GWS Steam Railmotor on Looe Valley Line Suns 11 and 18 November

[whole diary]

[RichardB]

Bookings have now opened for the two Sundays of trips with the GWS Railmotor on the Looe Valley Line ^ 4 and 11 November.

Ticket Web are handling the bookings - http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user?query=search&region=xxx&category=misc&search=rail+motor

More details in the Didcot Railway Centre press release below
    
26 September 2012
Press Release
Steam on the Looe Branch

The Great Western Society is pleased to announce that arrangements are rapidly coming together for the unique Steam Railmotor 93 to carry passengers on the Liskeard to Looe branch line on Sundays 4 and 11 November 2012. The Looe Valley will once again echo to the bark of a GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) steam train, while the passengers enjoy a ride in the elegant Edwardian interior, generously decorated in oak and brass with newly-woven upholstery and window blinds to the original pattern.

The 104-year-old wooden-bodied vehicle has cleared various hurdles to be allowed to run on Network Rail lines. The train operator in Cornwall, First Great Western, has been very supportive and is sponsoring the Looe branch events, with West Coast Railways being the train operator for the steam specials.

Tickets for the return journey from Liskeard to Looe cost ^25 each and can be booked from Ticketweb at www.ticketweb.co.uk or phone 08444 771000 (booking fees will apply). There will be five return trips both Sundays, with the train carrying 54 passengers each time. Tickets must be booked for a specific service at the times below. It will not be possible to leave or join the train at Looe, so all journeys start and finish at Liskeard. The train operations are still subject to approval by the Office of Rail Regulation.

Steam Railmotor 93 was built in March 1908 and ran as a self-propelled unit for nearly 30 years, before being converted to a locomotive-hauled auto trailer in 1935 and renumbered 212. In 1956 it was withdrawn from passenger service and converted to a work study coach, becoming an office in Birmingham. It was preserved by the Great Western Society in 1970 and stored in the carriage shed at Didcot. In the 1990s the project to build a new steam power unit and rebuild the coach as a steam railmotor began. In July 2007 the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded the project ^768,000 for the rebuild of the coach, and the work was carried out on the Llangollen Railway, being completed in March 2011.

The Liskeard and Looe Railway opened in 1860. Originally the terminus for Liskeard was at Moorswater, a little to the west of the town. In 1901 the railway opened a link from Coombe Junction to the GWR station at Liskeard, enabling Looe to be promoted by the railway as a holiday destination. The 8.75 mile journey from Liskeard to Looe starts with a steep descent to Coombe Junction, where the train reverses. The line then follows the East Looe river, which becomes a tidal estuary with Looe railway station opposite the point where the West Looe river joins the East Looe. The Looe Valley Line is designated a Community Rail line and is now promoted by the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership.

Richard Burningham, Manager of the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, said ^I am delighted that steam will be returning to the Looe Valley Line this November. The Great Western Society^s Railmotor is a particular treat and I^m sure the trains will be very popular indeed. At this time of year, the Looe Valley Line^s regular service is operated with a single coach diesel train and I think many local people will be very intrigued to see its century-old steam predecessor.^

Provisional timetable for Steam Railmotor train operations on 4 and 11 November
Liskeard dep 08.30
Liskeard arr 10.10

Liskeard dep 10.30
Liskeard arr 12.10

Liskeard dep 12.30
Liskeard arr 14.10

Liskeard dep 14.30
Liskeard arr 16.10

Liskeard dep 16.30
Liskeard arr 18.10

Journey time is approximately 40 minutes in each direction. It will not be possible to leave or join the train at Looe. Passengers are asked to note that there are no toilets on the train, so please plan accordingly.

ENDS

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks very much for posting that, RichardB.

I've taken the liberty of adding the details to our calendar, too.

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

Reading this posting reminds me of my days as a young teenager in the 1950s when I used to go with my family from Bridgwater to Clevedon for a day out by the sea (when the tide was in!). By rail you had to change at Yatton where there was a single carriage train the did the short Yatton/Clevedon shuttle. I cannot remember whether it was self propelled or hauled by a small loco but what fascinated me was that this single carriage was open plan, unusual in those days when 8 seat compartments were the norm in third class. The coach was lit by a single large ornate chandelier in the centre of the coach powered by gas. This coach must have been around for many years, even in the 50s as it appeared to be so victorian or edwardian in style.
Does anyone know if this coach survived into conservation or whether there are any photographs of it available?   

