Representing users of the Barnstaple to Exeter rail line
TARKA RAIL ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE Issue 34
Autumn 2010
www.tarkarail.org
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Price 90p (free to members)
Contents Topic
Author(s) Page
Editorial Chairman’s Introduction In the Dark Location, Location, Location Are we getting the whole picture? Exploring the Line (7) Platform 1 Goes Green December Timetable Changes News Update & Miscellany A New Publication Tesco Arises Overnight Visitor Rail Link to Lithuania Latest Tarka Line Figures Travelwatch Southwest Meeting Station Spotlight—Umberleigh Readers Write Membership Matters
Andy Hedges John Burch Mike Day David Baker Peter Craske John Burch Tony Hill
Tony Olsson John Burch Peter Craske
Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editors nor of the Tarka Rail Association Design: Tarka Rail Association
Send articles, information, and letters for the next edition to: Andy Hedges 20 Barton Meadow Road, High Bickington, Umberleigh, EX37 9AN or e-mail to andyhedges@gmail.com
Front Cover: Autumnal scene at Bishops Tawton © Thor Beverley, to whom we are indebted. 2
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Editorial We are still no further forward than at the time of the last issue in trying to work out what the future holds in terms of the railways, both nationally and locally. No definitive statement (apart from a vague commitment to HS2) on rail strategy has yet emanated from central government, only more road schemes. Locally there is no information on the level of local government grants going forward, so no decisions are able to be made as to the support for public transport in rural areas. Despite this there will be a trial, starting in December, of a later train service from Exeter to Banstaple on a Friday night, to establish the level of demand. More details of this can be found elsewhere in this issue. The other good news is that we have started to see the 150/1 units cascascaded from London Overground in operation (see page 14). So ends a successful year, but what of the next one? Andy Hedges
Message From The Retiring Chairman I have been immensely honoured and proud to have been Chairman of one of the oldest and best respected rail user groups. During my time there have been immense strides forward which we have actively promoted or supported. I’m particularly pleased at the way in which the service has improved with more trains than ever before seven days a week, which in turn has increased passenger numbers to their highest numbers since records began. The icing on the cake is the new Friday late evening train to start in December which will make possible an evening out in Exeter and which has been a long term goal. None of this would have been possible without the excellent relationship we have built up with First Great Western, Devon County Council, Network Rail and the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership. I have been very pleased to have chaired a Committee where members have become actively involved either through the Station flowers competition, the web site, our walks programme, our responses to high level consultations or day to day matters such as Treasurer and Secretary. I offer my sincere thanks to them and to the wider membership for the support and friendship they have shown. John Phillips 3
Chairman’s Introduction While some of you will know me from my involvement as the TRA bus and coach liaison officer during the last couple of years, now might be a good time to introduce myself as your new Chairman. When John Phillips indicated to us all that he’d quite like to stand down from the Chairman’s role and take things a little easier, it was clear that we were all rather daunted by the prospect of finding someone with the same wisdom and knowledge to take up the gauntlet. I’ve been a busman all my professional life, but I guess there’s no point in denying the fact that I’m a frustrated railwayman too! I actually held an interest in railways before I got hooked by the bus bug, and grew up in Southern electric territory in North West Kent. Some of my earliest memories, like all small boys, are of being taken to my local SR commuter station at Barnehurst in Kent and being allowed to wave to the drivers of the electric trains from the station’s over bridges. Unfortunately steam had long been replaced on passenger work in the South East commuter sector and my only memories of local steam are lying in my bed at night listening to the occasional freight shunting in the distance. However I was taken to Waterloo where steam still had a part to play, and have very vivid memories of locos at the buffer stops. Little did I realise that some of the exotic destinations would become very close to my heart in later years. We holidayed frequently in the West Country, but again only a family holiday to Swanage provides any clear memories of Bullied Pacifics and steam passenger workings. Otherwise it was diesel traction that captured my imagination, having been brought up on what I considered to be boring electric multiple units. I very quickly became absolutely fascinated on family holidays by the Western Region operations and the sight and sound of the WR diesel hydraulic locos had me hooked. For various reasons I chose to follow a professional career in the bus and coach industry, but this frequently sees me involved with rail integration and there is a lot of overlap. In 1999 when my family and I were considering relocating from the South East, the West Country was our preferred destination. I was lucky enough to be offered the job of managing North Devon’s then, major bus operator and we set about finding somewhere to live. I fell in love with Ilfracombe and when we discovered that the Ilfracombe Station master’s house was on the market, it was too good an opportunity to miss! Just under 6 years later I found myself working for the Confederation of Passen-
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ger Transport which looks after the interest of UK bus, coach and light rail operators and I began to travel extensively around the UK as part of this work. I have always tried to practise what I preach and started to make considerable use of the Tarka Line as part of my travels. It was then that I got to know Mike Day and he twisted my arm to join the group. In truth I’d been considering getting involved for some time, so it didn’t take much to persuade me. When it became known that John Phillips might like to retire from the Chairman’s role, I rather foolishly suggested that I might be prepared to have a go. John asked me several times if I was really serious about my offer, and each time I said yes. In all honesty as the months crept closer to our AGM, I began to wonder how on earth I would be able to contribute as much time to the group as John has done over the years. I was therefore very relieved when he asked me whether I’d mind if he still stayed involved in some other capacity. “Of course not John!” was my reply and with great relief I’m delighted that he is staying onboard as our External Affairs man. So here I am about to embark on quite a journey. I have already got to know a significant number of really special people in the community rail business and made some terrific new friends. I’ve spent the last 2 years getting to understand the workings of the line and I hope very much I can bring something to the group. We have some very challenging times ahead, but I am sure I will gain momentum and start to develop some of the aspirations of you, our members, and build on the great work that the TRA committee have done over the years. Thanks for welcoming me onboard and I look forward very much to serving you all in the future. John Burch
In The Dark This little snippet should have had a photograph to accompany it, but it was just too dark to publish. The subject was the sole car park ticket machine at Barnstaple, which, although provided with a light, remains in darkness. During a large part of the year this is not a problem, but with the onset of darker mornings it becomes imperative to have the light mended, but despite numerous reports to both the station operator First Great Western, and the car park operator Apcoa, no action has been taken. One would think that between two national companies such as these it would be possible to solve such a simple problem, or is this a case of passing the buck? 5
Location Location Location Sound familiar? We are often told that location is everything, be it on Regent Street for retail, or the Post Office in the centre of a thriving village. Well one thing that has yet to blip on the radar is Barnstaple Station’s location. Why I hear you ask...
