ndrailusers - Mag27 by Andy Hedges

NORTH DEVON RAIL USERS GROUP MAGAZINE Issue 27 Autumn 2007

Representing Users Of The Barnstaple - Exeter Line 1 http://ndrailusers.wikispaces.com

Contents Topic

Author(s) Page

Editorial From the Chairman Transport Links Delivering a Sustainable Railway Pullman Car Restoration at Portsmouth Arms Thirty Years Ago AGM 2007 Alternative to the Rail Ale Trail News Update & Miscellany Wanderings in East Devon Every Little Helps Readers Write

Andy Hedges John Phillips Andy Hedges DfT Patrick O’Connor John Phillips Neil Sunderland ‘one’ Tony Hill Brian George Andy Hedges

3 4 8 9 10 15 18 20 21 22 24

Design: NDRUG Articles, information, and letters for the next edition should be sent to: Andy Hedges, 20 Barton Meadow Road, High Bickington, Umberleigh, EX37 9AN or e-mailed to andyhedges@gmail.com

Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editors nor of the North Devon Rail Users Group

Front Cover:

The shape of things to come! 142001 as delivered to Exeter from Northern Rail for use on the Devon branch lines Photo : Unknown 2

Editorial It’s all change on the North Devon line ! In yet another round of tweaking the timetable by the planners at First we are still not getting back what was the most popular train of the day – the 09.40 from Barnstaple, we will still have only eleven trains per day, we will still have two hour gaps in the morning, we still don’t have a clockface timetable, and we will still have a last train from Exeter before 9.pm. Then what are the changes you may ask, well, all trains to Exeter will be running earlier than before, some by as much as 10 minutes, journey times in some cases will extend to 80 minutes, and of course, we are anticipating the return of the stock that once graced the line in the 1980’s (see cover photograph), if you thought the single car 153’s were not quite up to scratch, then try these! Overcrowding has been a feature of this year’s operations, particularly the morning services where the number of standing passengers has on some occasions been so great that it is just as well there are no Health and Safety regulations relating to passenger loads. The supply of coaches (the road variety) has been commonplace, as well as the use of taxis, and it is understood that a repeat situation in 2008 will again be covered by means of road based facilities – now we are finding out what ‘transforming travel’ means. You would think, wouldn’t you, that two companies within the same organisation would rise to the challenge of talking to one another, but that is far from the reality of the situation. Now that the facilities are all in place for buses to run past the station at Barnstaple, who was the company who stepped up to take advantage of this? — Stagecoach! First Devon & Cornwall have been approached but do not appear keen to run their services along the same route, and of the few that they terminate there (from South Molton on weekdays and Ilfracombe on Sundays) the majority do not link with the train service anyway—so much for transport integration and encouraging people to use public transport. The end of the year is in sight and perhaps next year we can put all these problems behind us—and perhaps you also believe in Father Christmas! Andy Hedges

Chairman's Report This year’s AGM was very well attended, so it was as well that we arranged for a larger venue. First Great Western’s then Managing Director had agreed to be our principal speaker. In the event she has been made a Director of First Group, so we were pleased to welcome John Curley, the newly appointed Route Director West who spoke at length about the company’s shortcomings and how he proposed to overcome them. We were also addressed by Mike Greedy from Passenger Focus and Richard Burningham from the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership (D&CRP). You can read about what John had to say on pages 16 to 18 Our thanks go to Councillor Faye Webber for arranging the venue at a competitive price and our thanks go to the management of the Imperial Hotel for providing such an excellent buffet. As a result of the AGM, your Committee now has three new members as listed inside the back cover. We welcome them, are most grateful to them for giving their time and, as you will see, they are going to be kept very busy! Despite the optimism at the AGM, the immediate future is far from rosy. Firstly we have the “Pacer” invasion. Pacers (known technically in our case as Class 142) are four wheeled rail-buses coupled together to form two car trains. These are to be introduced in December to most, if not all, services on the Tarka, Avocet and Paignton Lines, ostensibly for a two year period until other slightly more modern “proper” trains become available as a result of newly built trains being introduced in the West Midlands. At the time of writing it is not clear which of these trains will be used as some have 3+2 bus seating whilst other have been refurbished with train seats. The Editor expresses concerns which are reflected by your Committee and we wait anxiously to see what standard of service they are able to provide. I send my best wishes to the staff at Exeter Depot who will be responsible for ensuring these trains run as reliably as possible. Secondly, as a consequence of the introduction of the Pacers, the December – May timetable has been rewritten, comment on which has been made in the editorial. The Committee take these matters very seriously and have been trying to get the issues addressed for December without success (at the time of writing). We are particularly concerned about winter Saturdays and have urged that a 0940 from Barnstaple should be introduced immediately if the current overcrowding on the 0840 and 1040 departures is to be avoided.

