Hastings DEMU to East Somerset Railway | EXTENDED EDITION passing Merehead Quarry, Westbury & more!

*Following the previous upload https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kS6_KmZzN8&t=7s this version includes more of the journey on the mainline, showing us passing Westbury, traversing across Witham Junction and passing the site of Merehead Quarry where all footage featured has been taken from a position of safety behind the window, and a more comprehensive run of the full length of the preserved East Somerset Railway is also featured*

A great afternoon aboard the preserved Hastings DEMU thumper 1001 and 1013 sets with @southwalestrainspotting5090 riding on a part-fare ticket between Bath Spa - Cranmore on the east Somerset Railway, with DEMUs 1013 the green 6-coach set, and 1001 the BR and green power car 4-coach set both on this 10-coach lash up, this was a first for Hastings Diesels!

It was something of a full circle moment for the team of Hastings Diesels Limited who last took took one of the units to the East Somerset Railway back in December 1996, when the tour then ran to Bath Spa and Cranmore (East Somerset Railway) via Kensington Olympia and Reading marking 30 years to today when the group brought the first revenue earning 10 carriage formation, complete with x4 power cars (60116 'Mountfield', 60118 'Tunbridge Wells' S60000 'Hastings', and 60119) for the this cracking trip.

GB Railfreight were operating todays railtour, originating at Hastings and running down via Reading, Swindon and Bristol Parkway with a part-fare option to join the DEMU at Bath Spa for a run down to Cranmore. At a mere £25 this was to good an opportunity too miss, and so we joined the train for a cracking run through Freshford and Bradford-on-Avon up to Westbury where after a short stop, the unit got back into its stride up to Witham, where we navigated off the mainline and onto the quarry branch which usually serves the freight only stone traffic into and out of Merehead Quarry.

We passed Merehead Quarry before arriving at the overbridge at the boundary just before the entrance to the preserved railway section into Cranmore, and once the correct token was in possession, we were cleared to run non stop through Cranmore along the full length of the East Somerset Railway to Mendip Vale, quite a sight seeing a 10 carriage train here! After a short stop we then set back to detrain at Cranmore. Here GWR 4110 was in action on the preserved services, while the unit cleared back into the section under the overbridge to hold, and we later joined the train for a great run back, rejoining the mainline and retracing our steps back to Bath Spa, via Westbury with a final shot showing the DEMU departing Bath Spa on its return route to Hastings, bringing to an end a great afternoon. | 11.04.2026

I hope you enjoy this video and thank you for watching! If you like what you've seen, please head over to Instagram https://www.instagram.com/brunelheritage/ and Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@brunel.heritage for more and please feel free to leave comments, ratings, and subscribe to the channel.

#Hastingsunit #Thumber #EastSomersetRailway #Cranmore #DEMU #BathSpa #BathandCranmoreDEMU #gbrailfreight #railfeaturesuk #railwayphotograhy #ukrailways #uktrainimages #ukrailwaypics #uktrainimages #britishrailphotography #trainenthusaist #GWR #train #railway #BritishRailways #ukrailenthusiasts #train #MereheadQuarry #trainphotography #trainphotographics #heritageunit #largeprairie #railphotography#trainspottingfeatures #britishrail #Tones #April