[RichardB]

Reading this posting reminds me of my days as a young teenager in the 1950s when I used to go with my family from Bridgwater to Clevedon for a day out by the sea (when the tide was in!). By rail you had to change at Yatton where there was a single carriage train the did the short Yatton/Clevedon shuttle. I cannot remember whether it was self propelled or hauled by a small loco but what fascinated me was that this single carriage was open plan, unusual in those days when 8 seat compartments were the norm in third class. The coach was lit by a single large ornate chandelier in the centre of the coach powered by gas. This coach must have been around for many years, even in the 50s as it appeared to be so victorian or edwardian in style.
Does anyone know if this coach survived into conservation or whether there are any photographs of it available?   

It sounds like an autocoach, Andrew, which is what this became.

The Rail motor is open plan, very similar to what you describe (though, I'm guessing, a lot shinier than a coach in regular service, day in, day out on a local line would have been in the 50s).  Autocoaches do survive - the South Devon Railway has a couple.  They even use them to provide a service to Napper Halt which means the steps have to be used.

[Kernow Otter]

Bodmin and Wenford recently bought an autocoach back into service as well

[TerminalJunkie]

Let me see if I've got this right: for just 40p less than the price of two weekly seasons between Liskeard and Looe, you get to take one trip from Liskeard to Liskeard, without being able to use a loo, nor alight at Looe.

They can certainly see 'em coming. Must be the bobbles on the hats...

[thetrout]

I would love to do this... But medical constraints + 1hr 30mins will mean it's a no go

[JayMac]

Let me see if I've got this right: for just 40p less than the price of two weekly seasons between Liskeard and Looe, you get to take one trip from Liskeard to Liskeard, without being able to use a loo, nor alight at Looe.

They can certainly see 'em coming. Must be the bobbles on the hats...

Methink you doth protest too much. Come on TJ, are you not a foaming rail enthusiast at heart? Happy to part with your hard earned to bash a Cornish branch in some unusual rolling stock. Or are you just miffed that the railmotor isn't trundling its way out to North Devon?

[Chris from Nailsea]

More information, and pictures, available at http://www.rail.co.uk/rail-news/2012/vintage-award-winning-railmotor-tickets-go-on-sale/ 

[RichardB]

Let me see if I've got this right: for just 40p less than the price of two weekly seasons between Liskeard and Looe, you get to take one trip from Liskeard to Liskeard, without being able to use a loo, nor alight at Looe.

They can certainly see 'em coming. Must be the bobbles on the hats...

Think you're being a bit hard there.  I actually think it is a great bargain.

The rail event of the year, in my book.   I'd be surprised if it happened again.   

[RichardB]

Unfortunately the scheduled steam railmotor trips on the Looe Valley Line tomorrow have been cancelled.  Details here.

http://www.railmotor93.org/homepage/homepage.html

Hopefully the ones on 11 November will still go ahead.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks for letting us know that disappointing news, Richard.

For completeness, I've merged your post with the existing topic: as you say, hopefully the trips on 11 November will still go ahead.

[TonyK]

Just seen the photos. That's a real Heath Robinson job of a motor!

[eightf48544]

Hardly Heath Robinson but the finest Swindon carriage and engine building combined.

Their main problem was that they lacked adhesion to pull extra coaches and surmount gradients. I was looking forward to seeing video of it climbing from Coombe Jn to Liskguard.

The lack of pull was a problem because where they were introduced they proved very popular and increased patronage so the train required strenthening, so it was back to loco and coaches sort a of Catch 22. The other problem with it was. like modern units, that when the engine required maintenance the coach was out of service which because it was steam was quite frequently. Also the coach could get quite dirty being serviced in steam shed.

Thats the problem today with units and the general increase rail travel you need a whole extra unit to strengthen a train or provide extra services. 

[RichardB]

All currently fine for tomorrow.  Taunton Trains clocked the Cl33 on its way from Southall to Bodmin yesterday

http://www.tauntontrains.co.uk/

Tomorrow is pretty much completely full (though there was talk the GWS would have a few tickets on sale on their sales stand at Platform 3). Our shop on Platform 3 will be open too - we're offering an end of season ^3 off on Middleton Press books and, if you don't have the DVD the SW Film & TV Archive produced for 100 years of the Callington Branch in 2008, the last few are on sale at ^10 each.

Tickets are still available for the additional date - 18 November. 

http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/search.php?tm_link=tm_header_search&language=en-us&keyword=looe