The Bulleid Pacifics were used on Exeter - Plymouth and Exeter Kingswear services in the summer of 1955. On what is clearly a warm Summer's day the many holidaymakers here on the sea wall have 34080 74 Squadron heading down from Exeter to Plymouth North Road on an "All Stations" stopper, complete with a single lamp in place and with green Southern stock making up the train.
What the onlookers probably fail to appreciate, however, is that this working of a Southern Region engine over the Western Region main line was ito enable the Southern footplatemen to "know the road" so that, in the event of a blockage of their own line via North Dartmoor, the Southern passenger workings could operate between Plymouth and Exeter via the Western route.
Not many pictures of a Bulleid Pacific at Teignmouth seem to exist, as there was only one such daily working in each direction during this period of time, so this is a rare capture.