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Totnes (Littlehempston) railway station

 

 
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Totnes (Littlehempston) railway station
 
 
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Totnes (Littlehempston) station, previously known as Totnes Riverside station and Littlehempston Riverside station, is a railway station situated in Totnes
Totnes

Totnes is a market town at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty....
 in the English
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 county of 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 the southern terminus of the South Devon Railway
South Devon Railway Trust

The South Devon Railway Trust is a charitable organization that operates a heritage railway from Totnes to Buckfastleigh in Devon, alongside the River Dart....
, a steam
Steam

In physical chemistry, and in engineering, steam refers to vaporized water. It is a pure, completely invisible gaseous phase . At standard temperature and pressure, pure steam occupies about 1,600 times the volume of an equal mass of liquid water....
 operated 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....
. Littlehempston station should not be confused with the Totnes main line station
Totnes railway station

Totnes railway station serves the towns of Totnes and Dartington in Devon, England. It is situated on the London to Penzance Line and is operated by First Great Western...
 on the National Rail
National Rail

National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies. ATOC is an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger Train Operating Company of Great Britain which now run the passenger services previously provided by the British Railways Board ....
 London to Penzance Line, which is a walk away.

es (Littlehempston) station is located on the east bank of the River Dart
River Dart

The River Dart is a river in Devon, England which source high on Dartmoor, and releases to the sea at Dartmouth, Devon. Its valley and surrounding area is respected as a place of great natural beauty....
, adjacent to the main line railway.






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Totnes (Littlehempston) station, previously known as Totnes Riverside station and Littlehempston Riverside station, is a railway station situated in Totnes
Totnes

Totnes is a market town at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty....
 in the English
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 county of 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 the southern terminus of the South Devon Railway
South Devon Railway Trust

The South Devon Railway Trust is a charitable organization that operates a heritage railway from Totnes to Buckfastleigh in Devon, alongside the River Dart....
, a steam
Steam

In physical chemistry, and in engineering, steam refers to vaporized water. It is a pure, completely invisible gaseous phase . At standard temperature and pressure, pure steam occupies about 1,600 times the volume of an equal mass of liquid water....
 operated 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....
. Littlehempston station should not be confused with the Totnes main line station
Totnes railway station

Totnes railway station serves the towns of Totnes and Dartington in Devon, England. It is situated on the London to Penzance Line and is operated by First Great Western...
 on the National Rail
National Rail

National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies. ATOC is an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger Train Operating Company of Great Britain which now run the passenger services previously provided by the British Railways Board ....
 London to Penzance Line, which is a walk away.

Description

Totnes (Littlehempston) station is located on the east bank of the River Dart
River Dart

The River Dart is a river in Devon, England which source high on Dartmoor, and releases to the sea at Dartmouth, Devon. Its valley and surrounding area is respected as a place of great natural beauty....
, adjacent to the main line railway. Although less than one mile
Mile

A mile is a Units of measurement of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems. In contemporary English contexts, mile most commonly refers to the statute mile of 5,280 Feet or the nautical mile of 1,852 meters ....
 from the centre of the town of Totnes, the surroundings are rural. A footpath and footbridge
Footbridge

A footbridge or pedestrian bridge is a bridge designed for pedestrians and in some cases cycling and equestrianism, rather than vehicle traffic....
 over the river form the only non-rail land access to the station, although a small jetty
Jetty

Coastal lagoons fronted by barrier spit typically have entrances that migrate through time. Here, the entrance has been fixed by jetty variety of structures used in river, Dock , and Sea works which are generally carried out in pairs from river banks, or in continuation of river channels at their outlets into deep water; or out into docks,...
 allows a water taxi
Water taxi

A water taxi or water bus is a boat used to provide public transport, usually but not always in an urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a similar manner to a bus, or on demand to many locations, operating in a similar manner to a taxicab....
 to link the station with the centre of the town at some states of the tide
Tide

Tides are the rising of Earth's ocean surface caused by the tidal forces of the Moon and the Sun acting on the oceans. Tides cause changes in the depth of the marine and estuary water bodies and produce oscillating currents known as tidal streams, making prediction of tides important for coastal navigation ....
.

