South Devon Railway - Lee-Moor Tramway

The
South Devon Railway

Lee Moor Engine to move to Buckfastleigh The move:
The Lee Moor Tramway Preservation Society (now merged with the Plymouth Railway Circle) have had a museum at the National Trust property at Saltram House, near Plymouth since the 1970's. It has housed Peckett 0-4-0ST 'Lee Moor No 2' and the sole surviving LMT china clay wagon together with a collection of LMT railway artefacts. Now the National Trust (NT) require the old stable building that houses the museum for further development and the LMT museum has had to seek a new home.

Agreement has been reached with the South Devon Railway for the locomotive, its wagon and many of the small display items to be rehoused at Buckfastleigh. A new temporary building is to be provided for the purpose.

The Lee Moor Tramway was used to transport china clay from the open cast quarries at Lee Moor down to Plymouth for shipment. The LMT company owned two Pecketts which were confined to the upper end of the line around the clay pits at Lee Moor and the first few miles to the Cann Incline. In the middle of the system was a rope worked incline at Cann Woods where the wagons were lowered down the rope incline. The lower end of the system was horse worked right up until the end, and, unusually, made a crossing on the level of the Great Western mainline just East of Laira engine shed where horses were used to take the short clay trains on to the loading wharves at Cattedown in Plymouth. Traffic fizzled out after the war when it was taken over by road transport and later on via a pipeline. The engines were stored at their shed at Torreycombe for many years until the Lee Moor Tramway Society were given ownership of the No 2 on the basis that they restored both No 1 and No 2. No 2 was moved to Saltram in the mid-70's where it was expected to stay. No 1 went to the Wheal Martyn mining museum near St.Austell where it remains to this day.
The LMT system was 4' 6" gauge - known locally as 'Dartmoor Gauge'. Thus LMT No.2 and its wagon will have to remain isolated from their Standard Gauge friends at Buckfastleigh. .

The move to Buckfastleigh is expected to take place during the Spring of 2001. LMT No2 will bring the tally of Peckett's at Buckfastleigh to four! LMT No.2 will be by far the oldest having been built in 1899, works No.784. The move will represent a bit of a challenge as the first picture shows - the engine is housed in a shed almost at right angles to the cobbled courtyard outside. It will have to lifted off its LMT rails, turned through almost 90 degrees and then be winched, pushed and pulled to a waiting crane for loading onto a lorry. SDR expertise should see the removal achieved without too much trouble! We hope!!

Arrival At Buckfastleigh:

'Lee Moor No.2' has made its long planned move to its new home at Buckfastleigh. The move became necessary when the NT decided they needed the coach house building for a new kitchen area. After talks with the owners, Plymouth Railway Circle, it was agreed to give the engine a new purpose built temporary shed at Buckfastleigh.

Most of the rest of the exhibits from Saltram are expected to follow LMT No 2 to Buckfastleigh. Some will be displayed around the engine in its new shed and the smaller items will be moved into the existing museum.