South Devon was not a hive of activity for narrow gauge railways but there were some. These lines were mostly on Dartmoor and used for carrying minerals and goods rather than passengers.
The Zeal Tor tramway was a short line running from Shipley Bridge to Red lake. This line was horse drawn. Much of the line has disappeared now. This line was used between the late 1840's until the 1880's
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| Shipley Bridge Naptha works. These were later used for China clay. These works were served by the Zeal Tor tramway line from Red Lake. Photo © Copyright Richard Knights and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. |
The Redlake line ran from Cantrell, between Bittaford and Ivybridge, up to Redlake. This line never carried the china clay from the pits at Redlake or Left lake, but was used to carry the coal, oil and other goods needed to run the pits. The line also carried the workers to and from the pits. This line was completed in 1912. The works closed and the line was lifted in 1932. It is still possible to walk the route of this line.
The Avon dam line. During the construction of the Avon reservoir a narrow gauge line was used. Short sections of this line are still visible including one with a little section of rail.