Hosts the largest car park and main access point for the Tarka Trail
Is the centre point of the figure of eight shaped route for the Tarka Trail
National Cycle Route 3 passes by the front door
National Cycle route 27 passes by the front door
South West Coast Path is only 2 minute walk away.
Is located within the UK’s first and currently only UNESCO Biosphere
Has very good cycle hire facilities.
Has an excellent cafe
With all these amazing opportunities for passenger growth particularly on the off peak services, why aren’t we as part of the railway tapping into this huge marketing opportunity? Should we not have a leaflet dedicated to Barnstaple station highlighting all of the walking/cycling opportunities that its location offers? Walkers and cyclists tend to visit all year round not just the summer peak, so this would be a great way of extending the season and increasing the lines footfall with the bonus of it promoting environmentally friendly activities. Mike Day
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Are we getting the whole picture about the Tarka line? We all like to hear good news about the Tarka line, but sometimes I wonder whether all the “good news” stories about the line in the Magazine and other places tell the whole story. Take the claims that the Tarka line has experienced the greatest growth in passengers of all the branch lines in Devon and Cornwall since 2001. This might have been accurate at some point but it could still be misleading. I know you have to start somewhere but 2001 cannot be the best point. For many years before this the line flooded every winter. Sometimes we went for weeks without trains to and from Barnstaple. Thousands of people must have abandoned the trains. A proper picture of progress should start from before the serious flooding began, maybe about 1995 or 1996. Perhaps somebody could tell us the passenger numbers for that time? Then we could start from when the line wasn’t broken and get a better picture. I also think that we need to keep up to date with the broad picture. The Winter 2010 Magazine gives passenger figures for Devon and Cornwall branch lines in 2009 and it is interesting to compare the Tarka line with the others. It says that growth on the line was 11.2%. But it does not say how this compares with the other branch lines. A table in RAIL magazine showed the Tarka line’s growth was the lowest of all the branch lines in this year. We should be told this as well. If the Magazine does not show things like this how can we see the full picture? We seem to get just the things that look good for the line and the way TRA wants it to run. I do not think this is good enough for members or others who read it. Another example is using percentages without the actual numbers. This happens with the smaller stations. The Chairman’s Report for the 2009 AGM says “the Committee have been privy to some recent footfall counts at stations and when these are published in due course it will be fascinating to see the increases of over 30% at some of the smaller stations since the introduction of the daytime hourly service.” Well, the Rail Regulator’s figures for 2008-2009 are now out. Morchard Road’s increased by about 47% and Copplestone’s by 68%.
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These figures look impressive until you work out that Morchard Road averaged about 4 extra passengers a day. I suppose this must be 2 in each direction. Copplestone has gained nearly 9 a day. I wonder which of the 28 trains a day (12 on Sundays) that serve these stations all these extra passengers crowd onto? I also think we should be more careful about what we say is the reason for these increases. The article on TRA’s Response to Network Rail Route Utilisation Strategy says “The current hourly service introduced in December 2008 has rapidly increased passenger numbers by at least 15%”. How do we know this was the reason? There could be lots of reasons, like rising petrol prices, more congestion on the roads, higher parking charges as well as more trains. These are happening everywhere and lots of places have more passengers. Please do not misunderstand me. I got interested in the rail users group eight or nine years ago when it began to push for an hourly service. I am glad we have one now (almost), but this cannot be the only reason for the increases on the Tarka line. In 2008-2009 Barnstaple got 62,983 extra passengers (Rail Regulator’s figures. The FGW figures in the Magazine show a lot less than this. Why?). That is about 24% more (by the way about 180 extra passengers daily on average, 20 times more than at Copplestone and 45 times more than Morchard Road). At the same time passengers at Tiverton Parkway went up nearly 49%, more than double the rise at Barnstaple (see note, below). It would be more useful if we thought about why the increase at Barnstaple, the most important town on the Tarka line with other big towns around it, is not even bigger. Some people may think I am just carping but I say these are serious matters. TRA wants a better rail service. It needs support from members but members need information that gives the whole picture. As I have said, sometimes we only get offered part of it or see things put in a flattering way. I don’t say that TRA “spins” things deliberately, but I never see the Magazine giving information that does not suit the committee’s view. Note: Nearly 148,000 extra passengers at the Parkway railhead. Compare that with the Copplestone ‘railhead’, which struggles to reach 8,000 passengers in a year! David Baker
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Exploring the Line (7) Morchard Road As its name implies, Morchard Road station is located at some distance from the village of Morchard Bishop Despite this disadvantage, its passenger figures in the early 20th Century always exceeded those of Copplestone. The architecture and original layout of the two neighbouring stations was strikingly similar. There was no footbridge at either station. Exeter-bound passengers at Morchard Road reached the up platform by taking a crosswalk of sleepers at the north end of the station, close to a signal box that stood at the station’s Barnstaple end. A siding, protected by catch points, extended back to the road bridge from the down platform. Circular route to the village of Morchard Bishop. 5.9 miles. This walk gives a feel for what a rail passenger, too poor to take the pony trap, and unable to hitch a ride with the carrier, was once required to do: “walk up from the station.” The route utilizes footpaths for much of its length, the outbound, uphill section following the track of the Two Moors Way. A treat in fine weather, the footpaths are harder going after rain, the half mile section between Oldborough and Gollands being especially muddy. Consider your footwear before setting out! Facilities: Pub at Morchard Road. Pub and Village stores at Morchard Bishop. Turn left the end of the station approach onto the busy A377. Exercise care. Beyond the pub turn left [SP Morchard Bishop] over the railway bridge. [Until the 1950s steam traction engines, utilized for road work, were often to be seen parked alongside the broad left verge.] 0.6 miles from the bridge, opposite the entrance to Sharland Farm, turn right through a metal gate onto a footpath leading along a field edge toward Slade, the white house directly ahead across the valley. The footpath enters a field directly in front of Southcott, a Victorian farmhouse. Walk diagonally across this field towards two concrete gateposts and down the further field to reach a gated footbridge about 70 metres to the left of Slade. Cross this bridge and bear right for a few metres up to a gate at the farm entrance. On the far side of this gate, turn sharply left to join the well marked Two Moors Way as it forges north across fields and up an ancient track to reach Weeke. Dog-leg right aross the road onto a grassy track that leads past
