Meldon Viaduct railway station was a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

at Meldon in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

. It was renamed in 2015 from Meldon Quarry railway station.

History

The station was originally constructed circa 1920 as Meldon Quarry Halt by the

London and South Western Railway The London and South Western Railway (LSWR, sometimes written L&SWR) was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Originating as the London and Southampton Railway, its network extended to Dorchester and Weymouth, to Salisbury, Exeter ...

. This station had no public access and merely functioned as a staff halt for quarry workers, their families and other railway staff working at Meldon Quarry. The quarry originally had no metalled road access and some quarry workers and their families lived in cottages situated near the quarry. They used the halt for access to

Okehampton Okehampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and had a population of 5,922 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards are based in the town (east and west) ...

. The halt was not shown in the public railway timetable and local passenger services would only call by special arrangement. A workmen's service from Okehampton also operated using a passenger coach attached to one of the ballast trains. The platforms of the halt were constructed using standard components manufactured at the Railway's own Concrete Works at

Exmouth Junction Exmouth Junction is the railway junction where the Exmouth branch line diverges from the London Waterloo to Exeter main line in Exeter, Devon, England. It was for many years the location for one of the largest engine sheds in the former Lo ...

. The platforms were very narrow and short, about the length of a single passenger coach. They were situated at the immediate east end of

Meldon Viaduct Meldon Viaduct carried the London & South Western Railway (LSWR) across the West Okement River at Meldon (near Okehampton) on Dartmoor in Devon, South West England. The truss bridge, which was constructed from wrought iron and cast iron not st ...

, between the viaduct and Meldon Quarry signal box. The

Beeching Report Beeching is an English surname. Either a derivative of the old English ''bece'', ''bæce'' "stream", hence "dweller by the stream" or of the old English ''bece'' "beech-tree" hence "dweller by the beech tree".''Oxford Dictionary of English Surnames' ...

in 1963 recommended that the Exeter to Plymouth Line be cut back to Okehampton; and when services ceased between there and

Bere Alston Bere Alston is a village in West Devon in the county of Devon in England. It forms part of the civil parish of Bere Ferrers. History and geography With a population of about 2,000, the village lies in the Bere peninsula, between the river ...

in 1968, the Halt became disused. Some time later both platforms were demolished during modifications to the rail layout and access at the western end of Meldon Quarry. ,

North Tawton North Tawton is a small town in Devon, England, situated on the river Taw. It is administered by West Devon Council. The population of the electoral ward at the census 2011 was 2,026. History Romans crossed the River Taw at what is now Newl ...

, Sampford Courtenay and

lost their passenger services from 1972. But freight traffic continued on the line thanks to the activities of the British Rail

ballast Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship ...

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envir ...

at Meldon, three miles from Okehampton, which had an output of 300,000 tons per year. The quarry is now owned by

Aggregate Industries Aggregate Industries, a member of the Holcim Group, is a company based in the United Kingdom with headquarters at Bardon Hill, Coalville, Leicestershire. Aggregate Industries manufactures and supplies a range of heavy building materials, prima ...

. The quarry is currently out of use and ' mothballed'.

Reopening

A new station at Meldon Quarry was opened during 2000 by

Dartmoor Railway The Dartmoor line is a railway line in Devon, England. From , the line runs alongside the Tarka Line to the site of the former Coleford Junction where it diverges west to . Previously a heritage line, it is owned by Network Rail. The route ...

to act as the terminus of a passenger service from Okehampton. It has a single platform adjacent to the former up line but situated slightly nearer to

than the former Staff Halt. It is an entirely new construction unrelated to the previous Halt. The station was further improved in 2002 with the installation of concrete platform walling and a wooden platform shelter in BR Southern Region style and colour scheme. In 2015 the station was renamed Meldon Viaduct. It is the current western terminus of

heritage passenger services to Okehampton and Sampford Courtenay. The station has no motor vehicle access but does have excellent pedestrian and cycle access via The Granite Way Cycleway, part of

Devon Coast to Coast Cycle Route The Devon Coast to Coast Cycle Route is a 99-mile waymarked route from Ilfracombe in north Devon to Plymouth in south Devon. It skirts the National Parks of both Exmoor and Dartmoor and incorporates part of the Tarka Trail in the north, The Gr ...

, and has links to

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous P ...

via the local footpath network. There is a buffet situated near the station in a former SR electric multiple unit buffet car. The car overlooks Meldon Viaduct and the surrounding valleys.http://www.dartmoor-railway-sa.org/meldonbuffet British American Railway Services Ltd, a new company created by Iowa Pacific Holdings of Chicago, became the new owner of the Dartmoor Railway on 4 September 2008. The company will develop freight, passenger and tourist services on the railway.''Heritage Railway,'' Pub. Heritage Railway Magazine. Issue 116, 2 October 2008 – 29 October 2008. P. 18. Train services were suspended after the last train on 29 September 2019. The station was last open to passenger services at the end of September 2019. Dartmoor Railway CIC went into administration in February 2020 and has now been wound up. The line was purchased by Network Rail from Aggregate Industries in June 2021 and regular services resumed in November 2021 between Exeter and Okehampton. The line beyond Okehampton to Meldon is currently out of use with Meldon Viaduct station now being owned by Network Rail. Although out of use it remains the only railway station with a connection to the national network situated within Dartmoor National Park.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Meldon Viaduct railway station
Dartmoor Railway Association website.Video footage of the Dartmoor Railway stations
Heritage railway stations in Devon Former London and South Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1920 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1968 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 2000 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 2019