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Buckfastleigh, Totnes And South Devon Railway
The Buckfastleigh, Totnes and South Devon Railway built the broad gauge railway line from Totnes to Buckfastleigh and Ashburton in Devon, England. History In the first decades of the nineteenth century, Buckfastleigh and Ashburton were important towns in the region. Ashburton was an important stannary and woollen town, while Buckfastleigh had established woollen mills as well as other manufacturing industries. Both towns were on the coaching road from Plymouth to Exeter, and this transport link was important to their success. When railways in the area began to be proposed, a number of alternative routes between Plymouth and Exeter were put forward, and a line through Buckfastleigh and Ashburton was considered. However the line actually adopted was the South Devon Railway which followed a more southerly course through Teignmouth, Newton Abbot and Totnes. This line opened in 1847,To Totnes; it had opened the previous year to Newton, later called Newton Abbot; and the following ye ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Newton Abbot
Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parish on the River Teign in the Teignbridge District of Devon, England. Its 2011 population of 24,029 was estimated to reach 26,655 in 2019. It grew rapidly in the Victorian era as the home of the South Devon Railway locomotive works. This later became a major steam engine shed, retained to service British Railways diesel locomotives until 1981. It now houses the Brunel industrial estate. The town has a race course nearby, the most westerly in England, and a country park, Decoy. It is twinned with Besigheim in Germany and Ay in France. History Early history Traces of Neolithic inhabitants have been found at Berry's Wood Hill Fort near Bradley Manor. This was a contour hill fort that enclosed about . Milber Down camp was built before the 1st century BC and later occupied briefly by the Romans, whose coins have been found there.Beavis (1985), p. 20. Highweek Hill has the remains of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle, known as Castle Dy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fighting occurring throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, and parts of Asia. An estimated 9 million soldiers were killed in combat, plus another 23 million wounded, while 5 million civilians died as a result of military action, hunger, and disease. Millions more died in genocides within the Ottoman Empire and in the 1918 influenza pandemic, which was exacerbated by the movement of combatants during the war. Prior to 1914, the European great powers were divided between the Triple Entente (comprising France, Russia, and Britain) and the Triple Alliance (containing Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy). Tensions in the Balkans came to a head on 28 June 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Totnes Railway Station
Totnes railway station serves the towns of Totnes and Dartington in Devon, England. It was opened by the South Devon Railway Company in 1847. Situated on the Exeter to Plymouth Line, it is measured from the zero point at via Box. History Totnes railway station was built by the South Devon Railway Company and opened on 20 July 1847 when trains started to run on the line from Newton, as Newton Abbot was known at the time. It was a terminus until 5 May 1848 when trains started to run through to Plymouth, initially using a temporary terminus at Laira. The line was intended to be operated by atmospheric power and an engine house to provide power was built behind the eastbound platform, although it was never brought into use. The two platform tracks were covered by wooden train sheds, an engine shed was built south of the line beyond the westbound platform, and a goods shed was erected between this platform and the River Dart which the line crossed on a viaduct just to the ea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Staverton Railway Station
Staverton railway station is situated on the South Devon Railway, a heritage railway in Devon, England. It serves the village of Staverton. History The station was opened by the Buckfastleigh, Totnes and South Devon Railway on 1 May 1872. The railway was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway in 1897 and this in turn was nationalised into British Railways on 1 January 1948. The station closed to passengers on 3 November 1958 although goods traffic continued until 10 September 1962. It was re-opened by the Dart Valley Railway, a heritage railway, on 5 April 1969. The South Devon Railway Trust took over the running of the line on 1 January 1991. Description There is a single platform on the north side of the line. There is a small brick building which houses the ticket office and two former goods sheds. There is a level crossing at the Totnes end of the station and a small signal box opposite the platform. Services The station is served by trains on all operating days of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buckfastleigh Railway Station
Buckfastleigh railway station is situated on the South Devon Railway, a heritage railway in Devon, England. It serves the town of Buckfastleigh. History The station was opened by the Buckfastleigh, Totnes and South Devon Railway on 1 May 1872. The railway was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway in 1897 and this in turn was nationalised into British Railways on 1 January 1948. A camping coach was positioned here by the Western Region from 1956 to 1961. The station closed to passengers in November 1958 although goods traffic on the line continued until 10 September 1962. It was re-opened as the ''Dart Valley Railway'', a heritage railway, on 5 April 1969. The South Devon Railway Trust took over the running of the line on 1 January 1991. In 1971 Buckfastleigh became the terminus of the line when the route beyond the station was closed to allow improvements to the A38 road. Workshops have since been provided for restoring and repairing the locomotives and rolling stock us ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ashburton Railway Station
