Lynton and Barnstaple Railway - heritage line, plans for expansion (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[Red Squirrel]

Looking at old maps, Parracombe is never shown as a having a halt, let alone a station, just Parracombe Siding. Woody bay is shown as a station (though not at Woody Bay, obviously). Finding a map with the route on it does show just how remarkably wiggly it was.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parracombe_railway_station

The waiting shelter, perhaps rather embarrassingly for the 7-strong team of experts responsible for the PBA report, is still extant.

[grahame]

The internet is a wonderful place to find nuggets ... beware this is over 12 years old

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/3342564/Pioneers-who-blazed-a-trail-to-the-West.html

Within striking distance of both the coast and the moor is Court Place Farm, home for the past 15 years of art dealer David Grob and his wife, Louise, the beguiling face of the Gold Blend coffee advertisements in the 1990s.

Although their work takes them to London and America, it is in the small moorland village of Parracombe that they have made their home with their children - 12-year-old William, Ella, seven, and Arthur, three.

Court Place Farm is set in a hamlet called Churchtown, whose name is taken from the 12th-century St Petrock's church. There are no longer regular services there, but it is open and the owners of Court Place Farm have the right to use it.

In a roundabout way - almost out of a scene from a Ronald Duncan play - the Grobs were married there three years ago, followed up the aisle with its box pews by their three children and fox terrier. It was the first wedding in the church for a century.

Many of their friends followed them to north Devon - among them artist Damien Hirst and his wife, designer Maia Norman, Simon and Alice Browne (he was the chef at the deeply fashionable London Green Street Club in the 1990s) and literary agent Sarah Lutyens.

"We feel we were almost pioneer arrivals here," says David Grob, 50, as we sit in the walled winter garden of Court Place Farm, "although Louise's mother had a house in the village, so we were not complete strangers."

When they found what was to become their home, it was really two farm-worker's cottages with a thatched roof and a bigger house in which relations of Lorna Doone writer RD Blackmore had lived.

A carved inscription outside marks the residency of John and Elizabeth Blackmore in 1787, and they are buried in the churchyard.

The old Lynton railway used to run outside and its cutting may still be seen in the folds of lush, rolling grass beyond the lawns. This may also have meant that the farm had railway connections and enthusiasts have dropped in at the house over the years.

[TonyK]

...a place where (and I paraphrase slightly, but not much) fuel was put in locomotives' water tanks...

Could it have been sabotage by earlier scions of the family?

[SandTEngineer]

....have been approved:
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/first-phase-multi-million-pound-1306343

Edit to add: Apologies, but I couldn't seem to be able to copy the article text here

[TonyK]

An impassioned plea by a smart looking lady, who could still stir my coffee, failed to sway the men in corduroy.

[SandTEngineer]

A lot of the planning application detail can be seen here.  My only comment is, that having digested some of this material, is that it must be b****y hard work getting anything like this done.

http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/about-us/meetings-agendas-reports/exmoor-national-park-authority/06-mar-2018/ar-enpa-06.03.2018-Item-6.1.pdf

http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/about-us/meetings-agendas-reports/exmoor-national-park-authority/06-mar-2018/ar-enpa-06.03.2018-Appendix-1.pdf

http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/about-us/meetings-agendas-reports/exmoor-national-park-authority/06-mar-2018/ar-enpa-06.03.2018-Appendix-2.pdf

http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/about-us/meetings-agendas-reports/exmoor-national-park-authority/06-mar-2018/ar-enpa-06.03.2018-Appendix-3.pdf

http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/about-us/meetings-agendas-reports/exmoor-national-park-authority/06-mar-2018/ar-enpa-06.03.2018-Appendix-4.pdf

http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/about-us/meetings-agendas-reports/exmoor-national-park-authority/06-mar-2018/ar-enpa-06.03.2018-Appendix-5.pdf

http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/about-us/meetings-agendas-reports/exmoor-national-park-authority/06-mar-2018/ar-enpa-06.03.2018-Appendix-6.pdf

http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/about-us/meetings-agendas-reports/exmoor-national-park-authority/06-mar-2018/ar-enpa-06.03.2018-Appendix-7.pdf

http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/about-us/meetings-agendas-reports/exmoor-national-park-authority/06-mar-2018/ar-enpa-06.03.2018-Appendix-8.pdf

http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/about-us/meetings-agendas-reports/exmoor-national-park-authority/06-mar-2018/ar-enpa-06.03.2018-Appendix-9.pdf

