Princetown railway station

Princetown railway station, opened in 1883 was the terminus of the 10.5 mile long single track branch line in Devon, England, running from Yelverton with eventually four intermediate stops, three being halts and one at Dousland as a fully fledged station.[3]

Princetown
General information
LocationPrincetown, West Devon
England
Coordinates50°32′37″N 3°59′45″W / 50.5435°N 3.9959°W / 50.5435; -3.9959
Grid referenceSX5867273436
Platforms1
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyPrincetown Railway
Pre-groupingPrincetown Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
11 August 1883[1]Station opened
3 March 1956[2]Station closed
Princetown Railway
Overview
LocaleWest Devon
Dates of operation1883–1956
SuccessorGreat Western Railway
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Length10+12 miles (16.9 km)
Princetown
Foggintor siding
King Tor Halt
Swell Tor siding
Ingra Tor Halt
Lowry Road Crossing
Burrator & Sheepstor Halt
Prowse's Crossing
Dousland
Yelverton

History

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The branch line was authorised in 1878 and opened on 11 August 1883. The station had a single platform, a passing loop, goods yard, signal box, goods shed, an engine shed for two locomotives, a 180 foot long carriage shed and a turntable.[4]

Yelverton was the junction for the line when the station opened, three other stations were later added to the line : Burrator and Sheepstor Halt in 1924, King Tor Halt in 1928, and Ingra Tor Halt in 1936.[5] Much of the route followed the course of the old Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway.[2] The freight traffic on the branch line included granite from the rail served quarries[2] of Swelltor and Foggintor which were closed in 1906.

The line was owned by the Princetown Railway until 1 January 1922, the company then merged with the Great Western Railway (GWR).[6]

The station was host to a GWR camp coach in 1934 and 1938.[7]

The line passed to British Railways (Western Region) in 1948 and closed on 3 March 1956.[2] The station buildings were all demolished soon after closure.

Much of the old track formation now forms the route of the Dousland to Princetown Railway Track.[8][2]


Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
King Tor Halt
Line and station closed
  Great Western Railway
Princetown Railway
  Terminus

References

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Notes
  1. ^ Butt (1995), Page 191
  2. ^ a b c d e Mitchell (1994), Page 114
  3. ^ "The Princetown Railway Company – 1883–1921". The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Princetown station on OS 25 inch map Devon CVI.12 (Lydford; Walkhampton)". National Library of Scotland. 1905. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  5. ^ Atterbury (2006), Page 34
  6. ^ Grant (2017), Page 462
  7. ^ McRae (1997), Page 31
  8. ^ Railway Path Retrieved : 2012-10-29
Sources
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