Description
The Dartmoor Railway is a heritage railway based at Meldon, near Okehampton in Devon. The line is currently 15 miles long, and operates from Meldon through to near Coleford, on the Exeter to Barnstaple line. Trains are operated by heritage diesel locomotives that operate in push-pull mode with former Southern Region electrical multiple units.
The route was originally part of the London and South Western Railway line from Exeter to Plymouth, which opened in stages from from 1865-79. The line beyond Meldon was closed by British Rail in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts.
The railway is unusual amongst heritage lines, as a public services in operated from Exeter to Okehampton during the Summer, by Wessex Trains. The line also has a regular freight service that operates from the quarry at Meldon.
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