Heritage Railways, Steam In Devon

[clocke]

First of all, my apologies if this question is in the wrong place. I'm new to the forum.

Were coming to the UK from Brooklyn in late September. My 7 year old son is a huge rail fan and would love to see or ride an original steam train while we're there. He's most interested in A4 class trains but I'd love to hear about anything pre deisel. We're looking for real trains, not Thomas' Day Out or novelty trains. We may make it to the NRM in York but may end up in the Devon area instead. We'll also be in London for a couple days. Can anyone recommend things to do, stations to see or trains to ride in that area? Or can anyone direct me to a site with info? Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[30907]

For Devon, the two preserved lines are the Torbay and Dartmouth from Paignton to Kingswear (there's a ferry across to Dartmouth) and the South Devon Railway from Totnes to Buckfastleigh. Both are GWR-themed - the SDR has more of a country branch line feel, the Torbay is busier (or used to be). Both are easily accessible by rail - combine it with a main line trip along the sea wall between Starcross and Teignmouth.

You might be lucky and coincide with a mainline steam train in the area, check
http://www.uksteam.info/tours/trs16.htm

The nearest heritage steam to Central London is Southern Railway focussed: Bluebell Railway from East Grinstead to Sheffield Park (our first standard gauge preserved line) and Watercress Line from Alton to Alresford (serious gradients!), but of course there's the present day railway around London to see as well....

 

[YorkshireBear]

Welcome to the forum.

If you want A4s then you would be very lucky to see one in steam but there is Mallard stationary at the national railway museum in York.

If in Devon then you have two steam railways to choose from.

Paignton and Dartmouth railway. Which runs alongside the sea and the River Dart and is very picturesque. It terminates in Kingswear with a short ferry across the Harbour to Dartmouth which is an historic port. Paignton has a connection to the national rail network. This railway has a much more commercial touristy feel to it, the one below is much more a demonstration of rural england.
http://www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk/

The South Devon Railway runs from Buckfastleigh to Totnes. Totnes has a connection to the national rail network. This railway runs along an inland part of the river dart. Very nice scenery in my opinion and the better of the two. You can get a combined ticket for other attractions, there is an Otter & Butterfly Centre/Sanctuary at Buckfastleigh and a Rare Breeds Farm at Totnes, at the rare breeds farm you can feed goats and stuff. A really good day out. This is definitely the one i would personally recommend.
http://www.southdevonrailway.co.uk/

Hope this helps, I go to Devon on holiday every year so any other questions fire them across.

 

[DarloRich]

For Devon, the two preserved lines are the Torbay and Dartmouth from Paignton to Kingswear (there's a ferry across to Dartmouth) and the South Devon Railway from Totnes to Buckfastleigh. Both are GWR-themed - the SDR has more of a country branch line feel, the Torbay is busier (or used to be). Both are easily accessible by rail - combine it with a main line trip along the sea wall between Starcross and Teignmouth.

You might be lucky and coincide with a mainline steam train in the area, check
http://www.uksteam.info/tours/trs16.htm

The nearest heritage steam to Central London is Southern Railway focussed: Bluebell Railway from East Grinstead to Sheffield Park (our first standard gauge preserved line) and Watercress Line from Alton to Alresford (serious gradients!), but of course there's the present day railway around London to see as well....

Or the Epping and Ongar railway which is easily reached by central line tube. You should check before travel as the line runs both steam and diesel trains.

 

[E&W Lucas]

Good Morning!

A first observation, from someone who deals with many American visitors through his work on our national rail network, our little island is a lot larger than you probably imagine. Map projections have a lot to answer for.

Devon is lovely, I also visit most years, but it can be an absolute pig to get to. Five hours stuck in traffic is not uncommon. The two railways suggested above are decent, but there is also the larger West Sommerset Railway, just across the county border. It's a fantastic Great Western set up, and you'll see far more operational steam on a single day there. Makes a good "park and ride" for the seaside resort of Minehead.

If you want operational, don't bother with the NRM; take a 25 mile drive from York, across to Pickering, and visit the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (24 miles, to Whitby). Beautiful scenery, and plenty of working steam at the moment. Whitby fish and chips is also a must. For me, the premier heritage line in the country. www.nymr.co.uk

If you're still planning, also consider a trip to Porthmadog in North Wales. Narrow gauge heaven. Two connected railways, both absolutely brilliant:
www.festrail.co.uk

Enjoy your time over here. Any questions, please ask away.

