West Country Branch Line Weekend, 24th - 25th May 2009
Thursday 21st May is the actual 40th anniversary date of the South Devon line being officially re-opened by the infamous Dr Richard Beeching in 1969 – the man who was responsible for the closure of many lines across the country as chairman of the British Railways Board in the early 1960s. And to mark that fact, the South Devon Railway’s West Country Branch Line weekend not only aims to celebrate the line’s re-opening, but also to stir memories of the way the region’s railways once looked by running a mixture of unusual trains ranging from one and two coach passenger trains to four and five vehicle sets in authentic liveries, plus milk wagons and goods traffic. The two-day weekend event on Sunday May 24th and Monday 25th is mainly steam operated, but with some diesel haulage and an intensive timetable plus a variety of different types of trains which are now but a memory, including an ‘auto train’. It will feature former Great Western Railway built locos Nos 1369, 5786 and visiting engine 5542, with 3803 as reserve engine, plus a Class 122 'Bubblecar' diesel multiple unit, which will make one round trip each day, and another diesel loco from the 1960s too in D6737. One type of train most often associated with Great Western branch services in the West Country is the auto train. Auto trains would usually consist of just one or two coaches worked in push-pull mode by a small engine. "During the course of our West Country Branch Line Weekend, we will run single and two coach trains, plus replica goods and milk trains, along with an auto train service at the beginning of each day to show what the railways were like in the region from the 1940s to 1960s,” says SDR General Manager Dick Wood. At Buckfastleigh, visitors will be able to view the largest steam loco at present based on the line, 4-6-0 No. 4920 Dumbleton Hall. After several seasons stored out of sight, 4920 will be on display outside, whilst from the workshop viewing gallery visitors will also be able to see the recent progress being made on the heavy general overhaul of the sole surviving 2251 Class 0-6-0 No 3205. The comprehensive collection of heritage diesel locomotives will also be viewable, including the Devon Diesel Society's Class 50, the former No 50 002 Superb which is being restored back into its original condition as built in 1967 as No D402. The miniature railway will be running and providing a frequent service throughout the event with trains departing at regular intervals from the new station adjacent to the main car park. "And, with the engines, coaches and wagons painted in the authentic liveries of the era, we expect this will bring back fond memories for many people of the West Country railway scene from 1947 to 1963,” adds Dick Wood. Another regular feature of branch lines of yesteryear was the operation of the daily pick up goods and milk trains. These trains would often amble their way along many a branch railway, stopping off at stations and sidings to set down or pick up wagons containing a variety of produce. |
