26th June 2000

Here's a relatively rare visitor to the South West! Hastings unit no. 1001, the preserved Class 201 DEMU, is heading back towards Westbury as a 5-car unit at 12.28 after running down to Taunton. It's approaching the bridge at Oathe.

At the time, I took this to be a route learning trip prior to a railtour working, but in fact the only tour to the south west with this unit in 2000 was two weeks previously! It was on the 10th June that the “Torbay DEMU” tour ran, then as a 6-car train, including a BIG buffet car. So its run on this day remains a mystery to me.