Paignton to Kingswear Steam Railway and the Round Robin
There are any number of things that will make a great day out in South Devon, but in my opinion, one of the best has to be the ‘Round Robin’. It comprises different modes of transport linking Paignton, Dartmouth, and Totnes.
The Round Robin includes a steam train from Paignton to Kingswear, a ferry across the River Dart to Dartmouth, a boat trip up the river to Totnes, and an open-top bus back to Paignton. It can be done the other way round and you can start from Paignton, Dartmouth or Totnes.
Part of the attraction is to be able to explore the towns of Dartmouth and Totnes and so you would need to factor in the tide times of the Dart if you intend to do the whole journey in one day.
For expediency, in this post, I’m just going to describe the train journey between Paignton and Kingswear.
The journey from Paignton to Kingswear is almost 7 miles long and starts from Queen’s Park station, which is right next door to the mainline station, and even though it’s clearly marked, people go to the wrong station all day, every day. Just to be clear, the platform for the Steam Railway is on the beach side of the level crossing next to the Old Paignton Picture House in Torbay Road which is currently being restored to its former glory. There are any number of advertising boards at the entrance, so you should find it easily enough.
Once inside the ticket office you’ll also find an extensive gift shop and Head of Steam café where you can relax with a coffee and snack before boarding the train, or if you prefer, order a picnic to take with you.
The company own a total of 9 locomotives – 8 steam engines and 1 diesel, plus a Pullman observation car. As of 2025, 4 of the steam engines are in active service, 3 are on loan, and 1 is currently being overhauled in their workshop at Churston.
Assuming you’ve got on the train to Kingswear and not Manchester, the train travels through Goodrington Sands and Churston stations before arriving at Kingswear. It used to previously stop at these stations as well as Greenway Halt for Agatha Christie’s House, but that’s no longer the case.
It isn’t a long journey, but it is a picturesque one, as it passes Goodrington Beach, over Broadsands viaduct and alongside the River Dart before reaching its destination.
At Kingswear there’s not a great deal to detain anyone wanting to complete the Round Robin, and so passengers usually head straight for the Dartmouth ferry. At the station there used to be an interesting old railway carriage that acted as a visitor centre, but for some reason it didn’t conform to modern day legislation and was forced to close.
Now that the old information carriage isn’t available, and for anyone who might be interested, I’ll do my level best to fill in a few gaps about the history of the line between Paignton and Kingswear.
To start with, the eagle-eyed among you might have noticed that the owners of the line market it as the Dartmouth Steam Railway (and River Boat Company), and that’s because the original intention was to take the railway across the river to Dartmouth – but it didn’t happen, and I’ll explain why.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel originally brought his broad-gauge railway down to this part of the West Country with the help of the South Devon Railway, but the line finished at Torre. To attract more holidaymakers, the Dartmouth and Torbay Railway then took over and extended the line to Torquay, Paignton, Brixham Road (now Churston), and Kingswear. Unfortunately, the company didn’t have enough funds to build the bridge they needed to take the railway across the River Dart to Dartmouth, and so the line was terminated at Kingswear.
To solve the problem, a floating bridge was built in the form of a chain ferry, and in 1864, both the railway and ferry opened, as did a railway station at Dartmouth where you could buy a combined ferry and train ticket. To find out more, you can read my post about the Train Station with no Railway. The ‘station’ is still here but now operates as a restaurant.
As with so many branch lines, the railway from Paignton to Kingswear fell under Dr Richard Beeching’s axe and was closed on 28th Oct 1972, but it wasn’t all bad news because a couple of months later it was purchased by the Dart Valley Railway Ltd. This is still the same company who owns it now (as well as the South Devon Heritage Railway that runs between Totnes and Buckfastleigh).
Just in case you’re not confused yet, how about this? – the Paignton to Kingswear line under the new ownership was called the Torbay Steam Railway, then the Torbay and Dartmouth Railway, and then another change of mind with the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway – and now it’s called the Dartmouth Steam Railway which comes under the Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat Company (DSRRC), which if you’re still with me is also responsible for the running of the ferry, boat cruises, and buses of the Round Robin. Now you know why I choose to call it the Paignton to Kingswear Steam Railway.
Now that you know how much effort was involved in getting you between Paignton and Kingswear, all you have to do is get off the train and catch the modern foot passenger ferry next to the station and cross the river to Dartmouth, where the next part of the Round Robin begins with a trip upriver to Totnes.
For the latest information check out the official website.
ORIGINAL POST – JUNE 2018
LATEST UPDATE – JUNE 2025
Originally posted 2018-06-20 18:11:43.
Wonderful to see you coming up there on google with this post. Finally I got aol mail to load so I could re read your mail get over here again. It has been down most of the day.
Thanks for checking it out and glad to hear that your internet is functioning properly again. I rely on your internet as much as you do 😊
It is often businesses taht dsuffer. I mean they need email access….. And Aol was well down and saying iniitially it wasn’t….
