North Tawton railway station

North Tawton
North Tawton station in 1969
Location
Place	North Tawton
Area	West Devon, Devon
Operations
Original company	London and South Western Railway
Pre-grouping	Southern Railway
Platforms	2
History
1865	Opened
5 June 1972	Closed to passengers
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z
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North Tawton railway station was a railway station serving the town of North Tawton in Devon, England. North Tawton lies on the river Taw.

History

North Tawton station in 1970.

The station was originally opened by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1865.^[1] Services on the line were extended further west to Okehampton by 1867 and then on to Lydford railway station with the inauguration of Meldon Viaduct in 1874. Constructed to rival the South Devon Railway route to Plymouth, the completion of the LSWR's own route to Plymouth saw this line become an important route with lines to Padstow and Bude as well as Plymouth. Boat trains carrying passengers from ocean liners calling at Stonehouse Pool, Plymouth and prestige services such as the Atlantic Coast Express and Devon Belle all used the route.

With the publication of the Beeching Report in 1963, the Exeter to Plymouth Line was cut back to Okehampton.

North Tawton, Bow, Sampford Courtenay and Okehampton lost their regular passenger services from 1972. The line survived, however, for the purposes of freight thanks to the activities of the British Rail ballast quarry at Meldon, three miles from Okehampton, which had an output of 300,000 tons per year. The quarry survives to this day, although it is now operated by Aggregate Industries.

Future options

The Dartmoor Railway is proposing to restore the interchange at Yeoford, running passenger trains past North Tawton, where its line meets First Great Western's Tarka Line.

British American Railway Services, a new company created by Iowa Pacific Holdings of Chicago, became the new owner of the Dartmoor line on 4 September 2008. The company will develop freight, passenger and tourist services on the railway.^[2]

References

1. ^ Nock, O. S. (1965) The London & South Western Railway. Pub. Ian Allan. London. P. 48.
2. ^ Heritage Railway, Pub. Heritage Railway Magazine. Issue 116, 2 October 2008 - 29 October 2008. P. 18.

Dartmoor Railway
Legend miles Tarka Line to Exeter 0.00 Crediton through services on summer Sundays Salmon Pool Level Crossing 3.75 Yeoford served by Tarka Line trains Coleford Junction Tarka Line to Barnstaple 8.50 Bow closed 11.75 North Tawton closed 14.50 Sampford Courtenay 18.25 Okehampton 20.25 Meldon Meldon Viaduct Closed LSWR route to Padstow and Bude Closed LSWR route to Plymouth via Bere Alston

External links

• Dartmoor Railway Supporters Association (formerly Friends of Dartmoor Railway) website
• Photographs of the station in the 1970s.
• North Tawton Community Website

Coordinates: 50°47′03″N 3°53′39″W / 50.78418°N 3.89406°W / 50.78418; -3.89406