We have been given an undertaking that we will meet with Julian Crow and a timetable planner from FGW’s Swindon HQ to look at the May 2008 Timetable. We welcome the fact that a Monday - Saturday 0940 departure will be included and are hopeful that a 1140 train will also run which, with one exception, would then give us a broadly hourly service. However, there are a number of other issues where local knowledge is vital and we hope that the forthcoming meeting will give us the opportunity to explain how the line can perform better for all users seven days a week. Next some good news. We have enjoyed the benefit of cheaper cheap day return fares for some time now (For example Barnstaple – Exeter and Eggesford – Exmouth £7.00) and Carnet Tickets from Morchard Road, Copplestone, Yeoford and Crediton – Exeter and Umberleigh to Barnstaple giving single fares ranging from £1.00 to £2.00! Now, following representations from your Committee, FGW have agreed to reduce the Standard Day Return (which only applies to the first train of the day, currently the 0704 from Barnstaple) from £13.20 to £9.70 from January 2 (with pro rata reductions from other stations). This is very good news. Also, what is generally not known is that certain fares to and from London from stations along the line are now the same as from Exeter St Davids. I turn now to a matter I raised at the AGM and that is how to keep you, our wider membership better informed about what the Committee does. This has the added benefit of enabling you to challenge aspects of our work! The Committee are acutely aware that apart from the AGM and this Magazine, there is very limited direct contact with our all important Members. There is also, of course, our excellent web-site that is regularly updated by Neil Sunderland and the shortly to be erected NDRUG notice boards at stations along the line gives us another means of communication. Consequently, although the practical details still have to be worked out, the Committee endorsed the proposition that as soon as possible after each Committee meeting a brief report of the proceedings and the actions to be taken would be published on the Web-site and displayed on the station notice boards. It was felt that this may also encourage other people to join and strengthen still further our voice and authority. With that in mind and to give a flavour of the many and varied issues discussed, the following is a summary of the meeting held on 14 November:

1 2 3 4

Apologies for absence Minutes of previous meeting – agreed No matters arising not covered elsewhere on Agenda A review of the AGM was undertaken. It was felt to have been broadly successful and appreciated by those attending. Noted that letters of thanks had been sent to Hotel and Councillor Webber and also the speakers. Noted Raffle had raised £50. Noted that a quarterly Performance Report (giving details of short trains, passenger (overloadings etc) had been sent to DfT, Passenger Focus, FGW Director, Devon CC and Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership. This in particular raised problems of overcrowding during the holiday season and especially on Saturdays. The purpose is to draw attention to the powers that be that the Tarka Line is not an underused rural branch line, but an important service to the local community which is growing in importance and offers a real alternative to car use, but is in desperate need of additional trains at key times. Noted also the proposed December timetable and that representations had been made to FGW so far without success. Reported that the Station Gardens competition would run again next year and Janet Day had arranged judging for 5 July. Noted that FGW were offering to increase their sponsorship. Agreed that Councillor Webber and a representative from FGW would judge the station entries. Agreed that letters would be sent to station adopters. Don Reid said that arrangements were in hand to issue updated permits and issue high visibility jackets. It was also agreed that each Committee member would be responsible for keeping one or two of the Group’s station notice boards up to date. The treasurer circulated the current Bank Statements. The motor allowance was reviewed and agreed to increase to 25p per mile. It was agreed that NDRUG should join the Avocet Line (Exeter – Exmouth) Users Group and make a donation of £30 towards their start up costs. It was agreed to defer a decision on whether to join ACoRP to enable the Committee to decide whether the subscription would offer value for money. It was agreed that, following the AGM resolution, we should pursue the adoption of Platform 2 at Barnstaple and the Chairman would write to Network Rail seeking a meeting to discuss the issues. A small Steering Group was formed who would prepare a short outline Project Report for consideration at the meeting. Agreed to keep North Devon and Torridge District Councils and the Bridge Trust informed if, following the meeting it was decided to proceed. It was agreed that a small working party would erect the new NDRUG station notice boards within the next two – three weeks. 6

