page_title: Dartmouth Steam Railway
section_title: Route
hierarchical_section_title: Dartmouth Steam Railway / Route
caption_attribution_description: English: The north portal (that is, the one on the Paignton side) of Greenway Tunnel on the Dartmouth Steam Railway.
context_page_description: The Dartmouth Steam Railway, formerly known as the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway, is a 6.7-mile heritage railway on the former Great Western Railway branch line between Paignton and Kingswear in Devon, England. Much of the railway's business is from summer tourists from the resorts of Torbay, who travel to Kingswear, where the Dartmouth Passenger Ferry takes them across the River Dart to Dartmouth.
  The line is owned and operated by Dart Valley Railway plc. This company also owns Dart Pleasure Craft Limited, which operates the Dartmouth Passenger Ferry as well as river and coastal cruises. The railway and connecting boat and bus services are jointly promoted as the Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company.
  Unusually amongst heritage railways, it is a commercial operation which does not rely on volunteer labour or charitable donations, although a few volunteers help at Churston railway station.
context_section_description: The line is 6 miles and 57 chains long (10.8 km) and starts from its own platform at Paignton (also known as Paignton Queens Park). The shed for operational locomotives is built into the south end of the station building, although coaling is done at the north end alongside the entrance used by passengers. Immediately beyond the station the line crosses Sands Road on a level crossing. The second track, on the right, is used by GWR and CrossCountry to access the Network Rail carriage sidings. There is a crossover between the two lines that allows trains from Network Rail infrastructure to run through onto the steam railway. This is normally used by mainline railtours which run on the steam railway to Kingswear.
  Opposite the Network Rail carriage sidings on the right is a siding built by the steam railway to store engineering equipment, but now mostly redundant, since the sidings alongside Goodrington Sands station were acquired. The train now calls at Goodrington Sands station (formerly Halt). Behind the platform to the right are more sidings which were transferred to the steam railway in 2007. There are two platforms at Goodrington Sands, which can also act as a passing station, although all normal trains are timetabled to pass at Churston.
  At the Halt the line starts its climb up a steep gradient (initially 1 in 71, easing slightly to 1 in 93 and then rising to 1 in 60 before levelling out just before Churston) behind the beach huts that line Goodrington Beach. The 630 miles (1,014 km) South West Coast Path follows alongside the line on the right. As the train passes Goodrington Sands, Saltern Cove and Broadsands, panoramic views of the UNESCO Global Geopark geology are seen. After a small headland the train passes the secluded Saltern Cove (a site of special scientific interest for its geology and marine biology) and Armchair Rock, then swings inland to the right to pass over first the 72 yards (66 m) Broadsands Viaduct and then swings to the left over the 148 yards (135 m) Hookhills Viaduct before reaching the line's summit at Churston. The last half mile to Churston is particularly difficult in operation, as it has the steepest gradient, is on a sharp curve, and is situated in a cutting which is often damp. On the approach to the station the turntable and sidings are seen on the left; this is where the Brixham branch line used to join the Kingswear branch. The paint shop to the left is on the site of the former Brixham bay platform. The main locomotive workshop is on the right, behind the second platform. This is where trains normally pass.
  From here the line drops down, gently at first (1 in 132, then level) before steepening to 1 in 77 at the Kennels Lane bridge, passing under Greenway Road and joining the stream in Hook Bottom, with Brim Hill to the right and passing Greenway Halt on the right-hand side. Shortly after the Halt the gradient eases to 1 in 100 as the train passes through the 495-yard long Greenway Tunnel. On leaving the tunnel, the gradient steepens to 1 in 66 and the River Dart appears on the right as the train passes over Greenway Viaduct. The line continues at 1 in 66 through Long Wood, a National Trust property. The line turns to the east as it leaves the original course, which continues straight on in a cutting, with a hut on the track bed. It then swings to the west over the embankment built in the early 1920s across Longwood Creek. The Noss Marina can be seen on the right. Once down to nearly river level the trees are left behind as the original course is regained. The train passes over Britannia Crossing, a level crossing over the A379 road as it approaches the Dartmouth Higher Ferry. It is from the signal box here that the signalling for the whole line is controlled. Between this point and Kingswear, the line was built mostly on the shore of the river, is accompanied by a footpath on the right, and isolates a bay on the left, formerly known as Ballast Cove. After this, there is a long siding on the left, and shorter sidings on the right which are also crossed by the Hoodown Crossing, which gi
caption: Greenway Tunnel
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