Okehampton railway station
Encyclopedia
Okehampton railway station is a railway station serving the town of Okehampton
in Devon
, England. Heritage train services currently operate on certain weekdays, weekends and bank holidays. A service from Exeter operates on Summer Sundays as part of the Dartmoor Sunday Rover network.
(LSWR) extended its line from Sampford Courtenay
. Services were extended further west to Lydford railway station
with the inauguration of Meldon Viaduct in 1874. Constructed to rival the South Devon Railway
route to Plymouth
, the completion of the LSWR's own route to Plymouth
saw Okehampton become an important junction with lines to Padstow
and Bude
as well as Plymouth
. Boat trains carrying passengers from ocean liners calling at Stonehouse Pool, Plymouth
and prestige services such as the Atlantic Coast Express
and Devon Belle
all used the route.
With the publication of the Beeching Report in 1963, the line to Bude was put forward for closure as was part of the Exeter to Plymouth Line which was to be cut back to Okehampton. This was regarded as somewhat of a miraculous survival for Okehampton by the local press; as The Western Times & Gazette of April 11, 1963 put it: "[n]ot many small Devon towns can congratulate themselves on the way they have fared in the Beeching Plan, but Okehampton, with a falling population well under 4,000, is one of them." Its survival prompted questions as to why the line should remain open when others, such as the Avocet Line
which saw far more traffic, were proposed for closure. It was said that at the time Okehampton had about 50 regular users per day and a handful of season ticket holders.
The Avocet Line was, in the event, saved from closure, but Okehampton lost its passenger services from 1972. The line survived, however, for the purposes of freight thanks to the activities of the British Rail
ballast
quarry
at Meldon
, three miles from Okehampton, which had an output of 300,000 tons per year. The quarry survives to this day, although it is now operated by Aggregate Industries
.
, providing an activity centre as well. The Devon Coast to Coast Cycleway Route 27 created by Sustrans
passes the station. This runs alongside the railway to Meldon
and along parts of the disused railway trackbed to Lydford
. The Dartmoor Railway
operate heritage passenger services from the station, running to Sampford Courtenay
and Meldon
. A summer Sunday service from Exeter to Okehampton operates as part of the Dartmoor Sunday Rover network.
The station building, which was used by Devon Training for Skills after 1972, was restored and reopened incorporating a model shop and café. After temporary closure during a change in railway ownership in 2008, the cafe was reopened by the Friends of Dartmoor Railway. It is currently open from 10am to 4pm on Fridays and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays. A craft centre previously operated on one of the platforms. This now houses a small exhibition and museum showing the history of the railway and station. The Model Shop is now independently operated and open throughout the week.
, Anthony Steen
, have in the past proposed the reinstatement of the line between Okehampton and Bere Alston
, thereby reconnecting the station with Plymouth. The reopening of the link would restore the continuous circuit of railway linking the towns around Dartmoor. On 18 March 2008 Devon County Council backed a separate proposal by developers Kilbride Community Rail to construct 750 houses in Tavistock that includes reopening part of this route from Bere Alston
to a new railway station in Tavistock.
It is argued that the line's reopening would provide an alternative route to Plymouth
and the Cornish Main Line
in the event of engineering work or storms on the sea wall near Dawlish
. This would however entail a reversal at Plymouth for trains continuing to Cornwall
. This would also maintain rail links in the long-term should the line around Dawlish succumb to the sea.
The Dartmoor Railway is proposing to restore the interchange at Yeoford
where its line meets the Barnstaple to Exeter Tarka Line
. The company is also looking to create a railhead at Okehampton which would serve the timber industry and thereby save 50,000 lorry journeys per year.
British American Railway Services Ltd
, a new company created by Iowa Pacific Holdings of Chicago, became the new owner of the Dartmoor Railway on 4 September 2008. The company will develop freight, passenger and tourist services on the railway.
Okehampton
Okehampton is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and has an estimated population of 7,155.-History:...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England. Heritage train services currently operate on certain weekdays, weekends and bank holidays. A service from Exeter operates on Summer Sundays as part of the Dartmoor Sunday Rover network.
History
The station was opened in 1871 when the London and South Western RailwayLondon 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. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(LSWR) extended its line from Sampford Courtenay
Sampford Courtenay railway station
Sampford Courtenay railway station is a railway station at Belstone Corner serving the nearby village of Sampford Courtenay in Devon.- History :...
