1971. The first passenger train ran on 5 April 1969, with Dr Richard Beeching performing the official opening ceremony on 21 May 1969. Operated from the outset - as had the Talyllyn and the Ffestiniog Railway - as a commercial railway, in the first year the Dart Valley carried 60,000 passengers at a profit. In 1971, the company was offered the opportunity to purchase from British Rail the freehold of the Kingswear Branch, running from Paignton to Kingswear, and hence by ferry to Dartmouth. To complete the purchase, in 1972 the original preservation company became the "Dart Valley Railway Company plc" (DVR), although it was not listed on the London Stock Exchange. South Devon Railway Trust In 1989, the DVR plc publicly announced that the Totnes to Buckfastleigh line was uneconomic, and had hence decided to find another operator or close it. In response, the volunteers who assisted in running the line proposed to take over operations. As the articles of association of the resident GWR 4900 Class No. 4920 Dumbleton Hall charity allowed it to operate a railway, the joint-team proposed using that charity as its commercial vehicle to take over the line. Renamed the "South Devon Railway Trust", the railway was renamed the South Devon Railway, and the volunteer supporting body renamed the South Devon Railway Association. The Trust took over the running of the line on 1 January 1991, with the first train running on 29 March 1991. The Trust subsequently bought the freehold of the line from DVR plc on 8 February 2010. The South Devon Railway was named the Heritage Railway of the Year in 2007. Accidents and incidents A child almost fell from a carriage on 22 June 2017 whilst the train was in motion between Totnes Riverside and Buckfastleigh. This was due to part of the floor in a toilet being missing following repairs to the carriage's brake system. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch investigated what it called a "dangerous occurrence". It released its report into the accident on 30 January 2018. The investigation concluded that the railway's Safety Management System at the time was inadequate, and that there were deficiencies in the system to ensure vehicles were fit for service. One recommendation was made. It was revealed that the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) had issued an improvement notice in July 2017 and that the notice was deemed to have been