You can easily spend the whole day on the South Devon Railway because they're far more than a train ride! Ride the South Devon Railway and, while you are there, you can visit the Totnes Rare Breeds Farm and Dartmoor Otters & Buckfast Butterflies: 3 Great Attractions, 1 Amazing Day. A BRILLIANT ALL WEATHER ATTRACTION!
The South Devon Railway is one of Devon’s and the West Country’s best loved tourist attractions and is the longest established steam railway in the south west.

The South Devon Railway, or SDR, is a seven mile former Great Western Railway branch line, built in 1872, which runs along the stunning valley of the River Dart between Buckfastleigh and Totnes. We run steam trains with heritage rolling stock and offer a wonderful all day, all weather attraction for families and people of all ages.

Ride the South Devon Railway and, while you are with us, you can visit the Totnes Rare Breeds Farm and Dartmoor Otters & Buckfast Butterflies: 3 Great Attractions, 1 Amazing Day. Find us just off the A38 at Buckfastleigh, very close to the famous Buckfast Abbey, or by train to Totnes on the Great Western main line.



What to see and do



You can easily spend the whole day on the South Devon Railway because we're far more than a train ride!



The line, which is operated mainly by dedicated volunteers, runs for seven miles from Buckfastleigh to Totnes in South Devon along the stunning valley of the river Dart. The journey takes you through beautiful, unspoilt countryside rich in wildlife and well away from roads.



With a backdrop of Dartmoor and beautiful Devon hills, at Buckfastleigh we have a museum, historic steam and diesel locomotives and rolling stock, a play area, gardens, riverside walks, a picnic area and lots to see as well as our Refreshment Rooms and Expressway model and gift shop with its new model railway. Dartmoor Otters & Buckfast Butterflies are also at Buckfastleigh station.



The train pauses at Staverton, a wayside country station that takes you back to the days when life was slower and quieter.



Our station at Totnes has been built entirely from buildings and artifacts rescued from GWR stations all around the west. The award-winning Totnes Rare Breeds Farm is right next to our station.



Trains can be joined at Buckfastleigh, where there is ample free car parking, or at Totnes, which has a main line railway station and car parking in the town. Trains also stop at Staverton from where there are riverside walks to the pretty village with its pub and 14th century church.

Refreshment Rooms



The award winning Refreshment Rooms at Buckfastleigh on the South Devon Railway are an excellent place to come for hot meals, snacks, cakes and delicious Devon cream teas.

When visiting the South Devon Railway, please come and see us for breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea.

Our ever popular breakfasts feature free range eggs, honey roast sausages, prime back bacon combined with hash browns, baked beans, tomatoes and toast. Freshly cooked to order, with a pot of tea or coffee, they are real value for money.

For lunch or a snack, our menu is extensive and offers an extensive choice from fresh sandwiches, pasties cooked on the premises or hot food freshly cooked to order. Each day our chefs prepare homemade specials such as braised steak, chicken wrapped in bacon, pork, apple and cider pie, homemade pork and apple meatballs in a sweet tomato sauce, lamb jalfrezi, sausage and mash, and steak and ale pie.

Our Sunday roasts are served with roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, cauliflower cheese and fresh vegetables.

Try our homemade cakes and pastries, such as choux buns, cheesecake and our delicious scones. Available with butter and jam or as a full cream tea, our scones are the perfect treat all year round.

We are open every day, except between December 24th to December 28th, even when the trains are not running.