South Devon Railway marks 150 years since line opened

Peter Treglown, marketing director, said the anniversary was a "great achievement"

South Devon Railway is marking the 150th anniversary of its line first opening.

The nine-mile (14km) railway opened on 1 May 1872 connecting Totnes and Ashburton.

The section between Buckfastleigh and Ashburton was lost when the A38 was built over the last two miles in 1971.

Currently the line runs steam trains with heritage rolling stock between Buckfastleigh and Totnes Riverside.

Peter Treglown, marketing director, said: "For a rural branch line, which otherwise would have closed, to now carry more passengers than it ever would have is a great achievement."

The branch was opened in 1872, but the line never made a profit and only served the local population and was used for goods traffic, the charity said.

In 1958, the line closed to passengers, with freight continuing until 1962.

The line reopened to the public in 1969 and in 1991 was renamed from Dart Valley Railway to South Devon Railway.

Pandemic was 'challenging'

A Corsican pine, each with a commemorative plaque, will be planted at all of the South Devon Railway stations, at Buckfastleigh, Staverton and Totnes Riverside.

The charity said the trees were a familiar sight at Great Western Railway stations as the firm regularly planted them across the West Country.

GWR number 4555, the first locomotive to arrive on the then Dart Valley Railway in 1965, will also be present to mark the anniversary over the bank holiday weekend.

Mr Treglown said the Covid pandemic had been "extremely challenging" and "trains ran for three days in 2020 and there was a reduced service in 2021".

"People were very generous and with grants and donations, it kept us going."