Great Western Coffee Shop

Out and about today. Where was I?

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/Apr15.jpg)

Definitely tougher than CfN's last effort!  :P ;) :D (Soz Chris....)

Hmm.  ::)

Just to confuse the issue still further (if that were possible!) - this notice is not actually specific to the Great Western Railway area: see http://www.5inchrail.com/shop/images/products/replica-enamel-signs/NRM01a.gif

CfN.  ;) :D ;D

Okay. Fair do Chris. Good find.  ;)

So, more specifically, where did I take that picture of the sign warning CABDRIVERS against 'skylarking' or 'misconducting' themselves?

As a bonus point, can someone please tell me exactly what 'skylarking' entails?  ???

Another clue as to the location:

I had lunch 'onboard' the former HMS Cicala which is right next door to the location where I took the photo of the dire warning to CABDRIVERS.....

Dartmouth  ;)

Close.....

Kingswear?

Indeed! The warning poster to 'CABDRIVERS' is located at Kingswear Station on the Dartmouth Steam Railway (http://www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk/).

And in case anyone was wondering, the following explains how I had lunch 'onboard' HMS Cicala:

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/RDDart2.jpg)
The building on the left is the former HMS Cicala, not the car ferry!

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/RDDart.jpg)

The Royal Dart Hotel was requisitioned by the Royal Navy in the 2nd World War and re-named HMS Cicala. It was a shore base for the Free French 23rd Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla as well as a local 'Coastal Forces' base for the Royal Navy. Charles de Gaulle's son, Philippe, was stationed there as was a young Fran^ois Mitterrand.

The Germans were obviously aware of HMS Cicala's existence but not of its purpose or location. The propagandist, Lord Haw-Haw, reporting an attack by German bombers on Dartmouth, proudly announced that HMS Cicala had been sunk!

Further reading:

http://www.dartmouth-history.org.uk/content_images/upload/OOP%20Books/No06%20Free%20French/Free%20French%20in%20Kingswear.pdf

Interestingly, the real HMS Cicala (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect_class_gunboat) was indeed sunk - in the far east, by Japanese bombs on 21 December 1941.  ;) :D ;D

The Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat Company (as it is currently called) does seem to have a bit of an identity crisis. I saw various signs referring the the line as:

• The Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway (P&DSR)
• Dart Rail
• The Torbay Steam Railway
• The Dartmouth Steam Railway
• The Kingswear (for Dartmouth) Line

Make up your minds!  ::)

Similarly, the South Devon Railway (http://www.southdevonrailway.co.uk/) used to be known as the Dart Valley Railway, I think?  ::)

Even I don't know the answer to that and it was my local line.

Interestingly whilst in the Goodrington area the other day I noticed some of the trackside trespass signs had been updated to include the Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat Company name and associated branding.

 

Thanks, devon_metro, for that local update!  ;)

As a matter of interest, have they also updated the penalty from ^200 to ^1,000?

I took some video footage of the run back up to Paignton on the DSR&R Company ( ::)) whilst there last week. Once I've edited and stitched it together I'll post on youtube and provide a link here.

Actually quite impressed with the picture and sound quality of the video recording capabilities of my bog standard compact digital camera.....

They'd plated it over I think with a new sign. Looked a bit odd. The sign essentially said the line is not a right of way to Broadsands beach. Located at the bottom of 'Waterside Caravan Park' off Dartmouth Rd. if you are ever interested in partaking in some 'sign spotting'  ;)

With a bit of digging, I've found their legal name is still DART VALLEY RAILWAY PLC

This company also re-opened the South Devon Railway in the late 60s, until it was passed to the South Devon Railway Trust in the 90s

::)

Skylarking just means "mucking about" doesn't it?