Sampford Courtenay railway station

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Sampford Courtenay
National Rail
Sampford Courtenay Station, Dartmoor railway, Devon.jpg
The station in 2016
LocationSampford Courtenay, West Devon
England
Grid referenceSX626985
Managed byDartmoor Railway
Platforms1
Other information
Station codeSMC
Key dates
1867Opened
5 June 1972Closed to passengers by British Rail
2002Re-opened by the Dartmoor Railway
2008Dartmoor Railway services temporarily withdrawn, County Summer Sunday service retained
2009Dartmoor Railway services reintroduced alongside County Summer Sunday service
8 September 2019Last train ran (Dartmoor Railway)
March 2021Indefinite closure announced[1]
Passengers
2016/17Increase 144
2017/18Increase 188
2018/19Decrease 186
2019/20Increase 240
2020/21Decrease 0
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Sampford Courtenay railway station is a disused railway station at Belstone Corner, which used to serve the nearby (1.6 miles) village of Sampford Courtenay in Devon. The village lies 3 minutes away by car or around 30 minutes by foot via the B3215. In 2018–19 it was the least used station in Devon and in the South West and the tenth least used station in Great Britain.[2] In 2020-21 it was the joint least used station in Great Britain with 0 passengers.

History[]

The station in October 1969

The station was originally opened by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) as Okehampton Road when it formed the terminus and it was renamed as Belstone Corner when the line was extended to Okehampton in 1871,[3] and later renamed again as Sampford Courtenay.[4] Services on the line were extended further west to Lydford railway station with the inauguration of Meldon Viaduct in 1874. Constructed to rival the South Devon Railway route to Plymouth, the completion of the LSWR's own route to Plymouth saw this line become an important route with lines to Padstow and Bude as well as Plymouth. Boat trains carrying passengers from ocean liners calling at Stonehouse Pool, Plymouth and prestige services such as the Atlantic Coast Express and Devon Belle all used the route.

Sampford Courtenay in 1970

Following publication of the Beeching Report in 1963, the Exeter to Plymouth Line was cut back to Okehampton in 1968.

Bow, North Tawton, Sampford Courtenay and Okehampton lost their passenger services from 1972. The line survived, however, for the purposes of freight thanks to the activities of the British Rail ballast quarry at Meldon, three miles from Okehampton, which had an output of 300,000 tons per year. The quarry is not at present in operation and no freight originates from it. The quarry site is owned by Aggregate Industries.

The station name is sometimes given as Sampford Courtney, but it is unclear as to whether it was ever officially spelt this way.

Reopening[]

The Dartmoor Railway reopened the former up side platform at the station in 2002. The Exeter to Okehampton service, known to many as the 'Sunday Rover', is operated by Great Western Railway, thanks to financial support from Devon County Council . Four return services are operated by Great Western Railway from Exeter and all serve Sampford Courtenay. These trains are timetabled to link in with Dartmoor Rover bus services and Dartmoor Railway services at Okehampton. Occasional heritage passenger services operate from the station, running to Okehampton and Meldon Quarry.[5] Train services were suspended after the last train on Sunday 8 September 2019.

Preceding station Heritage Railways  Heritage railways Following station
Terminus   Dartmoor Railway
Suspended 		  Okehampton
National Rail National Rail
Crediton   Great Western Railway
Dartmoor Line
Suspended indefinitely 		  Okehampton
Heritage Railways  Proposed Heritage railways
Yeoford   Dartmoor Railway   Okehampton

Future options[]

  • v
  • t
Dartmoor Railway
Legend
miles
Tarka Line to Exeter
0¾
 Crediton
Salmon Pool level crossing
3¾
 Yeoford
Coleford Junction
Tarka Line to Barnstaple
8½
 Bow
11¾
 North Tawton
14½
 Sampford Courtenay
18¼
 Okehampton Parkway
(planned)
18¼
 Okehampton
20¼
 Meldon Viaduct station
Meldon Viaduct
London & South Western Rly
and Exeter–Plymouth line
to Padstow and Bude
to Plymouth via Bere Alston

The Dartmoor Railway proposed to restore the interchange at Yeoford Junction where its line meets Great Western Railway's Tarka Line. The company looked to create a railhead at Okehampton which would serve local industry and thereby save 50,000 lorry journeys per year.[6]

British American Railway Services became the new owner of the Dartmoor Railway on 4 September 2008. The company intended to develop freight, passenger and tourist services on the railway,[7] however the line was put up for sale in January 2020 and purchased by Network Rail.

The Dartmoor Line reopened for regular passenger services on 20 November 2021.[8] However, Sampford Courtenay is not part of the scheme, and there are currently no plans to reopen the station. Instead, Network Rail is looking to open a station at Okehampton Parkway.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "The Dartmoor Line - reopening 2021". The Dartmoor Line. Network Rail. Other stations on the route (such as Sampford Courtenay) are not planned to open under the current scheme
  2. ^ "Office of Rail and Road statistics".
  3. ^ Southern Region Record by R.H.Clark
  4. ^ Nock, O. S. (1965) The London & South Western Railway. Pub. Ian Allan. London. P. 48.
  5. ^ Dartmoor Railway, News & Events
  6. ^ Western Morning News, "£1.5m plan to expand moor railway", 8 June 2007, p. 34.
  7. ^ Heritage Railway, Pub. Heritage Railway Magazine. Issue 116, 2 October 2008 – 29 October 2008. P. 18.
  8. ^ "Okehampton to Crediton and Exeter Timetable From 20 November to 11 December 2021" (PDF). Dartmoor line. 12 October 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.

External links[]

Coordinates: 50°46′11″N 3°56′56″W / 50.76975°N 3.94896°W / 50.76975; -3.94896

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