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farm buildings to Woodgate. Beyond, an iron gate across the path, identical to several in the neighbourhood, was almost certainly made around 1900 at the village smithy, still in operation. The path shortly divides. Keep left heading for the upper part of the village. [Walkers interested in seeing where the gate came from should take the right hand fork straight ahead to Frost, where the Webber Brothers’ smithy can be seen directly across the road, and then follow the road up the hill to the village centre.] Morchard Bishop has its origins in Saxon times, Morchard being derived from Mor-ced: Great Wood. 250 years ago Morchard Bishop was almost double its present size, its aptly named London Inn an important staging post on the Barnstaple - Exeter high road. The coming of the valley turnpike in the early 19th century, offering the horse-drawn coaches a better road, fewer hills and faster journey times, left Morchard, like dozens of other ridgeway villages, remote and isolated until motor cars became commonplace after the Second World War. The village boasts the longest continuous row of thatched cottages in the county, just down the hill from the war memorial. (The row would have been even longer were it not for a thatch fire at the end of the 19th Century, which demolished the two properties at the top of the row.) From the road junction at the top of the village, turn right and take Church Street 0.25 miles to St. Mary’s Church. The views to the south are very fine with the whole of north Dartmoor plainly visible. The church tower can be seen for miles around, and during the last century paid a price for this prominence, sustaining damage from a lightning strike. The school across the road briefly educated Ernest Bevin, a Labour party minister who could scarcely have had more a disadvantaged beginning. (The child of a single mother, he was orphaned at the age of nine, yet went on to found the Transport & General Workers’ Union (1922) and to become a member of the coalition government during World War II. Morchard Bishop, like many remote mid-Devon villages had its share of evacuees from the London blitz. The London children did not always receive a friendly welcome from the locals, and were routinely allowed to leave this village school ten minutes ahead of their rustic peers to avoid being assaulted with clods of earth on the way home! (Readers interested in Bevin may like to know that the house in which he lived between the ages of eight and 13 is situated on the A377 just across from the Copplestone Mills.) Leave the churchyard by the east gate to enter a pleasantly shaded field. On a clear day, Haytor Rocks near Bovey Tracey are plainly visible on the
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skyline and, directly beneath them, the tower of Colebrooke church. Pass through the far gate and turn right to descend steeply down a lane. At the road junction a few metres further on, continue straight on downhill. At the bottom of the village, 0.8 miles from the church, the lane merges with the old high road to New Buildings and Exeter. Bear left and continue along it for 0.2 miles, passing Oldborough cross where a road enters from the right. Some 200 metres beyond this intersection, and just beyond Higher Oldborough on the left, look on the right for a stile and a signposted footpath leading across a meadow. Take this footpath diagonally across two fields. The view to the distinctive hills of northern Dartmoor is superb. At the bottom of the second field the path joins a primitive lane, which can be extremely muddy after winter rains, so stop for a moment and spare a thought for the children of times past. As a child growing up only a mile from Morchard Bishop during the 1940s, I was told of three local lanes famed for their horrific winter conditions and going by the names of Mucksypot, Gooseypool and Featherbed. Sadly, I never learned their precise locations, but what is now innocuously known as Knathorne Lane could well have been one of the three. A retired farmer, born in 1923, remembers children from Knathorne, a farm that you’ll be passing shortly, using this lane daily on their journey up to Morchard school and being berated by the then headmaster, David Tipper, for the vast quantities of mud they brought in on their boots. Descend left into the lane (for which you may soon have a title of your own!) and follow it for 0.4 miles, down and then up to reach Gollands, an isolated house on the left. After Gollands the track improves, subsequently passing Knathorne Farm, the former home of the schoolchildren, on the right. Shortly beyond the farmhouse a primitive and often muddy crossroads is dominated by a large barn. Proceed straight ahead past the barn to a point just beyond where the footpath divides. Turn sharp right and follow the edge of a large field, with the hedge first on your right and later on your left to reach a stile. Climb this and strike out diagonally across the hilltop to reach another stile in the opposite corner leading to steps down to a plantation. Turn left to reach Slade Farm once more. Before retracing your route through the little gate, over the stream and across the fields to the road, note Slade’s ancient outbuildings (the original farm) which may be glimpsed through the entrance on your left. On reaching the road, turn left downhill to the station, 0.7 miles away. Peter Craske
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Platform 1 goes green – Platform 2 not so green! Members will know that Barnstaple station has benefited from brand new signage in the Southern green. However there was one bit of the job that needed completing and this was something that a small team of TRA volunteers had agreed to undertake. John Phillips had organised the appropriate Risk Assessment and Method Statement for the work and after several weeks the appropriate Site Access permit was eventually issued. So it was that on the morning of Sunday October 10th the TRA’s John Burch, Peter Craske, Mike Day, Andy Hedges and John Philips descended on Barnstaple station equipped with green undercoat paint, thinners, an assortment of brushes, drip covers and old clothes and set to attack the station canopy supports and ornamental ironwork plus the poster cases around the platform to transform them to the appropriate green. The weather behaved itself all day and in what seemed like no time at all we’d managed to complete stage one of the process. We had deliberately worked our activity around the departure of the trains which was just as well since this proved to be a busy day passenger wise. We all acted as look outs to make sure none of the Tarka Line’s customers ended up with SR green clothes! Meanwhile over on platform two another group of volunteers, of a very different kind, got stuck into the long awaited first major work party to clear and refresh the old island platform. We were joined by Exeter train drivers Rod Cox, Phil Gadd, Steve Hancock and Steve Hill and guard Steve Thornley. They all joined our work party and came equipped with tree cutting equipment and suitable training and certification to get stuck into the vegetation and veritable jungle that has grown up around the area in the last 30 years. It was hard and thirsty work and to this end our Stationmaster Mike Day had laid on refreshments and his two staff, Hannah and Jo, ensured we were all well looked after with drinks, and more especially a fine Stationmaster’s Big Breakfast to keep us going. The paint gang had completed their work by mid afternoon and left their handy work to dry, while the tree surgeons continued until around 6pm. If you’ve been to Barnstaple recently you’ll have seen that the westernmost end of the island platform now looks very different and has begun to emerge from the undergrowth. All this is set off a treat by the new Barnstaple station sign erected on the island platform. It is intended to continue this work when time and volunteer availability permits. 12
