“The Perfect Summer Trip". 5029 Nunney Castle hauls The Torbay Express, 3rd Aug. 2014

The words used by many on this now well established excursion from Bristol to Kingswear on summer Sundays courtesy of Torbay Express Ltd. with 5029 Nunney Castle, surely the most appropriate and iconic motive power for the route. South Devon in all its glory is typified by these three ‘along the water’s edge’ locations captured in wonderful summer sunshine, the colour and sounds magnified by the gleaming green, copper and brass of a Castle hard at work on the front. The Dawlish seawall still has much to be completed as 5029 rounds the bend at Dawlish Warren with Exmouth in the background on 20th July. Making a fine site as the train passes underneath us at Cowhole, recent vegetation clearance allows a pan around to the Parson & Clerk rocks at Hole Head as the train disappears on route to Teignmouth. Goodrington Sands has all the buzz of the summer holidays in full flow but all that noise is no match for a Castle working hard on the steep climb to Churston! The Dart Estuary is surely one of the most picturesque anywhere on the planet and although a fresh breeze makes using 20x zoom a challenge, excellent visibility after recent rain gives a rare opportunity to shoot from high up above Philip & Sons famous shipyard at Noss before the wrecking balls do their work at the end of this year. Famous for the construction of many vessels such as The Mersey Ferries and Chay Blyth’s round-the-world yacht “British Steel”, the yard will leave many fond memories as it is transformed into a luxury riverside complex. Appropriately another product of the yard, launched in 1924, steams by in the form of the Dart Paddle Steamer “Kingswear Castle”, still giving pleasure to passengers 90 years on as the Kingswear bound service train headed by 7827 Lydham Manor passes in the background. In glorious afternoon sunshine, Nunney lifts her load out of Kingswear with only the sound of her whistle, a full 3km (1.9 miles) away and delayed by 9 seconds! making it to the microphone. Knowing there is a long steep and twisty climb ahead, the crew gives 5029 her head and spectacular sounds echo around the estuary as she climbs up through Long Wood out of sight and with a final whistle disappears into Greenway Tunnel bound for Torbay beyond.

[@markturner4219]

Iconic GWR loco, iconic stretch of GWR mainline and archetypal GWR seaside branchline all in perfect 'Summer Saturdays' weather. what more could a Western man wish for! :-)

[@Steamclips]

Hello Mark and thank you for your kind comment, glad the clip "ticked all the boxes" for you! Best regards, Alan

[@Retaud21]

Many thanks for sharing such an evocative video. It took me back to my childhood days in South Devom. Beautiful.

[@Steamclips]

Hi John and thank you for your kind comments and reminiscenses, glad you enjoyed. Alan

[@Welshman2008]

I was on this train for my birthday on this day. It was fantastic the icing on the cake was that on the return trip, I was in the second coach and to hear it pound up the bank out of Kingswear was sensational.

[@Steamclips]

Hi and thank you for your interesting comments, I envy you, there is nothing quite like a Castle working hard! Alan

[@bw_digitalphotography]

i have to say, the Castle class is the most beautiful loco the great western has ever made

[@Steamclips]

Hi and thank you for a comment which is hard to disagree with, and those good looks come with a performance record hard to beat by any U.K. steam locomotive. Best regards, Alan

[@barleyvalengaugemodelrailw3694]

I totally agree! In my mind they are the best aesthetically designed loco in the world and my favourite class!

[@84asrd84boxy]

A stunning video Alan, many thanks for sharing, it's a like, and added to my favourites, excellent throughout, cheers...Bill

[@Steamclips]

Hi Bill and thank you for your very kind remarks, I am glad that you enjoyed. Alan

[@JBTEvans]

Very classy video, loved the whole sequence taken from opposite the boat yard, well filmed and a great vantage point with a fab sound track! Never seen that view before. The way the video ended with the view looking at the sheep with the sea in the background (never really thought you'd be able to see it from there) with the engine going into Greenway Tunnel was superb. Thumbs up!

[@Steamclips]

Hi Josh and thank you for your very kind remarks, they are much appreciated. Best regards, Alan

[@boaste-Kelly]

Absolutely STUNNING piece of Filming well done !

[@MegaSteve350]

Another super quality video Alan liked

[@Steamclips]

Once again, many thanks Steve. Regards, Alan

[@EMuksteam]

Superb video Alan. Fantastic clip at Dawlish and the fantastic locations you got to along the Kingswear line were stunning.

[@Steamclips]

Hi C&A: always nice to hear from you and once again thank you for your very kind remarks. Best wishes, Alan

[@zelo1954]

Hard to argue against this being the best south Devon coast railway video on KZbin

[@Steamclips]

Hi and thank you for your most kind remarks, they are very much appreciated. Best regards, Alan

[@hurleyfunbags]

Simply superb! Excellent filming and 5029 on top form again.