16 17

Alan Clark reported on progress with the walks leaflet. New Committee member Peter Craske offered to assist. It was agreed that the aim should be to publish the leaflet in time for next summer. Noted that funding towards the leaflet has been promised by D&CRP. A report was given into the recent meeting with the bus companies, FGW and DCC. Various problems with the bus link were highlighted and the reasons why more buses do not serve the railway station given. It was agreed that NDRUG would take the lead in publicising existing services and that the bus operators would consider providing a connection with the last train each day and also look into additional Saturday services from the main holiday areas. With one vote against and one abstention, it was agreed to look into having an environmental assessment of the Tarka Line undertaken. The cost would be ÂŁ200.00, all of which would be met by D&CRP. A brief report was given of the Travelwatch South West meeting held in Taunton on 29 September. This attended by Alan Clark. The main issue is the effect of the proposed nationwide concessionary travel scheme on bus services, and unless there is adequate funding for it there is a strong likelihood that many services may be withdrawn. Alan Clark and myself were invited to a presentation by Arriva Cross Country into their proposed December 2008 timetable. We were most impressed with their grasp of the local situation. Trains will continue to serve Exeter at broadly the same time as now, but in addition they propose an additional morning commuter train from Exeter to Plymouth. [If you are interested the Timetable is published on the Arriva Cross Country website] Former Chairman, John Gulliver submitted a memorandum expressing his concerns about aspects of the Timetable and the issue I am attempting to address here. So far as the Timetable is concerned, the Committee agreed to review our policy document Securing the Future and make the outcome known to members with an invitation to comment through the pages of the Magazine. The dates and representatives at future meetings of outside bodies on which we have a seat were noted. Under any other business, the fares reductions (referred to above) were noted. It was also agreed that the group needed to replace its printer and the purchase of a new laser printer was authorised. In view of the present lack of facilities, it was also agreed to purchase a megaphone and a pair of walkie-talkie radios, initially for the staff at Barnstaple Station to use in crowd control on busy days. 7

You will see that your Committee deals with a wide range of issues and is in the throes of developing a number of projects. If you would like to get involved please contact any Committee member. As I write this we are entering another two week weekdays closure of the line for engineering works (so called blockades). Whilst we have largely achieved our objectives for the replacement bus service, we continue to take every opportunity to lobby both FGW and Network rail about the inconvenience to both regular users and visitors. We hope that soon Network Rail will have caught up with the backlog of major works so that any future blockades can be restricted in both length and frequency. Nevertheless regular travellers will no doubt have noticed the improved ride quality over much of the line and for that we are, of course, most grateful. On that positive note, all that remains for me to do is to wish you all a Happy Christmas and New Year, when hopefully we will be receiving rather more good news. John Phillips

Transport Links Since the last issue there have been further developments on the interchange facilities between bus and rail at Barnstaple. These are the current facilities available : Monday to Saturday Stagecoach service 8/8A every 30 minutes to Town Centre & Forches every 30 minutes to Roundswell Stagecoach service 21

every 20 minutes to Town Centre every 20 minutes to Bideford Quay

First service 7

every 2 hours to South Molton (does no connect fully) Sunday

First service 3

every 2 hours to Town Centre & Ilfracombe (does not connect fully) Andy Hedges 8

Delivering a Sustainable Railway In case anyone has not had the opportunity to look at the government’s latest pronouncement on the railways, this is the summary of the Regional and Rural section. If it whets your appetite for more, then the whole document can be found on line at : http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/whitepapers/whitepapercm7176/ multideliversustainrailway “Regional and rural lines vary considerably. They range from short singletrack branch lines to double-track routes between larger towns and cities. They serve rural communities, local commuter markets and tourist destinations. One thing these routes have in common is that they have suffered in the past from low or declining demand and the threat of closure. Their fortunes have improved dramatically in recent years, and growth has been particularly impressive on some lines, particularly those covered by Community Rail Partnerships. The Government will not close any regional or rural routes in the period covered by the HLOS. Nor does it envisage reopening lines. In the longer term, the shape of the network may need to change, but the agenda for the period to 2014 should focus on demand growth and cost reduction on the existing network. The Government has not tried to identify specific regional routes that will require additional carriages in the period to 2014. Instead, provision has been made for a pool of additional carriages to accommodate expected growth in demand on regional routes. Building on the success of the Community Rail Development Strategy, the Government wishes to see further reductions in operating and infrastructure costs. A more differentiated risk-based approach to railway standards could have a key part to play here. As with urban areas, the Government is keen to explore ways in which locally based institutions can have greater say in the future of their railway lines.” Material Crown Copyright—reproduced courtesy of the DfT

