The
South Devon and Tavistock Railway was a broad gauge railway linking Plymouth
with
Tavistock
in Devon
, England
.
It opened
in 1859, was extended by the Launceston and South Devon
Railway to Launceston
, Cornwall
, in 1865,
and was closed in 1962.
Chronology
- 1854 South Devon and Tavistock authorised by Act of Parliament
- 1859 SD&T Railway opened from Plymouth to Tavistock
- 1862 Launceston and South Devon Railway authorised by Act of
Parliament
- 1865 SD&T amalgamated with the South Devon Railway
- 1865 L&SD Railway opened from Tavistock to Launceston
- 1873 L&SD amalgamated with the South Devon Railway
- 1876 SDR amalgamated with the Great Western Railway
- 1876 London and
South Western Railway opens from Okehampton to Lydford, from
where they reached Plymouth over the South Devon and Tavistock
line, mixed gauge being laid for the
purpose
- 1883 Princetown Railway opens
from a junction at Yelverton
- 1892 The broad gauge lines converted to standard gauge
- 1948 Great Western Railway nationalised into British Railways
- 1956 Princetown branch closed
- 1962 Railway closed beyond Marsh Mills
History
The
Plymouth and Dartmoor
Railway, a horse-worked line, had brought rail transport to
Plymouth on 26
September 1823. When the South Devon Railway (SDR)
brought a main line from Exeter St
Davids
in 1848, where it linked with a route from London
Paddington
, schemes to expand into the hinterland were put
forward. However rival schemes from London
Waterloo
were also put forward.
The South
Devon and Tavistock Railway eventually gained an Act of Parliament on 24 July 1854 which
enabled them to construct a broad gauge
railway from Tavistock Junction on the SDR main line to Tavistock. This was opened on 21 June 1859, with trains
sharing the South Devon's terminus at Millbay
.
On 30 June
1862 the independent Launceston and South Devon Railway gained its
own Act of Parliament to extend the broad gauge line from Tavistock
on to Launceston. Construction was completed in time for
opening on 1 June 1865. One month later, on 1 July 1865, the
Tavistock company
amalgamated with the SDR, and the
Launceston company was bought out under an Act of Parliament on
24 June 1869. Both lines
had been worked from the outset by the SDR so passengers would have
noticed little change. The South Devon, in turn, amalgamated with
the
Great Western Railway
(GWR) on 1 February 1876.
Meanwhile the
London
and South Western Railway (LSWR) route from Waterloo had
reached
Lydford station on the Launceston
section on 12 October 1874. The South Devon was compelled to carry
the standard gauge trains over its line to Plymouth and so the line
from Lydford to Plymouth was laid with a third rail to allow trains
of either gauge to run over it. The first LSWR train reached
Plymouth on 17 May 1876.
The upper portion of the old Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway was
replaced by a new GWR branch on 11 August 1883. This was standard
gauge and connected with the Tavistock line just south of Yelverton
Tunnel, but no station was able to be provided here until 1 May
1885 so trains continued the short distance to
Horrabridge station. The LSWR ceased using the
line on 31 May 1890, after which its trains ran over the new
Plymouth,
Devonport and South Western Junction Railway instead, which
line closely followed the GWR's route from Lydford most of the way
to Tavistock. The standard gauge north of Yelverton was little used
for the next two years, but on 20 May 1892 the line, along with all
the other remaining broad gauge lines, was converted to standard
gauge. A different LSWR line reached Launceston on 21 July 1886
which offered the town a more direct route to London.
Following
nationalisation on 1
January 1948, steps were taken to consolidate the railways in the
area. The GWR station at Launceston was closed on 30 June 1952 and
trains used the old LSWR station. The Princetown branch closed
entirely on 3 March 1956. The last passenger trains were scheduled
to run from Launceston to Plymouth via Tavistock on 29 December
1962, the "closure" taking effect from the following Monday, 31
December. In the event heavy snow falls put an end to any
celebrations: the 6:20 train from Plymouth terminated at Tavistock
at 12:20 the following morning; the 7:10 Tavistock to Plymouth was
stranded at
Bickleigh overnight.