[@Steamclips]

Hi Christopher and thank you for your kind and welcome comments, glad you enjoyed. Alan

[@riosrivlog]

Very classy video

[@Steamclips]

Hi and thank you for your kind and very much appreciated feedback. Best regards, Alan

[@tonybell8926]

Well done.Loved the shot on Dawlish seawall from redgate cafe to the station.Thanks for posting. Tony

[@Steamclips]

Hi Tony and thank you for your kind comments. It will be nice to do that as a walk again someday! Alan

[@lighthousefilms]

Hi Steamclips, a great video of Nunney Castle (and PS Kingswear Castle).Following Nunney earlier that day, we were stranded on Lydham Manor at Goodrington for some time as there was a lineside fire. On her homeward departure, I was at the end of platform 2 with my camera. Thanks for sharing. Dave

[@Kyleinasailing]

England is so beautiful when there's high pressure for a time. No pun intended. But having lived abroad for the last 35 years and only coming home when it's wet, drab and dreary, it's so 'different' when the sun comes through. With it's summer greeness, we have a feast for the eye.

[@Steamclips]

Hi Stephen and thank you for your "thoughts from abroad". You really should be here this summer as it has been a scorcher since May and no sign of letting up! Regards, Alan

[@AndreiTupolev]

Magnificent view across the Dart. You get a 180 degree view there, if not a 360 degree one.

[@Steamclips]

Hi Andrei and thank you for the nice comment. It is a shot I have been planning for some time but have had to wait for visibility to be good enough for such a distant subject . Alan

[@tadpoles10]

How did that happen? 'Happy New Year' Alan, it seems I missed on leaving a comment the first time around. On such a dreary wet & cold January day what could be better than the sight & sound of a castle class doing it's stuff & showing off for all to enjoy? Thanks for sharing this for us all to enjoy. atvb t .. 😉 .. 👍

[@Steamclips]

Happy New Year to you too Terry. It's nice to dig into the archives sometimes! Best regards, Alan

[@oldfart6318]

FANTASTIC

[@Steamclips]

Much appreciated, regards Alan

[@TheMendipman]

Fantastic. Great video. Thanks. Noel

[@Steamclips]

Hi Noel and thank you so much for your kind remarks. Alan

[@6024kingedward1]

Great locations!

[@Steamclips]

Hi and thank you for the nice comment. Thanks also for your subscription, welcome aboard! Alan

[@kellyashfordtrains2642]

I don't want to sound like I'm arguing with anyone here, but Lydham Manor and her 8 preserved sisters are the most beautiful engines ever created by God's Wonderful Railway. Nunney Castle is beautiful, one has to agree, but to me she's not as beautiful as my beloved Foxy and City of Truro side by side. Having said that, I have a Bachmann 00 gauge model of 5013 Abergavenny Castle, one of the engines who was sadly scrapped. The Castle engines have a charm all their own. I'm willing to admit it.

[@pwblackmore]

Thankyou Alan for this remarkable video... I can hardly add to the superlatives others have posted, except perhaps more so! You've given 'steam-heads' and 'cabbage-eaters' (Wiki up 'Paignton' - Palace Ave was a cabbage-field), or perhaps you prefer 'puddin-eaters', some classic views and action here. So - I'm binge-watching all your videos - and feeling homesick! You put so much into making these vids, and I can but only add another 'thankyou' to the accolades you've received. Where are you at 4:12 - the bridge at Oyster Cove? The hay-field at 5:14... is that the trail down to Crystal Cove? Now you've got me armchair-exploring the area... so much I didn't know or took for granted. Thankyou for opening my eyes

[@Steamclips]

I can see that Crystal Cove (Saltern Cove) was a really special place for you! From 2:28 I am shooting from the cliff edge at Monkey-pole, my wife is on the second camera (3:49) at the footbridge at Oyster Bend and I just have time to move my camera farther up into the headland (4:43) to shoot across Crystal Cove to Waterside Headland which has just been mown by the council. Best wishes Alan P.S. the cabbages were huge flat things which stored well, they were known as "flat-poles", another ancient name for Paigntonians. In medieval times the Bishop of Exeter had vineyards on the south facing slopes above Winner Street (originally Viner Street) and of course Paignton has always been surrounded by apple orchards, the last of which survive in Yalberton although continually under threat from an ever expanding industrial estate. Hunts cider is still in production and Bays Brewery on the Yarberton Estate brews some of the finest beer I have ever tasted!

[@timothysmith8300]

Thiş is how the railways şhould be now a dayş

[@Steamclips]

Now there's a thought Timothy! Thank you for your much valued comment. Regards, Alan

[@conncork]

5 star

[@Steamclips]

Hi and thank you. Takes me back to the earlier and (some say) more sensible KZbin! Best regards, Alan

[@timothysmith8300]

Steam rules ok