 

[DarloRich]

If you want operational, don't bother with the NRM; take a 25 mile drive from York, across to Pickering, and visit the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (24 miles, to Whitby). Beautiful scenery, and plenty of working steam at the moment. Whitby fish and chips is also a must. For me, the premier heritage line in the country. www.nymr.co.uk

If you're still planning, also consider a trip to Porthmadog in North Wales. Narrow gauge heaven. Two connected railways, both absolutely brilliant:
www.festrail.co.uk

Enjoy your time over here. Any questions, please ask away.

Very good suggestions - I concur but would suggest calling in at the NRM seeing as you are passing and it is free.

 

[BrunswickGreen]

Very good suggestions - I concur but would suggest calling in at the NRM seeing as you are passing and it is free.

60007 Sir Nigel Gresley is under overhaul in the NRM workshop at present. My vote would be for the NYMR.

 

[Cowley]

I agree with much that has been written above. I frequently visit the South Devon Railway and the Dartmouth steam railway. They are both similar lengths but very different. The South Devon has lovely scenery and lots of historical rolling stock, it does the quintessential branch line thing very well plus as someone said above there's the otter sanctuary, butterfly farm and rare breeds centre which the kids love. The Dartmouth steam railway has more of a larger railway feel and in my opinion has some of the best scenery seen from a train window, particularly the climb from Goodrington to Churston and the drop from Greenway tunnel down to Kingswear. If you are able to spend a whole day in the area the Round Robin ticket will give you a train ride to Kingswear, ferry across to Dartmouth, boat trip up the river to Totnes and bus back to the start. A very nice day out.

Neither railway will disappoint you, they're both really good and by the end of September it'll be pretty quiet on the roads down here too.

Hope you have a great holiday.

 

[Waldgrun]

Welcome Clock,

Please don't make the mistake of thinking "Little Olde England", because being a slightly crowded island, travelling what you might think of as a short distance, may take longer than you think! But one thing you have not said is how you are travelling in the U.K. If you intend to hire a car, remember most cars here have shift sticks. It is worth taking a look at this http://toptests.co.uk/highway-code/ The rules of the road so to speak.
However, if you are travelling by rail, come back to this forum with your plans, party details, and the expert knowledge will flow! Also have you heard of the Britrail Pass http://www.britrail.net/passes, I believe these are best purchased in your own country.
Still look forward to hearing from you again!

 

[MarkyT]

I agree with much that has been written above. I frequently visit the South Devon Railway and the Dartmouth steam railway. They are both similar lengths but very different. The South Devon has lovely scenery and lots of historical rolling stock, it does the quintessential branch line thing very well plus as someone said above there's the otter sanctuary, butterfly farm and rare breeds centre which the kids love. The Dartmouth steam railway has more of a larger railway feel and in my opinion has some of the best scenery seen from a train window, particularly the climb from Goodrington to Churston and the drop from Greenway tunnel down to Kingswear. If you are able to spend a whole day in the area the Round Robin ticket will give you a train ride to Kingswear, ferry across to Dartmouth, boat trip up the river to Totnes and bus back to the start. A very nice day out.

The Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat company, in addition to a large fleet of diesel boats, also operates a fantastic paddle steamer, the 'Kingswear Castle', on the Dart : http://www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk/tours/paddle-steamer-river-cruise

The company's rail river link bus service No.100, forming the road leg of the 'round robin' tour, is often operated by older Bristol VRT open top buses depending on availability and weather :
http://www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk/tours/no100-bus-service

I understand this may be last year of operation of the Bristol open toppers, as their exemption from level boarding regulations will end.

Note local multi-ride tickets such as the Stagecoach 'Torbay Dayrider' are also valid on the No.100 bus.

 

[70014IronDuke]

Whilst not wishing to detract from any of the preserved lines in operation, the sight and sound of a large passenger express locomotive at speed is something else.

You like A4s - and, indeed, there is not a much finer sight in the steam world. In my own experience, the air-smoothed Bulleid pacifics were more or less on par in terms of the aesthetics. You might find Tangmere at work as an example.

Otherwise, try Tornado or one of the other large pacifics (or an ex LMS passenger 4-6-0 such as Scots Guardsman).