Meanwhile our paint team returned a couple of weeks later on Sunday 31st October to complete the paint job with a nice glossy top coat. The station is now looking the way it should do once again, and transports waiting customers back to the heyday of the North Devon line. All we need to do now is get permission to paint the canopy and fences cream and we’ll be well away! John Burch
December Timetable Changes With the introduction of First Great Western’s Winter Timetable on 12 Dec. a new late evening train is to run on FRIDAYS ONLY from 17 December. leaving Exeter Central at 22:46 and Exeter St. Davids at 22:50 calling at Crediton (23:01), Yeoford (23:12), Copplestone (23:17), Morchard Road (23:20), Lapford (23:24), Eggesford (23:32), Kings Nympton (23:40), Umberleigh (23:50) and Barnstaple (23:59). This new train on FRIDAYS ONLY is principally to cater for those wanting to use the Tarka line to visit Exeter for an evening out and for those returning from day trips to London etc, also for those coming to North Devon for the weekend who currently have to be collected by road from either Tiverton Parkway or Exeter if they cannot get to Exeter St Davids in time for the last train to Barnstaple at 21:00 (Mons. to Sats.). A consequence of this is that the existing last train from Barnstaple will now depart at 22:16 instead of 22:18, and will not call at Chapelton, Portsmouth Arms, Kings Nympton, and Lapford. The first train on Mondays to Fridays from Barnstaple will, from the new timetable, leave at 07:00 from Barnstaple (7:09 from Umberleigh),(07:30 from Eggesford ) and run 8 minutes earlier to Exeter St Davids so as to provide a connection into the 0814 train to South Devon, Plymouth and Penzance. The additional earlier train each way on Sundays, introduced from May this year, has been successful and will continue to run this Winter, 08:39 from Exeter St.Davids to Barnstaple and return 10:00 from Barnstaple to Exeter .
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News Update and Miscellany At the end of September Barnstaple's former Town station (closed 1970) was for a few hours host to the newly built Manning Wardle 2-6-2T loco 'Lyd' (based on the Festiniog Railway) providing an interesting sight while en route by lorry from the Launceston Steam Railway, where it had been working, to Woody Bay on the L&BR where it was in use and the principal attraction at a very busy 3 day Gala. The disused loop, and connection to the two still remaining but mostly now buried (so the area can be used for car parking for the adjacent Warehouses etc.) sidings in the old Goods Yard at Lapford were lifted during late Summer and removed by Road Rail vehicles to the NR track access location at Morchard Road for scrap, though some of the better flat bottom rails were kept for use elsewhere on the line. Recounting times past with a farming neighbour (in his 93rd year and still very active!) recently included mention of the Col. Stephens North Devon & Cornwall Junction Light Railway which as a young boy when living near Hatherleigh he remembered being built between Torrington & Halwill Jn and opening in 1925, later he often helped load cattle into trucks at Hole station. He remembered day trips to Bude by Pony & Trap to Hole station thence by train changing at Halwill Junction. He recounted the riot in Hatherleigh by disgruntled Navvies building the line and how landowners were paid for their land for construction of the line in shares except for one wise farmer near Hatherleigh who refused to part for anything other than money! Closing south of Meeth Ball Clay works in 1965, after just 40 years, this was one of Britain's shortest lived standard gauge lines. Interestingly a 1930's oil tank wagon that was berthed in 1966 after recovery of the line by train from Halwill Junction back to Meeth Clay works loop sdg south end headshunt, at the end of the line from Torrington, that remained in use for clay traffic until late 1982, still remains here and in use for storing diesel fuel for vehicles using the nearby large shed used for storing ball clay from the still open Marland Ball Clay works. A fine sight and sound was to be had on the Dartmoor Railway for 2 weeks at the end of August when 1960 Yugoslavian built (to a USA War Dept.design) 0-6-0 Tank Steam loco, now renumbered 30075, worked well loaded passenger trains between Sampford Courtenay,Okehampton and Meldon. A similar USA Type 0-6-0T loco DS234 worked at Meldon
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Quarry until 1967, being then the last BR steam loco still in use in the South West. Iowa Pacific's subsidiary Devon & Cornwall Railways (based on the Weardale Railway in the distant North East of England) plans for a regular Okehampton to Exeter passenger service are progressing, but realistically with a May 2011 start at the earliest .Meanwhile an increasingly well organised and capable volunteer workforce is responsible, under the supervision of a paid General Manager, for the manning of Okehampton station & buffet, running of the current diesel worked trains between Okehampton, Meldon and Sampford Courtenay,rolling stock restoration and some support to the 2 paid staff who look after the track. Tony Hill
A New Publication Jointly written by John Nicholas who is a TRA member, and George Reeve, a new book is published this month (November) and is not simply a reprint of two former titles but a complete revamp, update and expansion to give the reader a new insight into the line from Exeter to Ilfracombe. At 448 pages it is more than double the size of John’s earlier book “The North Devon Line” published in 1992 and is well worth the £29.95 list price for anyone who has an interest in the line. Another book is promised in the new year from member Terry Gough, more details will appear in the next issue of the magazine. 15
Tesco Arises
This picture sadly shows one of the largest Tesco stores in the UK, nearing completion at Barnstaple. I say sadly as despite being next to the railway line with a siding, Tesco has not used the railway at all for construction works and nor does it plan to for replenishing the daily goods once it is open. This would have saved literally thousands of lorry movements on the North Devon link Road, plus the fairly considerable saving in CO2 as rail is approximately 7x less than similar lorry journeys. Hopefully Tesco will see sense and use our railway line to replenish all of its North Devon, North Cornwall and Crediton Stores ~(which is also located next to the railway line with sidings). (Photo © Mike Day)
Beginning of the end of 142’s ?
