I dragged my children up as far as the viaduct back in the early 90s. I have to say it is one of my favourite old railway walks. Just the total peace and quiet, yet not that far away from Plymouth. Well worth the walk.
Great video, really enjoyed watching it. You've beautifully captured the atmosphere of one of my favourite routes. Bitter sweet, but at least it is still with us, in parts. Keep up the good work!
Thanks you for the comment! Its really great to see what the PVR have achieved - shame they can't go all the way to, well, Bickleigh I suppose would be the realistic end
Thanks so much for the kind comments! There are more episodes planned, so do stay tuned :-) ad if you haven't seen it already, the first in the series is here: th-cam.com/video/ysksYCIzKEk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=wzyM2FqPu4Ie4p2A
Thank you so much! It is very sad to see all these closed routes, and one does wonder how much better transport would be here if we had the foresight to at least keep the infrastructure intact...
I really enjoyed this, thank you - excellent drone footage. I lived in plympton in 2003/4 while my then girlfriend (now wife) was doing her masters at Marjons… the Plym valley railway hadn’t reached Plym bridge at that time so it’s good to see it made it! If I recall, the cycle way to Tavistock includes a tunnel you can go through…
After nationalization BR was left with two routes from Plymouth to Tavistock (and indeed Launceston); this ex-GWR line, and the ex-SR line to Exeter via Tavistock and Okehampton, which served suburban Plymouth better and had the Callington branch (truncated to Gunnislake in 1966) too. Surprising that the ex-GWR line lasted as long as it did. Its closure did not of course save the ex-SR line, which was closed in 1968, although it is reopened from Exeter to Okehampton and may reopen from Bere Alston to Tavistock in the medium term.
Thanks for the comment - yes, there is indeed talk of Bere Alston to Tavistock being reopened on account of much of the trackbed and infrastructure being in decent condition; though having heard similar tales from the Anglesey Central Railway (where I grew up) I won't hold my breath! Hope you enjoyed the video :-)
its on the list!! Probably looking at Plymstock to Yealmpton next, but may put a poll out to see what the audience wants! Thanks so much for the feedback its really appreciated
The Princetown branch would have been fabulous had it survived. That of course would have depended on the Plymouth/ Tavistock line remaining. All these years later, very sad and frustrating.
Loved the presentation on the GWR Branch Line that linked Plymouth to Tavistock. Have you any plans to do the SR main line that also linked the two and carried the ACE and other Services to London Waterloo.
If only the Plym Valley Railway could get hold of a GWR 14xx 0-4-2T (or a pannier tank) and a couple of autocoaches… At the base of the Cann viaduct you can see stone bases. I suspect these are the remnants of Brunei’s original timber trestle viaduct. They were built that way because it was miles cheaper than building a stone structure, most of them in Devon and Cornwall were built to accommodate the 7’ broad gauge used by the GWR and associated companies in the South West. After the GWR went standard gauge in 1892, they continued using them, but they were all eventually replaced by stone structures. The GWR kept trains running during construction by building the new viaduct parallel to the old one. Once track had been relaid to its new formation, the wooden part of the old viaduct was demolished with only the stone supports remaining.
At the time it was hard to argue with the rational for the closures even though the minster of state for transport had a huge conflict of interest in seeing the railway's demise. Branch lines that few travelled on to freight trains that shipped very little freight compare to previous years and all thanks to the growing popularity of the private car and lorry. Hindsight is a wonderful thing for although the ripping up of the rail lines and selling the land off to private concerns seemed the right thing to do at the time, nobody could have foreseen the growth in population and car ownership. The motorways were wonderful when first built for they didn't have a speed limit and car ownership was in it's infancy but over the years car ownership has grown with many people now not having front gardens at home for they need somewhere to park their cars off the street. With hindsight the stations should have been allowed close and their buildings demolished with the signal boxes but the lines should have remained in a dormant state to be reopened in the future. Of course had that happened there would be no railway preservation movement that we know today for they took over closed and abandoned lines. Many viaducts are in isolated locations slowly falling into disrepair waiting for the time when they totally collapse in the valleys they cross. Tunnels are the same where ground pressures are slowly compressing them until their roof will fall in. People in the west country had gone over to private road transport for them and their trade. But now the roads are choked with traffic which they weren't in the 60's so people are asking for the railways to return. That's where the difficulty begins from people not wanting to sell their land or part of it to a government that may have to resort to compulsory land purchases in order to put the railway back but who's to say it will be on the old alignment with many housing estates and business parks now sitting on old railway alignments. The returning railway would have to tunnel under them and that adds to the costs and a deterrent to putting the railway back. Railway preservation doesn't fill a transport role for the local people for it's a sort of Disney theme park where people arrive by car have a fun day at the railway and then go home by car. Most preserved railways don't start operating until after 11am which is no good for people who want to be somewhere at 6am.
