Whether you enjoy visiting heritage railways, finding geocaches in lovely places or both, this cache should do the trick. There is parking by the main line station (fees apply) or you could park at Buckfastleigh and catch the train down. The cache itself shouldn’t be too difficult to locate but please be stealthy as this can be a high muggle area, especially during the summer season; headline co-ords take you to the station’s approach bridge and even when the gates are shut, the required info is available. Please remember to bring a pen with you - the log book must be signed.
The Totnes to Ashburton branch line opened in May 1872 under the beady eye of its chief engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel as part of the South Devon Railway. The SDR became part of the Great Western Railway six years later and in the early 1890s the track was converted from Brunel’s favoured broad gauge to the standard width we still use today. The main revenue for the line was from the transportation of wool, coal and general agricultural goods/livestock. Passenger numbers were never massive and declined after WW2 due to the increase in private motor cars. To this end, and some years before Dr. Beeching’s infamous axe wielding, the line closed to passengers in November 1958. Goods traffic continued until 1962 and then the line closed. However, a group of railway loving businessmen saw potential in this pretty little route and decided to buy it from BR and by October ‘65 rolling stock started to arrive at Buckfastleigh. In April 1969, the Dart Valley Railway began to run trains between Buckfastleigh and Totnes - sadly the line could no longer continue to Ashburton due to the imminent widening of the A38. Next year, 2019, there will be a number of Golden Jubilee celebrations with guest locomotives and special events.
To find this cache, you need to go to the headline co-ordinates and find an information sign, telling you about the railway.
From it, please work out the following:
A = The number of words on line 8 of the text
B = Subtract the last digit of the year date from the number next to it
C = Number of letters in MP's surname
D = Path was opened on _0 September
E = Number of words on lines 10 & 11
F = Add all numbers on sign together and find square root of that number All You Need To Do Now Is a Little Calculation To Give You The Final Coordinates
N50 26.ABC W003 41.DEF
I hope you enjoy this cache and that you pay a visit to the heritage railway close by, when open. Happy hunting!