We’ve all come to rely on technology a bit too much I reckon.
Totally agree. The times when you had to get yourself out of a given situ seem like another country now.
Malc, That was a nice round trip with a sampling of transportation modes! It seems that the UK has had a love affair with steam RR’s but retains them to some degree. The US has had a similar romance but has divorced many rail lines including this one in the VT town where my father grew up: https://www.historicalsocietyofwindhamcounty.org/collections/west-river-railroad/
On the more positive side, many rail beds have been converted to “linear recreation paths” which are lovely for biking or walking and include views of rivers and other scenery.
Stewart
You’re right Stewart. There are a fair number of Heritage Railways still operating in the UK, and just as in the US, quite a few that have fallen by the wayside are used as recreational paths. Some that were closed down have been re-opened as well. Thanks for taking a look, and before I forget, I hope you had a great birthday.
A very nice trip today, thank you.
Thank you for joining me Shey. Believe me when I say that the Round Robin is a great trip. The steam train is just one part of it.
I can believe it despite the fact my younger girl once fell under one.
Blimey! I hope she wasn’t badly hurt.
It was one of these situs where she wouldn’t take my hand as we got off and the next thing she fell down the space between the step and platform, something I had always had a horror of . SO while my hubby and older girl ran about the platform, begging people to please save his daughter/ her sister, I ran up to the end of the train shouting at the guard to stop the driver moving the train. Then I got down on the track and crawled ..and it was awful ..along to where of course she broke of sobbing her heart out to say how glad she was to see me. I said to her, ‘ the next time I tell you to take my hand, you damn well take it.’ So to answer your question she just about was that point. Then I had to crawl back with her, basically underneath me cos she was terrified, all the way back. What I mind was that this very posh passenger in a suit and with a briefcase then stepped up to the edge of the platform, where people were frozen in a state of shock and said, ‘Madam, give me your child.’ So I did, and then he said, ‘Now give me your hand.’ I was covered in oil, debris, my clothes were torn.
Wow! There are no words. 😱
Totaly surreal. It was one of these fancy wee railways.
Has it put you all off travelling by train since?
Been on a train a lot since but it is so expensive these days. Well, apart form a train from the Ferry into Dundee but that is just like a 3 min trip.
What I don’t think I’d do though is ever go ona train again with that daughter. The year later she got jammed in monorail doors. They literally shut with her trapped.
I can’t say I blame you 🙂
Does the train stop at Greenway for Agatha Christies house …September 2022.mant thanks
I believe so, but it’s a request stop so you’ll need to inform the train crew that you want to get off. To be absolutely sure of the timetable arrangements it’s best to visit the official website
https://www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk/tickets/steam-train
Really well written article and I am looking forward to riding to Kingswear from Paignton with my wife, daughter and her two teenage girls in August this year. I will be 73 and miss steam locomotives very much.
Thanks
Greg Marshall
Cheshire
Thanks for your smashing comment Greg. I really appreciate it and hope you have a great trip.
This is cool. Of course I love harbor towns and throw in an old railway, I’m there.
Great! – and a boat trip too 🙂
Oh, God, I love ferries.
At the end of the train trip, you get the ferry across to Dartmouth and then a boat trip up to Totnes and then an open-top bus trip back to where you started from.
Gorgeous pictures and a fun way to do a round robin with so many different transportation options.
I’m glad you enjoyed this trip – and thank you 🙂
here is a bit of history about the railway. In 1972 my wife and I travelled from Kingswear to Paignton on the Dart railway
At this time the engine pulling this train was the famous FLYING SCOTSMAN. To this day I still have my 3rd class tickets. I and my wife consider our selves honoured. The engine did not return with us to Kingswear. I have no idea where it went from there. I am now 76yrs old but I still remember the excitement watching this engine entering Kingswear Station pulling its carriages.
Ian Robson
Thanks for the nostalgia. I love to hear stories like this 🙂
The railway companies have us all tied up in knots Sarah. As regards the engine being on back to front, I couldn’t say for sure, but it’s possibly because it’s a single track line and isn’t always in a position to turn around, especially at Paignton because it shares the first part of the track with Network Rail. I’ll have to find out for sure now.
Looks like a fun day out, although you tied me up in knots with your explanations about the route and the various names for the railway 😉 I think you need to know the geography of the area to get your head properly around it all!! I noticed the engine seems to be attached backwards in some of your photos – what’s that all about?
Most of us have nostalgic views of the past. Thanks for bringing us back to reality Don 🙂
I love these old steam railways, but I’m glad we now only have them in out-of-the-way places, preferably near the sea so the wind can blow all the soot away. When I was a child I disliked downtown Chicago because it was such a filthy place thanks to the railways coming in from all directions.
I disagree. The soot was part of their charm. I for one would like to see them back, alongside the old diesels