CHURSTON WORKS HOLDING THE KEYS TO DARTMOUTH FUTURE
It is probably fair to say that the Dartmouth Steam Railway & River Boat Company (DSRRBC) has not registered as high on the radar of many committed railway enthusiasts as its 6.7 mile length and 1-in-60 gradients deserves to warrant, but from the outset its target market has unashamedly been tourists, not enthusiasts, and it has long been considered to be one of Europe’s top seaside lines.
Although originally set up as a subsidiary of the Dart Valley Railway Company, original operator of the Buckfastleigh to Totnes line that is now the South Devon Railway, it was run independently. While the Dart Valley line was run by volunteers, the DSRRBC has always been run almost entirely by paid staff and with a limited and highly standardised selection of locomotives and rolling stock.
Title changes
The Dartmouth Steam Railway (DSR) (as it is now named – having been through several title changes over the years to try to align its name with the services it provides) came into being in 1973 when BR closed the Paignton to Kingswear line and the Dart Valley Company was able to move straight into a more or less ready-to-run single track main line (but without a terminus at Paignton and all other stations in a near derelict condition) in a far more populous area than the Buckfastleigh to Totnes line.
Linking two popular tourist destinations, its commercial potential was obvious and so it proved. It soon became the tail that wagged the dog and outshone