[Red Squirrel]

....have been approved:
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/first-phase-multi-million-pound-1306343

Edit to add: Apologies, but I couldn't seem to be able to copy the article text here

Interesting to see the claim that the line "will pass within a few feet of the house in which Lorna Doone was written" repeated. Aside from the question of how material that is as a consideration, my desk-based analysis (of which Peter Brett Associates would be proud!) suggest that it's quite a lot more than a few feet.

And instant coffee is an abomination.

[sikejsudjek3]

That has to rank as one of the weakest planning objections I've ever seen. Pathetic frankly - if the house is of that value to local heritage then what better to attract visitors than a heritage line ! Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

[Umberleigh]

Very good news and after a lot of hard work and not inconsiderable costs (the printed planning applications for consultation cost over £3,000 alone)

And not before time, as while huge strides have been made with the rolling stock, the railway itself has not advanced a single inch in close to 13 years. It was increadibly frustrating to see Lyn and Lew with the heritage stock at Killington Lane, where one must terminate, but where one can also gaze down at the route south...

That said, the progress with the two locos and the heritage coaches has been a minor miracle and I remain convinced goals will be reached in all good time.

[johnneyw]

Considering the significance of the approval, it's perhaps a little surprising that the L&B website has not made a song and dance about it. In fact, the news seems not to have reached there at all yet.

[TonyK]

Considering the significance of the approval, it's perhaps a little surprising that the L&B website has not made a song and dance about it. In fact, the news seems not to have reached there at all yet.

Overt triumphalism is not the North Devon way, at least not until internet skills catch up with results.

[Umberleigh]

Considering the significance of the approval, it's perhaps a little surprising that the L&B website has not made a song and dance about it. In fact, the news seems not to have reached there at all yet.

Members area has been updated

Also the L&B Yahoo group is an up to date forum for all things L&BR^▸ (British Rail(ways))

Have to say the fundraising task ahead is massive, and very reliant on Lottery Heritage funding.

[Umberleigh]

Finding a map with the route on it does show just how remarkably wiggly it was.

That was the whole point of narrow gauge - It allows tighter curves to allow the line to cling to contours reducing the need for costly earthworks and structures. 

In the late 80s I met an old Barum resident who had travelled on the line as a lad. Those curves plus the gradient ensured the trains headed to Lynton were so slow he and others could jump out of the lead coach, pick some wild flowers* from the line side, and jump back in the rear coach

* a certain vicar used to throw wild flower seeds from the train window, apparently

[grahame]

Considering the significance of the approval, it's perhaps a little surprising that the L&B website has not made a song and dance about it. In fact, the news seems not to have reached there at all yet.

Members area has been updated

Also the L&B Yahoo group is an up to date forum for all things L&BR^▸ (British Rail(ways))

Have to say the fundraising task ahead is massive, and very reliant on Lottery Heritage funding.

I would complement the L&BR team on taking such a measured response.  They need to work with their neighbours  and provide their end of an environment that works positively forward together, whilst (I am sure) taking precautions to ensure that if the "together" can't happen, they can move forward anyway.

The front pages of a tourist / visitor website is a place to promote to visitors - not one on which to air any dirty washing or get involved in operational and organisational detail.    But I'm sure that in due course it will feature fundraising and development - as a 'hook' to pull in more visitors and to garner more support from those visitors as the track extends to Parracombe, to Blackmoor, then later to Pilton and perhaps to Barnstaple Town and in some dreams to connect with National Rail at Barnstaple Junction.

[Chris125]

Considering the significance of the approval, it's perhaps a little surprising that the L&B website has not made a song and dance about it. In fact, the news seems not to have reached there at all yet.

It's great news, but they still need to apply for a TWAO^▸ (Transport and Works Act Order ).