Pullman Car Restoration at Portsmouth Arms In the Spring edition of the magazine, I wrote an article on the Pullman Car Company and operation of the ‘Devon Belle’, which was introduced in 1947 to provide a service between London and Ilfracombe. I mentioned that a couple of Pullman cars similar to those used on the ’Devon Belle’ were now at Portsmouth Arms for restoration and this further article gives a history of one of the carriages. The Pullman car concerned began its life in 1921 named FORMOSA and finished its official career named MAID OF KENT in 1960. But its history predates 1921 and post-dates 1960. The carriage has had a long and varied history like many of the Pullman cars of this period. With the outbreak of war in 1914, the privately owned railway companies came under government direction and with mounting casualties as the war unfolded, ambulance trains were needed to get casualties from the various battlefronts, disembarked at British ports and on to military hospitals and other medical centres across the country. The railway companies were required to provide ambulance trains and companies such as the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) duly converted their coaching stock and furnished the required trains. Most Pullman cars were progressively withdrawn between 1914 -18 apart from a few used for VIP work such as the War Office train - no doubt appreciated by any ‘chateau generals’! After the horrors and deprivations of the Great War, there was a desire to return to the civilities and pleasures of peacetime life. For the more affluent classes, this included journeys to the Continent and especially to Paris. There was a upsurge in demand for Pullman travel, particularly on boat trains to the Channel ports, en route to Europe. But there were not enough Pullman cars as the extensive building programme of the 1920s and 1930s had yet to take place. To get new cars into service quickly, the Pullman Car Company brokered a deal with the railway companies that had provided ambulance trains. The leading companies were not interested in converting these trains back into serviceable stock so batches of coaches were sold to Pullman. One batch consisted of 12 coaches and these were handed to the carriage builders, Clayton’s of Lincoln, for conversion to Pullman cars. This involved razing the coachwork and building new bodies on the old under frames. This expedient enabled Pullman to present ‘new’ Pullman cars for service far earlier than if they had been built from scratch.

Clayton’s produced six third class cars with kitchens and six first class cars with kitchens. As was usual, the third class cars were given numbers and the first class cars were given names, one of which was named FORMOSA. (Cars were often named after what were then considered exotic locations such as PALMYRA, PADUA or MILAN). The cars went into service in 1921 on the South Eastern & Chatham Railway (SE&CR) and were painted in that company’s livery of crimson lake but with Pullman insignia lined out in gold. These cars were used mostly on boat trains from London to the Channel ports or other Kent services. One such service was the ‘Thanet Pullman Limited’ which provided a service to Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate until curtailed in 1931.

Interior of MILAN built 1921, decorated in pearwood to a neo Greek design, photo courtesy of Staffordshire Record Office.

FORMOSA weighed 33 tons as built, having a length of 60’ over the buffers and a width of 8‘6“. Seating was provided for 15 persons in two saloons with individual armchairs and tables either side of a central gangway. Further seating for 4 was in a coupe compartment. A small kitchen and pantry at one end