@@DevonAdventureFam Actually I thought you may write "pi** off antipodean for what the hell would you know". Although you all loath Beeching and what he did, he was brought in by the government of the day to recommend line closures and had he not done so then he would have been sacked and someone else would have done it. But Beeching didn't actually close any railways he only recommended their closure for the Marples was the man who took the axe to the railways and politicians don't like the underlings like Beeching taking what they see as their fame and glory. The trouble is that history has been too kind to Marples and heaped all the blame on Beeching when the real villain was Marples and the government he was in.
I dragged my children up as far as the viaduct back in the early 90s. I have to say it is one of my favourite old railway walks. Just the total peace and quiet, yet not that far away from Plymouth. Well worth the walk.
Its a beautiful place. Hope you enjoyed the film and thanks for commenting!
Great video, really enjoyed watching it. You've beautifully captured the atmosphere of one of my favourite routes. Bitter sweet, but at least it is still with us, in parts. Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much for your kind comments! We've just released our latest video too if you want to check it out :-)
Thanks for the video, from some one involved in the restarting of the railway in the late '70s and early '80s. nice tribute to what was.
Thanks you for the comment! Its really great to see what the PVR have achieved - shame they can't go all the way to, well, Bickleigh I suppose would be the realistic end
Love this! Please do more of them!
thanks!
Excellent video, superbly presented on a railway I knew nothing about until now. Many thanks 👍🏼
Thanks so much for the kind comments! There are more episodes planned, so do stay tuned :-) ad if you haven't seen it already, the first in the series is here: th-cam.com/video/ysksYCIzKEk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=wzyM2FqPu4Ie4p2A
Loved video please do more so sad to see how much we've lost
Thank you so much! It is very sad to see all these closed routes, and one does wonder how much better transport would be here if we had the foresight to at least keep the infrastructure intact...
I really enjoyed this, thank you - excellent drone footage. I lived in plympton in 2003/4 while my then girlfriend (now wife) was doing her masters at Marjons… the Plym valley railway hadn’t reached Plym bridge at that time so it’s good to see it made it! If I recall, the cycle way to Tavistock includes a tunnel you can go through…
Hi yes the cycleway does indeed have a tunnel - Shaugh Tunnel. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Very nicely done.
And very good camera work from the young lad.
Thank you so much - I'll let Henry know!
After nationalization BR was left with two routes from Plymouth to Tavistock (and indeed Launceston); this ex-GWR line, and the ex-SR line to Exeter via Tavistock and Okehampton, which served suburban Plymouth better and had the Callington branch (truncated to Gunnislake in 1966) too. Surprising that the ex-GWR line lasted as long as it did. Its closure did not of course save the ex-SR line, which was closed in 1968, although it is reopened from Exeter to Okehampton and may reopen from Bere Alston to Tavistock in the medium term.
Thanks for the comment - yes, there is indeed talk of Bere Alston to Tavistock being reopened on account of much of the trackbed and infrastructure being in decent condition; though having heard similar tales from the Anglesey Central Railway (where I grew up) I won't hold my breath! Hope you enjoyed the video :-)
@@DevonAdventureFam they’ve been saying it for years, doubtful it’ll ever happen, sadly.
Not now that Labour have scrapped a lot of plans.. its a shame because its an easy win for achieving net zero
@@DevonAdventureFam can’t line their greasy little pockets if they are actually useful to the people.
