Castle class 4-6-0 No 5097 Sarum Castle after passing Dawlish with the 8am Plymouth to Manchester express on September 3, 1955.
Peter Kerslake says "5097 would have been a welcome sight at Plymouth, but sadly Shrewsbury based "Castles" such as this worked the "West to North" rosters between Shrewsbury and Newton Abbot only, sharing them with Newton Abbot shedded "Castles" so will have come on to this working at Newton Abbot. It will return back to Shrewsbury with the Kingswear section having been added to the Plymouth coaches at Newton Abbot.
It's farewell to the sea and into the Exe estuary for 5097 and her train, the line now curving away from the sea wall and inland through the cutting at Langstone, formerly known as Langstone Point Headland, and there will be a through coach on this train's Plymouth portion destined for Glasgow which will be detached at Crewe and added there to the "Mid-Day Scot" thereby forming the longest through coach working on B.R. at this time."
Photo: R.O. Tuck/Rail Archive Stephenson