Princetown Railway

The most obvious candidate would be the Red Lake Tramway, which has only one major underbridge, which, last time I saw it seemed in good condition.
Howver the biggest obstacle would be the likely opposition from the Dartmoor Preservation people.

 

Oooh Redlake is also a lovely idea!! Why would it be opposed?

 

Although this thread is old I hope someone spots this.

On Radio Devon, Monday 25th Feb 2013 I caught the last few words of a caller who mentioned plans to reopen a narrow guage railway as a tourist attraction on the Princetown railway on Dartmoor. What interested me was the mention of 'clean' steam . Does anyone know anything about the plans to reopen the line and what is meant by 'clean' steam?
In the USA there is a magnificant locomotive that ran from the town of Williams to the Grand Canyon. I think it was originally fired by timber. The line was built to transport the timber to market. Only when they had clear felled the entire landscape so you couldn't see a tree anywhere was the line closed. It was then opened as a tourist attraction and because there was no timber left and coal was no longer environemtally friendly, they converted the engine to run on vegetable oil but could never get it to burn cleanly. For the short time it ran it belched black smoke! The result was a public outcry and it was closed for polution reasons. I'm sure there would have been a way to get it to burn clean so I was interested to learn what was meant by clean steam.

I'm a member of the Robey Trust in Tavistock and wondered if there was an alternative to coal that was environmentally friendly. Anyone know of using charcoal to fire steam engines?

 

I believe "Clean coal" is a technical term to try to minimise sulphur etc from big power stations. How clean it actually is or is a coal industry propaganda? You decide.

Anyway, not much point doing that on a steam locomotive as the volume of coal used by it is much less than a even a very small power station. A 50 MW power station gets through 3,000 tonnes of coal a day How much coal does a 500 mw power plant use daily - a locomotive, especially a narrow gauge one, a few tonnes max.

You could try to offset the carbon emissions by planting trees I suppose.

Charcoal won't burn hot enough for use in a locomotive. You can try to use better (lower sulphur) coal but that's more expensive, as is oil.

 

That sounds almost like our old friend Rennie has come back...?

 

Hope it's a genuine plan, a narrow gauge line at Princetown was my idea too!

 

Thanks for that. The phrase was 'clean steam' so does that mean steam from burning 'clean coal'?

I think charcoal does burn hot enough. They used to smelt ore with it. It may be that the volume required makes it prohibitive.

 

The line from Williams to Grand Canyon is still open, i was there a couple of years ago on a flydrive holiday, the train is Diesel hauled with the steam locomotive at the front when i spoke to the driver he said the steam engines not doing any pulling its all done by the diesels the steam loco is just there for authenticity.

 

I believe regular steam running ceased in 2008 after the take over by Xanterra and 2 locos sold off. This year a chip - fat fired loco is scheduled to run on just 6 days.
Carbon Trapper, there was a proposal to build a "green" n.g. railway at Kielder using an imported wood burning Fowler loco but, IIRC, the scheme foundered when Jim rees went to NRM. Where did you get the info on the Grand Canyon Railway from as it is so full of inaccuracies? Ray.

 

I was there in 2010 & 2012 both on Flydrive holidays travelling along the route 66. But do enlighten me on my inaccurate bits!

 

Nine Elms Fan - It was the source of Carbon Trapper's information I was querying in my post not yours. If you had steam haulage in 2010 & 12 you were very lucky as it was normally all F40P by then. Ray.

 

When i went on the train in 2012 it was the 4th july american independence day so i think that had something to do with it.

 

Narrow gauge to Princetown. Hmm, like it. There is a destination with pub, cafes, hub for walking, HMP Dartmoor! (I mean visitor centre, not one way ticket!) and the other end would be Burrator reservoir
On the green thing, its a shame there is no way of recovering the braking energy as it is downhill all the way back....I guess it could be an electric tramway ala Great Orme, but where is the fun in that!

Before anyone scoffs at the idea, just look at what the WHR achieved. The formation is there - mostly - and what is left was built to take heavy rail. the lack of an established operating base is an issue - would need a works development on the site of Princetown station I guess.
Jackpot on the euromillions would give it a good kick-start....

 

Dont forget the micro brewery which i believe is on the old Princetown goods yard.

 

I guess you people don't think the market is already saturated with heritage/steam railways. How do you expect it to be staffed? Or, is there some, as yet untapped, source of volunteers? It all sounds a daft idea to me.

 

Absolutely, the last thing the movement needs in the current economic climate is a new 'mad cap' scheme. We are already in danger of spreading the available volunteers, cash and customers very thinly - just look at the Talyllyn thread and that is the railway that started the whole preservation movement. Ray.

 

Quite,

Part of me regrets the WHR and the loss of a great walk. The best answer for this line is a cyclepath from Yelverton to Princetown. Uphill struggle, pub lunch (damn good cafe BTW) and then a freewheel back downhill. It is cycleable almost all the way but a bit of effort is needed and would link in well with PDR path south from Yelverton and the mainline cycle path north.

I feel a holiday coming on....