- 2 hours ago
A nostalgic Look at the Dart Valley Railway in South Devon back in 1979. Now one of the country's most successful steam railways, it carries thousands of visitors each year from Buckfastleigh to Totnes, seven miles along one of Britain's most beautiful valleys.
The Dart Valley Railway was closed in the late 1950s as part of Dr Beeching's reorganisation of Britain's railway network, but it reopened in 1968 as a volunteer-run association to provide a commercially viable steam passenger service between Buckfastleigh and Totnes. This programme hears from some of those volunteers to find out why they're so determined to preserve their own treasures from the age of steam.
The poem recited in the middle of this programme ('Faster than faeries, faster than witches...') is 'From a Railway Carriage' by Robert Louis Stevenson.
The content in this programme is copyright of it's original owner and no profit is being made from it.
The Dart Valley Railway was closed in the late 1950s as part of Dr Beeching's reorganisation of Britain's railway network, but it reopened in 1968 as a volunteer-run association to provide a commercially viable steam passenger service between Buckfastleigh and Totnes. This programme hears from some of those volunteers to find out why they're so determined to preserve their own treasures from the age of steam.
The poem recited in the middle of this programme ('Faster than faeries, faster than witches...') is 'From a Railway Carriage' by Robert Louis Stevenson.
The content in this programme is copyright of it's original owner and no profit is being made from it.
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TVTranscript
06:34Now,
06:36thank you.
08:04office manager when I was 65. And then when I left, I was on retirement. One of the fellows
08:11that worked down here came and asked me if I'd like a job. I said, what sort of job?
08:15He said, we guard on the train. Well, I said, I know nothing about guard duties. At any
08:19rate, I got through the exam and passed the medical and all that sort of stuff. And I
08:24started in 1972. This is about the eighth season now. I found it very interesting and
08:32met a lot of good friends here.
08:53So about 60 years ago when I commenced on this line as a boy, you know, went to school to
08:57Totnes. And in those days, the train ran from Ashburton to Totnes, a distance of 10 miles.
09:03Of course, the carriages in those days were quite different to what the old carriages
09:06are now. There were just two carriages on the line and they were five a side, no toilets
09:13nor anything like that. And as a boy, of course, there was a certain rivalry between the Ashburton
09:21boys and the Totnes boys, but we didn't get into much trouble at all. But in those days,
09:27of course, you got milk going to Totnes to the milk factory and rabbits, stacks of rabbits
09:31on the platform going up to Birmingham. And then years ago, Buckwassley used to have
09:36races here, national races. And all the horses used to come by rail then, instead of by motor
09:41transport as they are now. But the line itself was quite a busy one, because at Buckwassley,
09:47there are industries, woolen mills, and at Buckwass, there's another woolen mill there,
09:52and there were the paper mills. And this was one of the busiest lines for bridge traffic in the
09:56southwest. But of course, when road transport came into being, that all died out. It was closed down
10:01in 58 for passengers.
10:08Half way to Totnes, and the train draws into Stavarton. And Stavarton strategically placed
10:15milk churns at all, even in the 70s, still belongs to an age when roses and neatly tended flower beds
10:22were the local porter's joy. And when stories like the railway children sprang from the pens of writers
10:28who were entranced by that very special atmosphere that can only be found in a sleepy country station.
10:58One of those who nurtures this nostalgia is Bob Saunders.
11:05Well, it's 21 years ago now that the first seeds were sown, and basically it arose out of one's
11:13concern that the heritage of the old Great Western Railway was fast been lost, and that something should
11:19be done to preserve that era of steam. And in consequence, a friend of myself set about
11:25investigating the possibility of starting a standard gauge railway to preserve some of
11:31these particular items of rolling stock and the railway scene as a whole. But after this
11:38passenger service closed in 1958, it was until 1962 when the freight service finally was withdrawn,
11:45and then commenced seven years of hard struggle to complete the negotiations to require the line,
11:52it appeared that we would want something like £70,000, and that the best way in which to achieve
11:58this was to set up an association of volunteers and other interested parties. And this is what we
12:06actually did. In the next five years, until 1968, we started to restore the line with the blessing of
12:15British Rail, and being Great Western, of course, it was usually maintained with fairly high standard,
12:21and the struggle to do so wasn't too great. And no doubt those who travel in it do feel that we have
12:28attempted to preserve something of the whole era of the Great Western Railway, and particularly the period of steam.
