South Devon Diamond Jubilee Gala

Saturday 2nd to Tuesday 5th June - four loco's in steam each day: 1369, 3205, 78019 and 5542. These will be the last dates for 78019 before it returns home to the GCr after a very enjoyable and succesful visit, and also the debut runs of 5542 after its recent overhaul. The 55 is also due to depart after the event.

Frequent train service from 10.00 each day with trains running until 23.15 on the first three days and just after 18.00 on the Tuesday. English Electric Type 1 D8110 will also be in use on each day and railcar W55000 also has a run out on the Tuesday. In addition to the normal passenger services, 5542 will be spending the weekend operating with a two coach Great Western branch set, and this will also work the evening services from 19.30 onwards. Demonstration Engineers Trains will also operate on all four days.

At Staverton the Devon Diesel Society is holding its first real ale festival of the year with no fewer than 48 ales and 12 ciders (due to be delivered today). The festival will be the first housed in the new waiting room and bar area created at the station during the last couple of months by the Society. Staverton Preservation Group will be providing tea, coffee and hot and cold refreshments, and new for this event the festival will spread out into the main station yard (offering new photo opportunities). The festival is open from 11.00 until 23.00 each day (18.00 on Tuesday). The Worcester Loco Society are also planning to be in attendance with a PIMMS tent and this will also be located in the yard.

As ever normal SDR fares apply.

 

Looking forward to coming down to the SDR on Saturday for the day for my first visit in two years.
Which direction are the locos facing?

Cheers,
Mick

 

78019, 3205 and 1369 smokebox towards Ashburton, 5542 smokebox towards Totnes, D8110 cab towards Ashburton.

All the ale has arrived today - a list will be posted on the various websites in due course, and 5542 is due out on test tomorrow, so all looking good for another cracking weekend.

 

Thanks for the update.

Cheers,
Mick

 

Thanks for the update regarding loco facings.Do any special ticket prices apply, and are day rover tickets available and if so what are the prices (as far as I can see the SDR website makes no mention of rover ticket prices)?
Thanks in advance. Looking forward to this gala - looks like it should be good - only my second visit to this line (1st in 2008 with 5526 running).

 

Normal fares apply (sorry cant remember how much exactly), and a normal full line day return gives unlimited travel, so a pretty good bargain with trains running from 10.05 until 23.15 on the first three days.

Additonal feature to be sorted tomorrow will be the display in Staverton Yard of "Royal Saloon" 249 which once formed part of Queen Victoria's Royal Train, and also the Worcester Locomotive Society's Kitson, which should move to Staverton from Totnes tomorrow. The yard at Staverton will present several new photo opportunities too.

 

Full fare info on the SDR website at South Devon Railway | Principal fares for 2011 | Includes great value joint tickets for Totnes Rare Breeds Farm and Dartmoor Otters & Buckfast Butterflies
Adult day return is £11.80 with £1 discount for over 65's. Seems pretty reasonable to me.

On the first timetable that I downloaded for this event there was an 09:20 service from Buckfastleigh using the bubblecar, but this has now disappeared. Does anyone know the reason for this?

Cheers,
Mick

 

Thanks for your replies - it could have been made slightly clearer that 'return trip' in fact means 'all day rover'....
But thanks for making that clear - looking forward to this gala
***Silly me - just notice the first post on this thread says 'as ever normal SDR fares apply'. Oh well!****
Thank you anyway!

 

The wtt you saw was a first dratf and I wasn't aware it had gone out to the public. On working up the various shunt moves, crew diagrams etc, it became clear that due to limited space at Buckfastleigh we would have quiet a bit of shunting each morning in order to get W55000 out and into the platform, so with crew hours already stretched, and with services running as late as 23.15, I decided that to ensure we had a chance of running the advertised services, it would be best to drop the early trip. With trains running from 10.05 until 23.15 I'm sure you'll agree there is plenty of miles to be had at very competeative rates.

If it was W55000 you wanted to ride behind, it is doing the final trip on Tuesday, and will also work thr 16.30 ex Buck / 17.15 ex Totnes on Wednesday and Thursday.

Hope that helps explain things, and hope you'll enjoy your visit to us.

 

Thanks for the explanation. I was just curious about why that working had disappeared from the timetable.

A selection of my photographs from my visit yesterday are now online at Mick Rogers Photography | SDR Jubilee Gala 2nd June 2012

Cheers,
Mick

 

some photos from the event on staurday 2-6-12 at THE DIAMOND JUBILEE 2-6-12 - keyhamtrain video at keyhamtrain - YouTube

 

Popped in for a ride on Sunday with my girls. As usual very pleasant and plenty of action. The engineers train looked good with the loaded Dogfish.

The £8 per person two year railcards are a great deal for regular visitors giving half price on the railway and animal attractions. Brought two which will ensure more visits.

 

Rather belatedly - but better late than never, I suppose - here are my thoughts on what was a fantastic event:
There is, surely, no better way to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee than with a railway gala, and the South Devon Railway obviously thought that was the finest way to celebrate as well! With an intensive timetable, two visiting engines, engineers trains, a real ale festival and some real British bank holiday weather to match, this was a superb event, especially with all day rover ticket prices being the same as for a normal operating day. For me, the highlight was probably seeing No:5542 at Staverton on Sunday evening - the atmosphere at that station is marvellous; time just seems to have stood still. Another highlight was filming No:78019 with the engineers train near Staverton Monday - it was fantastic when she was opened up when the signal changed - the ground shock as she passed - wow! (See it for yourself in the video, below!)
I have produced a short report on the event for my website, Totally-transport.co.uk,uploaded some of my favourite photos to Picasa and uploaded a high definition video of the event to YouTube and I thought these were things you might be interested in:
SDR Diamond Jubilee Gala 3-5/06/12 - totally-transport.co.uk report
https://picasaweb.google.com/115609395788457768316/SDRDiamondJubileeGala350612 photos
(HD) SDR Diamond Jubilee Gala 3-5/06.12 - YouTube video available in 720p HD (due to YouTube contraints) and runs for just under 12 minutes
I hope you enjoy the photos and videos as much as I did making them.
I appolgise for the lateness of these - on the Wednesday took the train up to London and then on Thursday up to Railfest for a day, then back to Totnes again, stopping off in London, visiting the Dartmouth Steam Railway's heritage festival on Saturday and finally returning ill and then feelling rather ill until yesterday (perhaps from an overdose of trains), combined with returning to 'normal' life mean that I have only just got round to sorting everthing out! Full articles, videos and photos from Railfest and the DSR heritage festival are in the pipeline - watch this space!
As always any feedback on the article (if you spot any spelling mistakes please say!), photos or video is most welcome via comments on YouTube or Picasa, via this thread or PM.
Enjoy!!

 

After many computer problems photos of this event are now on South Devon Railway - better late than never I hope!