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The Princetown Branch


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I went for a wander on a section of the Yelverton-Princetown branch yesterday. It really is quite a location for a railway, the gradients and curves are amazingly steep.

 

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Looking up the line towards Princetown, a formidable climb.

 

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A bridge for livestock access, showing the fine local granite used in construction.

 

 

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Some pressed rail sections, still being used for fencing!

 

 

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Long view up the hill again, showing the almost 180 degree sweep of the curve, with the quarry in the distance which has its own access over bridge and halt platform.

 

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View downhill, more tight curves.

 

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Beth joins the PW gang in the remains of a remote gangers hut. I bet they were glad of these with the horizontal rain, mist, snow etc that passes for everyday weather!

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A very nice selection of views, many thanks for posting these. I walked some of this line a few years ago, albeit on a bitterly cold but clear winters day, and yes, the former trackbed is still very clearly delineated.

 

It would be good to put a link to this thread in the Disused Railways group as well, perhaps.

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Lovely photos, I've walked (and cycled) along the line countless times and I've often thought how horrid during the winter it must have been for the PW men! It's very lonely up there during the winter.

 

Regards,

 

Nick

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They made men a good deal hardier in the days when the line was open! It would make a great scenic model in N where there is room to model big chunks of hill and tor. There is also a lovely account written by the wife of a crossing keeper in a book I got from the library called "Growing up on the Railway in the South West" By Grace Horseman which captures the splendid isolation of the line wonderfully.

Link in disused railways as suggested. Anyone modelled it?

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Nice photos. The really remote line is the one that went up to Redlake. Bleak would be a good word for that one in places.

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Brings back memories!

 

We used to run there, from Bickleigh Barracks, the have a cool drink in the Plume and Doom, before getting a 4 tonner back for a well deserved lay down.

 

Makes me tired thinking about it now, but makes you realise how hard the fireman must have worked!

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Brings back memories!

 

We used to run there, from Bickleigh Barracks, the have a cool drink in the Plume and Doom, before getting a 4 tonner back for a well deserved lay down.

 

Makes me tired thinking about it now, but makes you realise how hard the fireman must have worked!

 

What, you ran to Bittaford from Bickliegh?

 

In which case the pub would have been the "House of Gloom" AKA The Horse and Groom which is visible from the train passing over Bittaford Viaduct, or do you mean, as I suspect the shorter journey to Princetown to the Plume of Feathers.

 

If this is the fact were the Pheasant Pluckers or Porridge playing?

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At some point there will be a gallery. The line served the Redlake and Leftlake china clay pits, taking the workers and supplies up onto the moor. There is not a huge amount left (occasional platform faces. The engine shed, parts of the coach shed, a bridge or two and one or two things I could not identify). The track bed is very clear and easy to follow though as much of it is now the 2 moors way.

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There is a book dedicated to the Redlake tramway, John

 

"The Redlake Tramway & China Clay Works"

The story of a Dartmoor railway

E.A. Wade

Twelveheads Press

Truro 2004 (second edition)

ISBN 0906294568

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In which case the pub would have been the "House of Gloom" AKA The Horse and Groom which is visible from the train passing over Bittaford Viaduct, or do you mean, as I suspect the shorter journey to Princetown to the Plume of Feathers.

 

 

Yup, Bickers to Princetown and the Plume of Feathers (or the Plume of Doom known to all Booties!laugh1.gif)

 

On the odd occasion we would go via Burrator for a spot of cooling off, so if Plymothians wonder why the water tastes funny its the nekkid booty addatives!rolleyes.gif

 

Great in the summer, not so good in the winter, even if it was character building!

 

I often bike (sometimes run) now from Marsh Mills up to Bickleigh and its quite glorious, must have been quite a pleasant ride, unless of course you were firing!

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  • 9 years later...

From "Tetbury" as it was sadly highjacked and became an intrusion.  So the discussion was centered on GW Castle engines to Yelverton on the more appropriate Princetown Branch topic.  By now the subject is fairly well known of tender engines on passenger excursions in the early post war years which I can vouch for.  More recently in a late Transport Treasury a couple of pictures showed  4410 in a short mixed goods nearing Princetown.  The second picture showed the same engine facing the Dousland direction having turned on the 23'6" turntable by the P/Town shed.  I never realised that could be done and accepted the assumption that it was for turning snow ploughs only.  But now there is pictorial proof otherwise!

   Brian.

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17 hours ago, KeithMacdonald said:

 

@BlackRat

Nice run! :D

Was that via Meavy and past the Burrator reservoir?

 

All depended if it was a warm or hot day.......... a quick dip in burrator was certainly a welcome break in the summer.

Another we did ( fortunately very rarely) was to the top of the Dewerstone.

oh to be young and super fit!

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1 hour ago, BlackRat said:

All depended if it was a warm or hot day.......... a quick dip in burrator was certainly a welcome break in the summer.

Another we did ( fortunately very rarely) was to the top of the Dewerstone.

oh to be young and super fit!

 

Keep running, and eventually you will be old and super fit!


 

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  • 2 weeks later...

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