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A PHOTOGRAPHER'S GUIDE TO
THE SOUTH DEVON RAILWAY
Sarah Anne Harvey describes some of the best places to photograph
this short but beautiful country railway
At only seven miles long this typical ex Great Western Railway branch line is not, admittedly, one of the longest Heritage Railways to be found in Great Britain. But what it lacks in distance is more than made up by the sheer beauty of the countryside it meanders through as it follows the course of the River Dart between Buckfastleigh and Totnes; as anyone who has travelled on one of its trains will readily admit. It has only one intermediate station at Staverton, a country station consisting of one platform, original buildings and beautiful platform gardens. But compare the look of Staverton now in 2009 with the photographs on display in the entrance lobby, of the station in the 1920’s – and it’s hard to spot any differences. It is, as we used to say in the photographic profession, "a moment captured in time" but it's three dimensional and real.
 Studying a map of the line gives no immediate hope of getting any good photographs since most of the line is hidden from view of the A384, the main road linking Totnes and Buckfastleigh. There are few foot or bridle paths in the area, and even fewer that will take you close to the railway. However all is not lost for there are places, all with full public access, where good images of the trains can be created. The photograph on the right, for example, was created from a public place. My advice, as a professional photographer for a little over forty years, is not to just stand in the places I take you to and take the first picture you see on arrival. Look at the whole scene in front of you, and then divide your gaze into sections of that scene. Move around, alter your view point e.g. the height at which you shoot and really think – can I only get one picture from where I’m standing, or if I move ten feet will I get a series of different photographs.
Before I start our journey down the line I have to give you the warnings. Please do not trespass on the railway under any circumstances. It is both dangerous and illegal. Trespassing on the railway, whether it’s on the national network or any heritage line is a criminal offence and the current fines are four figure numbers. These rules are not for the purpose of spoiling your fun they are in place to preserve your own safety and those of passengers and railway staff. And finally a respectful reminder to those who are authorised to be on the lineside – the wearing of clean high visibility orange jackets or vests is obligatory – but they do not make you bullet proof!
As we travel to each spot I will try to illustrate with photographs the views you are likely to get there. In my capacity of running this website I'm privileged to have been given access to all areas of the line to photograph from lineside positions deep in the countryside, yet some of my own personal favourite images have been taken from public places.
We’ll start at Buckfastleigh, the headquarters of the railway. We have the main station area, public access by the side of the yards and locomotive shed, a raised viewing platform for the main workshop and public access to the rear of the yards. And the railway has been busy creating a new picnic and viewing area where good photographs of the trains leaving Buckfastleigh station can be obtained.
Buckfastleigh Station
 There is one platform at the station serving all arrivals and departures. At the south end of the platform (by the footbridge) you can photograph trains arriving from Totnes Littlehempston as they round the final curve into the station itself. Trains often slow here but then put on steam (there is a slight gradient) for the final few yards, so you may get some good ‘smokey’ shots.  Just before the locomotive passes under the footbridge you will often see the fireman leaning out of the right hand side of the cab holding the token, ready to place it onto the token catching apparatus – another interesting shot of railway practice. However please do not be tempted to walk down the end of the platform ramp – which is for the use of authorised staff only.
When the train has come to a halt the locomotive will detach from the front of the train to ‘run round’. In order to do this it travels down the loop line and will invariably stop to take on water at the water tank. Here, still at the south end of the platform, you can achieve good shots of the locomotive tanks being filled and when that is finished the loco will run past you a short way down the line to then transfer back onto the platform line to couple up to the train – probably right by where you are standing.
 From the Ashburton end of the platform – the north end – you can also get good photographs of the arriving trains as they pass along the platform. Altering your viewpoint here is a good idea, crouch down, but do not get too close to the platform edge. If you stand at the very end of the platform the loco will draw to a halt in front of you, a really lovely shot to get.