Thanks, l enjoyed that very much. 😊
Subbed.
Thank you so much - latest episode will be uploaded later today
Good-oh! 😊
Very good, nice one.
Yelverton to Princetown next?
its on the list!! Probably looking at Plymstock to Yealmpton next, but may put a poll out to see what the audience wants! Thanks so much for the feedback its really appreciated
The Princetown branch would have been fabulous had it survived. That of course would have depended on the Plymouth/ Tavistock line remaining. All these years later, very sad and frustrating.
Loved the presentation on the GWR Branch Line that linked Plymouth to Tavistock. Have you any plans to do the SR main line that also linked the two and carried the ACE and other Services to London Waterloo.
Thanks for the sub! And yes, we do have plans to do a lot more of the lines in the area :-)
If only the Plym Valley Railway could get hold of a GWR 14xx 0-4-2T (or a pannier tank) and a couple of autocoaches…
At the base of the Cann viaduct you can see stone bases. I suspect these are the remnants of Brunei’s original timber trestle viaduct. They were built that way because it was miles cheaper than building a stone structure, most of them in Devon and Cornwall were built to accommodate the 7’ broad gauge used by the GWR and associated companies in the South West. After the GWR went standard gauge in 1892, they continued using them, but they were all eventually replaced by stone structures. The GWR kept trains running during construction by building the new viaduct parallel to the old one. Once track had been relaid to its new formation, the wooden part of the old viaduct was demolished with only the stone supports remaining.
That would be cool!
I live just up the road from here
Thanks for dropping by
❤
Thanks for stopping by!
At the time it was hard to argue with the rational for the closures even though the minster of state for transport had a huge conflict of interest in seeing the railway's demise. Branch lines that few travelled on to freight trains that shipped very little freight compare to previous years and all thanks to the growing popularity of the private car and lorry. Hindsight is a wonderful thing for although the ripping up of the rail lines and selling the land off to private concerns seemed the right thing to do at the time, nobody could have foreseen the growth in population and car ownership.
The motorways were wonderful when first built for they didn't have a speed limit and car ownership was in it's infancy but over the years car ownership has grown with many people now not having front gardens at home for they need somewhere to park their cars off the street.
With hindsight the stations should have been allowed close and their buildings demolished with the signal boxes but the lines should have remained in a dormant state to be reopened in the future. Of course had that happened there would be no railway preservation movement that we know today for they took over closed and abandoned lines. Many viaducts are in isolated locations slowly falling into disrepair waiting for the time when they totally collapse in the valleys they cross. Tunnels are the same where ground pressures are slowly compressing them until their roof will fall in.
People in the west country had gone over to private road transport for them and their trade. But now the roads are choked with traffic which they weren't in the 60's so people are asking for the railways to return. That's where the difficulty begins from people not wanting to sell their land or part of it to a government that may have to resort to compulsory land purchases in order to put the railway back but who's to say it will be on the old alignment with many housing estates and business parks now sitting on old railway alignments. The returning railway would have to tunnel under them and that adds to the costs and a deterrent to putting the railway back.
Railway preservation doesn't fill a transport role for the local people for it's a sort of Disney theme park where people arrive by car have a fun day at the railway and then go home by car. Most preserved railways don't start operating until after 11am which is no good for people who want to be somewhere at 6am.
That's a great comment thank you so much for taking the time to share
@@DevonAdventureFam Actually I thought you may write "pi** off antipodean for what the hell would you know".
Although you all loath Beeching and what he did, he was brought in by the government of the day to recommend line closures and had he not done so then he would have been sacked and someone else would have done it. But Beeching didn't actually close any railways he only recommended their closure for the Marples was the man who took the axe to the railways and politicians don't like the underlings like Beeching taking what they see as their fame and glory.
The trouble is that history has been too kind to Marples and heaped all the blame on Beeching when the real villain was Marples and the government he was in.
I genuinely did not know that... and you may have given me an idea for another video! Thank you!
@@DevonAdventureFam Thank you.