Ashburton railway station is a closed railway station situated in the town of Ashburton in Devon, England. It was the terminus of a branch line from Totnes. History Ashburton station, along with the rest of the branch from Totnes, was opened by the Buckfastleigh, Totnes and South Devon Railway on 1 May 1872. The railway was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway in 1897 and this in turn was nationalised into British Railways on 1 January 1948. The station closed to passengers in November 1958 although goods traffic on the line continued until 7 September 1962. The station was briefly re-opened by the Dart Valley Railway, a heritage railway, on 5 April 1969 following which occasional works trains operated but the station was closed finally in 1971 when the track bed between Ashburton and Buckfastleigh was needed for improvements to the A38 road. The South Devon Railway, a successor to the Dart Valley Railway, still operates the remainder of the branch between Totnes a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South Devon Railway Trust
The South Devon Railway (SDR) is a heritage railway from Totnes to Buckfastleigh in Devon. Mostly running alongside the River Dart, it was initially known as the Dart Valley Railway. The railway is now operated by the South Devon Railway Trust, a registered charity. The railway's headquarters and museum are located at Buckfastleigh railway station. History A railway between Newton Abbot and Ashburton received Parliamentary approval and Royal Assent in 1848. However, with the economy in recession the scheme failed to find sufficient backing. After the Parliamentary approval of construction of the South Devon Railway Company (SDR) from Exeter to Plymouth, a new Buckfastleigh, Totnes and South Devon Railway scheme was proposed to make a junction with the SDR at Totnes and link it with Buckfastleigh, running alongside the River Dart. It opened as a broad gauge line through to on 1 May 1872 and was operated from the outset by the SDR (which became part of the Great Western Railwa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A38 Road
The A38, parts of which are known as Devon Expressway, Bristol Road and Gloucester Road, Bristol, Gloucester Road, is a major A-class trunk road in England. The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it the longest two-digit A road in England. It was formerly known as the ''Leeds–Exeter Trunk Road'', when this description also included the A61 road (Great Britain), A61. Before the opening of the M5 motorway in the 1960s and 1970s, the A38 formed the main "holiday route" from the Midlands to Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Considerable lengths of the road in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands closely follow Roman roads, including part of Icknield Street. Between Worcester, England, Worcester and Birmingham the current A38 follows the line of a Saxon salt road; For most of the length of the M5 motorway, the A38 road runs alongside it as a single carriageway road. Route description Bodmin to Birmingham The road starts on t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beeching Cuts
The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised British Rail, railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Development of the Major Railway Trunk Routes'' (1965), written by Richard Beeching and published by the British Railways Board. The first report identified 2,363 stations and of railway line for closure, amounting to 55% of stations, 30% of route miles, and 67,700 British Rail positions, with an objective of stemming the large losses being incurred during a period of increasing competition from road transport and reducing the rail subsidies necessary to keep the network running. The second report identified a small number of major routes for significant investment. The 1963 report also recommended some less well-publicised changes, including a switch to the now-standard practice of containerisation for rail freight, and the replacement of some ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Beeching
Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching (21 April 1913 – 23 March 1985), commonly known as Dr Beeching, was a physicist and engineer who for a short but very notable time was chairman of British Railways. He became a household name in Britain in the early 1960s for his report ''The Reshaping of British Railways'', commonly referred to as "The Beeching Report", which led to far-reaching changes in the railway network, popularly known as "the Beeching Axe". As a result of the report, just over were removed from the system on cost and efficiency grounds, leaving Britain with of railway lines in 1966. A further were lost by the end of the 1960s, while other lines were reduced to freight use only. Early years Beeching was born in Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, the second of four brothers. His father was Hubert Josiah Beeching, a reporter with the ''Kent Messenger'' newspaper, his mother a schoolteacher and his maternal grandfather a dockyard worker. Shortly after his birth, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heritage Railway
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) in the history of rail transport. Definition The British Office of Rail and Road defines heritage railways as follows:...'lines of local interest', museum railways or tourist railways that have retained or assumed the character and appearance and operating practices of railways of former times. Several lines that operate in isolation provide genuine transport facilities, providing community links. Most lines constitute tourist or educational attractions in their own right. Much of the rolling stock and other equipment used on these systems is original and is of historic value in its own right. Many systems aim to replicate both the look and operating practices of historic former railways companies. Infrastructure Heritage railway lines ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South Devon Railway (heritage Railway)
The South Devon Railway (SDR) is a heritage railway from Totnes to Buckfastleigh in Devon. Mostly running alongside the River Dart, it was initially known as the Dart Valley Railway. The railway is now operated by the South Devon Railway Trust, a registered charity. The railway's headquarters and museum are located at Buckfastleigh railway station. History A railway between Newton Abbot and Ashburton received Parliamentary approval and Royal Assent in 1848. However, with the economy in recession the scheme failed to find sufficient backing. After the Parliamentary approval of construction of the South Devon Railway Company (SDR) from Exeter to Plymouth, a new Buckfastleigh, Totnes and South Devon Railway scheme was proposed to make a junction with the SDR at Totnes and link it with Buckfastleigh, running alongside the River Dart. It opened as a broad gauge line through to on 1 May 1872 and was operated from the outset by the SDR (which became part of the Great Western Railwa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