The station has a single main platform
Railway platform

A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams....
, with a locomotive
Locomotive

A locomotive is a Rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin language loco - "from a place", Ablative case of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine,....
 run round loop and a bay platform
Bay platform

Bay platform is a railway-related term commonly used in United Kingdom and Australia to describe a dead-end Railway platform at a railway station which has through lines....
. The station building accommodates a booking office, whilst a rail van
Railroad car

A railroad car or railway carriage is a vehicle on a rail transport that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotive....
 in the bay platform contains a small exhibition. A rail connection permits special trains to run directly between the South Devon line and the main line railway station. At the Buckfastleigh end of the station is a signal box
Signal box

A signal box or signal cabin is a building from which railway signals and railroad switch are controlled. The term signal cabin is used in Ireland, parts of Scotland and in Australia while in North America, the term interlocking tower predominates....
 and a level crossing
Level crossing

The term level crossing is a crossing on one level ? without recourse to a bridge or tunnel — of a railway line by a road, path, or another railroad....
, which provides the only access to the adjacent Totnes Rare Breeds Farm.

History

Prior to its preservation as a heritage railway, what is now the South Devon Railway was originally a branch line connecting Totnes to Buckfastleigh
Buckfastleigh

Buckfastleigh is a small market town in Devon, England situated beside the Devon Expressway at the edge of the Dartmoor National Park. It is part of Teignbridge and South Hams District Council and lies within the Totnes Deanery....
 and Ashburton
Ashburton, Devon

Ashburton is a small town on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, adjacent to the A38 road Devon Expressway.It was formerly important as a stannary town , and remains the largest town within the National Park, with a population of around 3,500....
. Branch line trains joined the main line at a junction adjacent to the current site of Littlehempston station, crossed the railway bridge over the River Dart and terminated in the main line railway station.

When the line was first re-opened as a heritage line in 1969, the owners were unable to reach an agreement with 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....
 for their trains to run into the main line railway station. Initially 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 were used, controlled from an autocoach
GWR Autocoach

The GWR Autocoach is a type of Coach that was used by the Great Western Railway for push-pull trains powered by a steam locomotive. The distinguishing design feature of an autocoach is the driving cab at one end, allowing the driver to control the train without needing to be located in the cab of the steam locomotive....
 at one or both ends, and reversing just short of the junction.

However eventually land adjacent to the junction was acquired, and a loop constructed in 1977; a platform was added a few years later but there was no public route betwwen the station and Totnes. At this time it appeared in the timetable as "Totnes Riverside". Visitors to the railway arriving by main line train had to catch a bus from Totnes to Buckfastleigh from where they could ride the train to Totnes and back, then return to Totnes by bus!

To avoid confusion to passengers expecting to be able to board heritage trains at Totnes, the station was renamed "Littlehempston Riverside" in the 1980s. At the same time a station building was located at Toller Porcorum station on the Bridport branch
Bridport Railway

|}The Bridport Railway was a standard gauge branch line that operated in the county of Dorset in England. Starting at its junction with the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway line at Maiden Newton railway station, the line ran to the town of Bridport and for a period on to West Bay, Dorset railway station, also known as Bridport Harbour....
, and re-erected at Littlehempston.

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....
 allowed heritage line trains into the main line station in 1985, and for three years regular services were run into that station. However the charges levied for use of the station proved not to be cost effective and so the trains eventually returned to using Littlehempston in 1988. In 1993 a new footbridge was built alongside the existing railway bridge, thus providing public access to the station from the town of Totnes and the main line railway station. With this the station was renamed again, to its current name of "Totnes (Littlehempston)".

Services

The station is served by trains on all operating days of the South Devon Railway. Trains operate daily from late March to the end of October. On most days a single train set operates, providing four journeys a day in each direction. On busy days two train sets may operate, providing more journeys.

External links