1. Home
  2. Adventures
  3. An afternoon and evening charter using 4555 and short passenger followed by a multi-loco night shoot
Thursday 12th March 2020 South Devon Railway, Buckfastleigh TQ11 0DZ

An afternoon and evening charter using 4555 and short passenger followed by a multi-loco night shoot

Join us for an afternoon and evening at the South Devon Railway using visiting GWR Small Prairie No.4555 with a short branch line train by day followed by a multi-engine night shoot on shed at Buckfastleigh.

£65.00

Book your place

Only 1 tickets left

About this event

An afternoon and evening charter using visiting GWR 4500 Class 2-6-2T No.4555 during its brief working visit to the South Devon Railway. This will be followed by an evening shoot at which 4555 will be joined by 3205 (smoke generator) and 1369 (in light steam) at Buckfastleigh.

The charter will start and finish at Buckfastleigh where there is ample free parking. Start time is scheduled for 13.00 and we will work our way along the line taking in as many good locations as possible before returning to Buckfastleigh by 17.00. The cafe will be open and serving meals during the break between sessions.

The evening session will begin around 18.00 and go on until 21.00. It will initially feature 4555 and its train in the platform with locally-recruited re-enactors as passengers. In the yard, 1369 will be in light steam and 3205, though not in working order, will be posed using a steam generator. Towards the close of the session, 4555 will be brought into the yard to pose with the other locomotives giving a three loco line-up of Great Western branch line engines.

No.4555 was built in 1924 and was originally shedded at Tyseley Depot. It worked in Wales out of Machynlleth and Pwllheli depots and ended it’s career in the West Country, being withdrawn from Plymouth Laira Depot in November 1963. The loco was purchased by two Midlands-based enthusiasts, Pat Garland and Pat Whitehouse, and could still be seen in main line action locally around Birmingham after it had been secured for preservation. No.4555 received a light overhaul and came with a kit of spare parts including a reserve boiler, this being the final boiler to be overhauled at Wolverhampton Works. It is particularly appropriate for it to be visiting the South Devon Railway as, back in 1969, the locomotive hauled the first public train on the preserved SDR (then the Dart Valley Railway) and also worked the last BR-era goods over the line in 1962. Transfer to what is now the Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway came in 1973 where it has remained based ever since, and the engine has recently benefitted from a major overhaul.

Cost will be £65.00 per person and this will complement the charter the following day by offering a host of differing opportunities.


*Images are for illustration purposes only.

Event requirements

Equipment

  • Spare batteries
  • Camera
  • Lenses
  • Tripod

Knowledge

  • All levels welcome

Fitness

  • Low

Other essentials

  • Sturdy outdoor shoes
  • Warm clothing
  • Wet weather gear

Event location