Dawlish and Teignemouth are two Devon seaside resorts on the former Great Western Railway main line to Penzance. The railroad follows the base of the cliffs on a seawall. The cliffs are a brilliant red sandstone (hence "Devonian" period). The towns are Victorian sea side resorts, and are still popular today. There is a public footpath which follows the GWR main all the way from Teignmouth to Dawlish Warren (about five miles). Lots of train activity, mostly Great Western Trains Class 42 HST's and DEMU's, but hopefully some freight action also. Sea stacks and tunnels east of Dawlish are photographable with meduim telephoto.
The weather is usually sunnier than the rest of the UK. Cornwall has a network of branch lines still with passenger service to interesting towns and seaside resorts. Penzance has a nice Victorian trainshed, and trains can be photographed from the street. Traditional fishing town otherwise,the furthest south you can go by train in Britain. London can be pretty hectic, a trip to the West of England makes a nice break. Take the train from London Paddington (a railfan landmark in its own right). Plan on staying overnight, because return train service to London ceases mid afternoon. Last time I visited this part of the world, a parcel (express) and newspaper train operated westward mid afternoon, with classic station activity. Westbury (where Foster Yeoman and ARC's operate Class 59's, export model SD40-2's on stone trains) is on the way. Flame away, SPORRS people. I know this is a railfan travelogue, but I didn't start this string !. Phil Mason Photographer of Railroad Related Subjects, but seldom serious. --> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects
