The Box is a major cultural and heritage attraction and archive, which opened in Plymouth’s city centre in September 2020. Its collection, formally the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA), is the regional film archive for the South West of England, comprising the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and Television South West (TSW). It also includes a significant number of donated film collections dating back to the early 1890s.
This film is part of Free
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_480x270/public/hero-images/04094695d2e2b0b1dcb4cfa6e6849d5e.jpg?itok=dW_Wo2Gp)
The Devon Belle on the Dart Valley Railway
The 1638 Devon Belle steams through Staverton Bridge Station
From the collection of:
![Logo for The Box](/sites/default/files/styles/association/public/association-logos/The%20Box%20logo%20black.png?itok=gG7mR2_h)
Overview
The 1638 Devon Belle, filmed entirely from the outside, steams with its four Pullman carriages through Staverton Train Station on the Dart Valley Railway line. The Devon Belle was a luxury express passenger service running between London Waterloo, Ilfracombe and Plymouth from 1947 to 1954. An observation car at the back of the train went a long way to restoring the scenic family outing image the Southern Railway aimed to portray after the Second World War.
Despite its initial popularity the service to Plymouth was dropped in 1949 and the service closed in 1954. There were two observation carriages and both were preserved, No. 13 joining the Dartmouth Steam Railway service and No. 14 moving to the Swanage Railway in Dorset after working in San Francisco, California with the Flying Scotsman tour in the early 1970s. The Dart Valley Railway is today the South Devon Railway operating between Totnes and Buckfastleigh.
Related
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/b3d7930105ae33d56e3d210f260ac325.jpg?itok=L1tzqKcE)
Wexford Railway Station (1902) Wexford Railway Station (1902)
Non-Fiction 1902 2 mins Silent
A flurry of activity at Wexford Railway Station as passengers alight an Edwardian steam train.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/689d477cc28a8e2f8d43df102f9c7e09.jpg?itok=zzBaGwpN)
Bicton Woodland Railway Bicton Woodland Railway
Current affairs 1976 2 mins Silent Location: Bicton Park
Bicton Woodland Railway reopens to passengers for the summer season
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/53663c724f53ec312edd8cb494cb2e06.jpg?itok=840K_A1u)
Godfrey Davies: The Last Train from Peterchurch Godfrey Davies: The Last Train from Peterchurch
Amateur film 1953 5 mins Silent Location: Peterchurch
Railway services on the Golden Valley line in Herefordshire slip into history.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/5d5e1f33373f79ce25afcd45ea3f5c77.jpg?itok=UAIN6ANI)
Folkestone's Leas Lift Cliff Railway and the Crab & Winkle line. Folkestone's Leas Lift Cliff Railway and the Crab & Winkle line.
Amateur film 1955 16 mins Silent
A triple treat for rail fans is featured here with signalbox action, a seaside cliff-railway and an eerie walk along the ghost of a line - plus a bonus for aviation enthusiasts
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/6c2f9c4667a0e72a7f6e83dfe9ec3b76.jpg?itok=ozQpm39p)
The Southern Railway Runs a Special! ...To Their Flower Show at Raynes Park The Southern Railway Runs a Special! ...To Their Flower Show at Raynes Park
Non-Fiction 1929 1 mins Silent Location: Raynes Park
Pint-sized propulsion on a miniature steam railway delights the young and old
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/3454aba2cfb95ade32a3a6b223963845.jpg?itok=zmfxZC6z)
Train Ride to Devil's Bridge Train Ride to Devil's Bridge
Travelogue 1964 11 mins Location: Aberystwyth
12 miles of magic as we journey on the Vale of Rheidol Railway, one of the Great Little Trains of Wales
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/2999c5c55642190b47b42a6600be2a14.jpg?itok=uMw-rpMI)
Railways - Derelict and Preserved Railways - Derelict and Preserved
Amateur film 1975 33 mins Silent Location: Rainhill
Come and see Rocket 150, and visit a selection of railway locations, past and preserved.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/muscleqanda.jpg?itok=8sw22r7R)
Muscle - Exclusive Q&A Muscle - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 34 mins
Director Gerard Johnson talks Nia Child through the making of Muscle, an adrenalized drama that tears into the stereotypes of masculinity and male friendship.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/silverhazeqaextended_0.jpg?itok=T-FOBodE)
Silver Haze - Exclusive Q&A Silver Haze - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 29 mins
Vicky Knight sits down with Rowan Woods for an extended discussion on the making of the film Silver Haze. *Contains Spoilers*
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/cymande.jpg?itok=Jqu3O2zo)
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/west-case1.jpg?itok=A5Q_9vtZ)
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/scala5.jpg?itok=qfLzK5jz)
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.