Plym Valley Railway
| Plym Valley Railway | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Devon |
| Coordinates | 50°23′42″N 4°04′59″W / 50.395°N 4.083°WCoordinates: 50°23′42″N 4°04′59″W / 50.395°N 4.083°W |
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | Launceston Branch Line |
| Built by | South Devon and Tavistock Railway |
| Original gauge | 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) |
| Preserved operations | |
| Length | 1 1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1859 |
| Closed | 1962 |
| Preservation history | |
| 2008 | Re-opened |
| 2012 | Extended to Plym Bridge |
| Headquarters | Marsh Mills |
The Plym Valley Railway is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) heritage railway based on what was once a part of the now-closed South Devon and Tavistock Railway, a branch line of the Great Western Railway in Devon, England.
History
The line was originally part of the South Devon and Tavistock Railway, a 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) broad-gauge railway linking Plymouth with Tavistock in Devon, England. This opened in 1859, was converted to 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) in 1892 and closed in 1962.
Local enthusiasts set up a group in 1982 to restore part of the line as the Plym Valley Railway. The first section re-opened in May 2008 when trains could operate over 0.75 miles (1.2 km) of track as far as Lee Moor crossing, the site where the 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm) gauge Lee Moor Tramway (now the West Devon Way cycle path) used to cross the line on the level. A new station was constructed just north of the site of the original Marsh Mills railway station as that site is occupied by a line that serves the Marsh Mills china clay plant. The new station was provided with a shop, buffet and small museum.
The preserved line was extended to Plym Bridge on 30 December 2012, bringing it to 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in length.
The 0-4-0ST steam locomotive "Albert" returned to service in December 2007 after receiving major repairs to its boiler. Albert has operated on all passenger trains and diesel No. 13002 has been used regularly on engineering trains. In 2009 preparation work commenced on returning 0-6-0ST "Byfield" to steam, seeing the locomotive stripped down to its main components for assessment.
Location
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Legend
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The Plym Valley Railway is based at Marsh Mills which is close to the A38 road near Plymouth. It operates trains as far as Plym Bridge.
Locomotives
Steam locomotives
- Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST "Albert" built in 1948 – operational in 2012
- W.G. Bagnall 0-6-0ST "Byfield" No. 2 built in 1941 – undergoing overhaul in 2012
Diesel locomotives
- Class 03 0-6-0 D2046 – undergoing mechanical overhaul in 2012
- Class 08 0-6-0 13002 – operational in 2012
- Class 37 Co-Co 37207 William Cookworthy built in 1963 – Under overhaul in 2012, painted in British Rail blue
- Class 50 Co-Co 50017 "Royal Oak" – operational in 2012
- Class 117 DMU T304 (51407+51365)
- Plymstock Cement Works 0-4-0 Diesel Hydraulic "Vanguard" shunter – operational in 2012