Footplate rides on the Launceston Steam Railway
Photo: R J Heron 26-Sep-04
Photo: R J Heron 26-Sep-04
In 2004, the usual weekend Bristol Group Annual Mini Roadmotor Group Outing was supplemented by a day event - The Cornish Pasty - which took us to the Launceston Steam Railway and the Bodmin and Wenford Railway
This trip was organised at shorter notice that usual. In July I was offered, subject to certain conditions, the free use of a mini-bus for the day so jumped at the chance of organising a trip to two railways I had never actually travelled on myself. It was due possibly to this short lead-time and the fact that the group doesn’t meet in the summer that there were but eight of us on the bus. No matter – smaller numbers can have just as much fun, as we shall see.
The first stopping point was the narrow gauge Launceston Steam Railway, built on the trackbed of the “withered arm” heading West from that town. Indeed, the climb away from Launceston is at up to 1-in-80, and it was hard to imagine a “West Country” tackling the grade. Until it was pointed out to us that the load by that time would be down to three, perhaps it might just have been possible! The LSR can be categorised with the Middleton as regards the ratio of welcome to size. Train engine was to be 0-4-0TT “Covertcoat”, and as we sat in a semi-open “toast rack” coach awaiting departure time lady driver Kay Bowman approached us and asked us possibly the silliest question of the century - “Would any of your party like a footplate ride?” Naturally we all did, and as the engine is single-manned(!) there was room for two at a time in the cab. Thus each of us managed to ride at the business end of the train to some degree. On the way back we were again treated to our own private run-past, that’s two this year!
Sadly, “Covertcoat” doesn’t have a lamp bracket of any description, so this was the first time in many a year that we have been thwarted in our attempt to run a “Great Western Society Special”. However, Kay allowed us to position the board in front of the smokebox for some static posed pictures before we left.
A twenty-mile trundle across the moors brought us to the Bodmin and Wenford Railway, almost unique in preservation as having a choice of two destinations from a terminal station. Of course we weren’t going to travel all the way to Cornwall without sampling both. The only disappointment here was that the B&W were unable to roster either their “prairie” or pannier engines that day, so motive power was a top’n’tail combination of an “Austerity” 0-6-0T and a Class 50 diesel for the heavy six coach train. Before the trip, though, a much appreciated guided tour of the shed (don’t mention the water tank; I did once, I think I got away with it) where both GW locos reposed cold in the company of one of the ex-Par Docks engines and the Beattie well tank. A member of the species Spammus Cannus was noted under restoration in the workshop.
After a return run to Boscarne Junction to wave at the cyclists there was enough time to consume a genuine Cornish Pasty before the trip to Bodmin Road. Here the B&W contrives to just miss a connection with a main line train, although they maintain they published their timetable first! The climb back up to the General station was reasonably entertaining. The Class 50 driver let the “Austerity” do all the work until it had almost stopped, then gave an almighty shove (we were convinced it was trying to overtake) before shutting down again to let the steam loco struggle on a bit more.
At the time of writing plans for 2005 have not even been considered; by the time you read this, they will have been finalised. Personally I fancy a trip with the working title “The Norfolk and (Great) Western”. Keep your eyes on the newsletter!