One of the cascaded 150/1 units from London Overground makes an early morning appearance at Barnstaple on the 4th of November. (Photo © Mike Day) 16
Overnight Visitor
A network rail infrastructure ballast train, top and tailed by EWS class 66’s was seen here at Barnstaple on the 20th October at 0130am. The unannounced visit was a welcome sight at Barnstaple consisting of the two Class 66 and 5 ballast wagons. These types of visits are largely unknown about by the general public, but when occasionally captured on camera, shows that work to maintain our secondary main line carries on at all hours, all year round. This particular train deposited ballast along the platform section of track, before disappearing into the night. (Photographs Š Mike Day)
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Rail link to Lithuania That is the title the Gazette used in March 2010 to head an article explaining my work for Baltic Railways Magazine. It could also be the title for an account of my journey using 11 trains from Barnstaple to Lithuania in July. But what I want to write about are the railways of Lithuania, and how they differ from those of the British Isles. Lithuania is tiny, being similar in size to Wales. The Baltic Sea coast is on the west; to the south are Poland and Kaliningrad; north is Latvia and then Estonia; and to the east are Belarus and Russia. Lithuania’s trains are BIG. To start with, the rails are of 5' gauge instead of the 4' 8½" as used in most of Europe. When Lithuania was part of the Soviet Union, this “Russian” gauge was not a problem. Since joining the European Union, the change of gauge at Šeštokai on the border with Poland, has proved to be a barrier to European train travel, particularly freight. Even though total route mileage is small, changing the gauge (like the Great Western Railway was forced to do in 1892) is not practicable because most of Lithuania’s rail freight passes through it, between the Baltic Sea ports and Russia. Passenger traffic is mostly long distance to/from Moscow and St Petersburg. A few standard gauge lines are being extended from Poland and other states into Lithuania, Belarus and Russia. Also under construction is Rail Baltica, a project which will enable standard gauge trains to continue on from Šeštokai through Vilnius, Riga, and Tallinn (the capitals of Lithuania, Latvija and Estonia) to connect with train ferries to Finland. I said earlier, Lithuania’s trains are big. In fact they are MASSIVE. Huge locomotives and carriages tower above you at stations, their size exaggerated by the ground-level platforms. Once you’ve hauled yourself and your luggage up the staircase into the carriage, you find yourself in a cabin so big you could put the average British train inside it (minus the wheels that is). The traditional multiple units are very spartan inside with hard seats, though the new trains being introduced are up to European standards. Lithuanian freight trains go on for ever, and travel very slowly. That’s why their locomotives are so big. Many are of two permanently coupled units (double heading is therefore rare) and 3 unit freight locos visit on trains from Russia. Some of the international passenger trains are also incredibly long. Lithuania is re-equipping its freight locomotive fleet with ER20 CF locomotives built by Siemens, based on the company’s EuroRunner locomotive,
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but considerably enlarged. For passenger travel inside Lithuania, new single and two car trains are being delivered from Europe. The most striking difference between Britain and Lithuania though is the freight/passenger allocation. Britain has a vast network of lines, with passenger traffic very much to the fore. In Lithuania, freight rules by a mile. Compared to Britain, rail mileage is meagre, with many lines being single track. Many towns and cities don’t have connecting passenger services because if there is a line between them, it is permanently clogged with freight trains. Apart from the Vilnius-Kaunas corridor, if you want to go anywhere, you go by bus or coach. Even though rails exist between the three capitals, there are no trains on them. That may change when Rail Baltica is built, though whether they could be fitted in amongst the freight trains is open to debate. Old-un’s like me will remember the huge freight marshalling yards of the pre-Beeching days. They are long gone, but still exist throughout the exSoviet countries, together with huge trains made up of individual wagon loads. Permanent container trains are nowhere near to taking over freight transport as they have here. A couple of photos show developments in locomotive technology.
The old: an L class at Gulbene in Latvia 20 May 2008
The new: ER20CF at Klaipeda in Lithuania 19 May 2008
It’s a different world over there – but I like it! The trains have their own fascination, particularly the old steam locos. There are some on tourist trains in Russia, but there are plenty of plinthed locos throughout the Baltic States and Russia. These include the L class, a magnificent beast of a locomotive, 2-10-0, 17' high and 77' 9" long. For comparison, a British class 9F is 66' 2" long; with a height of 13' 1".
