Princetown Railway

Well, what a bunch of killjoys!

If there are enough people interested in getting the line going, who is to say they can't. The market may be "oversaturated" in some parts of the UK, but certainly not in others! Using examples of struggling lines like the Talyllyn is misleading as they are suffering more due to their geography then market saturation. It might have a significant place in our hearts as the first preserved line, but at the end of the day that matters little to the general public, they just want an easy to access heritage attraction and a good day out. In MY humble opinion the line at Princetown could offer that in many more ways than others in the UK could.

At the end of the day, if someone out there wants to have a crack at it, I say good luck to them!

 

I should mention here that I am not involved in this scheme what-so-ever, even though I think could be a good-un!

 

Isn't it amazing that the proponents of the scheme are too far away to operate it? Am I surprised?

 

It makes me wonder how many of the supporters of these crackpot schemes have ever spent any serious time at the 'sharp end' of the movement. Ray.

 

Well said. Nothing wrong with dreaming and having a vision. If everyone took the attitude of some on here, we would have had the Bluebell and stopped at that (in fact we probably wouldn't have had the Bluebell in the first place)
Building a NG railway up to Princetown will probably never happen, but why should that stop those who are interested in the area/idea dreaming a little.

 

IIRC that would need to be a 44xx and a B set

 

The branch was worked by 45XXs after the withdrawal of the 44XXs.

 

The last 3 44xx were withdrawn in Sept 1955 and the branch closed in March 1956 so the 45xx weren't there long apart from covering for failed 44xx. From the photos I've seen most trains were a single coach - often an old 'toplight'. Ray.

 

Absolutely nothing wrong with dreaming - unfortunately the problems occur when these dreamers can no longer tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Sorry Stu but, IMHO, your argument that the preservation movement would have stopped at the Bluebell is simply ridiculous. I have been involved since the late 60's and am advocating caution simply because I am concerned that schemes such as this may have a detrimental effect on established and more worthwhile lines. Ray.

 

Who dictates what schemes are worthwhile and what schemes aren't? And if established lines cannot compete in a more open market, perhaps there is something wrong with their business model, their marketing or their appeal to the general public.

Just being devil's advocate here though

 

Chris, nobody can dictate which schemes are worthwhile i was just expressing a personal opinion. Commercially speaking the "free market" will dictate this as you say. Bearing in mind that this forum is about ' Preservation' I would think that, for example ,the struggling T.R. being the first and largely authentic preserved railway it's more "worthwhile" than some sort of n.g. eco- rly with no historical context built on a s.g. trackbed. Just my 2p worth. Ray.

 

Hi Spud

Princetown Branch? Magic!. My dad was a Prison Officer at Dartmoor Prison in the early fifties and we lived at Princetown. I remember a lady from the Princetown Terminus railway cottages bringing the small prairie driver's dinner out to him on a plate covered with a red gingham cloth-it smelled great-I recall looking on enviously as he tucked in! My first railway memory as a 4 year old. To hell with market constraints-go for it-if you form a group count me in as member number 2!