Friends and family are paying tribute this morning, January 15, to South Devon Railway driver Dave Knowling, believed to be the longest-serving steam engine driver in Britain.
Dave died, aged 78, on December 23 following treatment for oesophageal cancer.
Today he is making his final journey along the line he loved between Buckfastleigh and Totnes, on a special memorial train full of friends and family.
The train is scheduled to stop at ’Pixie Falls’ on the line - a place which Dave created using donated brightly coloured garden gnomes which he would collect up and repaint every season to the delight of the railway’s younger visitors. Dave received gnomes from all over the world.
His funeral service will be held at Holy Trinity, Buckfastleigh, followed by burial in the cemetery there.
It’s anticipated that many attending SDR footplate crew, staff and volunteers will wear their overalls and uniforms as a mark of respect for Dave at both the service and subsequent wake.
Donations are invited for the Rowcroft "Hospice at Home" service, and can be given either after the service or via Gill & Eales Funeral Services, St Luke’s Church, 13a Plymouth Road, Buckfastleigh TQ11 0DA.