OK, the max allowed is "only" 75 mph these days, but that's still pretty awesome if you are within 4 yards of it on a platform. I suggest you look up what is going on around the time of your visit, and see if you can see or even travel on one of the steam-hauled expresses on your tour.

you can try this site for info (anyone know a better one?)

http://www.uksteam.info/tours/trs16.htm
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

60007 Sir Nigel Gresley is under overhaul in the NRM workshop at present. My vote would be for the NYMR.

What's happened to Bittern? It was doing 90 mph a couple of years ago!

as has been pointed out, the UK may well be larger than you imagine. Against this, we have scores and scores of preserved railway projects. Some, true, are sidings with a shed at one end. But many are 'proper' railways of some miles in length.

 

[Trainfan344]

What's happened to Bittern? It was doing 90 mph a couple of years ago!

as has been pointed out, the UK may well be larger than you imagine. Against this, we have scores and scores of preserved railway projects. Some, true, are sidings with a shed at one end. But many are 'proper' railways of some miles in length.

Withdrawn at the end of the mainline boiler ticket, given a year down at the mid hants, currently awaiting overhaul I believe.

 

[Harbornite]

I also recommend the Swanage Railway, not too far from Devon.

 

[alexl92]

For reference, if you were to travel directly from Paignton to York by car it would take around 5 1/2 hours and via public transport, it would take 7 to 9 hours depending on the time of day when you travel.

 

[YorkshireBear]

For reference, if you were to travel directly from Paignton to York by car it would take around 5 1/2 hours and via public transport, it would take 7 to 9 hours depending on the time of day when you travel.

If you can do Paignton to York in 5 1/2 hours I will be shocked. Google maps may say that but the reality is quite different.

 

[goatie]

Paignton to York is do able in 5 1/2 driving but only just, depending on what time you leave
we go to Goodrington most summers it takes 4 1/2 hrs from retford and we take 25 mins to get to M1 to start the journey down, going down we leave at 4.00 am coming back its 8 am or late in the evening to miss the caravans and holiday traffic

Both the devon Steam Railways are nice for a ride out, but there is no depot/shed to have a good look around
on the south devon railway there is an otter place to look around, but not much else,

 

[clocke]

Wow! Thank you all so much for your replies!! Very helpful. We've found a beautiful place to stay in Kingswear so it looks like Dartmouth Rail and River Co. will be our destination. We'll skip York and the north until next time as we're on a fairly tight schedule. As far as transportation we may take a train from London and rent a car once were there or a local friend may join us and drive. I have no problem driving standard but shifting with my left hand in the left lane while trying not to get lost leaving London is a little intimidating. Is anyone familiar with that trip (London to Dartmouth)? It seems by most accounts that it should take 4-5 hours. Does that sound right?

 

[goatie]

make sure you take the little one to woodlands theme park, but have your arms and legs covered on some of the rides (friction burns)
and a day at goodrington beach (heaven to me)
rent a car if you, remember these are country roads (not as bad as Dorset) but getting anywhere does take time

 

[MarkyT]

Get a train from London Paddington terminus. Paignton is the nearest station on the national rail network to Kinsgwear. Two direct GWR London to Paignton trains run on weekdays, a few more on Saturdays but only one on Sundays. You can also get there almost every hour during the day by catching a Plymouth or Penzance express then changing to a local train at either Exeter or Newton Abbot. London - Paignton is between 3 and 4 hours approx. depending on individual train schedules. Note the weekday direct trains are among the slowest as they go via Bristol instead of taking a faster cut-off route. The rail route between Exeter and Newton Abbot is spectacular and should not be missed (take a local train trip from Paignton to Exeter and back if you drive there). The track hugs the coast along a narrow sea wall and twists and turns through many tunnels under the cliffs between Dawlish and Teignmouth. Most of the route is either next to the open sea or alongside the picturesque Exe and Teign estuaries.

A good site to explore train options is: http://traintimes.org.uk/ . Paignton main station is right next to the steam railway for Kingswear and the town bus station. If you're arriving after the steam train has finished for the day the last bus to Kingswear is at 18:40 weekdays and there are taxis available.

Car hire: A very handy car hire place for you might be Thrifty who have an office right at Torquay station, the stop immediately before Paignton. Note all Paignton trains call at Torquay as well. http://www.thrifty.co.uk/car-hire/torquay.htm

If you going to Devon straight from the airport, I suggest don't go via central London. Save time and money by taking the Railair bus link from Heathrow to Reading, or the direct GWR train from Gatwick to Reading. All the expresses heading west make a call at Reading on their way out of London.

 

[clocke]

Thanks so much for the great info MarkyT!Looks like we may drive out and take the train back. All trains between London and Paignton will go through Exeter correct? Definitely sounds like we need to see that.

