Dunsford Halt railway station

Dunsford Halt was a railway station serving Dunsford, a small village in Devon, England, on the Teign Valley Line between the towns of Newton Abbot and Exeter.

Dunsford Halt
General information
LocationChristow, Teignbridge
England
Coordinates50.6934°N 3.6452°W / 50.6934; -3.6452
Grid referenceSX8389589487
Platforms1
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
16 January 1928Opened[1]
9 June 1958Closed to passengers[1]
Teign Valley Line
Exeter St Thomas
Alphington Halt
Ide Halt
Perridge tunnel
Longdown
Culver tunnel
Dunsford Halt
Christow
Ashton
Trusham
Chudleigh Flood Platform
Chudleigh
Chudleigh Knighton Halt
Heathfield (Devon)

History

Situated some two miles from Dunsford village, the halt consisted of a single timber edged platform on the south side of the line 100 ft in length and a typical basic flat roofed corrugated Great Western Railway iron shelter. It was replaced by a concrete platform after WW2. Dunsford was built some years after the stations on the line to compete against the new bus services.

Passenger numbers reached their peak in the 1930s with seven daily services provided each way between Exeter and Heathfield. During World War II this was reduced to four trains in each direction, still with no trains on a Sunday. This was increased to five daily trains after the war. The line was sometimes used as a diversionary route if the South Devon main line was unavailable.[2]

Later

The Teign Valley line may have a role to play in the future as an alternative to the Devon's main line route along the Dawlish coastline, which is vulnerable to stormy seas. The Council for the Protection of Rural England put together a feasibility study. Some of the old infrastructure is still in place: six of the 21 miles of track remained in 2009.[3]

The Exeter and Teign Valley Railway has established a base in the old Christow railway station goods yard and plan to re-open the Teign Valley Line.[4]

Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Christow   Heathfield to Exeter St Davids
Great Western Railway
  Longdown

References

Notes
  1. Butt 1995, p. 86
  2. Disused Stations Retrieved : 2012-10-08
  3. BBC News Retrieved : 2012-10-10
  4. Exeter & Teign Valley Railway Archived 2013-01-14 at archive.today Retrieved : 2012-10-10
Sources
  • Beck, Keith; Copsey, John (1990). The Great Western in South Devon. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications. ISBN 0-906867-90-8.
  • Butt, R (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1.


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