Plym Valley Railway

The Plym Valley Railway is a Template:Convert heritage railway based on part of the now-closed South Devon and Tavistock Railway, a branch line of the Great Western Railway in Devon, England. The line originally opened in 1859 and closed in 1962. Heritage trains first ran in 2001.

History

The line was originally part of the South Devon and Tavistock Railway, a Template:Track gauge broad gauge railway linking Plymouth with Tavistock in Devon, England. This opened in 1859,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> was converted to Template:Track gauge in 1892 and closed in 1962.Template:Sfn

Some local enthusiasts formed the Plym Valley Railway Association in 1980 to restore part of the line. Work started near Coypool in 1982 and they bought Bickleigh Siding in 1988 which became the site for a new Marsh Mills railway station. Trains could run the Template:Cvt northwards to 'World's End' from October 2001 and another Template:Cvt to the site of the Lee Moor Tramway crossing from May 2008. At this time the only station was at Marsh Mills but the line was extended to a new platform at Template:Stnlnk on 30 December 2012, exactly 50 years after the original line closed. This brought the heritage railway to a total length of Template:Convert.<ref name="Mills">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Trackmaps">Template:Cite book</ref>

Location

Template:GeoGroupTemplate Template:Suppress categories The Plym Valley Railway is based at Template:Stnlnk on the eastern side of Plymouth.

Marsh Mills

Located at Template:Coord.

The original Marsh Mills railway station opened on 1 February 1860 to enable people in the area around Plympton to reach Tavistock without a lengthy detour to change trains at Plymouth. It was located Template:Convert from Tavistock Junction where the Tavistock line joined the South Devon Railway's line. Extensive goods facilities grew up around the station including a china clay works on the east side of the line and a military depot at Coypool on the west side of the line. Most of the station site has now been replaced by a road.<ref name="Oakley">Template:Cite book</ref> The Plym Valley Railway opened a new station Template:Cvt further north in 1988. Its single platform is on the west side of the line. The engine shed and sidings are on the same side of the line to the north of the station.<ref name="Mills"/><ref name="Trackmaps"/>

Plym Bridge

Located at Template:Coord.

The platform at Template:Stnlnk opened on 1 May 1906 to bring tourists to the picturesque area of the Plym valley. It was on the east side of the line. Originally built from timber, it was replaced by a shorter concrete platform in 1949.<ref name="Oakley"/> After the line closed, the concrete platform was moved to St Ives railway station so the Plym Valley Railway built a new one on the same foundations which opened on 30 December 2012.<ref name="Mills"/><ref name="Trackmaps"/>

Rolling stock

Steam locomotives

Image	Number & name	Builder	Wheels	Built	To PVR	Notes
File:Albert on the Plym Valley Railway (4372).jpg	Albert	Andrew Barclay	Template:Whyte	1948	2004	Works number 2248, this was built for the British Sugar Corporation and worked in Worcester and Somerset. It was preserved at the Nene Valley Railway and then the East Kent Railway before coming to the Plym Valley Railway in 2004.<ref name="locomotives">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
File:Byfield steam-railway.jpg	Template:Nowrap	Bagnall	Template:Whyte	1942	2002	Works number 2655, this was built in 1942 and worked at ironstone quarries in Northamptonshire. It later carried the name ‘'Loddington No. 2’' while working for another company. It was preserved on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway in the 1980s but purchased by the Plym Valley Railway in 2002.<ref name="locomotives"/>
File:Steam Engine 705 on the Plym Valley Railway.jpg	705	Andrew Barclay	Template:Whyte	1937	2011	Works number 2047 was built for The Clyde Valley Electrical Power Company's Yoker power station where it was numbered 4. It was withdrawn in the 1970s and stored at the Strathspey Railway until it was moved to the East Somerset Railway where it was restored in 1994 and given the fictional Great Western Railway number 705. It was sold in 2011 and an overhaul was undertaken before it entered service on the Plym Valley Railway in 2018.<ref name="locomotives"/>
	5374 Lord Oliver Brown	Fablok TKh49	Template:Whyte	1959	2016	This industrial shunting locomotive was built by Fablok in Poland. It was based at the Northampton & Lamport Railway in England from 1992.<ref name="locomotives"/>

