61306 Mayflower Impressive Working The Torbay Express 20th June 2026

The second visit this year of Thompson's Apple Green B1 is greeted with clear weather as she heads the train up the Teign Estuary, this time filmed from Flow Point which allows a more dramatic close-up pass compared with filming from the far bank. Passing at speed it is clear that the diesel on the back is assisting and helping make up 10 of the 15 minutes deficit incurred at Exeter by the time the train reached Paignton. That said, it is still impressive to witness a steam locomotive at speed and looking splendid! Once on to DSR metals, local crews take over for the run to Kingswear and back and they do not hold back on visiting locos !! so it was back to the Higher Ferry slipway once more for the depart from Kingswear and a chance to see and hear a B1 with a job to do and made to work at it. I arrived just in time to set up and grab a shot of the U.K's last operating steam powered river paddle steamer passing only a stones throw downstream from the site of Phillips Boatyard where it was built in 1924. The distinctive high pitched whistle (mainly designed for use in the Scottish Highlands) announces imminent departure and we see, even at a distance, that the heavy train takes a lot to get it going, however, once on the move and out of the twisty side platform track, 61306 is given her head and the rest is a sheer delight of sight and sound in one of the best railway amphitheatres in the U.K.! Finally a (half) grab shot out over (appropriately) glorious Torbay. A change of timings meant there was really no time to get past the train especially as I had to negotiate temporary traffic lights and serious traffic. I am still setting up as the train appears below me but I manage to switch on just in time to at least get something of a "train in the distance".