History

The days of rail travel from Okehampton to Bere Alston

Although you can still travel from Plymouth to Gunnislake by rail, the last Plymouthto-Exeter trains travelled the route via Bere Alston and Okehampton on 5 May 1968. The latest book in the series by Bernard Mills about the railways serving Plymouth, takes the reader on a nostalgic journey of the former railway’s history, and the route as it looks today.

The London and South Western Railway (LSWR) line from North Tawton reached Okehampton on 8 January 1867, and then Lydford in 1874. By then the Great Western Railway from Plymouth to Launceston via Tavistock (South) and Lydford, was already in service. However the Okehampton to Plymouth route wasn’t fully completed until 1891, after the Plymouth Devonport & South

The last T9 at Meldon 27 April 1963, Bernard Mills collection

Western Junction Railway (PDSWJR) developed an independent route from Lydford to Tavistock, and then via Bere Alston to the LSWR terminal in Plymouth - in 1923 LSWR and PDSWJR were absorbed into Southern Railways (SR). Bernard’s comprehensive history of the route covers a wealth of detail, such as Bridestowe Station’s importance in transporting products from the Rattlebrook Peat Tramway and the Sourton Ice Factory, started by James Henderson in 1875 in pre-refrigeration days; while sidings were installed at Lydford in 1943 to store ammunition trains – as a damage limitation scheme in case they were bombed. From the 1950s, Bernard Mills worked at the stations in both Bere Alston and Tavistock and his book includes invaluable insights into station life such as the following section: As at Bere Alston, the Tavistock booking clerk was required to collect tickets from those leaving the station on the down side. There were two middle-aged ladies who travelled almost daily from Bere Alston and always had a bag of sweets to share with the station staff. Then there were enjoyable duties like lighting the coal fire in the waiting room, cleaning out the grate. Each platform had a canopy… supported by cast-iron columns cast in M/S Matthews & Co Tavistock Foundry. Truly this was an elegant railway station of the late Victorian era.

As you would expect Bernard also relates a number of anecdotes about his experiences over the years, such as the Soho stripper who arrived on the 01:10 from Waterloo to visit her husband at Princetown prison – you can read the full story in Bernard’s book! He also describes how conveyance of all manner of livestock on passenger trains was commonplace until the mid-80s. On one occasion a North Brentor farmer arrived with a live pig in a crate just as the train was pulling into the station. The pig was quickly transferred to the guard’s van and the train left on time. A few days later the station staff received a letter of complaint from a lady passenger stating: As I left my compartment to be ready to light from the train as it approached Okehampton, I was rather alarmed to see a pig walking in the corridor.

0857 London Waterloo-Plymouth at Wortha Mill Aug 1962, Bernard Mills collection Wortha Mill in February 2020, B.Mills

Clearing snow for 34063 at Tavistock North 30 Dec 1962, Bernard Mills collection 1030 Brighton-Plymouth at Meldon Viaduct Aug 1963, Keith Holt

There were also tough times such as the blizzard of 29th December 1962:Conditions were still best described as atrocious as both railway men and volunteers, mostly made up from those stranded overnight at Tavistock South, continued to clear snow up the tracks and then unblock the frozen points… The SR route was badly affected by the blizzard with disruption lasting for about six weeks.

The following incident took place before Bernard started working at Tavistock. Prisoners for HMP Dartmoor Prison used to come to Tavistock by rail where they were escorted to a padlocked gate in the station coal yard and then to Princetown in the prison van. One time, Mr Quest the long-standing stationmaster was on holiday and had taken the coal yard gate key with him. The relief stationmaster had to use some initiative and calmly, in front of the prisoners, he picked the lock… One of the prisoners commented, “You are in the wrong job mate; you should be coming with us!” On 1 January 1963 Dr Richard Beeching became chairman of the British Railways Board and train services from London to the South West and throughout the region started to be reduced. As services became less frequent and rail travel less convenient, passengers drifted away, sealing the fate of many lines. Although Dr Beeching left British Rail in 1965, the rot had set in and the closure of the service between Okehampton and Bere Alston, as well as many other lines, was approved. Nowadays the Granite Way is mostly built along the course of the former Southern Region railway line between Okehampton and Lydford, allowing cyclists and walkers to travel the same route as the former trains. However, the Dartmoor Railway introduced the Okehampton to Meldon shuttle in April 2000, and a new station was built at the former Meldon Quarry Halt site in 2002. With the government’s confirmation of the re-introduction of the regular service from Okehampton to Exeter which was withdrawn in 1972, and feasibility work on proposals for new lines and stations, it is possible that many other routes may yet see a new lease of life.

This article has been compiled from ‘Backtracking Around Plymouth, Callington, Tavistock North and the Southern Region Main Line to Okehampton’ by Bernard Mills, available at most local bookshops, or at www. chrisrobinson.co.uk/shop/books where you can also find details about Bernard’s other books.