GWR Class 800

[ColytonJohn]

No not the 'proper' GWR but the modern franchise and seen here leaving Paignton is one of their new Hitachi developed Class 800 Intercity Express Trains. This is the first I've seen down here on the Paignton branch so I suspect it was training/testing.

5D3_7537 by John Leah, on Flickr

Cheers,
John

[antoeknee]

Re: GWR Class 800

Looks quite smart.

[ST-EOS]

Re: GWR Class 800

Nice capture John and an interesting perspective, were you on a gantry


Sent from somewhere in Gods County using Tapatalk

[TonyT]

Re: GWR Class 800

That shot reminds me of one of the old BR painted posters for different lines.

[ColytonJohn]

Re: GWR Class 800

Thanks folks

Not on a gantry but a pedestrian bridge. Back when 'everyone' came to Paignton for their holidays trains arrived every few minutes with the bridge being provided to convey people over the almost permanently closed level crossing. This is not the original bridge but a replacement built a few years ago when, IIRC, the automatic barriers were installed. Sadly this also saw the demolishing of the signal box from where the gates were remotely operated using a very large wheel.

So great was the holiday traffic that plans were made to increase the size of Paignton station to five platforms although the outbreak of war saw that scheme abandoned (along with another to move the line inland to bypass the troublesome Dawlish sea wall section so often closed during winter storms).

In addition to the passenger traffic there was a large goods depot in Paignton and coal for the gas works was brought in by rail usually having been offloaded at Kingswear further down the line.

As much as I enjoy living alongside the line I suspect having to endure steam and loose coupled freight twenty four hours a day the novelty would have soon worn off.

Cheers,
John

[Guest]

Re: GWR Class 800

A good capture John,it brought back happy memories of holidays in Paignton from the 1990s,and trips to Kingswear and Dartmouth.

I once made the mistake of starting at Totnes for the South Devon Railway..such a trek from the mainline station!

[tesarver]

Re: GWR Class 800

Well taken John

Tom