Happy homecoming for 4555!
GWR prairie No. 4555 – which not only ran on the Ashburton branch in BR days but also hauled the official train that partially reopened the line as the Dart Valley Railway in 1969 with Dr Beeching on board – was the undoubted star of the South Devon Railway’s successful March 14/15 spring steam gala.
The Dartmouth Steam Railway, which completed the overhaul of 1924-built No. 4555 after it had been out of action for 12 years, agreed for it to visit its former home line for one weekend only, before it went on loan to the East Somerset Railway for two years.
No. 4555, which began its working life at Tyseley depot, is now considered too small to handle the Torbay line’s peak-season loadings by itself.
More than 1000 visitors braved the changeable weather to attend the gala, many drawn by the prospect of riding behind or seeing No. 4555, which headed the last BR freight train on the line in 1962 and which was the first engine to arrive on the newly-preserved line in 1965.
Also in action were GWR panniers No. 6412 and 1369 – in its new shirtbutton livery – and prairie No. 5542.
An estimated 700-800 passengers travelled over both days, many of them on Rover tickets, on what was the start of the line’s main daily running season. Traffic levels were said to be ‘quite good’ on Saturday, but much quieter on Sunday due to poor weather and advancing fears over coronavirus.
A railway spokesman said: “Many people simply wanted to get out ahead of the expected Covid-19 shutdown to enjoy themselves. I heard many similar comments that ‘we just wanted to get out of the house and enjoy this event before we can’t go anywhere fairly soon.’
“Coronavirus fears and the increasing media coverage of it on Saturday night and Sunday morning obviously had an impact on the numbers, and we had several people ringing to tell us they had planned to come but felt the risk too great. Others rang to ask if we were open and were pleasantly surprised to discover we were.
“The unaudited traffic figures show that we took a decent fivefigure cash sum in tickets, plus advance ticket sales too, and a similar figure for our retail and catering operations, so a very good start to our season. Our shop did particularly well on both days.
“Our smaller booking offices at Totnes and Staverton were both busy, as was the Staverton station buffet too. On top of all this we do have the income from two popular photo charter days to add.
“Not surprisingly, No. 4555 was the main attraction for the photographers, and our crews were impressed with it. The Dartmouth Steam Railway’s crews and staff who came over to us also seemed to enjoy the loco’s visit.
“Overall, given all the current external influences, we think the weekend went as well as could be expected and we certainly made the right decision to run it. Had it been scheduled for a couple of weeks further on, we may have been having different conversations about it. What happens from here onwards however, does not look too rosy, of course.”
Welcome back old friend: No. 4555 runs along the straight at Stretchford on the South Devon Railway, with a short rake of GWR coaches for a photographic charter on March 13. The prairie moved to what will be its new home for the foreseeable future at the East Somerset Railway on March 18. DON BISHOP
GWR 0-6-0PT No. 1369 is seen at Hood Bridge working the 13.42pm Bishops Bridge to Buckfastleigh freight on Saturday, March 14. COLIN WALLACE
New Totnes MP Anthony Mangnall came on a short, fact-finding trip to the South Devon Railway’s Totnes Riverside station and the Totnes Rare Breeds Farm during the spring steam gala on March 14. Accompanied by stationmaster Chris Mackenzie-thorpe and Sam Adams from the farm, he had a tour of the whole station and a short footplate trip on pannier No. 1369 (pictured), before visiting the signalbox and the ‘Monster’ display van. A railway spokesman said: “He described his visit online as being a ‘hoot’ which could apply equally to both the steam engines and owls (at the rare breeds farm). SDR