Operating into their 50th year as a preserved railway, the South Devon Railway sits as a well-established heritage line among those in the South West. The South Devon Railway, formerly the Dart Valley Railway, first opened as a preserved railway in 1969, ferrying passengers between Buckfastleigh and Totnes over the 6 miles of track - largely running alongside the River Dart. To mark the occasion, the South Devon Railway held a '50th Anniversary Steam Gala', bringing together a range of Great Western tank engines to operate over the branch line for a full nine days from the 5th-14th of April. On the final weekend of the event, proceedings ran to an intense timetable; with frequent through trains operating the whole length of the line, as well as demonstration freight services, and the occasional shuttle service from Buckfastleigh to Staverton and return. On numerous freight runs, the goods set would be sidelined at Staverton, to allow pursuing passenger services to proceed undisturbed, before the freight rejoined the line. The weekend also featured an 'Inaugural Special', top and tailed by 5526 and 6412, harking back to the first passenger train to run on the line in preservation, on the 5th of April 1969.
Locomotives:
BR(W) 1500 'Pannier Tank' Class - 1501
Ex-GWR 6400 'Pannier Tank' Class - 6412
BR(W) 9400 'Pannier Tank' Class - 9462 (9466)
Ex-GWR 6400 'Pannier Tank' Class - 6430
GWR 4575 'Small Prairie' Class - 5526
Andrew Barcley 0-4-0T - 1219 was also in attendance, being limited to the yard at Buckfastleigh. However, it eluded the cameras. GWR 1400 Class - 1450 was also scheduled to attend the gala, but was unavailable owing to maintenance work.
All footage filmed on Saturday the 13th of April 2019.
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