King Tor Halt railway station

King Tor Halt railway station was located on the 10.5 mile long single track branch railway line in Devon, England, running from Yelverton to Princetown with four intermediate stations.[3] It was opened with only a basic wood platform and shelter in connection with the adjacent granite quarry and the associated worker's houses. Its later traffic was entirely walkers and like Ingra Tor Halt it was retained in an attempt to counter competition from local bus services and encourage tourist traffic.[2]

King Tor
King Tor Halt
The railway trackbed near the old station
LocationPrincetown, West Devon
England
Coordinates50.5409°N 4.0261°W / 50.5409; -4.0261
Grid referenceSX5652473206
Platforms1
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
2 April 1928[1]Station opens
3 March 1956[2]Station closed to passengers
Princetown Railway
Overview
LocaleWest Devon
Dates of operation1883–1956
SuccessorGreat Western Railway
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Length10 1⁄2 miles (16.9 km)
 Princetown
Foggintor siding
 King Tor Halt
Swell Tor siding
 Ingra Tor Halt
Lowry Road Crossing
 Burrator & Sheepstor Halt
Prowse's Crossing
 Dousland
Yelverton

History

The branch line was authorised in 1878 and opened on 11 August 1883. Yelverton was the junction for the line when the halt opened, three other stations had been added to the line in the 1920s, Burrator and Sheepstor Halt in 1924, Ingra Tor Halt in 1936.[4] Much of the route followed the course of the old Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway.[2] King Tor Halt was opened almost on the site of the old Royal Oak Sidings.

The freight traffic on the branch line included granite from the rail served quarries[2] of Swelltor and Foggintor which were closed in 1906.

Owned by the Princetown Railway until 1 January 1922, the company then merged with the Great Western Railway (GWR). The line passed to British Railways (Western Region) in 1948 and closed on 3 March 1956.[2] The track was lifted on 6 December 1956.[5]

Much of the old track formation now forms the route of the Dousland to Princetown Railway Track,[2] and only the concrete base of the shelter at the halt remains.[2]

Services
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Ingra Tor Halt
Line and station closed		   Great Western Railway
Princetown Railway		   Princetown
Line and station closed

References
Notes
  1. Butt, Page 135
  2. Mitchell, Page 114
  3. Moseley, Brian (October 2011). "The Route, 1947 [GWR Princetown Branch]". The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History. Plymouth Data. Archived from the original on 23 August 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  4. Atterbury, Page 34
  5. Moseley, Brian (August 2012). "Princetown Branch [BR]". The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History. Plymouth Data. Archived from the original on 7 March 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
Sources
  • Atterbury, P. (2006) Branch Line Britain: A Nostalgic Journey Celebrating a Golden Age. Newton Abbot : David & Charles.
  • Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199.
  • Mitchell, David (1994). British Railways Past and Present - Devon. Wadenhoe : Past and Present. ISBN 1-85895-058-9.
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