Dartmouth Steam Railway hopes to celebrate 50 years with original staff from 1973

A special train will be running to celebrate 50 years of the steam railway that runs from Paignton to Kingswear.

On board will be guests including former employees of the railway from 1973.

The Dart Valley Railway’s Paignton to Kingswear steam line will be celebrating 50 years of operation, formally known as The Torbay Steam Railway and then the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway.

The company now operates as the Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company.

Managing director John Johns will be running a special private train in the spring for invited guests.

The company is aiming to contact the original employees from 1973 from the operating, maintenance and commercial departments to host them all at this very special anniversary.

The Dart Valley Railway company (DVR) was among the first heritage standard gauge railways to re-open following the Beeching cuts. The DVR was formed in 1966 and started with the Buckfastleigh to Totnes line in 1969.

In 1971/72, they had the opportunity to take over the Paignton to Kingswear line, as a request from Devon County Council because British Rail were proposing to close the line.

To raise the money for the purchase, the company went public and issued shares in 1972, which was highly successful and the line was bought outright.

DVR was completely unique in that there was no closure order issued. British Railways stopped running on the line on Saturday, December 30, 1972 and DVR started running on Monday, January 1, 1973.

As a requirement from Devon County Council, the company starting running commuter and school trains to serve Kingswear and Churston grammar school from January 1973 - the commuter service came to an end two years later.

DVR was one of the few standard gauge railways to run a commuter service at the request of a county council.

To promote the railway, the company was able to obtain the world-famous locomotive, the famous Flying Scotsman, which had just been rescued by Sir William McAlpine from America having been completely overhauled at British Rail Derby Locomotive Works.

It then spent ten weeks running between Paignton and Kingswear - a visit that raised the profile of the line and a large number of special trains, charters and dining trains were operated while the loco visited. Twenty years later, in 1993, this famous locomotive was again a visitor for the summer season.

The company expanded and bought Dart Pleasure Craft and GH Riddalls & Sons, both operating services between Dartmouth and Totnes. The company also bought a number of buses so that the award-winning Round Robin excursion could be operated between Paignton, Dartmouth and Totnes.

The company developed the business further, buying the Western Lady Ferry Service in 2012. This enabled sea-going trips between Torquay, Brixham and Dartmouth.

During the 50 years, Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company has been host to two Royal train visits, the Orient Express, the Flying Scotsman, arranged the return of the paddle steamer Kingswear Castle on long-term charter to her home waters on the River Dart - the charter just extended by a further 25 years - refurbished one of the last two remaining Devon Belle observation carriages in the world and initiated the very first UK, highly successful Christmas Train of Lights - with other heritage railways following suit.