. Services were extended further west to Lydford railway station
Lydford railway station
Lydford railway station was a junction at Lydford between the Great Western Railway and London and South Western Railway situated in a remote part of north-west Dartmoor in Devon, England.-History:...
with the inauguration of Meldon Viaduct in 1874. Constructed to rival the South Devon Railway
South Devon Railway Company
The South Devon Railway Company built and operated the railway from Exeter to Plymouth and Torquay in Devon, England. It was a broad gauge railway built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel-Chronology:* 1844 South Devon Railway Act passed by parliament...
route to Plymouth
Exeter to Plymouth Line
The Exeter to Plymouth line is a central part of the trunk railway line between London Paddington and Penzance railway stations in the southern United Kingdom. It is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line and runs from Exeter, to Plymouth, from where it continues as the Cornish Main Line...
, the completion of the LSWR's own route to Plymouth
West of England Main Line
The West of England Main Line is a British railway line that runs from , Hampshire to Exeter St Davids in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter...
saw Okehampton become an important junction with lines to Padstow
Padstow railway station
Padstow railway station was the western terminus of the North Cornwall Railway. It was opened in 1899 by the London and South Western Railway to serve the port of Padstow...
and Bude
Bude railway station
Bude railway station was the western terminus of the Bude Branch. It was opened in 1898 by the London and South Western Railway to serve the coastal town of Bude and closed in 1966 after having been proposed for closure in the Beeching Report....
as well as Plymouth
Plymouth railway station
Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is situated on the northern edge of the city centre close to the North Cross roundabout...
. Boat trains carrying passengers from ocean liners calling at Stonehouse Pool, Plymouth
Devonport Kings Road railway station
Devonport Kings Road railway station was the London and South Western Railway station in Devonport, Devon, England. It opened in 1876 and closed in 1964...
and prestige services such as the Atlantic Coast Express
Atlantic Coast Express
The Atlantic Coast Express was an express passenger train in England between Waterloo station, London and seaside resorts in the south-west...
and Devon Belle
Devon Belle
The Devon Belle was a luxury express passenger train in England which ran between London Waterloo station and Ilfracombe and Plymouth in Devon in the years from 1947 to 1954.-The train:...
all used the route.
With the publication of the Beeching Report in 1963, the line to Bude was put forward for closure as was part of the Exeter to Plymouth Line which was to be cut back to Okehampton. This was regarded as somewhat of a miraculous survival for Okehampton by the local press; as The Western Times & Gazette of April 11, 1963 put it: "[n]ot many small Devon towns can congratulate themselves on the way they have fared in the Beeching Plan, but Okehampton, with a falling population well under 4,000, is one of them." Its survival prompted questions as to why the line should remain open when others, such as the Avocet Line
Avocet Line
The Avocet Line is the railway line in England connecting Exeter with Exmouth. It was originally built by the London and South Western Railway. The line follows the Exe Estuary for most of its route, giving views of the estuary...
which saw far more traffic, were proposed for closure. It was said that at the time Okehampton had about 50 regular users per day and a handful of season ticket holders.
The Avocet Line was, in the event, saved from closure, but Okehampton lost its passenger services from 1972. The line survived, however, for the purposes of freight thanks to the activities of the British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ballast
Track ballast
Track ballast forms the trackbed upon which railway sleepers or railroad ties are laid. It is packed between, below, and around the ties. It is used to facilitate drainage of water, to distribute the load from the railroad ties, and also to keep down vegetation that might interfere with the track...
quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
at Meldon
Meldon, Devon
Meldon is a village in West Devon in the English county of Devon. Situated close to Okehampton, its best known feature is the Meldon Quarry, from which granite is still extracted...
, three miles from Okehampton, which had an output of 300,000 tons per year. The quarry survives to this day, although it is now operated by Aggregate Industries
Aggregate Industries
Aggregate Industries, a member of the Holcim Group, is an aggregates, construction and building materials group, with its base in the United Kingdom. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired by Holcim in 2005.-History:...
.
Reopening
As part of a local partnership scheme initiated and led by Devon County Council, Okehampton station was restored in 1997 and a Youth Hostel opened in the old goods shedGoods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
, providing an activity centre as well. The Devon Coast to Coast Cycleway Route 27 created by Sustrans
Sustrans
Sustrans is a British charity to promote sustainable transport. The charity is currently working on a number of practical projects to encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport, to give people the choice of "travelling in ways that benefit their health and the environment"...
passes the station. This runs alongside the railway to Meldon
Meldon Quarry railway station
Meldon Quarry railway station is a railway station at Meldon in Devon.- History :The station was originally constructed in the 1920s as Meldon Quarry Halt. It had no public access and functioned as a staff halt for quarry workers, their families and railway staff working at Meldon Quarry...
and along parts of the disused railway trackbed to Lydford
Lydford
Lydford, sometimes spelled Lidford, is a village, once an important town, in Devon situated north of Tavistock on the western fringe of Dartmoor in the West Devon district.-Description:The village has a population of 458....