12:37Three or four times a year, usually on bank holidays, steam galas are held at Buckfoss Lee,
13:06and shining, puffing traction engines make of the place a carnival.
13:36But it's not only the steam engines which attract. The gala days put a whole working railway on show,
13:50not only its regular services, but the unending maintenance that's needed to keep those services
13:56running. One of the line's proudest possessions is a 70-year-old steam crane, which has never yet had a major
14:04overhaul. It weighs 108 tons and is capable of lifting 36 tons. The crane is used on both lines
14:15for a variety of jobs, including track maintenance as well as routine work on boilers and coaches,
14:21a rare and splendid sight of the power of coal and steam.
14:31Everywhere, everybody seems to be busy or involved. People united in an enthusiasm for an age when men
14:38and machines work together in a combination of majesty and skill far removed from the miniscule silicon chip.
14:45All right, let's go.
14:55All right, let's go.
14:59With the season running from April to October, the permanent staff are continually stretched
15:25with the day-to-day running of the company. But even when the last tourist leaves, none is short of work.
15:35There are nine running locomotives to overhaul, and during the winter months,
15:39the staff deploy their skills in the workshops, cleaning, painting, and welding.
15:44When the Dart Valley Railway first started, some of the engines were restored in the old great
15:54western workshops at Swindon. But costs make that impossible today, so the workforce has to be
16:00prepared to tackle anything from boilers to pistons.
16:05Strict safety standards are laid down by the Department of Transport,
16:10and all the boilers have to be checked regularly by their inspectors. With a pressure of 200 pounds
16:15per square inch, the smallest defect could bring disaster.
16:21It's in the winter, above all other times, that the volunteers show their dedication,
16:27stripping and greasing and tackling jobs far removed from the glamour of the guard's green flag.
16:32Many of the volunteers are British Rail staff, and for them all, it's a true label of love.
16:49So
17:21bridges and houses, hedges and ditches, and charging along like troops in a battle all through the meadows, the houses and cattle, and all of the sights of the hill and the plain fly as thick as driving rain, and ever again in the wink of an eye, painted stations whistle by.
19:25The train's staff, the driver's passport to travel the single-line track,
19:30is also used to change the points when the engine changes ends at Tottenham's Riverside.
19:36Regulations, unfortunately, don't allow the Dart Valley Company to operate onto the main line and into the main station,
20:01except when specials are being run.
20:03And at the moment, there's no direct access to the town, so the stopover is a brief one,
20:09long enough, though, to experience at close quarters the routine hiss and clank as the changeover is effected.
20:23With one or two exceptions, most of the locomotives owned by the Dart Valley
20:27came from the vast graveyard of steam engines at Barry in South Wales.
20:33At one time, more than 200 of them were slowly rusting and deteriorating there as they waited to be cut up for scrap.
20:42It was a treasure trove for the enthusiasts, and several societies were formed to buy up some of them
20:48and preserve them for future generations.
20:51Most of them, like this 80,000, were not fit to travel the permanent way to their new destination,
20:58and in the days before the motorway, the winding roads of Devon were not the easiest to negotiate.
21:03The top section is the valves, and then the bottom section is your piston that actually does the work.
21:10It's got an 18-inch diameter bore and a 28-inch diameter stroke.
21:15We've been working on this engine for just over six years now,
21:18and during that six years we spent somewhere around about £7,000 on parts for it.
21:25The original purchase price was £4,000 from the scrapyard,
21:30and that was the scrap price at the time.
21:33It's not an inflated price.
21:35They've taken all the copper and brass off of it then.
21:39Yes, all the copper and brass fittings and so on have been taken off of it.
21:43Yes, and so on, yeah.
21:44Yeah, and that's what's cost us the money to replace.
21:49We found a great deal of difficulty in finding the patterns and so on to replace them.
21:55Unfortunately, British Railways Engineering at Swindon have helped us a great deal.
21:59They've allowed us into their pattern stores to find the proper patterns.
22:03A great deal of effort, as you can see, has gone into it.
22:08We were at one time down to a workforce of about two,
22:12and fortunately that's increased now.
