A classic steam train has begun its regular summer service, passing through Highbridge railway station on its journey to the Devon coast.
The Torbay Express passed through Burnham and Highbridge Railway Station on Sunday (July 10th) on its way to Paignton and Dartmouth.
Launched in 2003 when it ran on only four Sundays in August, the Torbay Express service has been expanded and now runs over the summer each Sunday until September 11th.
Reviving the name of a famous steam express which once ran from London Paddington but which was discontinued in 1961, the Torbay Express sets out from Bristol each Sunday morning, picking up at Weston-super-Mare, Taunton and Exeter St Davids.
The train – LMS Royal Scot Class 7P 4-6-0 no 46100 Royal Scot – travels through Highbridge and Burnham Railway Station on some weekends and takes in the Somerset levels, plus the Blackdown Hills and the Exe Valley to Exeter, the Exe and Teign estuaries, the sea-wall stretch from Dawlish Warren to Teignmouth, and into the old riverside station of Kingswear.
“It is great to see a wonderful steam train like this passing through the area – it’s a real blast from the past,” said one local enthusiast who was among those who turned out on Sunday evening to see it pass through Highbridge on its way back to Bristol.
For bookings, call 01453-834477 or visit here.
