| Torbay and Brixham Railway | |
|---|---|
| Locale | England |
| Dates of operation | 1868–1883 |
| Successor | Great Western Railway |
| Track gauge | 7 ft 0 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) |
| Length | 2.07 miles (3.33 km) |
| Headquarters | Brixham |
The Torbay and Brixham Railway was a 7 ft 0 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) broad gauge railway which linked the Dartmouth and Torbay Railway at Churston railway station, Devon with the important fishing port of Brixham. It was a little over two miles long.
The railway was largely built due to the work of Richard Walter Wolston, a local solicitor, and was sold to the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1883.[1]
Contents |
The railway station had a single platform and a goods shed opposite. An engine shed and another small goods yard were situated at the Churston end of the station. It had to be constructed on the hill above the town in order that the gradients between Brixham and Churston were not too steep.
Brixham was the location of Roxham station in The System, a 1964 film. An early scene sees most of the main characters at the station, either arriving on a train hauled by a British Rail Class 22 locomotive, or waiting there to see who is arriving in the town for a holiday.
| Queen | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Steam |
| Builder | E. B. Wilson and Company |
| Configuration | 0-4-0WT |
| Gauge | 7 ft 0 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) |
| Driver diameter | 4 ft 0 in (1,219 mm) |
| Wheelbase | 8 ft 0 in (2,438 mm) |
| Cylinder size | 101⁄2 in (267 mm) dia × 17 in (432 mm) stroke |
Queen was built in 1852 by E. B. Wilson and Company and was used for several years at the Isle of Portland in the construction of a breakwater for the harbour there.
Although the railway was initially worked by the South Devon Railway, the Torbay and Brixham Railway purchased this little locomotive to haul the trains. The South Devon Railway were to pay £3 per day for the privilege, however the railway soon had to mortgage Queen to the South Devon for £350 to cover its debt to that company. In 1883 it passed to the Great Western Railway, which immediately withdrew it from service.
| King | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Steam |
| Builder | Avonside Engine Company |
| Configuration | 2-4-0T |
| Gauge | 7 ft 0 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) |
| Leading wheel diameter |
2 ft 6 in (762 mm) |
| Driver diameter | 3 ft 0 in (914 mm) |
| Wheelbase | 9 ft 6 in (2,896 mm) |
| Cylinder size | 9 in (229 mm) dia × 16 in (406 mm) stroke |
A second locomotive was ordered by the Torbay and Brixham Railway for the South Devon Railway but in the end the latter company paid for it and it worked in its fleet. See South Devon Railway 2-4-0 locomotives for further information.
| Raven | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Steam |
| Builder | Avonside Engine Company |
| Configuration | 0-4-0ST |
| Gauge | 7 ft 0 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) |
| Driver diameter | 3 ft 0 in (914 mm) |
| Wheelbase | 7 ft 6 in (2,286 mm) |
| Cylinder size | 14 in (356 mm) in dia × 17 in (432 mm) stroke |
Raven had been built for the South Devon Railway as part of their Raven class for shunting dockside lines at Plymouth . In 1877, now also carrying their number 2175, it was sold by the Great Western Railway to the Torbay and Brixham to assist Queen.
After 1883 the Great Western Railway provided various small locomotives from its fleet to operate the Brixham branch. Up until 1892 broad gauge locomotives were provided such as ex-South Devon Railway 2-4-0 Prince and GWR Hawthorn Class 2-4-0Ts.
After the line was converted to standard gauge on 23 May 1892 a number of small tank locomotives found themselves spending time at Brixham, including the unique 4-4-0ST 13. In later years standard GWR 1400 Class 0-4-2Ts worked the autotrain. The final trains were worked by British Rail Class 122 single-car DMUs.
The Association of Train Operating Companies included Brixham one of fourteen towns that, based on 2009 data, would benefit from a new railway service. This would be an extension of the First Great Western service over the Riviera Line from Exeter as far as Churston station on the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway, which would then act as a railhead for Brixham. It would also serve other housing developments in the area since the opening of the steam railway, and may require the doubling of that line between Paignton and Goodrington Sands.[2]