Station fire at Paignton. Footbridge?

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

Maybe Chris B can transfer them to here.

welllll.....in might be easy

[Image from here is not available to guests]

I can see the photo above - can we all?

[REVUpminster]

[Image from here is not available to guests]Paignton station. fire at footbridge 21 July 2026 by Robert, on Flickr

[Image from here is not available to guests]Fire at Paignton Station footbridge 21 July 2026 by Robert, on Flickr

I've put them on flkr. The image box here doesn't work for me so haven't used it.
These two are not mine.

[REVUpminster]

[Image from here is not available to guests]Painton Station fire 23 July 2026 2 by Robert, on Flickr

[Image from here is not available to guests]20260723_092147 by Robert, on Flickr

[Image from here is not available to guests]Painton Station fire 23 July 2026 5 by Robert, on Flickr

[Image from here is not available to guests]20260723_093144 by Robert, on Flickr

[REVUpminster]

[Image from here is not available to guests]Painton Station fire 23 July 2026 7 train in station by Robert, on Flickr

Train in platform empty Torquay-Paignton-Torquay

[REVUpminster]

https://youtu.be/LMEVYdqjwjI

https://youtu.be/LMEVYdqjwjI

[Chris from Nailsea]

Many thanks for your adding all of that content here on the Coffee Shop forum, REVUpminster.

Chris from Nailsea. 

[REVUpminster]

From what I saw the goods shed was not damaged, maybe smoke damage, and the doors look undamaged. In the shed is the booking hall, ticket office, empty cafe, and the signalling and level crossing panel.
The seat of the fire was the footbridge and newsagents kiosk that has been closed for years. The fire also damage the canopy roof.

I'll go down again today as I have been updating other things. The demolition opposite, Paignton Picture House new lift shaft and staircase (extremely slow job) and new temporary car park in Victoria Square and the new sea defences. A lot going on in Paignton. The council have been given money to demolish things but need a developer to build things.

[REVUpminster]

Went down Saturday morning 25 July 2026 at 100hrs and 1700hrs to see out the Kingswear-Southend tour train. The dry weather has meant the tour trains in the last few weeks have not picked up a steam locomotive at Taunton.

Notices were up today and three station staff were sitting at a table behind the wire fence. All staff gone at 1700hrs. No work being carried on at the station or the demolition opposite. Gilpen don't work weekends. I suppose that's why Tuesday is the mooted date for reopening to the public. No rush down here. No priority. There is still a smell of acrid smoke in the air.

The footbridge does have significant damage.
[Image from here is not available to guests]Paignton Station 25 July 2026 damage to footbridge 1 by Robert, on Flickr

General view of area. There is a crane from Devon lifting services which I don't think Gilpen are using to demolish the building opposite. Maybe something happening Sunday or Monday to station.
[Image from here is not available to guests]Paignton Station 25 July 2026 damage to footbridge by Robert, on Flickr

Damaged roofing to canopy removed
[Image from here is not available to guests]Paignton Station 25 July 2026 canopy outside station, damage to footbridge by Robert, on Flickr

[REVUpminster]

Kingswear-Southend tour train leaving at 1730hrs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVMD41t3N3M

[Phantom]

I can see them....and I'm not logged in for years!

Me too, but they don't enlarge, I would guess that is the point being made

[REVUpminster]

The station is expected to open tomorrow. The car park is closed today, but after it already filled up. Access will be via the car park, as it is during the air-show, and a portacabin ticket office is being brought down (forgot where the chap said it was coming from) although might not be open tomorrow.

The trains are going to pull up the far end of platform.

[REVUpminster]

At the station today just in time for the level crossing to fail up.
The platform no 2 has two temporary entrances in the car park which is closed and only being used by Chief Rentals. The portacabin never materialised and is expected today.

The platform in use is long enough for a five car train and the expected xcountry was terminated at Newton Abbot because of the level crossing failure.
[Image from here is not available to guests]Paignton station 30 July 2026 Two temporay entrances by Robert, on Flickr

[Image from here is not available to guests]Paignton station 30 July 2026 by Robert, on Flickr

[Image from here is not available to guests]Paignton station 30 July 2026 150 in platform by Robert, on Flickr

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks for posting your detailed updates here, REVUpminster.  CfN^▸ (Chris from Nailsea, an administrator on this forum). 

[REVUpminster]

Terrific drone video here. Get a good view of Happy Valley sidings owned by the steam railway. Must have been done last weekend.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F512zZsDQP8


It was last Saturday and featured the Kingswear-Southend tour train departing and I'm in the video right at the end on the footbridge filming it leaving. A white blob in the middle.

[REVUpminster]

The portacabin ticket office was at Paignton Saturday but closed. A 5 car voyager came in from Manchester 47 late at 1941 and left for Bristol at 1947 using platform 2 instead of it's usual shunt via the crossover.
I was there at 1700 to see the Kingswear-Shrewsbury train depart at 1727 which waited just off the platform so it could pass through without stopping when the signal cleared to yellow. As usual there were no staff on the station after 1700 and there were people on platform 1; train spotters like me?. The gate to the platform has been locked since the fire so I don't know how they got there.