22:14We have a workforce of about six.
22:18Once it's completed,
22:20then it will be on loan to the Dark Valley Railway Company for their use.
22:24There are four groups restoring engines at Buckfastley,
22:28and those working on the 50-year-old Dumbledon Hall still have a long way to go.
22:33The Society was formed in about 1973 by a group of enthusiasts in the Bristol area,
22:40and after an initial inspection of the engines at Barry,
22:45it was decided that this engine, 4920 Dumbledon Hall,
22:49was in fact the best one of its types still remaining.
22:52A price was agreed with the scrap merchant there of £4,400,
22:58which is quite cheap compared with the prices nowadays,
23:03as they've gone up to about £8,000 or £9,000.
23:07The engine is in fact now 50 years old,
23:09having come out of Swindon Works in 1929.
23:12We estimate that the total cost of restoring the engine to working order
23:17will be in the region of £20,000,
23:19and so far we've spent about £10,000 on the purchase,
23:24the transport and the restoration work carried out so far.
23:29It should take us, I should say, another five years
23:31to get the engine back into traffic again,
23:34and the Dark Valley Railway will then use the engine
23:37on the Torbay Steam Railway,
23:40where it'll be very useful on the steep gradients
23:43and be able to cope with the heavy summer traffic.
23:45OK.
24:04I'll see you next time.
24:34Dave Knolling came to the Dark Valley as a driver
24:49when he was made redundant by British Rail,
24:51but on one occasion he became a very important passenger.
24:55When the Dark Valley brought it over,
24:56I took my first train out of here,
24:58and I was on the train that Lord Beeching was on
25:02when he officially opened the line.
25:04And I'd be wedding reception on the train as well.
25:10Travelling a country line sometimes brings its light amongst us.
25:13One day we had some pigs,
25:15a farmer was trying to get across the line,
25:17and no way would they go.
25:19And he decided to lay a trail of food
25:21from one field across the line to the next field.
25:24And we come round the corner,
25:25and he's right in the middle of the track eating the food.
25:28And we had to stop there and wait until they finished eating
25:30before they'd move off and we could move off.
25:39In the 11 years he's been with the company,
25:42Dave calculates he's travelled 80,000 miles
25:45up and down the track to Topless.
25:47For each 14-mile trip,
25:53the fire consumes at least 500 weight of coal
25:56and more than 500 gallons of water.
25:59It's not surprising that by the end of the working day,
26:02both engine and footplate crew are covered in grime.
26:06And just like the morning preparations,
26:08it takes a long time before the engine
26:10can be safely left for the night.
26:25Delightfully, the sight of a steam train's white smoke
26:28puffing in the distance is still with us.
26:30But hidden in the memories and the nostalgia
26:33are the stark economic facts
26:35that steam trains are expensive to run
26:38and dirty to work.
26:40How many of today's visitors have realised
26:42as they return to their caravans and cottages
26:45that for their driver,
26:47there are still hours of work to be done.
26:50More than half a driver's day
26:51is spent in the preparing and disposing of the engine.
26:54With a good fireman behind the shovel,
27:02there usually isn't too much fire left in the box.
27:06But each day, the embers have to be thrown out,
27:09the smoke box cleaned,
27:11and last of all, the ash pan cooled
27:13and raked out into the pit.
27:15Not until then does the day finally end,
27:39to drift silently towards the clanking and the hissing
27:42and the bustle of tomorrow's dawn
27:44to the first train of a new day.
27:47So, I hope that's heures before you take it,
27:49and if you're not looking to get it back to the men's
27:49or theæµ· of the earth?
27:50Not until then.
27:51I hope that seems to be an underrated
27:51because there are some of the things that you occur.
27:52So, I'm going to take your home to be on the other person.
27:56If you're not qualche side,
27:56I'll take a little bit of a revenge for you.
27:57I'll take a little bit of a effect.
27:58I'll take a little bit of an idea
27:58of an hour and a half a day.
28:00And there are only ones who can get up
28:01in the end of the web.
28:01It's been a big part of a day.
28:02So, you can see if you please
28:02get in your area.
28:03So, you can see that you get in your back.
28:05So, but I've only got one step
28:07All right, turn on.
28:37All right.
29:07All right.
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