Coombe Barton Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 There is a Facebook group called Friends of Ashburton Station, who (I think) are proposing a return to trains using the existing station site. If you are on FB you can find them by searching for their name. There was a public meeting in September, this is the (just published) report of that meeting. If you can see it, this is a link to the post <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAshburtonStation%2Fposts%2F1768452806639595&width=500" width="500" height="802" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Kirkham Posted July 9, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 9, 2020 I don't know the area very well, but my concern would be that the rebuilt railway would be constrained to run so close to the A38 that there would be no possibility of the recapturing the atmosphere of a rural branch line. Or are the they proposing this as a means of practical transport rather than a heritage experience? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithMacdonald Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 22 hours ago, Andy Kirkham said: I don't know the area very well, but my concern would be that the rebuilt railway would be constrained to run so close to the A38 that there would be no possibility of the recapturing the atmosphere of a rural branch line. Or are the they proposing this as a means of practical transport rather than a heritage experience? It would have to be very close to the A38, or in the river. Can anyone see it as practical transport (as a TOC), when it would have to pass through Buckfastleigh and over South Devon Railway heritage-standard track? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
caradoc Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 1 hour ago, KeithMacdonald said: Can anyone see it as practical transport (as a TOC), when it would have to pass through Buckfastleigh and over South Devon Railway heritage-standard track? And have stock and crews to Network Rail standards to access Totnes station, not to mention finding and paying for paths; Or else leave people with a long walk from Totnes Riverside ? Sounds a lovely idea, but possibly impractical. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 It looks as though the 'lets reopen a branch line and run trains' group is running out of potential sites, at least in the West Country. Above comments are most valid but there is one for sale up in Okehampton, last I heard! Brian 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandc_au Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 Uuum before you guys knock it, the line is open to Buckfastleigh already! The real challenge apart from businesses trying to stop it for their own gain will be getting across the highway/freeway/A?? So why the agro about trying to get it done?? khris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithMacdonald Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 Hang on chaps! Before we build up too much of a head of steam, it might be worth looking at the Friends of Ashburton Station website. https://friendsofashburtonstation.co.uk/ Quote We are currently campaigning to safeguard the future of Ashburton Station, a historic Great Western Railway branch line terminus located in South Devon. The station is a unique Brunelian style structure, an important survivor of a bygone age. Initially revived as part of the current South Devon Railway, Ashburton was severed from the remainder of the steam railway in 1971 by the building of a trunk road. The site is now under imminent threat of redevelopment. etc They appear to only mention the station building. Can anyone see any mention of reopening the line from Buckfastleigh? 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ikcdab Posted July 17, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 17, 2020 11 minutes ago, KeithMacdonald said: Hang on chaps! Before we build up too much of a head of steam, it might be worth looking at the Friends of Ashburton Station website. https://friendsofashburtonstation.co.uk/ etc They appear to only mention the station building. Can anyone see any mention of reopening the line from Buckfastleigh? "We believe the station site is a historic asset of the town, and has potential to be exploited for the education, learning and enjoyment of future generations – perhaps as a railway terminus once again." Naturally the possibility is there, but to all intents and purposes it's impractical to reopen the railway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 WADR a 'station' without track or trains is hardly an attraction to a lot of people outside the railway fraternity even though it has Brunellian connections. Ashburton itself is hardly cute enough to entice tourists even with Buckfast Abbey, just down the road. Also, perhaps the current business would be reluctant to move out in case of "perhaps as a railway terminus again" should arise. Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 On 17/07/2020 at 03:52, kandc_au said: Uuum before you guys knock it, the line is open to Buckfastleigh already! As a heritage railway, with all the limitations that implies. On 17/07/2020 at 03:52, kandc_au said: The real challenge apart from businesses trying to stop it for their own gain will be getting across the highway/freeway/A?? So why the agro about trying to get it done?? A heritage railway will never have the capital money to get the line past the roadway - they have themselves indicated as such. A regular NR style service could perhaps get the funding (though even then doubtful, I doubt Ashburton is going to drive enough trips), but would have serious consequences for the heritage railway - the only way those capital costs make sense is for an all day 7-day a week service. So yes, they are obvious more than able to put their time into whatever project they want. The problem is that many of the £'s they raise in an attempt to do what isn't going to happen is £'s that could have gone to other much needed places (like the South Devon Railway). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 I was lucky to visit the railway 40+ years ago before it was cut short. and revisited it 2 years ago I was surprised it lost its original name and seemingly went into decline whilst it was associated with what I knew as the Torbay Steam Railway. Anyway it seems to be back on its feet now and whilst I was there I had a chat with one of the volunteers. Apparently the track bed is still there and because of height clearance only the smallest locos could squeeze under the road, from memory I understand that the track bed could be lowered. The next issue is buying back all the land and buildings. Like Bath Green Park its part of our railway heritage I for one would love to not only see it preserved but used by all, a line from the existing preserved network would be the icing on the cake. Ashburton village/town would gain from the tourist attraction especially if the engine and goods sheds were regained, the latter could be repurposed as a café during the day and restaurant by night (I have been in a repurposed goods shed turned into a restaurant ) 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhedron Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 A look at other heritage railways with a NR connection might be informative. Both the Swanage railway and the Watercress Line have connections to NR which would allow through trains to be run relatively easily but this does not happen on a regular basis. Swanage has a population of nearly 10,000 while Four Marks and New Alresford on the Watercress line have populations of around 5000 each. Ashburton has a population of around 4000 meaning I suspect that the economics would make any re-connection unfeasible. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
caradoc Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 The Watercress Line has an easy connection with the National Rail network at Alton, with no through running required, whereas Swanage requires trains to run onto Network Rail to reach Wareham, not an easy or cheap procedure, and therefore (so far) only operated on a limited basis. The same would of course apply should the Dart Valley want to return to Totnes NR station, which they did at one time but no longer. And having visited last year, Totnes Riverside is not particularly convenient for Totnes NR, let alone Totnes town. Returning trains to Ashburton sounds a lovely idea, but sadly unachievable. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 On 24/07/2020 at 06:09, caradoc said: The same would of course apply should the Dart Valley want to return to Totnes NR station, which they did at one time but no longer. And having visited last year, Totnes Riverside is not particularly convenient for Totnes NR, let alone Totnes town Which gives the suggestion that should the South Devon ever come into a large sum of money it would likely be better spent building a bridge across the Dart and running a line parallel to NR into the area next to Totnes NR, and buy the industrial site and turn it into a small station and parking. Unlike going back to Ashburton this gives them a much better access to a larger market (twice the population, likely more tourist visitors) but also the convenience for people visiting by train. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithMacdonald Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 On 24/07/2020 at 11:09, caradoc said: The same would of course apply should the Dart Valley want to return to Totnes NR station, which they did at one time but no longer. And having visited last year, Totnes Riverside is not particularly convenient for Totnes NR, let alone Totnes town. Perhaps the Dart Valley Railway is also being sqeezed out of any new link to Totnes NR by the Totnes Community Development plan for the Atmos site? Looking at the map and plan on page two of their PDF... http://totnescommunity.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Atmos-Brunel-Employers-Requirements-16-4-2019.pdf ... there doesn't seem to be any space or provision for a Dart Valley access track to Totnes NR? Is that anything to do with the kind of people who populate the Totnes Community Development group? (As in "Totnes, twinned with Narnia") https://www.devonlive.com/news/why-is-totnes-so-weird-2085944 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 1 hour ago, KeithMacdonald said: Perhaps the Dart Valley Railway is also being sqeezed out of any new link to Totnes NR by the Totnes Community Development plan for the Atmos site? Note that it hasn't been the Dart Valley Railway for almost 30 years - it is now the South Devon Railway having been somehow removed from the Dart Valley Railway plc - which still owns the Dartmouth Steam Railway 1 hour ago, KeithMacdonald said: Looking at the map and plan on page two of their PDF... http://totnescommunity.