Railway photography is not all about images of trains. The South Devon’s uniformed staff, from Station Master to Lad Porter to Guards all wear uniforms recreating the look of the station as it used to be years ago. They perform the jobs that were done in ‘the good old days’, you know – helping passengers boarding or alighting, giving information, helping people – all those things which are eminently photographable yet which do not occur on the network rail systems today!
The Picnic and Viewing Area
 Leave the platform and walk down the road towards the car park. After passing under the railway bridge turn immediately right and go to the far end of this new viewing area for shots of the trains leaving. As the train leaves the platform wait until the chimney passes under the footbridge to get an atmospheric shot of the smoke hitting the underside of the bridge and cascading down.
The Footbridge
  The footbridge is undoubtedly the most popular place for visitors to photograph the trains. Looking towards the station you will see good shots of the yards and locomotive depot and of course the trains departing.
If you want a slightly different photograph of trains arriving to those of other people, try the following. Choose a spot as close to the signal box as you can. Get down as low as you can and shoot between the criss cross girders with your camera almost touching the surface of the bridge. You’ll be surprised at the difference this lower positioning makes to the inbound or departing train shot, of course others may think you’re crazy but then you will get ‘the shot’.
The Yards and Loco Shed
  Use the footbridge to cross the line towards the car park. As you reach the bottom of the bridge you will see a white gate to your left – a good place for departing trains and locomotives taking on water – but again please do not be tempted to open the gate to walk through it. Walking straight on you will be parallel with the yards where you will often find plenty of activity, you can shoot over the fence here, and a little further on you will be alongside the entrance to the loco shed. This is a situation where the very early bird really is going to get some good images as the locos are prepared and during their first movements of the day produce huge clouds of steam. Early morning light here is superb and if you want atmosphere then this is the place to be. But early really means early, 8.30am onwards when the two train in steam timetable is in force, and a little later for the one train in steam timetable.
The Main Workshop Viewing Platform
Walk past the loco shed and the entrance to this is on your left. Walk up the steps for photographs looking down on the workshop area.
The ‘Back’ Yards
Walking on again alongside and past the workshop will take you to an area where rolling stock awaiting restoration is stored. Don’t be put off by the rust and state of some items you might find. Some of the most graphic close up images can be created around this area – go on surprise yourself with some ‘industrial art’. It’s also the area where the diesel fleet can be seen from ground rather than platform level.
Walk through the yards until you find yourself heading back towards the main station area, the museum and the restaurant. There are no particularly exciting photographs to be had in the restaurant but they do serve wonderful bacon baps and cups of tea or coffee. Go on you deserve it! You’ve got some good shots so now it’s time to relax.
Down the line - Caddaford
Now it’s time to move on and explore other areas of the railway. Leave by the Railway’s drive and turn right at the end. After a short distance bear right at the mini roundabout and cross over the main A38 dual carriageway. This road is the A384 and will be signposted for Dartington and Totnes.  Approximately one mile from where you cross the A38 the road and railway run together for a short distance and there is a lay-by on the left hand side of the road in which you should park. This area is known as Caddaford and the railway will be on your right and whilst it is only a short stretch it is on a curve, allowing good shots whichever direction a train may be travelling in.
Please exercise extreme caution when crossing this road, the lay-by lies in the bottom of a dip and traffic in both directions moves at speed here. Having crossed safely you’ll be walking on a reasonably wide grass verge with good shooting positions for trains in either direction as mentioned. Walking the furthest away from your car will bring you to rising ground which is most photographers preferred spot for trains coming from Buckfastleigh. Carry the railway’s brochure with you to work out what times the trains will pass – currently (September 09) it’s about 6 - 7 minutes out of Buckfastleigh due to a speed restriction on the line.
There is an occupation bridge here which will take you under the line directly onto the banks of the River Dart. Most people explore this at one time or another. A kind of footpath follows the very edge of the bank, but it crumbles easily and will tip you into the Dart without a moment’s notice. Do you hear experience talking here? I do not recommend, therefore, that you attempt it since driving home in wet jeans, or a wet frock and wet shoes will seem like an endless journey!
