Reopened by enthusiasts 50 years ago and kept going today with an army of volunteers
Claire Webb - 2 October 2019
Back in 1969 when a group of entrepreneurial steam enthusiasts reopened a disused railway line in Devon, some people thought they were bonkers. Why would anyone pay good money to ride a slow train on a quiet branch line that had never made a profit? South Devon Railway was one of the UK’s first heritage railways and the doubters were soon proved wrong. In its first year, Dart Valley Railway – as it was then called – carried 60,000 passengers; 50 years on, it welcomes 100,000 passengers a year and is one of around 150 heritage railways in the UK.
The ten-part series Steam Train Britain aired in October 2019, follows the staff and volunteers who keep South Devon Railway and other heritage lines on track. Open daily from around mid-March to the end of October, with steam locomotives shuttling between Buckfastleigh and Totnes Riverside, the South Devon line hugs the River Dart for nearly seven miles and stops at a quaint little station in the village of Staverton.
The railway is popular with families, as Buckfastleigh station also has an otter sanctuary, butterfly house and lovely gardens with a miniature railway, while Totnes has a rare breeds farm. Like most tourist railways, it also puts on special events including dining trains and festively decorated trains with a grotto carriage in December. For £450, you can spend a day learning to drive a steam locomotive, which has proved hugely popular. Locomotive manager Ray Lee gets to spend every day driving, firing and tinkering with engines in his workshop – which is a childhood dream come true. “My father was on the railway, so I didn’t have much hope, did I?” he says in a broad West Country accent.
“I love it when the sun is out and you’re clipping along and all the families are out waving. It takes you back to what life used to be like. I enjoy night-time driving as well. You’re in a different world, but you know where you are by the sound of the rail and the odd marker that flies by. And I love seeing the satisfaction on the volunteers’ faces when we’ve achieved something. We’re like kids in a playground.”
While Lee is on the payroll, the railway relies heavily on its 500 volunteers. “We’ve always had a lot of ex-railwaymen, but there are also lots of retirees who are happy to come and make cups of tea on the buffet car,” says operations manager Alasdair Page. “We have people from all walks of life – pilots, doctors, surgeons... And there are a group of youngsters who are very committed.”
He himself started volunteering when he was just 12. He was a ticket inspector by the age of 14 and a fireman and guard at 18. Yet, despite its popularity, the cost of repairing 100-year-old locomotives and creaky carriages means that the railway struggles. In the early 1990s, a group of volunteers came to the rescue when the owners decided it was uneconomic. It’s now a charity and all proceeds from the ticket office go towards maintaining the railway and track. “We’re always finding new ways to make money to keep the place going,” says Page. “We’re reliant on, and very grateful for, people’s donations. And we’re launching a share issue, so people can buy a share and invest in the railway and it’ll become even more of a community asset.”
More information at southdevonrailway.co.uk
Four other heritage lines that you can see on - Steam Train Britain:
SEASIDE RIDE
A few miles from South Devon Railway, Dartmouth Steam Railway ambles along the Torbay coast from Paignton (inset above) to Kingswear and is one of the few heritage railways that doesn’t rely on volunteers. dartmouthrailriver.co.uk
WELSH WHISTLERS
Built in the 1870s to transport slate, the Ffestiniog is the oldest narrow-gauge railway in Britain and trundles through the Snowdonia National Park. At Porthmadog, it connects with the Welsh Highland Railway — at 25 miles, it’s the UK’s longest heritage railway. festrail.co.uk
MAIN LINE MEANDER
Loughborough’s Great Central Railway in Leicestershire is the UK’s only main-line heritage railway, and claims to be the only place in the world where full-size steam engines can be seen passing each other. gcrailway.co.uk
PENNINES PUFFER
Based in Bury, the East Lancashire Railway has been chugging through the Irwell Valley for nearly 200 years and opened a new station in January 2017 at Burrs Country Park.
The ten-part series Steam Train Britain aired in October 2019, follows the staff and volunteers who keep South Devon Railway and other heritage lines on track. Open daily from around mid-March to the end of October, with steam locomotives shuttling between Buckfastleigh and Totnes Riverside, the South Devon line hugs the River Dart for nearly seven miles and stops at a quaint little station in the village of Staverton.
The railway is popular with families, as Buckfastleigh station also has an otter sanctuary, butterfly house and lovely gardens with a miniature railway, while Totnes has a rare breeds farm. Like most tourist railways, it also puts on special events including dining trains and festively decorated trains with a grotto carriage in December. For £450, you can spend a day learning to drive a steam locomotive, which has proved hugely popular. Locomotive manager Ray Lee gets to spend every day driving, firing and tinkering with engines in his workshop – which is a childhood dream come true. “My father was on the railway, so I didn’t have much hope, did I?” he says in a broad West Country accent.
“I love it when the sun is out and you’re clipping along and all the families are out waving. It takes you back to what life used to be like. I enjoy night-time driving as well. You’re in a different world, but you know where you are by the sound of the rail and the odd marker that flies by. And I love seeing the satisfaction on the volunteers’ faces when we’ve achieved something. We’re like kids in a playground.”
While Lee is on the payroll, the railway relies heavily on its 500 volunteers. “We’ve always had a lot of ex-railwaymen, but there are also lots of retirees who are happy to come and make cups of tea on the buffet car,” says operations manager Alasdair Page. “We have people from all walks of life – pilots, doctors, surgeons... And there are a group of youngsters who are very committed.”
He himself started volunteering when he was just 12. He was a ticket inspector by the age of 14 and a fireman and guard at 18. Yet, despite its popularity, the cost of repairing 100-year-old locomotives and creaky carriages means that the railway struggles. In the early 1990s, a group of volunteers came to the rescue when the owners decided it was uneconomic. It’s now a charity and all proceeds from the ticket office go towards maintaining the railway and track. “We’re always finding new ways to make money to keep the place going,” says Page. “We’re reliant on, and very grateful for, people’s donations. And we’re launching a share issue, so people can buy a share and invest in the railway and it’ll become even more of a community asset.”
More information at southdevonrailway.co.uk
Four other heritage lines that you can see on - Steam Train Britain:
SEASIDE RIDE
A few miles from South Devon Railway, Dartmouth Steam Railway ambles along the Torbay coast from Paignton (inset above) to Kingswear and is one of the few heritage railways that doesn’t rely on volunteers. dartmouthrailriver.co.uk
WELSH WHISTLERS
Built in the 1870s to transport slate, the Ffestiniog is the oldest narrow-gauge railway in Britain and trundles through the Snowdonia National Park. At Porthmadog, it connects with the Welsh Highland Railway — at 25 miles, it’s the UK’s longest heritage railway. festrail.co.uk
MAIN LINE MEANDER
Loughborough’s Great Central Railway in Leicestershire is the UK’s only main-line heritage railway, and claims to be the only place in the world where full-size steam engines can be seen passing each other. gcrailway.co.uk
PENNINES PUFFER
Based in Bury, the East Lancashire Railway has been chugging through the Irwell Valley for nearly 200 years and opened a new station in January 2017 at Burrs Country Park.
eastlancsrailway.org.uk