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The country consists of thousands of lakes and vast areas of forest. The rivers and lakes are clean and ideal for swimming. Whilst most of the population live in flats, many of them are not the grim concrete blocks we in the west associate with Soviet architecture, but are attractively designed. Unlike similar British estates, the blocks rarely exceed 5 storeys, and there is a lot of grass and trees outside - very pleasant! Since independence, private housing estates consisting of individual, excitingly designed detached houses have been built; a far cry from the characterless identical tiny boxes we see in this country. The people I find to be friendly, though the language is very difficult to learn. English has only been taught in schools since independence, so much of the older generation do not understand English. Most of all I admire a people who, with the Russian army billeted in their country, declared their independence and stood up in their thousands to oppose the USSR when Gorbachev sent in the troops with tanks to crush the rebellion. 15 unarmed civilians and 7 border guards died, but the Russian army backed down and Lithuania gained independence from the USSR in 1991. Tony Olsson, Ilfracombe
A Lithuanian magazine started in 2009. Issues 1 and 2 are in Lithuanian and Russian. Issues 3 ,4 and 5 are in English and Lithuanian. This 245x166mm 52pp + cover magazine is printed in full colour throughout, with historical photos in sepia on good quality paper. Covers news, technology, history andmuseums in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Kaliningrad Oblast. English translations corrected by TRA member Tony Olsson from whom magazines can be obtained ÂŁ6 including postage and packing email tonyolsson124@btinternet.com
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
2006 18,036 22,050 16,088 22,545 21,982 23,560 26,198 31,064 29,615 26,841 23,849 24,872 19,469 306,169
2007 17,952 18,924 18,207 22,564 22,741 26,004 25,320 29,400 27,633 24,481 26,658 20,218 21,028 301,131
2008 21,340 26,461 20,931 24,560 25,442 27,892 30,271 34,216 32,735 27,920 29,220 21,229 25,676 347,893
2009 22,253 26,146 25,793 32,967 28,857 29,916 33,042 38,558 34,296 30,414 29,649 28,342 26,782 387,015 344,647
2010 %change 08 - 10 % change 09 - 10 26,780 25.5 20.3 30,455 15.1 16.5 24,343 16.3 -5.6 38,849 58.2 17.8 32,218 26.6 11.6 35,818 28.4 19.7 37,203 22.9 12.6 44,356 29.6 15.0 39,708 21.3 15.8 34,917 25.1 14.8
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 have included up to four weeks of buses replacing trains
P3 had only 25 days in 2010, compared to 31 in 2009
Return ticket counts as two journeys
Figures supplied by Wessex Trains/First Great Western
Calendar year - by four week periods
Period (4 Jan - 31 Jan ) (1 Feb - 28 Feb) (1 Mar - 31 Mar) (1 Apr - 2 May) (3 May - 30 May) (31 May - 27 Jun) (28 Jun - 25 Jul) (26 Jul - 22 Aug) (23 Aug - 19 Sep) (20 Sep - 17 Oct) (18 Oct - 14 Nov) (15 Nov - 12 Dec) (13 Dec - 9 Jan ) Total
Latest Tarka Line Figures
Travelwatch S.W Meeting 9th October The event was held at the Conference Centre of the Somerset College of Art and Technology in Taunton. Alan Clark and I represented the TRA, although I was also there in my CPT capacity. There was a very large invited audience representing most of the rail user and voluntary sector groups supporting transport operations in the South West. Several bus operators were represented too. There were also a significant number of local authority officers including Tim Davis and Jon Richardson-Dawes from Devon County Council. TWSW’s Chair Chris Irwin, expressed disappointment that Network Rail had not sent a representative. Chris Rayner, Network Rail’s Route Director who had apparently originally agreed to be present at the meeting, had sent last minute apologies. Kevin Gale, First Great Western’s Operations Director took time out from his holiday to present to the audience as one of the keynote speakers. He had been asked to explain some of the recent drop in performance. He used a number of charts and diagrams to illustrate the various performance figures, but his consistent theme was that much of the recent poor performance was down to Network Rail issues and in particular associated with the Reading remodelling project. There is now a Joint Performance Improvement Plan (JPIP) in place and Kevin said that FGW were currently reviewing the whole of the Summer operation for next year. Kevin updated the audience on the FGW30 plan (which is primarily the replacement of older rolling stock with newer cascaded stock to increase capacity) and he reported that the first 3 cascaded units had arrived. He said that in a week a further unit was due and then another a little later. The first 3 units would not be ready to enter service for another week or so. The first priority was to replace one of the loco hauled sets (the Torbay set). We were also told that some other work has been approved on the existing fleet including some work on doors of units. We were also told that £600K has been earmarked to equip staff with Blackberries (to replace their existing pagers that are 1980’s technology) to dramatically improve communications. Kevin then presented tree diagrams showing the new FGW management structures. Indeed both Julian Crow and David Crome were present at the event. We had a number of other presentations, notably from Mark Howarth, MD of the Western Greyhound bus company on the implications of the spending review on Bus Service Operator Grant, rural bus subsidies and Concessionary 22
fares reimbursement. This certainly doesn’t paint an encouraging picture for road - rail interchange in the South West. Much was made of the fact that, of the 55 South West MP’s, 51 are from the coalition and 4 Labour – so the general theme was that now is the South West’s opportunity to improve its lot. Currently spending on transport in the SW is well below the national average. As I have already mentioned Julian Crow was at the event and on several occasions made good constructive comment standing up for FGW in the South West. There were several tributes to Julian. He had recently passed his 40th anniversary on the railway – what an achievement! With the ending of the South West Regional Development Agency, we were also strongly encouraged to have a look at the proposals being made by the various Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP’s) in the region. The main headline speaker was none other than Peter Hendy, Transport Commissioner for the Mayor of London. Peter of course lives in Bath and gave everyone an insight into the way TfL do (and fund) things. There were a number of Q&A sessions which in the main took the form of some good constructive comment. It was a very good networking event, there was plenty of interest and I will definitely attend these meetings on a regular basis. TWSW Secretary Gordon Edwards certainly knows how to ensure punctuality in an event with such a tight schedule and ensures that things don’t drift! It was a very good event and time well spent. John Burch
Station Spotlight—Umberleigh Nestled in a glorious wooded valley, Umberleigh remains very much a peaceful wayside halt, though all Tarka Line trains call here. The community’s historic function was to provide a crossing point, most recently by a graceful three-arched bridge, over the River Taw on the main road between South Molton and Great Torrington. The river, now an impressive size, offers fish in abundance, a fact not lost perhaps on Athelstan, the first king of “all England,” who built a palace and chapel here in the early 10th Century. In the early- and mid-20th Century the local economy centred around a couple of quarries (both now disused) and Murch Brothers, a thriving engineer23
