On the 1st January 1876, the Great Western Railway (G.W.R) took over all of the South Devon lines, and, for a time this became just one of many G.W.R branch lines.  However on 12th October 1874, The London & South Western Railway had opened a line from Okehampton to Lydford.  The Act of Parliament for the two parts of the G.W.R branch line had built into it running powers, which allowed the LSWR to run from Lydford to a new station at Kings Road, Devonport, Plymouth.