provided meals and drinks at each seats. The décor was executed in South American rosewood with a design of leaves and flower-heads picked out in marquetry. All metal fittings such as table-lamps, bell pushes and parcel racks were in ormolo gilt. In 1934, with the downturn in business following the Depression, FORMOSA and her sister first class cars were re-modelled with one of the saloons converted to 2+1 seating for third class use. War in 1939 again saw Pullman operations curtailed with most cars stored during hostilities. Despite bomb damage, most Pullmans survived intact and the company was keen to get back into business in 1945. As described in the previous article, shortages of materials and skilled labour delayed the return of most Pullman trains until 1946 - 47. With the post-war success of the ’Brighton Belle’, the ’Bournemouth Belle’ and the ’Devon Belle’ the company decided to introduce a new ’Thanet Belle’ in 1948. But as with the ‘Devon Belle’, this was to be a tourist train so fewer first class and more third class cars were required. Of the original 12 Clayton cars, two third class cars had been converted to observation cars for the ‘Devon Belle’ and the remaining third class cars were converted to ‘brake ends’ to top and tail the ’Thanet Belle’. Four of the six first class cars were downgraded to third class by adding additional seats with the remaining two cars, CORAL and FORMOSA re-modelled as all first class. To further confuse matters, FORMOSA took the name of one of its downgraded sisters and became MAID OF KENT to reflect the spirit of the new service. The train could load up to ten cars and was usually hauled by the new powerful ‘Battle of Britain’ pacifics. Initially, the ’Thanet Belle’ ran daily with an 11.30am departure from Victoria, arriving at Ramsgate 2 hours and 5 minutes later, having dropped holiday makers at Whitstable, Herne Bay, Margate and Broadstairs. The return to London was at 5.05pm. For the Festival of Britain in 1951, part of the train was detached at Faversham for Canterbury in the hope of attracting overseas tourists. The train was renamed the ‘Kentish Belle’ but the move was not a success and Canterbury was dropped in 1952, the train resuming its old direct path of London to Ramsgate but retaining its new name. By the late 1950s it was clear that the ‘Kentish Belle’ had a limited future. The cars were approaching 40 years old and were by contemporary tastes very dated. The Kent Coast electrification scheme was near-

ing completion and British Railways, who by now had a majority share in the Pullman Car Company, had no intention of perpetuating an all Pullman service, preferring the more efficient regularly timed electric multiple units. The ‘Kentish Belle’ was withdrawn at the end of the season in September 1958 and the expectation was that, with other older Pullman cars, they would be scrapped en masse. But they were thrown a life-line by the ‘camping coach’ concept. The vehicles, although old fashioned, had been very well maintained throughout their long lives and it was decided that 60 of the old cars should be converted into camping coaches for a further period of use. This was something of a cottage industry for the railways going back to the inter-war period ; camping coaches were placed at various beauty spots around the country at that time served by a network of rural stations. In North Devon, Wrafton and Umberleigh were camping coach sites. The idea was that holiday makers would travel to these locations by rail and the fare and hire of the carriage would all be part of the package. Kitchens and bedrooms were installed in the cars but unfortunately all the attractive fittings were removed to reduce maintenance. In 1960, now as a camping coach, MAID OF KENT was placed at Heacham on the Norfolk coast near Sandringham.

'MAID OF KENT in the late 1940s' , photo courtesy of Lens of Sutton Association

The camping coach scheme was wound up in the late 1960s as the Beeching cuts began to bite across the railway network. The coaches were left stranded at isolated stations and were difficult to maintain and service. Nor did camping coaches accord with British Rail’s corporate image of itself as a dynamic and modern organization. But the scheme bought extra time for the old cars and helped many survive into the preservation era. 13

MAID OF KENT was withdrawn as a camping coach in 1965 but had a further reprieve by being moved to Kings Lynn station for use as offices, including by the St John’s Ambulance Brigade - fitting perhaps given the vehicle’s ancestry. MAID OF KENT was finally sold out of British Rail ownership in 1983. Under the auspices of the Great Central Railway, a complete rebuild of MAID OF KENT was begun but did not come to fruition. The vehicle was partly dismantled prior to the work being abandoned. MAID OF KENT was sold at auction with a number of other carriages in 1997 and purchased by the author. After a period of storage, MAID OF KENT was moved down to Portsmouth Arms in 2006 and work on renovation put in hand. About twothirds of the original internal panelling has survived but not much else. 40 years of neglect have taken their toll and most of the original external cladding has deteriorated or been removed but the overall structure is basically sound. 2007 has seen the underframe painted and the ‘matchboard’ panelling renewed up to window height. The plan for 2008 is to finish renewal or renovation of all external cladding including complete new windows, all of which are missing. Now over 80 years old, MAID OF KENT had a life in railway service of 63 years or 72 years if you count her LNWR service, as her underframe is believed to date from 1912! She has cheated the scrap yard at least 3 times but now, hopefully, her future is secure. A future edition of the NDRUG magazine will feature a history of ARIES, the other Pullman car at Portsmouth Arms. Patrick O’Connor

Guard. "Tickets, please!" Rustic. "Wha—at?" Guard. "Let me have your ticket, and look sharp!" Rustic. "Noa, noa, I ’been an’ give foive bob for moy tickut, an’ I bean’t a gawn to give un up to you. If thee wants to travel, why doan’t ’e buy one yoursen?"!! (Punch 1872) 14

