Transport 2000: a successful Newton Abbot millennium event that, sadly, was never repeated

13th & 14th May 2000; the Festival of Transport was a millennium event that was supposed to be repeated but which turned out to be a one-off.

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The story behind the photos

This was a ‘millennium’ event celebrating the wide-ranging and long-standing links between Newton Abbot and transport. It was very well received and attended, and one of the highlights for me was being able to take the train from Newton Abbot to Heathfield on a branch line that has been closed for many years, and which once upon a time would take you through stunning scenery all the way to Moretonhampstead.

The original idea was for the event to be repeated at regular intervals, perhaps every 2 years. Unfortunately that never happened. It would have been good to see a further event with more of a focus on Newton Abbot Town Quay and the granite, clay and Newfoundland cod trades by barge and ship.

Newton Abbot has many links with transport through the ages but especially since the railway arrived in 1846. The town became the engineering centre for Brunel’s short-lived atmospheric railway that operated from 1847 to 1848. There have been many links with transport ever since, from building Ford special vehicles at Newton Abbot Motors from 1970 through to manufacturing blades for Rolls-Royce jet engines. The council buildings at Old Forde House included a car show and an exhibition, which included cutaways of the jet engines that incorporated the blades and other parts made in the town.

The event took place all over the town and the pictures I have taken here are at the railway station, the racecourse, Old Forde House and the bridge overlooking Jetty Marsh.