Goodrington Sands railway station
Encyclopedia
Goodrington Sands railway station is on the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway
, a heritage railway
in Devon
, England. It is close to Goodrington
beach and the Quay West Water Park in Paignton
.
opened on 14 March 1861 it passed over a level crossing
on Tanners Lane, which led to the sea at Goodrington. Building the line across the marsh at Goodrington proved difficult but was achieved by laying redundant pipes from the failed atmospheric railway
between Exeter
and Newton
in the ground for drainage.
It was not until 9 July 1928 that a small station, initially known as just "Goodrington", was opened on the side of the level crossing. A second platform
was added as the double line, which had reached Tanners Lane in 1928, was extended into the station on 4 July 1930. The area between and Goodrington Sands was then redeveloped with carriage sidings and a new goods depot to allow the restricted site at Paignton to concentrate on the increasing holiday passenger traffic.
The local council opened a public park and boating lake between the station and the beach in 1936. Work started on a bridge to replace the level crossing in 1939, but this was not completed until 1956 due to World War II
. At the same time a new footbridge with a ticket office was opened, from which steps lead down to the platforms. More carriage sidings were laid behind the platform and a 65 feet (20 m) turntable
and locomotive facilities provided, mainly to handle the heavy traffic on summer Saturdays.
The signal box
was closed on 1 November 1972, and the line was sold on 30 December 1972 to the Dart Valley Light Railway plc which operated another nearby heritage line at . Services were only run on the Down line (the one nearest the beach) as British Rail
continued to use the Up line for access to the carriage sidings.
In 2006 the track through the second platform was reinstated and the carriage sidings behind the platform were connected to the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway. The carriage sidings between Goodrington Sands and Paignton remain in use by Network Rail
for main line trains, especially on summer Saturdays, and the section from here to Paignton is worked as two separate single lines with trains running in either direction on each track.
, while to the right, beyond Tanners Lane bridge, can be seen the Network Rail carriage sidings for Paignton, and on the sea side of the track, a siding used by the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway to store engineers equipment.
A large car park is situated on the far side of the line by the main road from Paignton to Brixham
. This is mainly intended for visitors to Key West, the blue water chute of which is behind the Down platform on the site of the former station car park.
Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway
The Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway is a heritage railway on the former Kingswear branch line between Paignton and Kingswear in Torbay, Devon, England....
, a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England. It is close to Goodrington
Goodrington
Goodrington is a coastal village in Devon, England. It is situated in Torbay and lies between Torquay and Brixham, less than south of Paignton....
beach and the Quay West Water Park in Paignton
Paignton
Paignton is a coastal town in Devon in England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the unitary authority of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignton's population in the United Kingdom Census of 2001 was 48,251. It has...
.
History
When the Dartmouth and Torbay RailwayDartmouth and Torbay Railway
The Dartmouth and Torbay Railway was a broad gauge railway linking the South Devon Railway branch at Torquay with Kingswear in Devon, England. It was operated from the outset by the South Devon Railway....
opened on 14 March 1861 it passed over a level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
on Tanners Lane, which led to the sea at Goodrington. Building the line across the marsh at Goodrington proved difficult but was achieved by laying redundant pipes from the failed atmospheric railway
Atmospheric railway
An atmospheric railway uses air pressure to provide power for propulsion. In one plan a pneumatic tube is laid between the rails, with a piston running in it suspended from the train through a sealable slot in the top of the tube. Alternatively, the whole tunnel may be the pneumatic tube with the...
between Exeter
Exeter St Davids railway station
Exeter St Davids station is the most important of seven National Rail stations in the city of Exeter in southwest England. Today the station is owned by Network Rail and operated by First Great Western.-History:...
and Newton
Newton Abbot railway station
Newton Abbot railway station serves the town of Newton Abbot in Devon, England. It is from London on the Exeter to Plymouth line via the Reading to Taunton line, at the junction for the branch to . For many years it was also the junction for Moretonhampstead and the site of a large locomotive...
in the ground for drainage.
It was not until 9 July 1928 that a small station, initially known as just "Goodrington", was opened on the side of the level crossing. A second platform
Railway platform
A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
was added as the double line, which had reached Tanners Lane in 1928, was extended into the station on 4 July 1930. The area between and Goodrington Sands was then redeveloped with carriage sidings and a new goods depot to allow the restricted site at Paignton to concentrate on the increasing holiday passenger traffic.
The local council opened a public park and boating lake between the station and the beach in 1936. Work started on a bridge to replace the level crossing in 1939, but this was not completed until 1956 due to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. At the same time a new footbridge with a ticket office was opened, from which steps lead down to the platforms. More carriage sidings were laid behind the platform and a 65 feet (20 m) turntable
Turntable (railroad)
A railway turntable is a device for turning railroad rolling stock. When steam locomotives were still in wide use, many railroads needed a way to turn the locomotives around for return trips as their controls were often not configured for extended periods of running in reverse and in many...
and locomotive facilities provided, mainly to handle the heavy traffic on summer Saturdays.
The signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
was closed on 1 November 1972, and the line was sold on 30 December 1972 to the Dart Valley Light Railway plc which operated another nearby heritage line at . Services were only run on the Down line (the one nearest the beach) as British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
continued to use the Up line for access to the carriage sidings.
In 2006 the track through the second platform was reinstated and the carriage sidings behind the platform were connected to the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway. The carriage sidings between Goodrington Sands and Paignton remain in use by Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
for main line trains, especially on summer Saturdays, and the section from here to Paignton is worked as two separate single lines with trains running in either direction on each track.
Description
Access to the station is from the footbridge alongside Tanners Lane, down the steps on the left of the ticket office. Standing on the platform looking towards the track, the 1957 carriage sidings can be seen behind the redundant Up platform. To the left the line climbs up towards Churston railway stationChurston railway station
Churston railway station is on the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway, a heritage railway in Torbay, Devon, England. It is on the main road to Brixham and close to the villages of Galmpton and Churston Ferrers.-Before preservation:...
, while to the right, beyond Tanners Lane bridge, can be seen the Network Rail carriage sidings for Paignton, and on the sea side of the track, a siding used by the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway to store engineers equipment.
A large car park is situated on the far side of the line by the main road from Paignton to Brixham
Brixham
Brixham is a small fishing town and civil parish in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. Brixham is at the southern end of Torbay, across the bay from Torquay, and is a fishing port. Fishing and tourism are its major industries. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of...
. This is mainly intended for visitors to Key West, the blue water chute of which is behind the Down platform on the site of the former station car park.