ing firm specialising in tractors and farm machinery. Murch Brothers today is a mere shadow of its former glory, confining itself chiefly to lawn mower repair. Much of the former engineering site is now occupied by a secondhand furniture warehouse and a smaller tack shop. Across the street retail activity can best be described as sporadic. The Gables Tea Rooms, recently in the hands of new owners, does not at the time of writing appear to be a going concern, and the deep sided valley attracts few winter few visitors. Gone too -- or, rather, relocated -- is the South-west’s only snail farm. Today the community’s chief claim to fame is the fly fishing that’s on offer -for the salmon, sea and brown trout that attracted Athelstan a thousand years ago. The Rising Sun, whose owners are comparatively new arrivals, is clearly a pub with aspirations and is already carving a niche for itself in the little community. New lighting and a newly surfaced station car-park now greet the arriving railway passenger. But the station still offers abundant evidence of the line as it once was. Note, for example, the number of arches on the road bridge at the platform’s north end, which easily accommodated the double track that was taken up in 1971. The station buildings, now in private ownership, are very similar to those found all the way along the line, and are clearly the work of the same Victorian architect. If you find yourself in the little hamlet with a time on your hands, consider taking an hour’s walk to a spectacular view of the Taw Valley: Leave the station car park and for a few yards head left along the B3227 towards the River Taw. Don’t cross the bridge (note, however, the pub’s location on the far bank, should it be required later!) but turn right along a signed footpath running past the antiques warehouse and former premises of Murch Brothers. The footpath follows the River Taw downstream, ducking under the railway at Black Bridge, and continuing over a footbridge and alongside the river for a further 0.4 miles, before veering away from the bank across a field (often with horses and muddy) to reach a stile leading to a quiet lane. A stiff climb now begins. Turn left along the lane, your ascent rewarded by increasingly good views to the south along the Taw Valley. From the hilltop crossroads [Hawkridge Cross] several church towers are visible, when not obscured by summer foliage: Atherington across the valley, High Bickington farther south and the massive Tudor tower of Chittlehampton 1.5 miles to the east. Retrace your steps and drink in the view. (If that does not suffice, drop by the pub!) Peter Craske 24
Readers Write As a former resident of Lapford and then Newton St Cyres, and Business Manager for Wessex Trains responsible of the commercial well-being of the line, it is extremely pleasing to see continuing strong growth in passenger numbers. Also the excellent state of the stations - and especially the superlative achievements at Barnstaple by Mike Day of course. It just goes to show what can be done with a decent train service, strong stakeholder and community support, sensible fares and effective marketing. However, I still believe that the line could - and should - be recording at least 500,000 journeys per year, without any further increase in resourcing. This is where it gets controversial though, as putting these extra 100,000 bodies on the trains (assuming they would all fit…) could, as the editorial in issue 33 put it, be construed as ‘selfish’. Yes, it’s that old chestnut of faster trains. It is a simple truism that the amount of travel between two places is a product of the combined population and the distance apart. It is tempered by all sorts of complicating factors of course, but the modal split (the share between car, train and bus) boils down to speed, frequency, cost and comfort - roughly in that order. In the Tarka line case, comfort is a problem for rail compared to car, even when the pacers go (although it seems they are OK for us Northerners - thanks!). Cost is now on balance a factor in rail’s favour, and frequency is almost at the vital hourly level. But speed? Unless there has been a radical change in the nature of journeys in the last few years, 4 out of 5 trips are still end to end, i.e. Exeter to Barnstaple or vice versa. Tourists and the retired may not mind (or even prefer) a slow journey, but the weight of evidence is that other people do. True, it did not emerge as a big issue in the NDRUG user survey a few years back, but then by definition it excluded those who may have already voted with their feet and got into their cars. It does not seem an unreasonable aim to press for a clockface hourly service that can advertise getting from Barnstaple to Exeter Central in a hour. The difficulty in achieving this was always the section between Cowley Bridge and Eggesford, which needs around 3 minutes shaving off the timings. If it could be done it would result in services crossing at Eggesford only, rather than both there and Crediton. The upshot is that instead of dawdling through mid Devon (as Tony Hill’s article makes clear) the service would be more intensive, and probably capable of generating a couple of extra round trips during the course of a day using the same crew and unit resources. Speedier run-
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ning would be possible with a combination of faster-accelerating motive power (a cl.172 would do nicely), faster line speeds, and faster speeds over Salmon Pool crossing and into Eggesford station. To deliver these would range from the fairly expensive to the very expensive. Alternatively, the number of calls between Eggesford and Exeter could be reduced (which was, incidentally, one of the reasons behind the ‘railheading’ concept). This is bound to be seen as high treason by some, but surely both sides of the issue should be examined objectively. I well remember going to a public meeting in Yeoford back in 2004 to talk timetabling, travelling on the afternoon commuter service from Exeter. Two other people alighted at Yeoford, neither of whom attended the meeting. The hall, though, was packed, and my suggestion that an extra trip on the line would be a greater good that outweighed less Yeoford calls, which had grown incrementally over the previous decade. It quickly became apparent that the mood was one of furious indignation (I well remember the look of horror on the face of a colleague from Devon County Council who also attended) - this despite that fact that passenger counts had revealed that over a period of a month on 4 out of 10 trains calling at Yeoford nobody got on or off. The message was clear - don’t meddle with our train service, even when we don’t actually want to use it! Naturally the devil is in the detail, and a sensible balance needs to be found between ‘fasts’ and ‘stoppers’ which provide a usable service pattern at the smaller stations. Is it really ‘misguided’ or ‘selfish’ to at least debate this? In other respects TRA is doing a great job, keep it up! Best wishes, Andrew Griffiths Kirkby Stephen If you fancy a break then check out the Booking Office Cottage at Kirkby Stephen Station (www.imagerail.com/BookingOfficeCottage) .It forms part of the station at the south end The living room boasts giant picture windows on both sides, so on the platform side you can watch steam-hauled excursion trains or diesel-hauled 2,000-tonne coal trains blasting uphill to Ais Gill summit, or look the other way to see glorious views of the fells and Nine Standards Rigg. Ed 26
Readers Write (continued) I must be one of the people who according to the Editor make the ‘misguided, at worst selfish’ assumption that the needs of the residents of Barnstaple should take precedence over the rest of North and Mid Devon. I write to say that this is a travesty of my views. Yes I do think that Barnstaple is the most important station on the line, but not just for the residents. Barnstaple is the railhead for much of the large population of North Devon and for the even larger number of people who visit the area every year. Many of these already have to travel a long way by car or bus to use the railway. I do not think that it is selfish to ask for them to have a faster service. Not just a few minutes either but 10 or even 20 minutes faster. The people who catch the 07.08 train from Barnstaple to Exeter Central each morning and the 17.51 back spend more than 2 1/2 hours every day on the train. Yes it is a pretty line but for much of the year they do it in darkness. In the Summer 2010 Magazine David Holdcroft says that from 1845 the GWR used to run a train over the 194 miles from Exeter to Paddington in five hours including stops. This is an average speed of about 39 mph. The trains between Barnstaple and Exeter mentioned above average about 31 mph. So much for progress in 165 years. Yes I do think they should cut out intermediate stops to speed up the service, not all of them but many. People from much of north Devon already have to travel many miles to reach the trains at Barnstaple and Umberleigh. It is reasonable that people in mid Devon should do the same to Eggesford and Crediton so that we could have a modern service for the line as a whole. Until this happens we will be stuck with the rural branch line we have now, which is nothing like a main line, even a secondary one. If trains from Exeter to Paddington stopped every two or three miles as they do between Eggesford and Crediton they would take all day. Everybody who could would go by car or coach. Yours sincerely, David Baker Make sure you read David’s article elsewhere in the magazine.