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Atmos-Brunel-Employers-Requirements-16-4-2019.pdf ... there doesn't seem to be any space or provision for a Dart Valley access track to Totnes NR? Unfortunate, there does seem to be a lack of allowance for a possible future. Then again, given the amount of money needed to build a bridge across the Dart perhaps realistic. 1 hour ago, KeithMacdonald said: Is that anything to do with the kind of people who populate the Totnes Community Development group? Don't know who started it, who is to blame, etc. but there does appear to be issues between the SDR and Totnes, with contention over the footbridge the SDR built and owns over the river that some people in Totnes would like to see used also for local purposes, and the SDR refuses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 This was looked into about a decade ago. Total cost for reopening came to about £2 million. Money that was expected to come from local development schemes and the National Lottery with a small token amount coming from the railway itself. Yes the costs will have risen, but so do all costs. Who do you think paid for the Welsh Highland Railway? It wasn't them. It was the taxpayers and Lottery money stumping up the majority. The biggest hurdle to Ashburton was the owners of the site didn't want to sell. Now that seems to not be a problem then what is the objection? Even if it's just a museum then it's saved. You can worry about the rest in years to come. Surely it's for the people of Ashburton to decide. They could flatten it and build a Tesco or McDonalds if you would prefer.... Jason Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted July 29, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 29, 2020 On 24/07/2020 at 09:55, hayfield said: I was lucky to visit the railway 40+ years ago before it was cut short. and revisited it 2 years ago I was surprised it lost its original name and seemingly went into decline whilst it was associated with what I knew as the Torbay Steam Railway. Anyway it seems to be back on its feet now and whilst I was there I had a chat with one of the volunteers. Apparently the track bed is still there and because of height clearance only the smallest locos could squeeze under the road, from memory I understand that the track bed could be lowered. The next issue is buying back all the land and buildings. Like Bath Green Park its part of our railway heritage I for one would love to not only see it preserved but used by all, a line from the existing preserved network would be the icing on the cake. Ashburton village/town would gain from the tourist attraction especially if the engine and goods sheds were regained, the latter could be repurposed as a café during the day and restaurant by night (I have been in a repurposed goods shed turned into a restaurant ) If you get a chance to visit Ludlow, part of the brewery and the tasting room is in one of the goods sheds (GW, I think). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 13 hours ago, Joseph_Pestell said: If you get a chance to visit Ludlow, part of the brewery and the tasting room is in one of the goods sheds (GW, I think). Joseph Thank you, the one I have been in was an old goods shed plus a dining coach turned into a restaurant, its in a small village west of Wellingborough in Northants Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Bus Driver Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 On 30/07/2020 at 08:53, hayfield said: Joseph Thank you, the one I have been in was an old goods shed plus a dining coach turned into a restaurant, its in a small village west of Wellingborough in Northants Sounds interesting. Wellingborough is pretty local (well, within an hour's drive) 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Regularity Posted March 21, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 21, 2021 On 19/03/2021 at 16:09, The Evil Bus Driver said: Sounds interesting. Wellingborough is pretty local (well, within an hour's drive) If it’s the one I am thinking of, it has been closed for some time (since well before covid)! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 34 minutes ago, Regularity said: If it’s the one I am thinking of, it has been closed for some time (since well before covid)! From memory it was West of Wellingborough, but east of Northampton Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 9 minutes ago, hayfield said: From memory it was West of Wellingborough, but east of Northampton Just looked it up Dunkleys at Castle Ashby Station https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/169468 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Regularity Posted March 22, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 22, 2021 Yes. Closed. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Bus Driver Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 From what I can gather the owners decided to retire. Fair play to them really as would you want to run a restaurant in your 70s? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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