D-Day 80 remembered at Goodrington Sands

Sea cadets on Goodrington Sands as 2253 storms up the 1/71 gradient with the 11.50 ex-Paignton

There was a fitting tribute to the D-Day 80th Anniversary on the Dartmouth Steam Railway this week, where US Army Transportation Corps (USATC) Baldwin 2-8-0 2253 “Omaha” was in service (4 June 2024) adorned with a “D-Day 80 Overlord” headboard.

Loco 2253 has a colourful history, having arrived in the UK on May 1943 and working with the LNER out of Neville Hill depot in Leeds. It was returned to the USATC after D-Day and spent many years working in Poland, before being bought for preservation in 1992. It was restored in 2019, when it was painted maroon and named “Omaha” before arriving at Paignton in February 2020.

USATC 2253 approaches Goodrington Sands Halt with the 13.05 ex-Paignton

Paying my first visit to Paignton for many years my aim was to photograph working steam on the 6.7-mile branch to Kingswear, as well as present day traction visiting the carriage sidings that are south of Paignton station and extend to the currently disused station at Goodrington Sands.

GWR IET 800309 at Goodrington Carriage Sidings after working 1C75 from London Paddington (09.37)

Unlike other heritage railways the Dartmouth Steam Railway is a commercial concern, which is sadly reflected in a fare structure that requires passengers to specify out and return journey, rather than offering a day on the line, as is common on many preserved railways.

5239 “Goliath” drifts down the gradient to Goodrington Sands Halt with the 13.00 ex-Kingswear

That business-like approach has also meant that trains run non-stop between the two termini, with Goodrington Sands Halt, Churston and Greenway Halt all having been closed for several years, with no immediate prospect of reopening.

USATC 2253 takes the 13.05 from Paignton and passes GWR IET 800309 in Goodrington Carriage Sidings

Sharing duties with 2253 on 4 June was Great Western Railway 2-8-2 tank engine 5239 “Goliath” which was built at Swindon in 1923, was withdrawn and sent to the famous Dai Woodham scrapyard at Barry in 1963, before being saved for preservation and restored in the mid-1970s. It has the distinction of being the most powerful tank engine in preservation.

5239 passes the disused Goodrington Sands Halt with the 13.00 ex-Kingswear

Photographing trains between Paignton and Goodrington Sands is remarkably easy, with fine views from the level crossing immediately south of Paignton station, from Roundham Road over-bridge to the south and from Tanners Road over-bridge, a little further on, where there are the locked entrance gates to Goodrington Sands Halt.

XC 220018 approaches Goodrington Carriage Sidings where GWR IET 800309 waits to form the 13.55 from Paignton to London Paddington (1A87)

From here a walk towards the beach and then passing multi-coloured beach huts brings you to a bridge under the line, from where a path to the left takes you to the panoramic spot from where countless images of the steam railway have been shot and where I photographed the US 2-8-0 as it stormed up the gradient from Goodrington Sands.

Great Western Railway 5239 “Goliath” arrives at Paignton with the 10.35 service from Kingswear

Paignton is a busy station at the heart of this South Devon resort, where platform 1 is the arrival-only platform from which many services will then head to the Goodrington carriage sidings before returning to up platform 2, from where all departing service will leave.

Goodrington Sands Halt can be seen beyond the bridge as XC 220018 waits in the carriage sidings to form 1M61 (14.38) to Manchester Piccadilly

Services to Kingswear leave from Queen’s Park station, which is alongside the main station, and trains run parallel to the GWR/XC empty stock movements as they head over the southern level crossing towards Goodrington Sands.

USATC 2253 “Omaha” approaches Goodrington Sands with the 13.05 ex-Paignton

Passenger services here currently comprise half-hourly Riviera Line Class 165/6 or 150/158 workings to Exmouth via Exeter, a total of three daily GWR IET services to and from London Paddington and four XC Voyager workings, three of which run to Manchester Piccadilly and one to Birmingham New Street.

Returning from Newton Abbot (18.55) aboard 1A96, which I am delighted to see is one of the newly-named services and has been given an historic title of The Cornishman, meant a chance to sample the new summer menu of the GWR’s Pullman Dining.

British, Polish and US flags and a “D-Day 80 Overlord” headboard adorn USATC 2253 as it waits to depart Paignton with the 16.10 to Kingswear

Spending the two hours to Reading in the charming company of a ScotRail buffet steward and famous aesthetic nurse/entrepreneur, I sampled the asparagus, pea and feta puff pastry tart, followed by glazed confit pork belly, in a nearly full coach L of the IET service, washed down with some decent South African Shiraz Malbec.

The three-course set menu has risen to £44 – I once again finished with the selection of British cheeses – but this is a delightful way to round off a day out in the South-West, with the chance to share your evening with complete strangers, enjoy good food and drink and even have a free upgrade to first class into the bargain!