Freight traffic continued from to Lifton until 1964, after which
the train ran to Lifton from Launceston for two years until finally
withdrawn on 28 February 1966. A new connection to the branch has
been laid at Tavistock Junction to allow trains of
china clay to shunt from the yard there to the china
clay works at
Marsh Mills.
A short section of the
branch north of there is being restored as a heritage railway by the volunteers of the
Plym Valley
Railway
.
The railway today
A short
section of the railway beyond Marsh Mills is operated by the
Plym Valley
Railway as a heritage
railway.
Stations
The Tavistock line opened with just three stations and a further
five were constructed by the Launceston company, but by 1938 the
line boasted a total of fifteen stations and halts.
Marsh Mills
The
station at Marsh
Mills
near Plympton
was opened to passengers on 15 March 1861.
Local people had requested a station on the
South Devon Railway's main line,
but instead this station was opened just along the Tavistock
line.
Goods traffic has always been important with a flour mill,
china clay, and stone traffic. A
china clay works is close to the station and still
dispatches traffic by rail. Public goods traffic was handled from 1
February 1860, long before passenger facilities were provided, and
ceased on 1 June 1964.
The
station is now the home to the Plym Valley Railway, a small heritage operation.
Plym Bridge
Plym Bridge Platform was opened by the Great Western Railway on 1
May 1906 and was mainly used by people visiting the nearby
countryside. The Plym Valley Railway aim to reopen the line from
Marsh Mills to Plym Bridge.
Bickleigh
A station
was provided at Bickleigh
from the opening of the line and a passing loop was
provided so that trains could pass. Goods traffic was
handled from 1 February 1860.
Between Plym Bridge and Bickleigh there were three viaducts, all
originally built from timber but later rebuilt in masonry. There
were Cann Viaduct (6 arches; 127 yards long), Riverford Viaduct (5
arches, 127 yards), and Bickleigh Viaduct (7 arches, 167 yards). A
short distance to the north of the station was Ham Green Viaduct (6
arches, 190 yards).
Shaugh Bridge
Another
of the Great Western Railway's countryside halts, Shaugh Bridge
Platform opened on 21 August 1907 near the village of Shaugh Prior and was convenient for visitors to
the picturesque Dewerstone
Rock. The platform still stands today.
The Platform was situated a short distance south of Shaugh
Tunnel.
Clearbrook
This Great Western Railway halt opened on 29 October 1928, much
later than others in the area. As well as day visitors to the
surrounding countryside, it was convenient for the village of
Clearbrook.
Yelverton
Yelverton was the junction for the
Princetown Railway that opened on 11
August 1883, however no station could be built as the railway could
not secure an access route to the site, and so trains initially
continued to Horrabridge.
Agreement with the land owner was reached
and a station provided at Yelverton
from 1 May 1885.
The Tavistock line was provided with two platforms. The Princetown
line had a connection facing Tavistock and the platform on this
line was sharply curved and a five-sided waiting room was provided
between the platforms. A 23 feet 6 inch (7m)
turntable was provided at the
Princetown end of the platform. As there was no loop on the branch
trains were reversed out of the platform after passengers had
alighted, the locomotive then ran into the turntable siding and the
carriages left to run back into the platform by gravity, after
which the locomotive could be attached to the Princetown end for
the next journey.
The Princetown line closed on 5 March 1956 but the station was
retained until the Tavistock line itself was closed on 31 December
1962.
The Yelverton Tunnel was just north of the platforms and was the
summit of the Tavistock line.
Horrabridge
One of
the stations provided for the opening of the line, this served the
village of Horrabridge
. From 11 August 1883 until the opening of
Yelverton station on 1 May 1885 it was
the junction station for the
Princetown Railway.
The main platform and goods yard was on the side used by trains
towards Plymouth, but a loop and second platform was provided for
trains towards Tavistock.