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Ed
Readers Write (continued) My journey to Lithuania involved a total of eleven trains; five in this country to get to St Pancras, and six from St Pancras to Kaunas in Lithuania. The journey started (ignoring the bus from llfracombe to Barnstaple) in a class 142, but soon improved with class 159s from Exeter to Basingstoke then on to Waterloo. From St Pancras, the journey continued on Eurostar (very uncomfortable seats!), Thalys to Köln and ICE to Berlin. The last two were pure luxury (very comfortable seats) with no impression of high speed (maximum I saw quoted was 225 km/hr 140 mph)* due I’m sure to the comfort and quietness of the trains. The standard dropped after that with old locomotive-hauled corridor compartment stock from Berlin to Warsaw to Šeštokai in Lithuania where I transferred to an ex-Soviet diesel multiple unit on the 5ft Russian gauge. Baltic States and Russian railways trains have always impressed me by their sheer size — take the bogies off our class 159s and you could fit them inside a Russian-built coach. My return journey was made by coaches on a similar route to the out journey, but cheaper and quicker, though with travel through two nights (one on board a coach, the other on the ferry from Dunkerque to Dover) I arrived at Victoria Coach Station tired and definitely in need of a shower. I thought my journey was a bit of an adventure until I met a lady on the coach home who started her journey in Beijing, travelled to Moscow on the Trans Siberian Express, another train to Riga, then the coaches I was on to London, followed by another coach to Dundee. She will eventually return to her home in the USA (presumably by plane, though I’m sure she would row across “the pond” if she could). Yours sincerely Tony Olsson * Barnstaple to Exeter in 17 mins? (Sorry Umberleigh-didn’t see you!). Somehow I don’t think so — one can but dream!
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Readers Write (continued) Our AGM is, to the membership, the most important meeting of the year. This year’s was well attended, and it was good to see the representatives of First Great Western and Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership there. It was interesting with talks and pictures to show what was going on at Barnstaple and down the line. We have a new chairman and we wish him well, it will take him time to find his feet, and he has a lot of work in front of him Railways are changing, and the passenger figures are very pleasing on our line, which proves a point that if the fares are right people will use our trains, but we all know which way the price of oil will go. After the formal business the meeting was opened up to questions, but time was limited ad the meeting had to be finished by 9:00 pm. The refreshments were very good thanks to Mike Day, who has done wonders at Barnstaple Station. Our membership is healthy at over 200, and we are now being allowed to develop the island platform at Barnstaple as well as tend the other stations down the line; just think what a good impression it gives to people using our line, everybody likes to see flowers not weeds. Perhaps one day our island platform will come back to life with passengers not weeds, the canopy put back and a bridge across for passengers with a sloping non-slip surface instead of steps. I wonder how much it cost to remove it all? One more question, why was the station clock removed from the roof, and when will it be put back, - a first job for the new chairman? Stanley Thomas Bideford
The original station clock was taken down for repair as it was continually stopped or showing the wrong time. It is currently in the care of a local clockmaker. The current installation of new Customer Information Systems will result in a new platform display at Barnstaple incorporating a clock. It is hoped to find a new, less exposed position for the refurbished clock. Ed
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Membership Matters If you know someone who you think might like to join the Tarka Rail Association, please contact the Membership Secretary whose address is shown opposite.
New Members We welcome: Mr M Hunt & Mrs M Evans Lapford Mr J Devereux Umberleigh Mr I Sutton Minehead
Committee Meetings (Members Welcome)
Wednesday 19th January– Fox & Hounds Eggesford 19.00
Wednesday 16th February—Rising Sun Umberleigh 19.15
Wednesday 16th March—Barnstaple Station House 19.30
Wednesday 20th April—Fox & Hounds Eggesford 19.00
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Committee Members Chairman: John Burch Avercombe, 28 Belmont Road Ilfracombe Devon EX34 8DR johnaburch@btinternet.com
Secretary & Vice Chairman: Tony Hill Langridge, Ingleigh Green, Winkleigh. Devon, EX19 8AT tonyandlizhill@googlemail.com
Treasurer: Andy Hedges 20 Barton Meadow Road, High Bickington, Umberleigh Devon, EX37 9AN. andyhedges@gmail.com
Membership Secretary: Andy Hedges 20 Barton Meadow Road, High Bickington, Umberleigh Devon, EX37 9AN. andyhedges@gmail.com
Press And Publicity Officer: Peter Craske Blackhall Cottage, South Tawton, Devon EX20 2LP pcbcraske@yahoo.com
Magazine Editor: Andy Hedges 20 Barton Meadow Road, High Bickington, Umberleigh, Devon EX37 9AN andyhedges@gmail.com
External Relations Officer: John Phillips Higher Living Farmhouse, Down St Mary, Crediton, Devon, EX17 6EA. j.phillips142@btinternet.com Projects Officer: Alan Clark ‘Benslee’ Morchard Road Crediton Devon EX17 5LR
Stations Officer: Janet Day Station Masters House Barnstaple Station, Station Road Barnstaple Devon EX31 2AU Web Site: David Holdcroft 33 Round Table Meet Exeter EX4 8LG davidholdcroft1@virginmedia.com
Committee Members: Mike Day Station Masters House, Barnstaple Station, , Barnstaple, Devon EX31 2AU Simon Harvey 49 Belle Meadow Court, Albert Lane, Barnstaple, Devon, EX32 8RJ Phil Simkin Puffing Billy, Railway Station, Torrington, Devon EX38 8JD 31
Š Authors And Publishers, Tarka Rail Association, 2010 32