Diesel locomotives

Image	Number & name	Class	Built	To PVR	Notes
File:Bitton - RH 466618 in the yard.JPG	429 River Annan	Ruston & Hornsby LSSH	1961	Unknown	A former Ministry of Defence Template:Whyte locomotive, Army number 429.<ref name="locomotives"/>
File:Plym Valley Railway 05.jpg	10077	Template:Nowrap	1961	2015	Works number 10077 worked at a quarry at Coxhoe in County Durham. It was preserved by the Durham Locomotive Preservation Group in 2002 on the Weardale Railway. It later moved to the Plym Valley Railway for restoration, entering service here in 2018.<ref name="locomotives"/>
File:Plym Valley Railway 09.jpg	13002	Template:Brc	1952	1982	This shunter was built at Derby Works, the third Class 08 to be built. Originally numbered 13002, it was renumbered to D3002 in 1960. It was sold by British Rail in 1972<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> to Foster Yeoman and moved to Merehead Quarry in Somerset where it became number 11 Dulcote.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It is painted in its original black colour scheme and numbered 13002.<ref name="locomotives"/>
File:Weardale Railway 04.jpg	31190	Template:Brc	1960	2021	Originally numbered D5613, it was withdrawn in 2005.<ref name="locomotives"/>
File:Plym Valley Railway 08.jpg	Vanguard	Thomas Hill 'Vanguard'	1963	1990	This Template:Whyte shunter, works number 125V, was used at the Blue Circle Industries cement works in Plymstock. It came to the Plym Valley Railway on 30 March 1990.Template:Sfn<ref name="locomotives"/>

Diesel multiple units

Image	Number	Class	Built	To PVR	Notes
File:Dunster -901012 Iris II.JPG	50222 & 50338	Template:Brc	1958	2023	After it was taken out of passenger service, this unit were converted for departmental service. The cars were renumbered RDB977963 and RDB977964, the whole unit being known as Iris II. It was preserved on the West Somerset Railway in 2008 but moved to the Barry Tourist Railway the following year.<ref name="locomotives"/>
File:Plym Valley Railway 07.jpg	51365 & 51407	Template:Brc	1960	1995	Originally a Western Region three-car unit number B427 (later L427), it moved to Tyseley in 1989 and became London Midland unit T304. It was withdrawn in 1992 but the two power cars were then reinstated and sent to Laira depot when there was a shortage of more modern units for services in Devon and Cornwall.<ref name="locomotives"/>
File:Shildon railway station MMB 01 142023.jpg	142023	Template:Brc	1985	2021	This 'Pacer' unit (or 'Skipper' as they were known in Devon) entered service at Laira depot<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> when it was painted in a GWR-inspired chocolate and cream livery. It was last in service with Northern Rail and entered service on the Plym Valley railway in their livery. Its individual cars are numbered are 55564+55614.<ref name="locomotives"/>
File:Taunton - GWR 143618 ecs from Exeter (DR79237).JPG	143618	Template:Nowrap	1986	2022	This 'Pacer' unit finished its service with Great Western Railway at Exeter depot in 2022. Its car numbers are 55659 and 55684.<ref name="locomotives"/>

Former Plym Valley Railway locomotives

Steam

Image	Number & name	Class	Wheels	Built	On PVR	Notes
File:Falmouth Docks No. 3 at Ruddington.jpg	3	Hawthorn Leslie	Template:Whyte	1926	Unknown	Works number 3597. This worked at Falmouth Docks and was believed to be the last steam locomotive working at any dock in the United Kingdom.<ref name="9EL"/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
File:Summerlee Heritage Park 4112.jpg	4112 Springbok	SAR class GMA	Template:Whyte	1957	Unknown	A Template:Railgauge gauge South African Railways articulated locomotive, Beyer Peacock works number 7827.<ref name="9EL">Template:Cite book</ref>
File:34007 "Wadebridge" (6865380264).jpg	34007 Wadebridge	Template:Nowrap	Template:Whyte	1945	1981-2001	Moved to the Bodmin and Wenford Railway where its restoration was completed but then moved to the Mid-Hants Railway.Template:Sfn
File:BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0 75079 At Ropley.jpg	75079	BR Class 4	Template:Whyte	1956	Template:Nowrap	Sold to the Mid-Hants RailwayTemplate:Sfn

Diesel

Image	Number & name	Class	Built	On PVR	Notes
File:Plym Valley Railway 06.jpg	D2046	Template:Nowrap	1958	Template:Nowrap	D2046 was built at Doncaster Works in 1958 and withdrawn in 1971. It then saw industrial service with Gulf Oil at Waterston Refinery, Milford Haven, their number 2.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
File:Class 50 locomotives in Cardiff - geograph.org.uk - 4357751.jpg	50017 Royal Oak	Template:Brc	1968	2009-2014	After withdrawal in 1991, 50017 was restored on the West Somerset Railway and then worked on the main line for a while. It was rededicated to HMS Royal Oak in 2012 while based on the Plym Valley Railway.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Mills"/>
	The Planet	Planet	1948	1993-?	An Template:Whyte shunter built by F. C. Hibberd & Co., works number 3281. It used to work on Victoria Wharves at Plymouth and was moved to the Plym Valley Railway on 22 November 1993.Template:Sfn

External links

• Template:Official website