Between Horrabridge and Whitchurch Down the line passed over Magpie
Viaduct (4 arches, 216 yards) and Walkham Viaduct (15 arches, 367
yards), the longest on the line and rebuilt in 1910 using metal
girders. The line then passed through Grenofen Tunnel (374
yards).
Whitchurch Down
The Great
Western Railway opened Whitchurch Down Platform on 1 September 1906
to serve the village of Whitchurch
. The platform was on the right for trains
going northwards to Tavistock.
Tavistock South
As
befitting the terminus of the South Devon and Tavistock Railway,
the station ( ) at Tavistock was provided with a large train shed that spanned the two platforms and
three tracks. The station was situated on the hillside close
to the town centre. The original buildings were of wood but these
burnt down in 1887 and were replaced by a stone structure.
The main buildings were on the side used by trains going towards
Plymouth. A footbridge was eventually provided at the north end of
the station beyond the train shed. A small
engine shed was provided at the other end
of the station but this was no longer needed once the Launceston
and South Devon Railway opened on 1 July 1865.
On 26
September 1949 the station was renamed "Tavistock South" to
distinguish it from the Southern Region station
on the Plymouth to London
Waterloo route, which was then named "Tavistock
North
". Passenger services were withdrawn on 31
December 1962 but goods traffic continued until 7 September 1964.
Passengers could still travel by train from Tavistock North until
it closed in 1968.
Mary Tavy and Blackdown
This
station was situated about half a mile from both Mary Tavy
and Blackdown, and
was originally known as just "Mary Tavy". It was renamed
"Mary Tavy and Blackdown" in 1907. A loop was provided to allow two
trains to pass each other but this was removed in 1892, leaving in
use just the platform on the right of trains going towards
Launceston. Goods traffic was only handled until 11 August
1941.
Lydford
Main
article Lydford
railway station
The
station at Lydford
was the junction with the London and South Western
Railway's London Waterloo
to Plymouth route, indeed from 17 May 1876 it was a junction
that allowed the LSWR trains to reach Plymouth over the Great
Western Railway's route. This arrangement lasted until
31 May 1890, after which
the
Plymouth,
Devonport and South Western Junction Railway's line allowed
LSWR trains an independent route to
Devonport and Plymouth.
The station was known as "Lidford" until 3 June 1897.
Liddaton
The halt at
Liddaton was opened much later
than the other stations on the line, on 4 April 1938. It was a
simple wooden platform with a small waiting hut, also constructed
from wood.
Coryton
For
the station in Cardiff
, Wales
, see
Coryton
railway station 
.
The
opening of the line on 1 June 1865 saw the opening of a station to serve Coryton
. The platform was on the right of trains
going towards Launceston. It was unstaffed from 14 September 1959
but was retained until the closure of the line on 31 December 1962.
The station master's house survives, as does the main office
although this has been extended since closure.
Lifton
The
station at Lifton
was opened
with the railway on 1 June 1865. The main building was on
the platform used by trains towards Plymouth but there was a loop
and second platform to allow trains to pass. There was a
level crossing at the west end of the
station.
The goods yard was on the same side as the buildings but a private
siding was opened in 1894 to serve a corn mill, and a factory was
opened in the goods yard in 1917 that handled milk and made
rice pudding. Passenger trains and
public goods traffic ceased on 31 December 1962 but the line to
Lydford was retained to carry the trains from the milk factory.
When the LSWR line to Lydford was itself closed on 7 September 1964
it was necessary to reopen the line from Lifton to Launceston
instead, but this also closed on 28 February 1966.
Launceston
Main
article Launceston railway station
The
terminus became a junction station with the LSWR with the opening
of its North
Cornwall Railway
. The two companies kept separate stations
for many years but on 22 September 1943 a connection was
established between the two lines to give flexibility, and from 30
June 1952 all trains used the former LSWR platforms. The station
remained open to serve trains on the North Cornwall route until 3
October 1966.
References
Further reading
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