Brixham Railway Memories
Updated 29 August 2024
This page is a collection of memories of the Brixham Railway. They have been taken from emails to us, comments on Facebook, or as told to Pauline our historian and researcher.
Drop us an email if you have a similar memory (and photo if possible) of the Brixham Branch that we could share here.
The Whippet
My father was the station Sergeant at Brixham Police Station (now the Heritage Museum) between 1952 and 1957.
I was a young child at the time, but I vividly remember many a Saturday morning when Dad and I would walk up the hill to the station and then take the train to Churston where Dad would meet with the local constable before we boarded the bus back to Brixham.
Such happy days.
Added 16 March 2023
My father worked in the Signal Box at Brixham station for a number of years. I used to climb up the wall in South Furzeham Road to see him. When I went in the box, it was either my father or Bill Budd pulling the levers with multi-coloured cloths.
In 1955 I travelled to Brixham from London on the train. I used to help out at my friend’s guest house in South Furzeham Road.
When holidaying in Brixham from Birmingham, the trunks were sent on 2-3 weeks in advance to Brixham station and then to the holiday camp. They were then collected at the end of the holiday and sent back.
Reg Westaway was a great favourite on the Brixham branch. When he left Brixham and passed Furzeham School, he would sound the whistle and wave to us in the playground.
I used to love sitting in my Grandparent’s garden in Prospect Road and then watch the trains.
When my father Bill Budd, was a Porter at Churston, my mother used to cook him a hot meal and send it on the Whippet to Churston. The meal was still hot when it arrived at Churston.
My father Bill Budd, was in the film ‘The System’ filmed at Brixham (alias Roxham) in 1964. He played a Porter, but that was his actual job on the railway!
I remember the trains next to Furzeham School. We used to play L-O-N-D-O-N spells London and Fish in the Net.
I travelled with my husband and our three year old boy on the last train on the Brixham branch. Our son had never been on a train before, the train travelled on to Kingswear.
So our son wasn’t frightened by the darkness of Greenway Tunnel and not wishing to alarm him, my husband came up with a great idea. Our son had his teddy with him, my husband explained that it would get quite dark for a little while in the tunnel and could our son comfort his teddy and tell him not to be afraid.
This really worked and our son enjoyed the trip without any worry. I also remember all the detonators going off on the line.
I used to take the train to Brixham from Totnes with my mother and go shopping in the Pannier Market.
I used to stand underneath the bridge over Higher Furzeham Road and throw my football up to break the ‘stalactites’ that hung from the stonework.