We are pleased to say L92 is back in traffic as of today, so the normal two-steam train service will run tomorrow.
Thank you to everyone who has worked hard to bring L92 back into use.
Many thanks
Danny S.
Altered workings tomorrow (Friday)
Tomorrow’s beer festival evening trips will be steam-auto-operated instead of the booked DMU. That’s the 7.40, 9.05 and 10.20 from Buckfastleigh, and the 8.20, 9.40 and 10.50 from Totnes.
The 6.45 from Buckfastleigh and 7.40 from Totnes will be DMU-worked instead of steam auto.
Fun and games
Spitfire attending 1940s Festival – 7 & 8 July
HOT OFF THE PRESS!
1940s Festival (7 & 8 July)
We are pleased to announce that a full size replica Spitfire will be attending our ‘South Devon 1940s Festival’ on the 7 & 8 July!
The Spitfire is modelled on EN398 which was the Personal Aircraft of British Flying Ace W/Cdr Johnny Johnson D.F.C. It has a complete original cockpit and a working WWII Rolls Royce engine which you will be able to hear start up at regular intervals throughout the event.
First Visiting Locomotive of 2019 Golden Anniversary Gala Announced
We are delighted to announce, thanks to our friends at the Llangollen Railway, that 6430 is the first confirmed visiting locomotive for the Golden Anniversary Steam Gala, 6-14 April 2019!
Above: 6412 hauls 6430 across Exeter West Junction on their way to the Dart Valley Railway in June 1966.
* * *
6430 was built at Swindon in 1937 and spent most of its working life in South Wales. It was withdrawn from its final shed, Yeovil, in October 1964 and sold to John Cashmore Ltd as scrap, but immediately re-sold to the Dart Valley Railway as a source of spares for 6412 and 6435. It was towed to Buckfastleigh by 6412 in June 1966.
Throughout much of its time on the Dart Valley Railway, 6430 was out of sight, painted in red oxide primer, which turned progressively more pink with age and wear. Eventually, with no hope of her being restored, she was put up for sale. It was bought in 1990 and spent some time undergoing restoration at Long Marston MOD depot, along with 5199, before moving to Llangollen in 1996.
The loco had unfortunately lost many parts to other engines. Repairs to its cracked cylinder blocks were tackled by the SVR during 1996, and new pannier tanks were fabricated and fitted at Llangollen. Manufacture of new axleboxes and re-wheeling took place in April 1998. New motion parts, coupling and connecting rods were cast and machined to size, whilst other parts were found elsewhere and purchased. A major problem was the badly corroded state of the boiler, which necessitated a completely new boiler barrel being made and fitted to the existing smokebox and firebox.
6430 first moved under its own steam came in December 2003. Work to finish of the locomotive continued, and it undertook a successful trial run along the whole length of the Llangollen Railway in February 2004.
Source: https://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/6430-2/
We all look forward to greeting 6430 next year!
Diesel Service this Saturday
Our public trains this Saturday 12 May will be hauled by a heritage diesel locomotive. Steam locomotive 6412 will be in operation on other services. (This is due to a mechanical problem with L92.)
SDRA AGM Location Error
The SDRA AGM is incorrectly shown in Bulliver as taking place in Buckfastleigh Town Hall, whereas in the AGM booklet it is correctly shown as taking place in the Buckfastleigh Station Refreshment Room at 7.30pm on Saturday 2nd June.
The AGM booklet is correct
Many thanks.
Miniature Railway – Most Successful Event in Recent Years
Hello All
After several requests I have spent some time working out our figures for Thomas 2018.
It would appear that it was our most successful of recent years. Both locomotives ran faultlessly during the weekend and despite a couple of issues everything went to plan and there was lots of happy passengers who now want to come back again.
We also ran the 2 trains in opposite directions with Pheonix running the ‘wrong way’ on 2 coaches, which was received with much amusement and the passengers appeared to like it especially at the North End during the token exchange and the occasional exchange of tea at the station.
The figures are as follows:
Saturdays Passengers 630
Sunday 731
Monday 626
That’s a total of 1,987 passengers over the weekend.
As for what the locos did several miles as follows
Saturday Otter did 36 Laps Pheonix did 29 Laps
Sunday Otter did 36 Laps Pheonix did 34 Laps
Monday Otter did 28 Laps Pheonix did 30 Laps
That’s a total of 97 Miles between them not bad for the two little engines to perform faultlessly.
I would also like to thank all of the staff that helped this weekend it was an excellent weekend, the team also handled the 2 slight issues professionally and correctly.
Thanks to you all again but I may take next weekend off and give Pheonix a break too………………………!
Thanks
Kelvin
A Big Thank You for an Amazing Weekend!
A huge THANK YOU to all our passengers, staff and Cadets who have visited the South Devon Railway over the last three days, and made our Day out with Thomas weekend so FANTASTIC!
We look forward to seeing you all again soon!
May Loco Roster
The May Loco Roster is out now:
Ashburton Branch Reunion
A grand reunion for everyone who has worked on the Ashburton Branch, at any point in its history, is being held at Buckfastleigh on Saturday 13 April 2019!
If you have worked as a volunteer or employee of any of the South Devon Railway companies or associated groups, the Dart Valley Railway, British Railways, or even the GWR, and you worked on or in connection with this branch at any time, you are invited to our reunion and we would love to see you there!
The reunion is being held during our golden anniversary steam gala, which promises a lot of steam locomotives, including some ‘old friends’ from the history of the line.
You can catch up with former friends and colleagues and see how the branch has developed and progressed in preservation.
There will be DISPLAYS and artefacts relating to the the Ashburton Branch and its history.
You can then take a special REUNION TRAIN TRIP to Totnes and back to re-acquaint yourself with the line.
There will then be a HOG ROAST and a BAR at Buckfastleigh in the evening, followed by some light entertainment.
The event opens at 1pm, with the special train running at approximately 4pm, returning at approximately 5.30pm, with the hog roast starting at approximately 6pm (exact times TBA with the railway timetable is finalised). The bar will be open all day.
Up to three members of your family or guests are also welcome to accompany you.
There is no fee to attend this reunion event, but donations will be gratefully received at the hog roast. Attendees may ride the special reunion train for free, as a thank you for all your help in the operation of the branch over the years. (If you wish to ride on other trains during the day you will need to purchase a ticket at the prevailing rate.)
Attendees are asked to pre-register in order to enable us to plan appropriate food, trains, etc, by one of the following methods:
– emailing us
– by Facebook message
– by telephoning us on 01364 644 370
Please include your telephone number, email address, and how many people you will be brining.
We look forward to seeing you there!