently standing in the four foot with his back to oncoming traffic holding a spanner! It's a visit of Charles and Diana to Tavistock 9/3/83. I would guess that they have overnighted up the Heathfield line.

Any details on the above. Is it 9009?

The return working (19/1/17) - only yards from Devon!

18/1/17. 802's turn to do the Moorswater, load 16. Running nearly an hour early mainly because of missing the Tiverton loop stop through previous early running. Not a great shot due to light and moving at a fair speed. Passing under Marsh Mills flyover and onto Lord Morleys bridge.

I'm sure I remember the Warship at Paignton Zoo in green livery. Also I thought it always ran in the other direction around the lake. It is the standard miniature ten and a quarter inch gauge, the same as the one that used to work along the prom at Goodrington South Sands of which very few pictures exist.

70805 on the up 10.09 Moorswater Lafarge to Aberthaw Cement Works empties (15/12/16) seen at Devonport. Unfortunately the light was too poor so not very sharp, but an interesting location. The tunnel it is emerging from actually passes over another double track tunnel of the former Southern route out of Plymouth. .

In the class 37 era, possibly tackling the gradient back to Liskeard.

Rumour has it that large vans are being prepared for bagged cement but that may be some way off yet.

7/12/16 a few shots from today's working to Moorswater with 70805 This weeks train was too long for the run-round loop and had to be split in the valley.Quite smokey for an environmentally friendly power unit. The small dwarf signal for the Looe line had just cleared on the gantry while the train was still on the 1 in 59 grade into the platform.

Great shot of it disappearing up the hill, has a kind of European quality about it because of the frost and haze. Need to remove those poles! This brings back memories of a certain East Devon junction where one line departed downgrade and the other up an incline in the same way at Tipton St Johns.

Liskeard 12.00 Moorswater 12.50 on schedule.

There are not very many photos about of the Class 25's in Devon, well certainly not in my collection! I only took this one because of the sheer novelty of seeing a loco renumbered for the first time. I still need to translate back to the old numbers to know exactly what I am looking at! Exeter stabling point (10.11.73) 5238, 25146 (5296) and 7675 all ready for work.

7577 showing that it has worked the 03:00 To Barnstaple papers earlier in the day (16.6.73). It is running back wrong line to access the stabling point on a busy Summer Saturday.Between 1971 and 1980 45 different class 25s were allocated to Laira to cover duties previously carried out by Class 22s. If I remember correctly they departed almost as suddenly as they arrived.

Last coach may be a mk1 brake composite? Though on closer inspection there is no hint of yellow.

Some nice weathering work done on 25155!

Exeter St David's 15/7/72. 7506 and 7504 about to couple on to the down Paddington To Barnstaple service which has arrived in Platform One. Interestingly the correct headcode 1A99 is being displayed so perhaps they came on at Taunton and have run round. Another poor but interesting record of one of the last of the Paddington to branchline Summer Saturday services. Amazingly we still have the through Newquay trains over 40 years on.

There's a rumour that a train could run next week. Allegedly wagons are in place at Aberthaw and Cardiff that are earmarked for the trip. This may only be hearsay but 'there's no smoke without fire' as they say or is it 'theres no freight without wagons"!