. The Dartmoor Railway
Dartmoor Railway
The Dartmoor Railway is a long railway line in Devon, England. From Crediton the line parallels the Tarka Line to the site of the former Coleford Junction. Heading west it then serves Sampford Courtenay, Okehampton and Meldon Quarry. The route is owned from Coleford to Meldon by Aggregate...
operate heritage passenger services from the station, running to Sampford Courtenay
Sampford Courtenay railway station
Sampford Courtenay railway station is a railway station at Belstone Corner serving the nearby village of Sampford Courtenay in Devon.- History :...
and Meldon
Meldon Quarry railway station
Meldon Quarry railway station is a railway station at Meldon in Devon.- History :The station was originally constructed in the 1920s as Meldon Quarry Halt. It had no public access and functioned as a staff halt for quarry workers, their families and railway staff working at Meldon Quarry...
. A summer Sunday service from Exeter to Okehampton operates as part of the Dartmoor Sunday Rover network.
The station building, which was used by Devon Training for Skills after 1972, was restored and reopened incorporating a model shop and café. After temporary closure during a change in railway ownership in 2008, the cafe was reopened by the Friends of Dartmoor Railway. It is currently open from 10am to 4pm on Fridays and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays. A craft centre previously operated on one of the platforms. This now houses a small exhibition and museum showing the history of the railway and station. The Model Shop is now independently operated and open throughout the week.
Future options
Both Railfuture and the former MP for TotnesTotnes
Totnes is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, Anthony Steen
Anthony Steen
Anthony David Steen is a British Conservative Party politician who was a Member of Parliament from 1974 to 2010, and the chairman of the Human Trafficking Foundation. Having represented Totnes in Devon since 1997, he was previously MP for South Hams from 1983, and had also been the MP for...
, have in the past proposed the reinstatement of the line between Okehampton and Bere Alston
Bere Alston railway station
Bere Alston railway station is an unstaffed halt situated near the village of Bere Alston in Devon, England, north of Plymouth on the branch to Gunnislake....
, thereby reconnecting the station with Plymouth. The reopening of the link would restore the continuous circuit of railway linking the towns around Dartmoor. On 18 March 2008 Devon County Council backed a separate proposal by developers Kilbride Community Rail to construct 750 houses in Tavistock that includes reopening part of this route from Bere Alston
Bere Alston railway station
Bere Alston railway station is an unstaffed halt situated near the village of Bere Alston in Devon, England, north of Plymouth on the branch to Gunnislake....
to a new railway station in Tavistock.
It is argued that the line's reopening would provide an alternative route to Plymouth
Plymouth railway station
Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is situated on the northern edge of the city centre close to the North Cross roundabout...
and the Cornish Main Line
Cornish Main Line
The Cornish Main Line is a railway line in the United Kingdom, which forms the backbone for rail services in Cornwall, as well as providing a direct line to London.- History :...
in the event of engineering work or storms on the sea wall near Dawlish
South Devon Railway sea wall
The South Devon Railway sea wall is situated on the south coast of Devon in England. It is probably the most photographed section of railway in the United Kingdom as a footpath runs alongside the railway between Dawlish Warren and Dawlish, and another footpath forms a continuation to the sea front...
. This would however entail a reversal at Plymouth for trains continuing to Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. This would also maintain rail links in the long-term should the line around Dawlish succumb to the sea.
The Dartmoor Railway is proposing to restore the interchange at Yeoford
Yeoford railway station
Yeoford railway station is a rural station on the Tarka Line serving the village of Yeoford in Devon, England. It is served by trains between and Exeter.- History :...
where its line meets the Barnstaple to Exeter 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...
. The company is also looking to create a railhead at Okehampton which would serve the timber industry and thereby save 50,000 lorry journeys per year.
British American Railway Services Ltd
British American Railway Services
British American Railway Services is a British train operating company, specialising in locomotive and rolling stock hire and maintenance...
, a new company created by Iowa Pacific Holdings of Chicago, became the new owner of the Dartmoor Railway on 4 September 2008. The company will develop freight, passenger and tourist services on the railway.