Place Christow Grid reference SX8389589487 16 January 1928 Opened Original company Great Western Railway | Area Teignbridge Post-grouping Great Western Railway 9 June 1958 Closed to passengers Platforms in use 1 | |
Similar Chudleigh Knighton Halt railw, Ide Halt railway station, Longdown railway station, Christow railway station, Ashton (Devon) railway st | ||
Dunsford Halt was a railway station serving Dunsford, a small village in Devon, England located on the Teign Valley Line between the towns of Newton Abbot and Exeter.
Contents
History
Situated some two miles from Dunsford village, the halt consisted of a single timber edged platform on the south side of the line 100ft in length and a typical basic flat roofed corrugated Great Western Railway iron shelter. It was replaced by a concrete platform after WW2. Dunsford was built some years after the stations on the line in attempt to compete against the new bus services.
Passenger numbers reached their peak in the 1930s with seven daily services provided each way between Exeter and Heathfield. During World War 2 this was reduced to four trains in each direction, still with no trains on a Sunday. This was increased to five daily trains after the war. As stated, the line was sometimes used as a diversionary route if the South Devon main line was unavailable.
The present day
The Teign Valley line may have a role to play in the future, as an alternative to the Devon's main line route along the Dawlish coastline which is vulnerable to stormy seas. The Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) put together a feasibility study. Some of the old infrastructure is still in place - six of the 21 miles of track remained in 2009.
The Exeter and Teign Valley Railway has established a base in the old Christow railway station goods yard and plan to re-open the Teign Valley Line.