The route of the Dartmoor Railway is part of what was once the Southern Railway main line from London Waterloo to Plymouth and North Cornwall. When many of the lines in the South West were axed in the 1960’s, this particular stretch of line was kept open to transport ballast from Meldon Quarry for use on all parts of the British Railways Southern Region.

Meldon Quarry and the stretch of line from Coleford Junction to the Quarry were subsequently sold to Aggregate Industries whom together with Devon County Council, Dartmoor National Park and RMS Locotec formulated the concept of the Dartmoor Railway. The concept was to create a Community Railway that would enable visitors to access and enjoy the National Park without the use of a car.

In 2008 the Dartmoor Railway was acquired by Iowa Pacific Holdings, who aim to increase freight usage of the line and re-introduce passenger services from Meldon to a newly re-opened platform at Yeoford. This will allow connections into the National Railway Network via the Exeter to Barnstaple ‘Tarka Line’.

Note - Locos that show as resident may be based here but loaned to other sites, click on 'Loco' to view the most recent location

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