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The Dartmoor Railway is a 17 mile long railway route in Devon
Devon

Devon is a large Counties of England in South West England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county but often indicating a shire....
. It is primarily a freight railway serving the Aggregate Industries quarry at Meldon. It also hosts the Sunday Rover passenger service between Exeter and Okehampton, sponsored by Devon County Council and others. Heritage railway
Heritage railway

A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a term used for a railway which is run as a tourist attraction, is usually but not always run by volunteers, and seeks to re-create railway scenes of the past....
 services, based at Okehampton
Okehampton

Okehampton is a town and civil parish in Devon, England, at the northern edge of Dartmoor, on the River Okement. The border of the Dartmoor National Park is just south of the town....
 are not presently operating but are expected to resume. The line extends from Meldon through to Coleford Junction on the Tarka Line
Tarka Line

The Tarka Line is a railway line from Exeter to Barnstaple in Devon, England. The line follows the River Creedy, River Yeo and River Taw for some of its route....
 (Exeter
Exeter

Exeter Exeter was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in Roman Britain and has existed since time immemorial. Exeter Cathedral, founded in 1050 is Anglicanism....
 to Barnstaple
Barnstaple

Barnstaple is a town in the in the Districts of England of North Devon in the county of Devon in the South West England. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter....
).

The route was originally part of the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway

The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth, Dorset....
 line from Exeter to Plymouth
Plymouth

Plymouth is a City status in the United Kingdom and unitary authority on the coast of Devon, England, about south west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers River Plym to the east and River Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound....
, which opened in stages from 1865-79.






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The Dartmoor Railway is a 17 mile long railway route in Devon
Devon

Devon is a large Counties of England in South West England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county but often indicating a shire....
. It is primarily a freight railway serving the Aggregate Industries quarry at Meldon. It also hosts the Sunday Rover passenger service between Exeter and Okehampton, sponsored by Devon County Council and others. Heritage railway
Heritage railway

A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a term used for a railway which is run as a tourist attraction, is usually but not always run by volunteers, and seeks to re-create railway scenes of the past....
 services, based at Okehampton
Okehampton

Okehampton is a town and civil parish in Devon, England, at the northern edge of Dartmoor, on the River Okement. The border of the Dartmoor National Park is just south of the town....
 are not presently operating but are expected to resume. The line extends from Meldon through to Coleford Junction on the Tarka Line
Tarka Line

The Tarka Line is a railway line from Exeter to Barnstaple in Devon, England. The line follows the River Creedy, River Yeo and River Taw for some of its route....
 (Exeter
Exeter

Exeter Exeter was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in Roman Britain and has existed since time immemorial. Exeter Cathedral, founded in 1050 is Anglicanism....
 to Barnstaple
Barnstaple

Barnstaple is a town in the in the Districts of England of North Devon in the county of Devon in the South West England. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter....
).

The route was originally part of the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway

The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth, Dorset....
 line from Exeter to Plymouth
Plymouth

Plymouth is a City status in the United Kingdom and unitary authority on the coast of Devon, England, about south west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers River Plym to the east and River Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound....
, which opened in stages from 1865-79. The line beyond Meldon was closed by British Rail
British Rail

British Railways , which later traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the Rail transport in Great Britain from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until Privatisation of British Rail in stages from 1994 to 1997....
 in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts
Beeching Axe

The Beeching Axe is an informal name for the HM Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom....
. , the route once again now has public services operated by First Great Western
First Great Western

First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a United Kingdom List of companies operating trains in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup, which operates services in the west and south west of England and South Wales....
 on summer Sundays.

Current activities

One or two ballast trains operate round trip between Coleford Junction and Meldon, Monday to Friday. The route itself is owned by Aggregate Industries
Aggregate Industries

Aggregate Industries, a member of the Holcim Group, is an Construction aggregate, construction and building materials group, with its base in the United Kingdom....
 who maintain a railway ballast quarry at Meldon. The line is leased to and maintained by Dartmoor Railway.

