The branchline (or should that be mainline) running from Paignton to Kingswear takes in some of the spectacular South Devon scenery.
This section of line was opened in August 1864 as an extension of the main line running from Newton Abbot to Paignton. Many would say that the line goes to Dartmouth but this is not the case. There was a station built in Dartmouth but this never had tracks to it, the passengers being required to take a boat across the river Dart to the station at Kingswear. I suspect that this might have come as a surprise to some tourist's who stepped off the train looked up and saw the Kingswear station signage rather than Dartmouth.
Holiday and fish traffic played a major role in the life of the line with significant numbers of trains arriving in Kingswear from London, the Midlands and the North of England. During peak summer months the influx of tourists was so great that the station and coaching sidings became extremely congested. A further source of traffic was the naval academy in Dartmouth. It was this that lead to the station master at Dartmouth being paid more than the one at Kingswear despite the aforementioned lack of track.
In 1972 British Rail closed the line between Paignton and Kingswear, it was however immediately taken over by the Dart Valley Railway (the same company that was running the Totnes to Buckfastleigh line). They reopened the line in 1973 for tourist traffic. The line is still in operation today using steam hauled services, but focusing on tourism rather than preservation. Dart Valley Railway website. If you are in the area the line is well worth a trip on.
The line was built to allow the heaviest locomotives running on the Great Western and regularly saw Kings taking trains up and down.
At the Churston station there was a branch off the line that went to Brixham. This may be covered in a separate article.
This section of line was opened in August 1864 as an extension of the main line running from Newton Abbot to Paignton. Many would say that the line goes to Dartmouth but this is not the case. There was a station built in Dartmouth but this never had tracks to it, the passengers being required to take a boat across the river Dart to the station at Kingswear. I suspect that this might have come as a surprise to some tourist's who stepped off the train looked up and saw the Kingswear station signage rather than Dartmouth.
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| Dartmouth Station building, now a restaurant. Photo © Copyright Derek Harper and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. |
Holiday and fish traffic played a major role in the life of the line with significant numbers of trains arriving in Kingswear from London, the Midlands and the North of England. During peak summer months the influx of tourists was so great that the station and coaching sidings became extremely congested. A further source of traffic was the naval academy in Dartmouth. It was this that lead to the station master at Dartmouth being paid more than the one at Kingswear despite the aforementioned lack of track.
In 1972 British Rail closed the line between Paignton and Kingswear, it was however immediately taken over by the Dart Valley Railway (the same company that was running the Totnes to Buckfastleigh line). They reopened the line in 1973 for tourist traffic. The line is still in operation today using steam hauled services, but focusing on tourism rather than preservation. Dart Valley Railway website. If you are in the area the line is well worth a trip on.
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| One of the Dart Valley Railway's locomotives (Manor No 7827) approaching Kingswear station. Photo © Copyright K Buxton Dean |
The line was built to allow the heaviest locomotives running on the Great Western and regularly saw Kings taking trains up and down.
At the Churston station there was a branch off the line that went to Brixham. This may be covered in a separate article.