Thirty Years Ago I recently rediscovered a little booklet entitled British Railways Board Facts and Figures. As it is dated June 1978 and deals with the financial year 1977/8, some 30 years ago, I thought you might be interested in some of its contents. I will start by dealing with finances, mainly because the figures present a fascinating picture of the very different circumstances then applying. In later articles I will explore the various activities of the BR Board and try to provide some modern comparisons. The booklet starts off by outlining the six main businesses, which were: Gross Income (£m)

No of Staff (1977)

Value of Fixed Assets (£m)

British Rail

1,430

178,239

1,156

BR Engineering

258

35,677

BR Shipping

131

10,079

122

B T Hotels

10,554

BR Property Board

1,100

BR Hovercraft

309

Total

1,926

235,958

1,470

[Government support for the passenger railway was £363.5m] This was a huge business by any measure – the income alone equates to £11,170m at 2006 values! Government support was a mere £1,815m at today’s prices – a snip compared with the costs of privatisation and subsequent ongoing support. It is interesting to note that the pensions crisis is nothing new as no less than £107m was paid by the Government into the Railways Pension Fund in 1977 (following similar payments in the preceding two years). The workforce was almost as big as the entire population of Plymouth, and almost matched that for the historic railway town of Derby! Note in particular the relatively high numbers of people employed by the Shipping and, espe15

cially, the hotels businesses. Expenditure on Investment is fascinating. As well as the details given below a further £38m was spent on terminals, maintenance and servicing depots, offices and the new railways on Merseyside (Liverpool central loop and link scheme) and Clyderail.

Rolling stock £87m (£504m at 2006 prices): Advanced Passenger Train £8.2m High Speed Diesel Trains (HSTs) £27.3m Diesel Locomotives (Class 56*) £11.2m Locomotive hauled coaches (Mk 3 standard opens) £1.2m Electric Mulitple Units (Classes 312 & 313*) £17.8m Parcels Vans £0.9m Freight Wagons £20.4m [* Source- ABC BR Motive Power 1978 Ian Allan]

System £123.8 (718m): Relaying with continuous welded rail (cwr) £58.5m Resignalling & associated track and telecoms £45.8m This included major works: Facilities for high speed running (£1.5m) East coast main line, London – Berwick (£10.8m) East of Scotland (£4.6m) Highland lines capacity improvement (£2.3m) St Pancras to Bedford (£4.7m) Resignalling London Bridge & Victoria (£2.5m) Western Region main lines (£2.0m) Electrification (£4.0m) System maintenance (£15.5m) It is interesting to see that virtually all the passenger rolling stock built 30 years ago is still in service. Although considerable withdrawals of Class 56s have been made, a number are still giving sterling service for freight operators in the UK as well as having served abroad in France and Spain, ironically assisting with the construction of their high speed lines. 16

On infrastructure costs, the differences are staggering. Although the extent of the works and the obstacles to be faced were not anywhere near as formidable, the East Coast modernisation at £10.8 m (£62.7m today) was a positive snip compared with the west Coast modernisation running in at a cool £7.6bn! It is interesting too to note the mere £2m for route enhancement on the Great Western main line and that nothing further was done until 2006/7! Please note that the whole resignalling etc cost shown of £45.8m is eclipsed by the cost of providing a single new railway station at East Midlands Parkway that comes in at £54m; even the present day value of £265m for a considerable amount of work compares vividly with the £210m cost or reinstating the Airdrie – Bathgate line in central Scotland. A very compelling comparison is made between Government support for the railways and road transport.

Support for the railways

TOTAL RAIL TRANSPORT

Highway construction & maintenance Highway maintenance Highway misc including policing

£343m £735m £621m £345m

Total Support for buses Support for vehicle manufacturers (Chrysler UK (£162.5m), BL (£450m) Ford (£70m) Support for NFC TOTAL ROAD TRANSPORT

£1,701m £389m £682m £28m £2,800m

Rail was very much the poor relation! John Phillips

Nothing much has changed there then!

Annual General Meeting 2007 The Annual General Meeting at the Imperial Hotel was well attended and included representatives from First Great Western, Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, Passenger Focus, Devon County Council, and North Devon District Council.

