Devon Steam Railways Compared: Dartmouth, South Devon and Lynton & Barnstaple

Short answer: The Dartmouth Steam Railway connects to the river ferries, which makes it the best all-round day. The South Devon Railway from Totnes has the Rare Breeds Farm at one end. The Lynton & Barnstaple is the smallest and most remote. Seaton Tramway is not steam but is the best-rated of the lot.

Devon has more of these than anywhere else in the south west

Three preserved steam lines and an electric tramway, all within a couple of hours of each other. They attract exactly the family-with-children audience that a wet Devon day produces, and they all run Santa trains in December.

Dartmouth Steam Railway

The one to pick if you are doing only one. It runs along the coast from Paignton to Kingswear, where the passenger ferry takes you across the river into Dartmouth. That connection is what makes it more than a train ride — you can build a whole day out of the railway, the ferry, the town and a boat down to the castle.

It is also the easiest to reach: Paignton has a mainline station, and Torquay and Brixham are both minutes away.

South Devon Railway

Runs from Buckfastleigh to Totnes along the Dart valley. The thing worth knowing is what sits at the Totnes end: the Rare Breeds Farm is reached through the steam railway station, and it is genuinely good — pigs, goats, owls, guinea pigs and reptiles, most of which you can feed for a pound a bag, plus a paid animal handling experience and wheelchair access throughout.

One practical note from visitors: the station car park is around £7.50, and there is free parking on the nearby industrial estate.

Lynton & Barnstaple Railway

The smallest and most remote, in the north on the edge of Exmoor. A short narrow-gauge line rather than a long run, and the appeal is as much the setting as the train. Pair it with the Lynton and Lynmouth cliff railway, the Valley of Rocks and Watersmeet for a full day.

And the one that beats them all

Seaton Tramway is not steam — it is open-topped narrow-gauge electric trams running three miles up the Axe estuary to Colyton. With over four thousand reviews it is the best-rated attraction in east Devon, and it is arguably the best-designed family day of the four.

• Trams every twenty minutes, round trip under an hour.
• Hop-on hop-off day tickets, so you can get off at Seaton Wetlands.
• Dogs travel for £2 each way, downstairs only.
• Free parking at the Colyton end — start there and skip the seafront charges entirely.
• Volunteer drivers give a commentary as you go.

And the free one

Not a preserved line at all, but worth knowing: Brunel's sea wall railway at Dawlish and Teignmouth runs a few feet from the promenade, and watching an express come through — or the waves break over the wall in a swell — costs nothing.