On this page you will see an excellent collection of South Devon Railway photographs. This gallery features both steam and diesel trains plus any visiting locos.
History of the Branch Line
The South Devon Railway is 6.64 miles (10.69 km) long that runs alongside the River Dart in South Devon. The line has three main stations, Buckfastleigh, Staverton and Totnes Riverside.
The line was first opened in 1872 which ran from the junction at Totnes mainline station that went to Buckfastleigh and Ashburton. Ninety years later in 1962 the line closed.
In 1969 the line reopened as a heritage railway called the Dart Valley Railway. Due to improvements to the A38 road the line would no longer run to Ashburton.
In 1989 the Dart Valley Railway announced that the line was uneconomic and that they were looking for another operator to take it over or the line would close. Some of the railways volunteers decided to take over operations of the line.
In 1991 the new owners and volunteers decided to give the branch line a new name. They called it the South Devon Railway.
My Photographs
When you look at some of my photographs you may notice that some of them were not taken in public places. Do not panic, I was not trespasser. For many years I had a ‘Lineside Photography Permit’ that I very much enjoyed. The permit gave me the chance to go to places to take photographs that I had never been to before. Now like many other heritage railways, once your permit runs out of date you were not allowed to renew it.
Very often I get asked ‘What is your favourite loco on the South Devon Railway?’ from other railway photographers. Well, I have to say that there are two that I really like. The steam loco is the beautiful GWR 0-6-0PT No: 1369 and the diesel train is the Class 50 No: 50002 (not in service yet).
I hope you enjoy my South Devon Railway photographs!