Great Western Coffee Shop

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 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 In 1956 it was withdrawn from passenger service and converted to a work study coach, becoming an office in Birmingham.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

Thanks very much for posting that, RichardB.

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

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.

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

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... :o

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

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?

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

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.   

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.

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.

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

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. 

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

That's a pretty confusing display - 'venue' and 'location' = Didcot railway centre  ???

Paul

I wondered what that was doing making a break for it from Southall yard yesterday!  :)

Silly question ... Why can't the railmotor be driven ECS from Bodmin Road to Liskeard under its own steam?

Having looked again and seen the power bogie on its own, I'm now convinced by what you say. It's an ingenious piece of engineering, although I understand the limitation as well. Having to take loco and coach out of service for maintenance must have been a challenge to the managers of the rail companied that used them.

For some reason, seeing the picture of  the driver at the boiler,  (http://www.rail.co.uk/images/3749/original/4-steam-railmotor-93-boiler-Frank-Dumbleton.jpg)I think of the TARDIS.

I doubt it's got TPWS and data recorders and the mainline certification that you can only get with those devices fitted.

I'm probably getting confused between "mainline" and "National Rail Network" - I had kindof assumed they were the same as far as stock operation was concerned, and that (quite surprising!) the Railmotor could be used on the National Rail Network subject to gauging issues, and perhaps subject to being ECS if there are other trains around like is (?) an issue with the Bubbles. How does it work for "lesser lines" then?

I should imagine special circumstances apply when the train is 'locked in' on its own for the day as it will be with the Looe branch.  Possibly why that branch was chosen in the first place?  I'm sure there were still some red tape to cut through even then though.

A very nice You Tube video of the railmotors heading south from Terras Bridge crossing here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYKUnEZqsI0&feature=youtu.be

On the working of the Railmotor, it is only allowed to work on its own on lines which are completely self contained, hence the need for the Cl33. 

Excuse my ignorance, but in its heyday what sort of routes would it have operated on?

What sort of routes would it have operated on? - The 5 mile or so route from Yatton to Clevedon or the little longer Truro to Newquay via Chasewater and Peranporth. In those days there were hundreds of these branch lines feeding traffic to main lines that Dr Beeching seemed to think that closing them would have no consequences on the main line traffic volumes.

Here's an even better video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDxGfKWRm8M

The Youtube video referred to above is as good as it gets. I wish it could be entered for some sort of award as the camera work and the simply stunning combination of steam railcar, azure sky, reflections and Autumn colours is quite simply absolutely stunning v!!

Agreed: it's almost as good as actually being there (which, sadly, I wasn't).

I assume the event on this Sunday, the 18^th, is still going ahead, Richard?

Certainly is, Chris.  Tickets still available.

'Plympton via Millbay', according to a destination board seen in the second of the youtube video items RichardB mentions.  ;)


Thanks for confirming that, Richard!  :D

From the Western Morning News (http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Gracious-days-travel-lived-railmotor-coach/story-17308247-detail/story.html):

Hmm...the Great Western's 153 prototype!

153xx class...?

I'll leave now.

I'll get your coat...

New video on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/greatwesternmgm/videos/496135230966218/UzpfSTY3ODI5MTEyMDoyOTUzNDc3NDc4MDE1Nzcz/) from this event.  Enjoy!