The railway is unusual amongst heritage lines, as a public service is operated from Exeter to Okehampton during the Summer, by First Great Western
First Great Western

First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a United Kingdom List of companies operating trains in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup, which operates services in the west and south west of England and South Wales....
.

Devon County Council sponsored the Sunday Rover trains between Exeter & Okehampton, every Sunday from 25 May to 21 September, during 2008. The five return trains were run by First Great Western on behalf of the Council, according to the Council's website.

The "Bulleid Buffet" at the station is open for lunch on weekends, operated by volunteers.

British American Railway Services
British American Railway Services

British American Railway Services, Ltd is a British railway rolling stock hire, maintenance company, and railway owner in the United Kingdom. It was formed to acquire the assets of ECT Rail Holdings in 2008....
, a new company created by Iowa Pacific Holdings of Chicago, became the new owner of the Dartmoor line on 4 September 2008. The company will develop freight, passenger and tourist services on the railway.

Heritage operations

Heritage services had been operated by restored diesel locomotives in push-pull train
Push-pull train

Push-pull is a mode of operation for locomotive-hauled trains allowing them to be driven from either end. A push-pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, connected via multiple-unit train control, to a vehicle equipped with a second control cab at the rear of the train....
s—usually top and tail
Top and tail

A top-and-tail railway train has locomotives at both ends, for ease of changing direction. This is a UK term. It is normal for only the leading loco to power the train when in top-and-tail mode, cf Push-pull train operation with both locos powering....
ed, mode with former Southern Region electrical multiple units. A steam service was also operated on certain days with non-electric stock, such as BR Mk1 Rosemary and a Directors' Saloon as the driving trailer.

Stations

  • Meldon Quarry
  • Okehampton
    Okehampton railway station

    Okehampton railway station is a railway station serving the town of Okehampton in Devon. It is only served by main line trains on summer Sundays....
  • Sampford Courtenay
    Sampford Courtenay railway station

    Sampford Courtenay railway station was a railway station at Belstone Corner serving the nearby village of Sampford Courtenay in Devon....


Locomotives


  • Diesel Locomotives
    • BR
      British Rail

      British Railways , which later traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the Rail transport in Great Britain from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until Privatisation of British Rail in stages from 1994 to 1997....
       0-6-0 Class 08
      British Rail Class 08

      The British Rail Class 08 is a class of diesel locomotive designed for shunting. It was the standard BR diesel-electric shunter, based on the LMS 12033 series ....
       no. 08937. Operational.


  • Diesel Multiple Units
    • BR Class 205
      British Rail Class 205

      The British Rail Class 205 diesel-electric multiple units were built by BR at Eastleigh railway works from 1957?1962....
       units 205028 and 205032


  • Electrical Multiple Units
    • BR Class 411
      British Rail Class 411

      The British Rail Class 411 electrical multiple units were built at Eastleigh railway works works from 1956-63 for the newly electrified main lines in Kent....
       unit 1198 and DMSOs 61742 and 61743 (ex unit 1589)
    • BR Class 421
      British Rail Class 421

      The British Rail Class 421 electrical multiple units were built at BR York Works from 1964-1972. Units were built in two batches, and were initially introduced on services on the Brighton Main Line....
       unit 1399
    • BR Class 422
      British Rail Class 421

      The British Rail Class 421 electrical multiple units were built at BR York Works from 1964-1972. Units were built in two batches, and were initially introduced on services on the Brighton Main Line....
       buffet coaches 69310 (ex-unit 2255) and 69332 (ex-unit 2203)
    • BR Class 438
      British Rail Class 438

      The British Rail British Rail unit designations multiple units were unpowered fixed formation 4 carriage set converted by BR at York Works from locomotive-hauled Mark 1 carriages in 1966-1967 and 1974....
       unit 417


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