Join us on board ‘The Devonian’ for a wonderful trip to the West Country with
Tornado.
Departing from Birmingham Snow Hill station our train will be hauled as far as Bristol by a Class 67 diesel locomotive. At Bristol,
Tornado will be waiting to take our train west across the Somerset levels and on through Whiteball Tunnel to emerge in to the beautiful Devon countryside. After passing Exeter our train will traverse Brunel’s iconic sea wall where the railway runs along the coast weaving between the beaches, through tunnels under cliffs and past the deck chairs and the ice cream vendors. Once away from the sea our route heads in land and here
Tornado will be working close to its maximum as we climb over the fearsome South Devon Banks, a legacy from Brunel’s Atmospheric Railway. After such hard climbing we traverse over viaducts on the sinuous route through the picturesque landscape before descending into the Naval city of Plymouth.
Passengers have around three hours to enjoy the history of the area where, on Plymouth Hoe, Sir Francis Drake ‘spied’ the Spanish Armada, or perhaps a visit to the Barbican area to see the original passenger list for Pilgrim Father’s ship
The Mayflower on which they set out for the New World. By the harbour are wonderful places to have a drink or something to eat amongst the Tudor and Jacobean buildings and old Dockside warehouses that give the area so much character.
Our return journey retraces our route and soon after departure includes the challenging climbs of Hemerdon and Dainton banks before we once again skirt Brunel’s sea wall as the sun starts to set. After climbing to Whiteball Tunnel, and dashing down past the spot where
City of Truro achieved 100mph in 1904, we cruise across the Somerset levels and back to Bristol.
Tornado will haul our train throughout the return from Plymouth to Birmingham.