Riding The Rails: Exploring Dartmoor From Yelverton To Princetown

The GWR branch line from Yelverton to Princetown was one of the most loved and missed railway journeys in the West Country. Closed to passenger traffic in 1956, the line crossed the great national park of Dartmoor and navigated some 10.5 miles through some of the most rugged terrain in England. This film traces the history of the line from it’s inception to closure in 1956 and includes interviews with engineer drivers and guards that used to work on the line.

The film opens with a history of the line and progresses onto the journey with movie footage and photographs. The next part is all movie footage of the entire journey with experiences from retired guards and drivers. Then we hear the experiences of some who lived around the line at Burrator, followed by other recollections. A now and then section follows, showing how the line looks today and finally, unique and beautifully filmed aerial footage of the entire track bed filmed in 1998.

In conclusion, we are taken back to the days of the Southern Region line from Plymouth to Exeter and unique footage of the last train from Newton Abbot to Moretonhampstead, thus bringing to a conclusion a pictorial history of how Dartmoor once enjoyed ‘Rails Across the Moor.’

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
3:12 Anthology
5:51 The journey
17:14 Recollections
31:29 Closure and after
37:32 Aerial views (originally shot in 1999)
49:07 Conclusion

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