Enormous Support for World Record Attempt
Date: 27 August 2009
Source: Hornby
The massive task was the brainchild of television presenter James May as part of his new Toy Stories series due to be aired in October/November.
The planned route of the diminutive railway line meant track had to be carefully laid on and over an assortment of treacherous terrains, including cycle paths, roads, car parks and even on top of the old rails themselves.
The hard work began several months before the first piece of track was even laid. The enormous quantity of track required to complete the 10 mile run had to be specially ordered and prepared before being delivered to Barnstable station in Devon. 38,000 fishplates had to be attached to the end of every piece of track before leaving the Margate head office, a feat which required a small army of hard workers bought in especially to complete the task in under 24hrs.
4 of the 8 Pallets of track (left). Attaching the 38,000 fishplates to the track (right)
The route also had to be carefully inspected and planned well in advance so that special sections of track such as custom made bridges and miniature stations could be fabricated, without which even the first mile would not have been possible.
After an early morning briefing at 8:00am by Top Gear presenter James May, the volunteers, made up of around 60 different community groups, began laying track along the picturesque route. James May said the choice of location was no accident. "I picked here because people want to see it rebuilt. Plus, the scenery is beautiful here. Call it a service to the community and its people."
James May watches while Simon Kohler and team prepare trains for departure
After hours of track laying in the rain and shine the first of the five locomotives set off on it's epic journey from Barnstable station, to the sound of cheering and applause from the crowd that had gathered around the platform. However, all did not run smoothly. Reports of stolen track and batteries, as well as vandalised sections and rumours of sabotage proved to be true and began to hamper the progress of the five locomotives.
The Hitachi Class 395 speeds through one of many model villages created by residents and local clubs
As the light, and hopes of all involved began to fade, four of the five locomotives admitted defeat and left the Hornby Class 395 to finish the journey.
At just after midnight the lack of power finally took it's toll on the Class 395 as it came to a halt just outside Instow station - a little under 3 miles short of the finish line.
A tired James May expresses disappointment over the foiled plans
Simon Kohler said: "Even though the last locomotive gave up the ghost at Instow, we did link the all the track together so for a short time Barnstaple and Bideford were once again linked by a railway line".
Simon continued, " I think we are all disappointed because an awful lot of effort went into this project and the strength and tenacity of the helpers was simply extraordinary. We had spoilsports who stole parts of the track and at one point someone used two pence coins to create problems and blow the trackside car batteries used to provide power to the tracks but we refused to let it ruin things. It's sad, but it was a really brave effort. And on behalf of Hornby and I am sure James May and his crew we would all like to thank the hundreds of volunteers who worked tirelessly through the pouring rain and later the hot sun to lay mile upon mile of track. Without the help of these individuals, clubs, and community groups, what we achieved would simply not have been possible."
A small group of volunteers to whom we are extremely grateful