There is one more location here which few photographers take advantage of due to, dare I say it, laziness since it involves a marginally longer walk from the car! It is on the same side as the lay-by and ends up being a much higher shooting position than the other side. The view from here is superb and you’ll be shooting across the top of the traffic. But another one of those warnings! The grass verge is very narrow for a section of the walk putting you very close to the road and because it’s uneven ground it’s easy to stumble. I recommend that you cross the road, walk up the wide verge and then re-cross the road at the end where you will find the verge on your left has widened out.
Down the line – Riverford Bridge
Railwaymen and women refer to this as Hood Bridge, its original name I’m told, but you will find it marked on the map as Riverford Bridge. Drive on from Caddaford towards Dartington still on the A384 for another one and three quarter miles approximately. At a straight stretch of road you will see traffic lights in the distance, which control passage across this narrow bridge. Roughly 100 yards before the lights you will find a lay-by on the right hand side of the road, park here and walk onto the bridge which crosses both the railway and the River Dart, which is quite wide at this point. The bridge was built with a series of pedestrian refuges and so is quite a safe place to shoot from. The railway runs straight and alongside the river and the photographs achieved here are so typical of a country branch railway.
Down the line – Staverton Station
Continue along the A384 towards Dartington crossing the bridge you’ve just photographed from. In nearly three quarters of a mile there is a left turning at a cross roads called Huxham’s Cross - the first turning on the left after crossing Riverford Bridge. It is signposted ‘Staverton Bridge’ and is a lane with no road number. Simply follow it down until you cross the River Dart by another charming single track bridge and then cross the railway line by the level crossing. Immediately after crossing the line turn sharp right into the station car park, where it will cost 50p to park all day (payable at the Booking Office).
 As I’ve already mentioned Staverton is a real gem. Sitting on one of the platform benches and soaking up the silence, apart from the birds, and beauty of the surrounding countryside is one of those rare moments in life where the hurly burly of modern day living can be forgotten. Perhaps I’m just an old romantic but this place is truly a treat especially as the trains arrive and depart at a leisurely pace, taking us back to an age we are convinced no longer exists but which was a part of ‘the good old days’.
However there’s work to be done and trains to photograph, besides the plethora of old suitcases on platform trolleys, milk churns, barrels, an old bicycle with a woven basket and a real gem – the old Nestle chocolate bar dispensing machine. Walk to the Buckfastleigh end of the platform to catch the trains from that station drifting towards you as they slow to a stop. Lower your shooting position for a better result.
 Equally at the Totnes end of the platform catch the train as it passes over the level crossing, past those magnificent white painted wooden gates. How often do you see those these days? When the high season timetable is in operation, trains bound for Buckfastleigh pause longer than trains running the other way, so you’ll have time to walk down the platform to photograph their departure. Just out of site is Bishops Bridge where two trains running in opposite directions cross each other, so once the Buckfastleigh bound train departs you’ll only have to wait 4 or 5 minutes for the Totnes bound train to arrive. Use the platform trolleys as a foreground when the train arrives for a more creative picture, but make sure you bend those knees when you take the shot. Another shooting area that so many photographers miss is in the car park. Only a wire fence separates you from the sidings so it’s easy, and safe, to poke the camera through to shoot the trains from Totnes as they round the last curve before the platform. They’ll pass the Home signal quite slowly and you can use it to frame the picture.
Next time
In the concluding part of this article I’ll take you down the riverside walk at Staverton to get yet more cracking photographs of the trains, the rapids and the weir (wonderful industrial heritage shots there). A railway bridge in the middle of a wood and then on to some little known footpaths at Dartington where you can shoot trains as they pass by on the other side of the river and finally on to Totnes Littlehempston Station.
Technical Note
If you have a fixed lens point and press type camera you may find it best to zoom the lens in for some shots to fully optimise your compositions. Photographers with interchangeable lens DSLR’s may find a lens of around 200 – 300 mm a useful piece of kit to have with them.
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