Great Western Coffee Shop

https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2025/05/steam-locomotive-34046-braunton-to-pass-through-dawlish-this-saturday.html (https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2025/05/steam-locomotive-34046-braunton-to-pass-through-dawlish-this-saturday.html)


[personal opinion piece] So that's about 4 hours behind a diesel, half an hour for a loco change, an hour and a quarter behind a steam engine on the main line, then a final section on a heritage line where you could travel behind a steam engine anyway.

Many moons ago, on 14th February 2009, as a 30-year long-service award, my company paid for myself and my wife to be pampered aboard a British Pullman dining experience behind Bulleid Merchant Navy Pacific, 35028 'Clan Line' (if I'd paid for it myself, I'd have needed a second mortgage!). You barely noticed that you were behind a steam locomotive!  The onboard experience was the attraction (I won't say the scenery - unless you enjoy the south London suburbs and Surrey Hills!).

Rather more recently, I treated my daughter (who is an avid Harry Potter fan) to a weekend around Glenfinnan. As part of that weekend, we boarded a Scotrail Class 156 unit and travelled from Fort William to Mallaig and back. We saw exactly the same scenery as the tourists on board The Jacobite at a (huge tiny) fraction of the price. We witnessed The Jacobite cross the viaduct from a couple of lineside vantage points.

As an avid railway photographer, I would gladly phot a steam excursion from lineside, but as a participant of a railtour, it really does not matter what the motive power is.

*** Edited to correct one word which meant exactly the opposite to what I meant to convey! ***

Fortunately there are enough people who do think it's worth paying to travel behind steam or there'd be no steam to photograph!  Ideally the trip should be enhanced by a welcoming boarding experience (a chance for a leisurely inspection of the haulage, including in this case during the mid-point attachment perhaps?) as well as that onboard experience and being made to feel appreciated for keeping the show on the (iron) road.

Said excursion passing Ellerhayes Bridge, between Cullompton and Exeter. Braunton only acting as a figurehead with the diesel(s) doing the work!

(https://i.postimg.cc/q7n7dMSJ/Braunton-Riviera.png)

Regarding the Jacobite 'Harry Potter' train that runs between Fort William and Mallaig, crossing the Glenfinnan viaduct (as seen in the films)...


We included this recently in a 60th birthday trip. The trip was over 12 days, and we were very lucky in that it coincided with 2 weeks of fantastic weather - the guide on our 3 day tour of the Outer Hebrides said that it was the first time in 13 years that it hadn't rained once during the tour.

However, it also meant that they didn't run the steam train on the Jacobite due to the risk of setting fire to the surrounding very dry countryside - we didn't find that out until we got to the station. Plus we'd also been warned beforehand that the usual posh carriages were undergoing some sort of maintenance I think, so we ended up in just what seemed like old (1950s?) and somewhat tired rolling stock.

Given that we'd paid £105 each (1st class), plus £30 each for the 'high tea' (in a box), it was a bit disappointing, although we still enjoyed it - the glorious weather did mean that the scenery looked fantastic.

I suspect the passengers probably weren't the only ones disappointed - the hillsides at both ends of the viaduct were covered in people either taking photos or just watching, presumably hoping for a bit of steam rather than fumes :)

https://westcoastrailways.co.uk/jacobite/steam-train-trip