Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway
Situated in
Devon and arguably one of the most picturesque lines in England, the standard gauge Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway operates from
Paignton to Kingswear along the former Dartmouth and Torbay Railway line.
Encyclopedia
Situated in
Devon and arguably one of the most picturesque lines in England, the standard gauge
Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway operates from
Paignton to Kingswear along the former Dartmouth and Torbay Railway line.
Route
Starting adjacent to Paignton main line station, the steam railway runs for about 7 miles in a south-westerly direction. The first half of the journey is up-hill along the rocky Devon coastline. The line crosses Broadsands viaduct, and the larger Hookhills viaduct before reaching it's summit at Churston. From Churston the line turns inland, cuts through Greenway Tunnel, descending along the
Dart valley until it reaches Kingswear. From Kingswear, one can cross the Dart to the old town of
Dartmouth by ferry. Dartmouth Station in unique in that it has never seen a train. In GWR days, passengers would arrive at the station by means of the ferry from Kingswear. The line was originally laid to Brunel's
Broad Gauge, but reverted to standard gauge in May 1892
images
Observations
...
- it is essentially run as a profit making business attracting summer tourists. Steam & Diesel gala weekends stopped in the late '90s when the main organiser, the Devon Diesel Society moved over to the South Devon Railway at Buckfastleigh, and with that the enthusiast and volunteer interest was lost. But the livery of rolling stock is almost authentic
GWR.
- In 1973 and 1993 the steam locomotive The Flying Scotsman hauled regular service trains on this line.
- In more recent times the line has seen regular visits during the summer season from LNER A4 No 60009 Union of South Africa and GWR King No. 6024 King Edward I on the Torbay Express excursions from Bristol
- The line uses an ex-BR Standard 4MT No. 75014 'Braveheart', GWR 2-8-0T No. 5239 'Goliath' and newly overhauled GWR 4-6-0 No. 7827 'Lydham Manor'
- The branch from Churston to Brixham was closed and lifted in the 1960s and is not a part of this line.
External links
