Dartmouth Steam Railway - Route

Route

The route is described facing forwards from Paignton to Kingswear, which puts the sea on the left and the River Dart on the right.

The line is 6 miles and 57 chains long (10.8 km) starts from its own platform at Paignton. The shed for operational locomotives is built into the south end of the station building, although coaling is done at the north end alongside the entrance used by passengers. Immediately beyond the station the line crosses Sands Road on a level crossing. The second track, on the right, is used by Network Rail to access their carriage sidings. There is a crossover between the two lines that allows trains from Network Rail to run through onto the steam railway.

Opposite the Network Rail carriage sidings on the right is a siding used by the steam railway to store engineering equipment. The train now calls at Goodrington Sands station, behind the platform to the right are more sidings which were transferred to the steam railway in 2007. The second platform is not currently in use, all trains calling at the one on the left.

Beyond the station the line starts its climb up a steep gradient behind the beach huts that line Goodrington Beach. The 630 miles (1,014 km) South West Coast Path follows alongside the line on the right. After a small headland the train passes the secluded Saltern Cove and Armchair Rock, then swings right to pass over first 72 yards (66 m) Broadsands Viaduct and then swings inland over the 148 yards (135 m) Hookhills Viaduct before reaching the line's summit at Churston. On the approach to the station the turntable is seen on the left; this is where the Brixham branch line used to join the Kingswear branch.

From here the line drops down through Greenway Tunnel, beyond which the River Dart appears on the right. Once down to nearly river level it passes over Britannia Crossing, a level crossing over the A379 road on its approaches to the Dartmouth Higher Ferry. It is from the signal box here that the signalling for the whole line is controlled. Shortly after Britannia Crossing, the line arrives at Kingswear station. The far end of the platform is covered by a wooden train shed in the style favoured by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, although he died more than four years before the station was built. The boat- and car-park alongside the station was once a busy rail-served quayside goods yard.

The ferry across the Dart to Dartmouth leaves from the slipway which is behind the hotel next to the station. Dartmouth railway station is unique in that it has never seen a train as passengers have always arrived at the station by means of the ferry from Kingswear.