2019 will see a closure of the Great Western line at Whiteball Tunnel for repair work from Monday 18 February to Friday 6 March. Possibly the last chance to catch an HST, almost certainly the new IET's will be in evidence. Maybe a bit of freight as well.

3 January 2019 37521 in push/pull mode with the 18.42 Bristol High Level Siding to Exeter St Davids, Yeovil Junction, Yeovil Pen Mill, Yeovil Junction, Salisbury and ending up at Exeter Riverside

Off to Yeovil Pen Mill

Driving Trailer DT 9702

Ultrasonic Test Unit

Waiting time to resume its journey towards Salisbury.

There was much activity between the time 37521 left for Yeovil Pen Mill and its departure for Salisbury. A following service train from Exeter St Davids to Salisbury called, an empty 159 followed 37521 from Pen Mill to collect a 158 unit in the sidings and a down service train to Exeter called as the test train departed.

9 January 2019. A second clearance run from Laira, Plymouth to Axminster was carried out as the section, Exeter St Davids to Exeter Central had not been covered on 29/30 November 2018. Seen here at Pinhoe (taken from a Video sequence). (Photo courtesy Dave Tozer)

10 January 2019. Following a second clearance IET from Laira to Axminster the day before, the West of England line saw its first diverted IET in public service. An HST had hit a deer near Tiverton causing a brake problem. 802006 and 802019 were on 1A88 12.04 Penzance to Paddington. Taken in rather less than perfect light conditions - although the IET headlights are very bright!

Waiting to follow the passing IET is SWR's 13.50 Waterloo to Yeovil Pen Mill.

16 January 2019. On a crew refresher, a somewhat unusual visitor to the former LSWR route between Yeovil Junction and Exeter was DBS Class 59/0 59004 Paul A Hammond running light engine as the 0729 Westbury - Exeter (Riverside) via Honiton and 1134 return. Seen at Pinhoe nearing its destination. (Photo courtesy Dave Tozer)

Seen at Yeovil Junction (in a heavy rain storm) on the return.

Feathers for the spur to Yeovil Pen Mill.

21 January 2019 - 66101 at Cranbrook (Photo courtesy Dave Tozer).

23 January 2019 - 66134 at Pinhoe (Photo courtesy Dave Tozer).

30 January 2019 - test train from Tysley LMD. to Bristol High level sidings, via Weymouth. 67023 plus 67027 passing the remnants of a snowy county. (Photo courtesy Roland Groom).

Seen at Maiden Newton. (Photo courtesy Roland Groom).

5 February 2019 66091 is seen at Yeovil Junction and in use to continue route learning for DB Cargo crews in advance of the closure of the Great Western line through Whiteball Tunnel for almost 3 weeks.

19 March 2019 - Unfortunately it was necessary to divert an IET and two HSTs through Yeovil from the Great Western line.

Taking the spur towards Yeovil Pen Mill.

23 March 2019 - Two diesel hauled specials ran through the Yeovil stations. Balfour Beatty's drain cleaner is in Yeovil Pen Mill yard.

23 March 2019 - Branch Line Society ran a trip from Crewe to Weymouth and return via Yeovil Pen Mill. A second Class 33 (D6515 from Swanage Railway) was added to the train at Weymouth for the return seen here double heading with West Coast's 33029.

The train snakes behind Pen Mill's signalbox en-route to Castle Cary.

At the rear of the train was 47851.

23 March 2019 - Later, at Yeovil Junction, two Class 50's 50049 'Defiance' and 50007 'Hercules' were on the front of Pathfinder Railtours excursion (The Class 50 Terminator - Phoenixed) which ran from London Paddington to Penzance, back to Exeter St Davids and after a run round through Yeovil Junction and eventually to London Waterloo. 25 years on from the original 'Fifty Terminator' but reversing the route. (Photo courtesy Rebecca Taylor)

Both engines were in their new GBRF livery (this is 50007). (Photo courtesy Rebecca Taylor).

16 May 2019. 37409 'Lord Hinton' at Pinhoe propelling Inspection Saloon 'Caroline' on the 0846 Exeter St Davids to Kensington Olympia. (Photo courtesy Dave Tozer).

6 June 2019. Network Rail's New Measurement Train at Pinhoe. (Photo courtesy Dave Tozer).

19 June 2019. During the recent strikes by RMT Guards, South Western Railway ran a skeleton service from London Waterloo to Salisbury and a separate service from Salisbury to Exeter Central using the rarely used bay Platform 1 at Central. Here two 159 units with the leading set 159013 leaving the bay for Salisbury. (Photo courtesy Dave Tozer).

21 June 2019. The latest 159 unit to be refurbished 159017 returns from Loughborough (Brush) to Salisbury via Bristol Exeter and Yeovil Junction. Seen at Pinhoe at 15.38. (Photo courtesy Dave Tozer).

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