Dartmoor Scene

An imaginary Great Western branch line.

The branch makes a junction with the GWR main line from Exeter to Plymouth where it runs high along the southern edge of Dartmoor.

The buildings at the junction station of ‘Pen Tor Road’ recall those once standing at Ivybridge and Yelverton. Two Western National buses stand in front of the station buildings in an area decorated with flower baskets and tropical palms, while in the small goods yard, coal wagons wait to be unloaded. Other details complete the picture of a country station in the 1930s, including typical notices warning against trespassing, and about not crossing the line, ‘Except by Means of the Bridge’; sombre evergreens line the station approach in characteristic Great Western fashion.

Shortly after leaving the station, a long viaduct carries the branch across wild moorland scenery. Both Devon and Cornwall imposed remarkable engineering demands on the railway builders, and perhaps no feature made this more evident than the lofty and striking timber viaducts designed by Brunel to carry the rails across deep river valleys.

Highlights from Dartmoor

Tap/click to expand an image and read its caption.

  • A GWR Steam Railmotor heads across the viaduct

    A GWR Steam Railmotor heads across the viaduct

  • Southern Railway Class M7 0-4-4T engine waits with its passenger train

    Southern Railway Class M7 0-4-4T engine waits with its passenger train

  • A passenger train headed by Barnum Class engine No.3222 runs past the station yard approaching Pen Tor Road

    A passenger train headed by Barnum Class engine No.3222 runs past the station yard approaching Pen Tor Road

  • The engine shed at Pen Tor Road with Dean 4-4-0 locomotive 3560 in the foreground and a 56XX Class 0-6-2T on the turntable

    The engine shed at Pen Tor Road with Dean 4-4-0 locomotive 3560 in the foreground and a 56XX Class 0-6-2T on the turntable

  • Branch line Autocoach train with GWR Class 4800 (later Class 1400) loco in charge

    Branch line Autocoach train with GWR Class 4800 (later Class 1400) loco in charge

  • Sheep are grazing. They look pink, the result of being dipped in insecticide and fungicide to prevent infestation from parasites. A buzzard glides overhead searching for food.

    Sheep are grazing. They look pink, the result of being dipped in insecticide and fungicide to prevent infestation from parasites. A buzzard glides overhead searching for food.

  • A member of the 633 class of tank locomotives, No. 638, stands at Pen Tor Road Station with its local train comprising of four coaches and a goods van.

    A member of the 633 class of tank locomotives, No. 638, stands at Pen Tor Road Station with its local train comprising of four coaches and a goods van.

  • Southern Railway T9 Class 4-4-0 locomotive No. 710 is provisioned and turned at Pen Tor Road ready for a return journey. These engines, known as ‘Greyhounds’, were built by the London and South Western Railway for express passenger work.

    Southern Railway T9 Class 4-4-0 locomotive No. 710 is provisioned and turned at Pen Tor Road ready for a return journey. These engines, known as ‘Greyhounds’, were built by the London and South Western Railway for express passenger work.

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Pendon recaptures scenes from the English countryside as it was in the 1920s and 1930s using exquisite models to explain a past era and a different way of life.

Pendon Museum Trust , Long Wittenham , Abingdon , Oxfordshire , OX14 4QD