What an absolutely lovely picture from Aller Junction at the bottom of Dainton Bank, just west of Newton Abbot, with the line to Torbay and Kingswear identified by the fencing and signal just to the right of this one here which has cleared to allow locally shedded 2875 to come out on to the down main line from the loop. Not yet fitted with outside steam pipes.

Those look like cattle wagons at the head of the freight, and with the long and daunting one in thirty six grade ahead there will be one of Newton Abbot's tank engines acting as a banker at the rear, obscured by the smoke, but this freight will take a while before it reaches the summit, and I wonder how long it's been held here awaiting a path between the express passenger workings...quite a while, I suspect!