Local Authors

Devon’s Railway Heritage

By Robert Hesketh This lively and beautifully illustrated little book is a concise summary of Devon’s Railway Heritage which will be of great interest to railway enthusiasts, locals and tourists. It also provides valuable information on places to visit and their contact details. Robert Hesketh is a writer and photographer specializing in West Country subjects, including local history, guides and walks. To date, he has published 59 books covering Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset, as well as illustrated articles for a wide range of magazines including Devon Life, Cornwall Life, Dartmoor Magazine, Country Walking and The Countryman. He also has 21 local history talks to offer.

Mainline steam trains first came to Devon in 1844 when the westward extension of the Bristol and Exeter Railway reached Exeter. The new line was engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and regular services to Paddington were scheduled at only five hours making them the fastest trains in the world. Brunel thought that the Atmospheric Railway system would bring speed and efficiency to the difficult and hilly terrain west of Exeter by replacing locomotives with stationary pumping houses. A vacuum created in a central pipe that ran between the rails drew the train along by atmospheric pressure. But the all-important leather flap valve was prone to damage by frost and rats and the pumping houses used more fuel than expected so that eventually the whole project was abandoned and replaced with steam locomotives. Brunel built a series of wooden viaducts but his Royal Albert Bridge was one of his greatest and enduring triumphs and still carries mainline trains.

Railways also brought a population explosion to several Devon towns. Cheap rail travel opened the Devon coasts to ordinary people and the coastal resorts expanded. Through the 1960s and 1970s though Devon’s track mileage dwindled as branches were closed.

Devon also has a number of preserved railways and stations with vintage locomotives, carriages and rolling stock where visitors can experience the distinctive sounds and smells of earlier railway travel. The book details interesting railways and stations to visit, including the South Devon Railway, Dartmouth Steam Railway, Dartmoor Railway, Launceston Steam Railway, Plym Valley Railway, Seaton Tramway, Bere Ferrers Station, Devon Railway Centre at Bickleigh, the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway, Lynton Cliff Railway and the Babbacombe Cliff Railway. There is also very useful information on exploring Devon’s railway heritage on foot or by bike. Places listed include the Tarka Trail, Instow’s Signal Box, Bideford’s Railway Heritage Centre, Great Torrington’s former station house, Christow Station, Haytor Tramway, Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway, The Granite Way, Plym Valley, Wray Valley Trail and the Ruby Way. This book is a treasure trove of valuable information and a fascinating read. Dr Ann Pulsford

Devon’s Railway Heritage is available, along with over 60 other West Country titles, from www.roberthesketh.co.uk at £3.99 plus £2.50 p&p, or from Book Stop in Tavistock.

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