It would be hard to imagine a more authentic excuse for the late departure of a 1950s rural branch line train than that of cows straying onto the tracks. The first departure from Buckfastleigh in this instance, however, was the 10.30 for Totnes Riverside on Saturday 30th July in 2022. It was an age-old problem that simply added to the overall ambience that the South Devon Railway so effectively manages to recreate. There was no urgency for us in terms of missing the connecting train from a junction station or finding that the Saturday morning market was already winding up for the day. In contrast, we were in no hurry at all.
Particularly low water levels in the River Dart, itself, had apparently tempted the untimely incursion. An announcement over the Tannoy explained that the owner would need to be identified, the cows rounded up and guided back whence they came, and that this might take some time. It was actually completed remarkably quickly, given the circumstances. The diesel shunter-hauled permanent way train that had first sounded the alarm returned to its Buckfastleigh base quite smartly. The fireman of 4575 Class Prairie 2-6-2 tank No. 5526 then took charge of the token. The guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag, and we were away. The rest was just plain sailing.
No comments:
Post a Comment