At Starcross you see the best surviving building from Brunel's Atmospheric Railway.

When Isambard Kingdom Brunel was engaged by the South Devon railway as its chief engineer, he convinced the board of Directors to invest in a revolutionary new propulsion system and not to use (the also new) steam locomotives. Brunel's plan required the laying of a pipe between the rails. A piston in the pipe was connected to the train above through a slit in the top of the pipe. A leather flap covered the slit.

Pumping stations situated at regular intervals along the track sucked the air out the pipe and the train was pushed along the track using atmospheric pressure--hence the name. The experiment failed and after only a year's use the railway was converted to conventional steam-powered locomotives. Today the pumping station at Starcross is a working museum to the atmospheric railway.

From Starcross you have a number of choices for getting to Exmouth;

• the "official" route uses the Starcross-Exmouth ferry
• take the train from Starcross station, changing at Exeter
• do the same thing using frequent bus services
• you can walk further north (via Powderham Church) and use the Topsham ferry (not at lunchtime or Tuesdays)
• try the Exe Water Taxi from the tip of Dawlish Warren. Details available in the Annual Guide.

The Starcross-Exmouth ferry normally runs throughout the year and more details are available on our river crossings page.