Part of the committee at work at the AGM, sketch courtesy of Jed Falby

Richard Burningham of the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership ran through the events and achievements for the year, whilst Mike Greedy of Passenger Focus explained the structure of the organisation and what it could do for us at the user group level. The main speaker was the newly appointed Route Director West, John Curley, who gave a succinct explanation (without the aid of notes or fancy presentation tools!) of what has happened at First Great Western and what the future may hold. I am indebted to Neil Sunderland for making notes during the presentation, which are presented below, (Neilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prior apologies for any omissions or errors!) John Curley apologised for their poor customer service, and the poor punctuality and reliability of their services saying that "We have clearly failed to deliver". Senior managers were now trying to turn things around. In the past they had acted as arrogant managers of HST services who thought that running rural lines would be easy. The centralisation of management was not helping, and that more decision making would be devolved back to local

management. They were now going to focus on their customers and stakeholders. This has started with the management reshuffle which brought in Andrew Haines as Chief Operating Officer, and the three route directors who would focus on the core elements of their business, namely London commuter, High speed, and rural services. They are trying to align staff terms and conditions to increase flexibility (for example, Wessex train crew are still on different terms and conditions to HST crew; in an ideal world the ex-Wessex staff should be able to undertake HST duties and vice-versa, although he said this wouldn't happen overnight.) There has been too much directing from Swindon, and not enough listening to local staff and customers: he acknowledged that local staff understood the service patterns and loadings of their services much better than Swindon, and he wanted to tap into this knowledge in future. He also said that they made a mess of moving their maintenance from Cardiff to Bristol, made mistakes predicting the amount of rolling stock they would need, and failed to acquire replacements when they realised their mistake.

John Curley in full flow, sketch courtesy of Jed Falby

He thought they had four key challenges for the future. 1) Need to engage stakeholders: they intend to talk to communities and understand local issues. his appointment meant that Julian Crow now had a director-level sponsor/supporter. 2) Delivery - "a decent railway, well-run": The Fleet Director is now a DMU man, reflecting that FGW now realise that DMUs are important. Money is going into the Bristol DMU depot, and there is to be a carriage washer installed at Exeter. Staffing levels may need adjusting; the distribution of train crews is right for the old service pattern, but has not been changed with the new timetables. May also introduce mobile cleaners on some local routes; trains are usually cleaned before entering service, but full of litter by mid-afternoon.

3) Produce proper plans: up to now FGW had just been ticking the boxes of their franchise commitments. With little or no thought to managing growth or responding to customer needs and desires. They had to stop whinging and start moving forward. 4) Sort out the rolling stock: they wanted to keep five 158s, but by the time they realised this either DfT or FGW had taken their eyes off the ball and other TOCs grabbed them (this was the only time he mentioned DfT). He did say that they had acquired the 'most reliable' of the 142s available. The Tarka Line Timetable for December 2007 would be virtually unchanged. From May 2008 there will be an additional Mon-Sat train - 0940 from Barnstaple – and they are looking at the possibility of an 1140 as well, although that's by no means certain. They will also look again at providing a standard-hour timetable around Exeter with a Devon Metro (which is exactly what Wessex called it in 2003...) Among other Rolling Stock Issues the 180s (Adelantes) are to be phased out, as they are simply too expensive to run. They expect more 150s to become available in a couple of years, plus other units should become available once the 1300 new carriages start to be introduced at other TOCs. At the moments FGW are trying to produce a coherent view of what's needed in the South West so they can present a robust case once the cascades start. The Pacers will be centered on Exmouth, Barnstaple and Paignton, although some peak services will be operated by 150/153/158s when they are available. Most Exmouth services will be doubled up. Neil Sunderland/Andy Hedges

Alternative to the Rail Ale Trail Visit the historic churches along the Bittern and Wherry lines. Vicars from Norfolk and Suffolk churches joined National Express Group’s ‘one’ railway and the Bittern Line & Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs) at Norwich station on Monday 29th October at 10.30am to launch the new ChurchRail Trail, an innovative, educational and exciting way to visit the region’s array of churches by train. Any suggestions for this on the Tarka Line? 20

