Heading back through Dawlish on the return trip 1014 is seen on the famous sea wall
Image by Stapleton Road
Running through to Meldon Quarry on what is now a preserved railway.
This section of line is now The Dartmoor Railway who operate unit 1132.
Image by Stapleton Road
As usual http://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/ have a report and timings of the tour which we have added here
An on time departure from Waterloo and completely clear run down the fast line, with speeds in the high 60s / low 70s, gave on time departures from Woking and Basingstoke. Hard running over the undulating line to Salisbury got the train there 5 early. More hard running, both before and after Yeovil, put the train into Exeter around booked time. After the return trip up to Meldon Quarry the tour was still running near enough to time. It left Exeter 40 late as i had to await crew but no further time was lost down to Paignton. The hour stop there was shortened to 20 minutes to ensure an on time departure. Departure from Exeter was also on time and a fast run down from Whiteball Summit put us 3 early passing Taunton. More good running and we had gained another 5 minutes by Castle Cary. I guess the early running caused the train to be stopped at Westbury rather than running non stop via the avoiding line as booked. Reading was reached in less than a hour from Westbury. The run into Waterloo took 67 minutes even though the train was diverted round the Hounslow loop and with 3 minutes lost to signal checks at and after Clapham Junction.
Timings (Booked & Actual)
| Location | Booked | Actual |
| Waterloo | 08.08d [FL] | 08.08 |
| Clapham Junction | 08/14½ | 08/14 |
| Hampton Court Jn | 08/24½ | 08/23 |
| Woking | 08.35½a ~ 08.36½d | 08.33 ~ 08.36 |
| Basingstoke | 08.59½a ~ 09.00½d | 08.59 ~ 09.00 |
| Worting Jn | 09/04½ | 09/05 |
| Andover | 09/21 | 09/19 |
| Tunnel Jn | 09/38 | 09/34 |
| Salisbury | 09.41a ~ 09.42d | 09.36 ~ 09.42 |
| Wilton Jn | 09/46 | 09/45 |
| Wilton | 09/48 | 09/47 |
| Gillingham | 10/07 | ? |
| Templecombe | 10/14 [ML] | 10/11 |
| Sherbourne | 10/21 | ? |
| Yeovil Junction | 10x28 ~ 10x43 | 10.24 ~ 10.47 |
| Chard Jn | 11/02 | ? |
| Honiton | 11/18 | 11/22 |
| Pinhoe | 11/30 | ? |
| Exeter Central | 11/34 | 11/36 |
| Exeter St Davids | 11c37 ~ 11c39 | 11.39 ~ 11.44 |
| Cowley Bridge Jn | 11/42 | 11/47 |
| Crediton | 11c48 ~ 11c49 | 11.54 ~ 11.57 |
| Meldon Quarry | 12.25a ~ 12.35d | 12.28 ~ 12.47 |
| Crediton | 13c12 ~ 13c13 | 13.25 ~ 13.26 |
| Cowley Bridge Jn | 13/20 | 13/34 |
| Exeter St Davids | 13c23 ~ 13c25 | 13.39 ~ 14.06 |
| Dawlish Warren | 13/37 | 14/20 |
| Newton Abbot | 13.48 ~ 13.55 | 14.38 ~ 14.41 |
| Heathfield | 14.18 ~ 14.23 | 15.03 ~ 15.08 |
| Newton Abbot | 14/50 | 15/34 |
| Paignton | 15.05a ~ 16.05d | 15.49 ~ 16.06 |
| Newton Abbot | 16/20 | 16/20 |
| Dawlish Warren | 16/33 | 16/34 |
| Exeter St Davids | 16c48 ~ 16c50 | 16.51 ~ 16.52 |
| Cowley Bridge Jn | 16/52 | ? |
| Whiteball Summit | 17/11 | ? |
| Taunton | 17/23 | 17/24 |
| Castle Cary | 17/52 | 17/48 |
| Blatchbridge Jn | 18/05 | 18/02 |
| Clink Road Jn | 18/07 | 18/04 |
| Fairwood Jn | 18/10 | 18/08 |
| Westbury | DIV | 18.10 ~ 18.11 |
| Heywood Road Jn | 18/12 | 18/13 |
| Lavington | 18/20 | ? |
| Woodborough | 18/28 | ? |
| Bedwyn | 18/42 | ? |
| Newbury | 18/55 | 18/52 |
| Southcote Jn | 19/07½ | 19/06 |
| Reading | 19.10a ~ 19.13d [ML] | 19.11 ~ 19.12 |
| Earley | 19/18 | ? |
| Wokingham | 19/22½ | 19/23 |
| Ascot | 19/32 | 19/32 |
| Virginia Water | 19/44 | 19/38 |
| Staines | 19/52 | 19/46 |
| Feltham Jn | 19/58 | 19/55 |
| Twickenham | 20/02 [FL] | DIV |
| Hounslow | DIV | 19/57 |
| Barnes | 20/06 [FL] | 20/04 |
| Clapham Junction | 20/11 | 20.09 ~ 20.11 |
| Waterloo | 20.18a | 20.18 |
We would like to thanks Southern Reg and Eddie Holden aka Stapledon Road for letting us use their images
The 'Devonian' Railtour
On the 30th April 1983 Hastings Unit 1014 worked a tour through the heart of the Great Western system through to Paignton.
The tour started off at Waterloo working the former Southern route to Exeter where it then travelled on the line to Okehampton and up to Meldon Quarry on what is now the Dartmoor Railway.
From Meldon it turned to Exeter when it headed West on the Great Western main Line down as far as Paignton. After a quick turn round at Paignton it headed back to London, on reaching Exeter it stayed on the Great Western mainline to Taunton then took the 'Berks & Hants' line to Reading which goes via Westbury and only diverting back onto the Southern when it reached Reading.