Seven miles by the Dart
The railway runs “between Buckfastleigh and Totnes” on a seven-mile stretch beside the River Dart (South Devon Railway, read 23 October 2026). It calls itself a traditional Great Western Railway branch line, and Staverton, the stop in between, is an unspoilt country station (what to see and do).
Opened by Beeching
The branch opened on 1 May 1872. It closed to passengers in November 1958, with freight carrying on until 1962. The Dart Valley Railway brought rolling stock in from 1965 and began running Buckfastleigh to Totnes in 1969 (line history). The British Film Institute holds a film dated 21 May 1969 called The Inauguration of the Dart Valley Railway by Lord Beeching, which shows him opening the privately run line at Buckfastleigh (BFI Replay).
That is a good story, and it is easy to stretch, so to be clear: the line had already lost its passenger trains eleven years earlier, and nothing we read says Beeching closed it. The stretch beyond, from Buckfastleigh to Ashburton, was lost to the widening of the A38 in 1971. Since 1991 the line has been run by a registered charity, the South Devon Railway Trust, and renamed.
The engines
The railway’s stock list shows GWR pannier tank 1369 and prairie tank 5526 in service. Others wait their turn: 3205, built at Swindon in 1946, and 6412, built there in 1934, are both awaiting overhaul, along with 5542 and 5786 (locomotives and carriages). Lee Moor No. 2, a small Peckett saddle tank, is kept as a static exhibit, and 3803, a 2-8-0 built at Swindon in January 1939, is listed as recently sold. The railway calls itself the longest-established steam railway in the south west, and the trust that runs it is an educational charity, registered number 800299 (about the railway).
Planning the day
In November and December the railway stages the Polar Express. A full line return was listed at £23 for an adult and £12 for a child, with dogs at £2.50 (timetable and fares, read 23 October 2026). Driving, leave the A38 at the Dart Bridge junction and follow the brown signs; Buckfastleigh has ample free parking. Totnes Riverside has no car park of its own, but Totnes main line station, served by GWR and CrossCountry, is a footpath walk of around 450 metres away (how to find us). At Buckfastleigh there is a museum and shop, and an otter and butterfly sanctuary next to the car park.
Photographing the line
Staverton is the station to linger at. The railway says it has remained largely unchanged for 100 years, and there are riverside walks from it, including one to a 15th century river bridge (what to see and do). A small tank engine at a country platform makes a tidy, square picture. It would sit well on our photo mug, or framed on a shelf.
Sources: South Devon Railway line history; BFI film record (both read 23 October 2026).
