The Atmospheric Railway Pumping House, Starcross

Image: © Tony Atkin Taken: 27 Jan 2007

The title above was the original purpose of this building although it is now used by the Starcross Fishing and Cruising Club. The Atmospheric Railway was a means of propelling trains tried out by Brunel on the railway line between Exeter and Newton Abbott. A large pipe was laid along the centre of the track with a gap at the top closed with a leather flap. A piston underneath the train was inserted into the pipe and the air pumped out of it in front of the train by engines at pumping houses like this one spaced along the track. Atmospheric pressure behind the piston would ensure that it and the train were pushed forward. This system started running in 1847 but proved so troublesome that it was abandoned in 1848. The building pictured here is the last surviving pumping house. It is said that this building was built in an "Italianate" style, although that might have been more obvious if the top part of the tower had not been removed.

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