 

[Greenback]

I think that the train journey would be a lot more enjoyable than the drive, clocke!

 

[Cowley]

The train journey would probably be nicer than driving but the roads should be a lot quieter by then. It's pretty busy with holidaymakers at the moment but by the end of September it won't be.
Just as an aside and completely un-train related, if you do have a rental car, take it over the lower ferry to Dartmouth and drive down through Blackpool Sands and Slapton Sands which are beautiful and on down to Bigbury and Burgh Island. You'll love it, it's not far and it's stunning. We live in Exeter and go there quite often.
Have a great holiday.

 

[MarkyT]

All trains between London and Paignton will go through Exeter correct?

Correct. Hope you have a great trip!

 

[SpacePhoenix]

If you're into model railways, last time I visited Trago Mills they had a very large model railway layout there.

 

[JohnR]

If you can do Paignton to York in 5 1/2 hours I will be shocked. Google maps may say that but the reality is quite different.

I was visiting my mum in Teignmouth a couple of weeks ago. We left York (actually Tadcaster where our Hotel was, but just 10 minutes outside York) at 9am. We arrived in Teignmouth at 3.05pm - and we had an hour for lunch at Gloucester services. Thats including all the roadworks on the M42 and the M5.

 

[YorkshireBear]

I was visiting my mum in Teignmouth a couple of weeks ago. We left York (actually Tadcaster where our Hotel was, but just 10 minutes outside York) at 9am. We arrived in Teignmouth at 3.05pm - and we had an hour for lunch at Gloucester services. Thats including all the roadworks on the M42 and the M5.

Part of my reason for questioning the 5.5 hours was that it is unsafe to drive that far without decent breaks.

 

[alexl92]

Part of my reason for questioning the 5.5 hours was that it is unsafe to drive that far without decent breaks.

And I did get that original figure from Google Maps, so you have to take a pinch of salt with it!

 

[randyrippley]

Someone recommended visiting Slapton Sands, which is an excellent beach and also a nature reserve. It also has a strong link to the USA: it was the location of Exercise Tiger, in which close to 800 American GIs died in WWII. There's little to see there thats related, except for a Sherman Tank lifted from the sea and mounted as a memorial to the disaster.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise_Tiger
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/47...n-Sands-The-real-story-of-that-terrible-night

On a different matter, driving down a British motorway from London to Exeter at higher speeds than you'll be used to in America, on the wrong side of the road, and with a wrong-handed stick-shift gearbox is not the kind of thing to do unrehearsed with the family in the car. If you can hire an automatic, do it. Preferably, get the train instead. Also be warned - a lot of the local South Devon roads are deceptive narrow sunken lanes, with poor sight lines and no escape routes in the event of oncoming traffic. Don't be tempted to speed.

 

[clocke]

On a different matter, driving down a British motorway from London to Exeter at higher speeds than you'll be used to in America, on the wrong side of the road, and with a wrong-handed stick-shift gearbox is not the kind of thing to do unrehearsed with the family in the car. If you can hire an automatic, do it. Preferably, get the train instead. Also be warned - a lot of the local South Devon roads are deceptive narrow sunken lanes, with poor sight lines and no escape routes in the event of oncoming traffic. Don't be tempted to speed.

We've decided against renting the car. It seemed like a bad idea. I get angry at tourists in NY who hold up traffic because they have no idea what they're doing so it didn't really seem fair A friend from London is joining us and either she'll drive or we'll all take the train.

Is anyone familiar with the Dartmouth Rail River Tours? I reached out to them but never heard back. I'm wondering if they usually sell out or if we can buy tickets the day we go? There are 2 possible days we could do and i'd love to see a weather report first but if everything is sold out I'll be a very unpopular father for a few days.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

If you're into model railways, last time I visited Trago Mills they had a very large model railway layout there.

Thanks for the tip! I'd never heard of that. Looks interesting

 

[MarkyT]

Is anyone familiar with the Dartmouth Rail River Tours? I reached out to them but never heard back. I'm wondering if they usually sell out or if we can buy tickets the day we go?

You should be ok on the day, especially this time of year as the summer season is winding down now. The steam trains are 7 cars long with hundreds of seats, and the bigger river ferries can also carry hundreds. A tip on the steam train - pay the small supplement (£1?) for the pullman observation car "Devon Belle" Great views and more comfortable seats, but limited numbers clearly.