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The Teign Valley line was a single-tracked railway line that ran from Heathfield to Exeter, via the Teign Valley, in Devon, England. It joined the South Devon main line at Exeter City Basin Junction. The line was open to passenger services between 1882 and 1958.
| Teign Valley Railway Act 1863 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Citation | 26 & 27 Vict. c. clix |
The Teign Valley Railway Act 1863 (26 & 27 Vict. c. clix) was given royal assent in 1863 and the line opened on 9 October 1882, branching from the Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway's station at Heathfield, to Christow. In 1903 the line was extended by the Exeter Railway Company from Christow to a junction near Exeter St Thomas station. It served mineral quarries in the valley and had a passenger service. For a brief time there was an engine shed at Ashton.
The mineral traffic that had provided much of the line's revenues was also its downfall, as the quarries provided roadstone for Devon's expanding and improving road network. In the 1920s and 1930s, the new motor bus services meant that passenger traffic dwindled. The mineral traffic soon followed. Meanwhile, the Great Western Railway placed camp coaches in some of the stations providing holiday accommodation. A small station was opened at Chudleigh Knighton Halt on 9 June 1924.
The line saw a resurgence of traffic during the restrictions and petrol rationing after the Second World War however passenger trains were withdrawn in June 1958. This was five years before the publication of The Reshaping of British Railways which led to the closure of many similar routes. Flooding caused the line to be closed entirely between Christow and Exeter in 1961, following which the gradual withdrawal of freight saw the line finally close in 1967.
The line followed a sinuous course from Heathfield to Exeter, which was the Up direction. From Ashton the line climbs considerably to Longdown, with a long stretch at 1 in 64. From Longdown the line falls at 1 in 58 for several miles.
There were two tunnels at Longdown; Culver Tunnel (248 yards, 227 m) to the west and Perridge Tunnel (836 yards, 764 m) to the east of Longdown.
The A38 road now occupies some of the route near to Chudleigh; the intersection at this point is named Chudleigh Station. A short section of the line in Exeter, known as the Alphington Spur, remains a siding for weekly scrap metal freight trains. [2]
Many of the stations and some of the line's infrastructure still exist:
Reopening of the Teign Valley line was an option considered in the wake of widespread disruption caused by damage to the mainline track at Dawlish by coastal storms in February 2014. The Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, ordered a review of alternative inland rail routes [3] but no decision to reopen any line was forthcoming.
The Campaign for Better Transport released a report in January 2019 which described the line as their "Priority 2" for reopening, this is a line which requires further development or a change in circumstances such as housing developments to make it viable. [4]
Teignbridge is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Newton Abbot. The district also includes the towns of Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Dawlish, Kingsteignton and Teignmouth, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. Teignbridge contains part of the south Devon coastline, including the Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve. Some of the inland western parts of the district lie within the Dartmoor National Park. It is named after the old Teignbridge hundred.
Bridford is a village and civil parish in south west England, located in the Teign Valley, Devon on the edge of Dartmoor. The parish is surrounded by the parishes of Dunsford, Doddiscombsleigh, Christow, and Moretonhampstead. At the 2011 census the population of the parish was 503, compared with 404 in 1901.
The Riviera Line is the railway between the city of Exeter, towns Dawlish and Teignmouth, and the English Riviera resorts of Torbay in Devon, England. Its tracks are shared with the Exeter to Plymouth Line along the South Devon sea wall. It is part of the Network Rail Route 12.
Christow is a village and civil parish in the Teignbridge district of Devon, England. It is located 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Exeter, in the Teign Valley, just off the B3193 road that links Chudleigh and Dunsford. Christow is on the eastern edge of Dartmoor National Park.
Longdown is a small village in the parish of Holcombe Burnell, south of the A30 road, about four miles west of Exeter in Devon, England. It has a public house called The Lamb Inn.
The South Devon Railway sea wall is situated on the south coast of Devon in England. A footpath runs alongside the railway between Dawlish Warren and Dawlish, then another footpath forms a continuation to the sea front promenade at Teignmouth. Both of these form part of the South West Coast Path.
The Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway was a 7 ft 1⁄4 in broad gauge railway which linked the South Devon Railway at Newton Abbot railway station with Bovey, Lustleigh and Moretonhampstead, Devon, England.
Heathfield railway station, originally Chudleigh Road railway station before the Teign Valley Line opened, was on the Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway at Heathfield, nearly 4 miles from Newton Abbot, Devon, England.
Chudleigh railway station was a railway station in Chudleigh, a small town in Devon, England located between the towns of Newton Abbot and Exeter.
Alphington Halt railway station was a small station serving the village of Alphington located on the Teign Valley Line, which opened in 1882 and closed in 1961. This diverged from the South Devon Main Line at Exeter and joined the Netwon Abbot to Moretonhampstead line at Heathfield.
Ashton railway station was a railway station serving the village of Ashton in Devon, England. It was located on the Teign Valley line.
Chudleigh Knighton Halt was on the Teign Valley Line serving the small village of Chudleigh Knighton, Devon, England. The halt, built by the Great Western Railway at a later date than most of the other stations on the line, was located on the west side of Pipehouse Lane off the B3344, to the south of the village.
Trusham Railway Station was a railway station in the parish of Chudleigh, serving the villages of Trusham and Hennock in Devon, England, on the Teign Valley line between Newton Abbot and Exeter.
Christow railway station, previously known as Teign House, served the villages of Christow, Bridford and Doddiscombsleigh in Devon, England. It was a stop on the Teign Valley line between Newton Abbot and Exeter St Thomas. The station was located in the parish of Doddiscombsleigh, as the parish boundary is the River Teign.
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.
Longdown was a railway station serving Longdown, a small village in Devon, England located on the Teign Valley Line between the towns of Newton Abbot and Exeter. Longdown is in the parish of Holcombe Burnell, south of the A30 road, about four miles west of Exeter.
Ide Halt was a railway station serving Ide, a small village in Devon, England located on the Teign Valley Line between Newton Abbot and Exeter.
Chudleigh Flood Platform railway station was a railway station near Chudleigh, a small town in South Devon, England located between Newton Abbot and Exeter. Opened in 1920, it saw only occasional use each year as it was constructed as an alternative station for use when Chudleigh was flooded by the River Teign, this being a recurring seasonal problem.
