This is a sight that could not have been seen in steam days on Britain’s railways, an Eastern Region Gresley A1 Pacific on the hallowed metals of the Western Region… unthinkable, but this is 1994 when the World’s most famous preserved locomotive “Flying Scotsman” paid a visit to the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway, the former Paignton-Kingswear branch line of the GWR.

Nevertheless it makes a fine sight in the later British Railways Brunswick Green livery and fitted with German-type smoke deflectors, being the final form it ran in its last days in service. Currently it sports LNER Apple Green and the smoke deflectors have been removed.

In the background across the River Dart from Kingswear lies Dartmouth, the town with a railway station but no trains, but that’s another story.