As promised my first of a few posts I will add to this thread putting up some of my own pictures of disused railway stations. I will start with the very first disused railway I ever walked; well what I was able to as some of the old line is now private property
Yes it’s the Primrose LineThe Kingsbridge branch line was a single track branch line railway in Devon, England. The line, which became known as the Primrose Line, opened in 1893 and despite local opposition closed in 1963. It left the Exeter to Plymouth line at Brent and ran 12 miles (19 km), following the route of the River Avon to Kingsbridge. A proposed extension to Salcombe was not constructed.
HistoryAuthorised in 1863 construction did not start until the August of 1867. The Kingsbridge and Salcombe Railway Company was incorporated in 1882 to construct a line and in 1888 the Company was taken over by the Great Western Railway. The line opened on 19 December 1893. Field Marshal Montgomery used the line twice during the Second World War, firstly to review American troops training in the area and second in 1944 during Exercise Tiger. The line closed to both passengers and goods on 16 September 1963 and the track was lifted by May 1964.
There were five stations built in total on this line and remarkably three are still standing and now used as private homes. The two that no longer exist were at both ends of the line, Kingsbridge and South Brent. The old signal box is still standing at South Brent along with one other building that was once a part of the station. The Kingsbridge station was still standing a number of years ago, but was knocked down in the end, but once again one building that formed part of the station is still standing.
Pictures of the old Kingsbridge station and be viewed on this site.
www.disused-stations.org.uk/k/kingsbridge/index.shtmland the South Brent station here
www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/brent/index.shtml , you can also view all the stations as they once where by clicking the links at the bottom of the this page
The pictures I have put up are what is left at Kingsbridge, Loddiswell station , Garra Bridge Station, Avonwick Station and what is left of the South Brent Station. Plus all the bridges I managed to find that took the line over the River Plym. The line crossed the river ten times, but to date I have only managed to find nine of the bridges, eight were still standing and one had been taken down, but its foundations had been left.
The one building still standing at Kingsbridge and the uncovered bridge
The biggest engineering work that had to done, was the building of the 638 yard long Sorley Tunnel., that was just out side of Kingsbridge. Up until a few years ago there was an adventure farm called Sorley tunnel and you were able to go down to the tunnel and walk its entire length. It was unlit and when you stood by the entrance, the hole the other end looked no bigger that a ten pence piece. I walked this great tunnel once and all I can say is you got the feeling you were in a different world once inside it. Sadly the adventure farm closed down and I may be wrong, but I believe the tunnel has now been bricked up
Sorley Tunnel
The first station after leaving Kingsbridge the trains stopped at was Loddiswell Station. The station is a good distance from Lodiswell itself and after it was closed down it became a café for a while. These days its someones home and might even be for sale if this website whose link below, is up to-date. Some great pictures of the station on this site as well. Nearly forgot the signal box is right beside the station and that too is now being used as a private residence.
www.loddiswellstation.org/ picture of the station as it is today
After leaving Loddiswell station the trains went into some wonderful woodland and ran almost parallel to the River Plym and it was during this stretch of the journey the line crossed over the river and back again a good number of times before it reached the next station as Garra Bridge.
Some of the bridges over the River Plym.
As the whole line was single track it needed a passing point and this was built as Garra bridge, when I went and took a look at this station that is also now a private dwelling, I was surprised to see only three or four houses near the station and it had me wondering why a station was ever built there in the first place.
Some of the old track bed on the Loddiswell side of Garra bridge is now private land , so its not possible to walk any part of it. The track bed after Garra bridge also seems to be all private land as well, but I did walk some of the track between Garra Bridge and the next station at Avonwick. It meant being a naughty boy and doing a bit of trespassing, but it was worth it. The only problem was most of the track bed I did walk on was very overgrown and I had to stop and turn around and go back the way I had come, when I came across some nasty looking barbwire.
Garra Bridge Station and some of that track bed on private land.
Avonwick station is strange as its in no mans land and once again I wondered when I went to see it, why it was built were it was. This station is also now a private home and the good news is the old platform is still complete. I did sneak in through the gate to get a few good pictures of the station.
I was able for a good while to follow the route of the line as it headed for its final stop at South Brent. Its was not walkable as its fenced in and anyway the top of the next bridge after Avonwick station has been removed. Its after this bridge it becomes impossible to follow the line any further.
Avonwick Station
There is a road bridge in South Brent that goes over the main rail line from Newton Abbot to Plymouth. If you stand on this bridge and look on the Newton Abbot side of it, you can see on the right a gap in the trees, where the old Primrose line came out as it headed into the station.
Cross over and look Plymouth bound and you look down on the site of the old station. The signal box is still standing and looks in a bit of a sorry state. I would have loved to have been able to get inside of it to take a look, but its been well secured. There is one building that is in use that once was a part of the station.
Looking Over the road Bridge in South Brent
The old station, the first shot is the line coming in
I understand a group of people tried to keep the Primrose line open as a preserved line, they failed and the group turned their attention to the Buckfastleigh line instead which opened as the Dart Valley Railway in 1969
But the Primrose line is still going in name at least, it seems the Buckfastleigh to Totnes steam line has now been called the Primrose line
www.users.zetnet.co.uk/gwood/train/train.htmYou can take a ride on the new Primrose line hereI will do the stations in North Devon next and will also move this thread in the TFF photo gallery.
