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Dartmouth Steam Railway General Discusssion

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by TorbayTrains, Jan 10, 2015.

  1. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    ah the $10000 question .Even in the unofficial facebook group the response is please don't ask as we don't know
     
  2. alts1985

    alts1985 Well-Known Member

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    Thank you everyone for the replies, suppose at least we are staying local so if it comes to it can just walk down the road and have a look each day!
     
  3. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Last time I needed to know I contacted the ticket office and they told me.
     
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  4. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    5520 and 5239 Goliath were running today. Trains to Kingswear were heavily loaded.
     
  5. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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  6. alts1985

    alts1985 Well-Known Member

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    Just back from a great couple of weeks in Devon, had a lovely trip on the line and then boat over to Dartmouth the second Tuesday, and in between managed plenty of filming. Discovered could see a short bit of the line from our lodge so all we had to do was look out from the balcony at 10am so find out what was running - lovely start to the day! Video compilation of 12 days featuring all four locos, photos to follow.

     
  7. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    Anyone wondering what the names of the cruise vessels are; Queen Victoria, Marella Discovery and Arcadia.
     
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  8. alts1985

    alts1985 Well-Known Member

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    Thank you! My wife was tracking them on her phone - Ship finder I think, anyhow it was interesting. Amazing how much they move, everywhere we went we kept saying they look closer here - then we got to model village at Babbacombe and it was wow they are bigger here, then we realised they were in fact two different boats! Photos to add to above video...

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/albums/72157719562631619
     
  9. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    Well the QV is staying until 2022 I understand.
     
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  10. Gilesy68

    Gilesy68 New Member

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    Nice video, thanks for posting.

    The Dartmouth Steam Railway is a line that I've only visited once way back in the 1980s. I really must get back down there again. Although the priming S160 is a bit concerning, I hope it wasn't damaged.
     
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  11. brennan

    brennan Member

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    Excellent films of a very well-run railway. No posers, no rotting "restoration" projects under sheets of plastic, no raffles, donation boxes, begging envelopes , appeals for white-elephant extensions. A line that is still doing the job for which it was built.
     
  12. goldfish

    goldfish Nat Pres stalwart

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    Always had special memories for me, and the combination of steam to Kingswear along the coast, and then the ferry to Dartmouth, was like catnip in my youth, and I don't think there's anything quite like it anywhere else in the UK (I may be wrong). I get the snippy comments about inauthenticity and not being for enthusiasts, but it's a great gateway drug for the general public and kids in particular into heritage rail.

    Simon
     
  13. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    And largely inherited as a 'going concern' slap bang in the middle of tourism. It was crying out for heritage status the moment it was targeted for closure. Were it not for the pivotal connection to the IoW from Lymington you could have seen the Brockenhurst to Lymington branch going exactly the same way.

    For enthusiasts, and also the local community in my view, it is sad that it wasn't closed as had it turned into a tourist railway, as the DSR, there would have been a considerable uplift in traffic to what is actually a lovely destination in its own right irrespective of the ferry dimension.

    The heritage line that never was, but I digress.
     
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  14. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    If it is commercially viable now, why wasn't it commercially viable when BR decided to close it?
     
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  15. Johnb

    Johnb Nat Pres stalwart

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    You could say that about any heritage line. There is a big difference between a transport link and what is now a tourist attraction.
     
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  16. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    I suspect the answer is related to the hours and days of operation. Not many passengers on a wet Wednesday evening in January, which isn't a concern to a heritage line, but is to a transport operator when you basically spend money running empty trains.

    Tom
     
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  17. Bikermike

    Bikermike Well-Known Member

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    Viability changes over time, cost/benefit balances change over time.

    As for the lack of raffles/collection boxes etc, how very dare others seek to raise money for their works... I'd hardly say it's unusual in the heritage sector either.

    Linear scrapyards... well let's say there's a difference of opinion there. I find the railway a bit overly tidy. And you'll find me looking over the gates to "back of house" areas. How things work are much more interesting than the shiny front of house matters to me.
     
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  18. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

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    Indeed, the line had seasonal traffic, what’s interesting with the Kingswear line is that is wasn’t considered for closure under Beeching.

    Closure was first proposed by the ministry of transport in 1968, claiming the line cost £54,000 a year to maintain, with it producing an income of £17,000. However, WR documentation contradicts this - showing an income of £54,000 and a profit of around £16,000. There must of been some creative accounting as by 1972 the official figures of a £47,000 loss per year.
     
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  19. Bikermike

    Bikermike Well-Known Member

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    Was it a red route... they get very expensive in Somerset...

    Clearly creative accounting to fit a pre-agreed decision, but I wonder how much was maintaining it to a national network standard, making allowances for signalling/pw upgrades etc that would fit national programmes
     
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  20. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

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    It was (and I believe still is) double red, capable of taking the heaviest engines.
     

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