Dartmoor Railway & FGW Okehampton Sunday services

[CC 72100]

Hi,

Did the Sunday only service to Okehampton on the weekend, arrived at a lovely Okehampton station, buffet open, shop open, BBQ on, plenty of volunteers and public milling about, like a perfect heritage railway, except.... no trains.

I understand from reading the Dartmoor Railway Supporters association website that DCR have suspended all standard operations on the railway. The Dartmoor railway's own website seems to be down and there's not really much more info about it on the DRSA site.

Does anyone have any further insight into why this is the case? Had they had been operating Sunday, I'd have probably gone up to Meldon quarry. However, with there being nothing really of interest to me, I took the train straight back. Okehampton as a town and the Dartmoor Railway lose out, as I'd have quite happily spent my money otherwise. One would expect that they'd make the most of the Sunday railway connection to Exeter and beyond, but quite the contrary, as has been normal recently, no trains.

On a side note, the Okehampton service had about 15 - 20 people on it each way. There would have been more had FGW actually advertised it... I had to go onto Open Train times to find out about it, with no mention of it on posters at Exeter SD or on their website. Only mention in their own publicity was in the start of the timetable book that they produce. In short, if you didn't know about the services, or didn't know how to/ couldn't be bothered to find the info on them, then you'd be unaware. Poor effort.

 

[YorkshireBear]

They want to just run dining trains nowadays. Its now their business case.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I think the Dartmoor railway operators may be connected with the Weardale Railway in the Northeast?

They were hoping to get a connection with the Barnstable line, but not sure if that is still going ahead.

 

[ACE1888]

No consistency with the Dartmoor Railway it seems alas, real shame too

 

[fgwrich]

I think the Dartmoor railway operators may be connected with the Weardale Railway in the Northeast?

They were hoping to get a connection with the Barnstable line, but not sure if that is still going ahead.

Yes. Both lines unfortunately suffered under the mismanagement of the former Ealing Community Transport / FM Rail Fiasco, now under the similar bizarre operating set up under this Iowa Pacific / BARS / DCR lot. Shame really for both railways as they both would have and have had the potential to be good lines - both staffed by volunteers, but both let down by the owning companies. If anything, I feel sorry for the volunteers and trustees of the Weardale Railway - Line being run by Volunteers for the Commercial Freight services now running along the line with the occasional dining and seasonal trains thrown in. Hardly a great set up me thinks! :roll:

 

[Boothby97]

They want to just run dining trains nowadays. Its now their business case.

Unfortunately it is run by an American group (IPH) who only wish to run services on the Weardale and Dartmoor Railways if it makes lots of money
So its dining trains and the Polar Express again.

 

[CC 72100]

Yes. Both lines unfortunately suffered under the mismanagement of the former Ealing Community Transport / FM Rail Fiasco, now under the similar bizarre operating set up under this Iowa Pacific / BARS / DCR lot.

Indeed. There's something fishy about them if you ask me.

No consistency with the Dartmoor Railway it seems alas, real shame too

Yep, the volunteers are let down by a railway with pretty much no trains if you ask me, let alone people who want to use a heritage railway for its original purpose!

 

[TEW]

On the FGW Sunday services, I've seen these get very busy in the past. Generally it's the morning and late afternoon services that are busy, but I've seen pacers and 153s filled. The middle of the day services tend to be quieter.

 

[glenbogle]

Was on this last Sunday whilst on a break in Paignton, got the train at 0949 and changed at Exeter getting into Okehampton at 1145, had breakfast which was excellent in the immaculate station buffet. Then caught the 1230 bus from outside the station which went to Gunnislake via Tavistock and Dartmoor to connect with the 1405 FGW back to Plymouth then the 1455 down to Newton Abbot then onto Paignton.

This was a brilliant circular day out, Okehampton Station is a gem. Hope to do this again some other time.

Bus fare is £3.30 the driver said (I had a first group friends/staff ticket)

Just out of interest why is this route just a Summer Sunday, i thought a Saturday would be justified or is it political?

 

[David Goddard]

The EXD- Okehampton service used to get loads of publicity, but then remember there was a point last year when they did not know until the last minute whether it would actually run or not, something to do with funding from the local authority.

I'm pleased it did, as we built our ALR around doing it on the first Sunday. It was a pleasant trip, and the 150 was half full both ways for the last trip of the day.

I think they could make more of it by running Okehampton services through to Paignton to provide a useful through service linking the rural and coastal locations together.

 

[fgwrich]

The EXD- Okehampton service used to get loads of publicity, but then remember there was a point last year when they did not know until the last minute whether it would actually run or not, something to do with funding from the local authority.

I'm pleased it did, as we built our ALR around doing it on the first Sunday. It was a pleasant trip, and the 150 was half full both ways for the last trip of the day.

I think they could make more of it by running Okehampton services through to Paignton to provide a useful through service linking the rural and coastal locations together.

I think the plan is... if the next franchisee uses it (FGW did in the past state they were interested) to include it into the next Devon Metro route - at the moment formed of a upturned Y of Exmouth / Paignton to Exeter and Barnstaple. This would see it gain local stops on the West of England line down to Axminster, hopefully proving a Okehampton to Axminster service.

 

[simon.exd]

Unfortunately it is run by an American group (IPH) who only wish to run services on the Weardale and Dartmoor Railways if it makes lots of money
So its dining trains and the Polar Express again.

You are very correct, but isnt the way forward to promote what you have and offer up things that people want?
A service to even Crediton to connect with the big railway should on the face of it offer tourists, day trippers, cyclists etc an easy way onto Dartmoor.. without a decent destination at the other end it becomes exclusively an enthusiasts railway..
Its a shame the parent company couldnt run into Exeter, that all seemed to die a death, or even attract regular steam onto its line..