News Update & Miscellany The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway has recently launched its ambitious 29m pounds plan (which will need external funding/grants) to re-open the line from Blackmoor Gate to a new terminus at Lynton. This will incorporate the present 1 mile of line already re-opened between Woody Bay station & Killington Lane Halt. Passenger traffic in 2007 saw an approx increase of 40% over 2006 with a record 650 people being carried on a single day. It would be nice to report the Dartmoor Railway was also enjoying such an increase in passengers but this is regrettably not the case, especially on the Sunday Rover trains where a combination of poor weather and other factors has seen a reduction in patronage compared to last year. However the present Dartmoor Railway management are to be congratulated on their very successful efforts in attracting significant volunteers to the line, the noticeably amount of tree cutting along the thickly wooded linesides and for the recent successful Diesel Gala which, despite a couple of locos failing at Meldon Quarry and thus being unable to work trains, saw a class 31 worked special train from Okehampton to Exeter and back and also a special loco hauled train from Okehampton to Paignton and back. The Dartmoor Railway's plans to run to/from a revitalized down platform at Yeoford continue to make progress, hopefully coming into operation in Summer 2008. The exciting & worthwhile plans to extend the current railway at Torrington station and eventually make an operating base there to virtually replace the constrained and vandal prone set up at Bideford are to be applauded. It is understood one of the former standard gauge diesel shunters used at Petersmarland Clay works, and now being overhauled at Bodmin, is likely to arrive at Torrington in 2008 and join the Mark I coach, Open wagon and Brake Van already there. It is of concern to rail passengers in the South West that despite all the talk, hype and supposed management efforts that punctuality & reliability of FGW main line and (unusually) local Devon services continues to be below the set targets. I do not share the official FGW optimism that the use, from this December's timetable and for at least 2 years, of 12 'fully depreciated' class 142 'Pacer' units on most Devon local services will improve things. Tony Hill

Wanderings in East Devon I spent four days earlier this year looking at the Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton branch lines which closed in the 1960s. Nearly all the railway bridges are intact, except the viaduct at Exmouth which went for road improvements (the latter documented in various books on the railway lines). East Budleigh, Ottery St. Mary and Tipton St. Johns stations are all extant. Albeit being used in other ways. A confection (to be polite) of builders yard and other businesses occupy the station entrance and former railway layout at Sidmouth. The station building still stands in all its glory, along with canopy and other buildings. Also original wrought ironwork can be seen. A linear housing development of about 12 houses just outside the 'throat' of the station entrance exists. The railway bridge immediately beyond is still there as is the line formation down towards Harpford woods. I am informed that Harpford woods trackbed has been turned into a walkway. At Budleigh Salterton a substantial part of the trackway back towards Littleham (Exmouth) is a cycle and walkway. I photographed this in the Budleigh area but did not walk it due to lack of time. Parts of the line in the Otter Valley are extant and used by the local farmer. I walked part of this. The trackbed is still very much in existence, but other parts of line are ploughed in. Despite what I had been told beforehand, little track bed appears to have gone to road improvements. Indeed the narrow lanes connecting Ottery St Mary, Tipton and Newton Poppleford could fairly be described as a death trap. Towards the northern end of the Otter valley cars, lorries and pick up tracks career around corners towards the A road beyond going to Exeter and up to Honiton. Twice I had to take avoiding action to avoid accidents when going down these lanes. At Cadhay crossing outside Ottery (Gosford Lane), I encountered a huge white pantechnicon with trailer on a narrow country lane, the driver waving me into the small parking area in front of the old crossing keepers cottage. Very nasty. The crossing gates are still there though smothered in vegetation. Ottery St. Mary town is a complete choke point for cars -- and this was in the off peak time of 11.45 on a Wed morning, it badly needs a park and rail/ride. The station platform at Feniton is smart and the replica Southern totem saying "Sidmouth Junction" sits proudly on the wall. I was watched suspiciously by a Network Rail man as photographed the station, he appeared

to be oiling the workings to the base unit of the full crossing barriers. The unused platform on the other side is still there and looks in quite good condition throughout. The Old Nog pub is still there, a reminder of the 1960s though it looked slightly derelict to me. I also visited the Seaton Tramway and did a tram driving session on Gala Day which went well. The Tramway looked extremely successful, very well patronised and it was not yet the full holiday season for 2007; all the trams looked very smart. I was told that the small rail bridge across a narrow lane beyond Colyton has been taken down as Health and Safety people complained about it. I was also told that efforts to go to Seaton Junction had been made over the past three years but that Network Rail have refused to re-open the station, so no point in the tram going there, and who is going to pay for the bridge to be replaced at Colyton? There are some rather half baked plans (it seemed to me) to rejuvenate Seaton, but nothing much happening due to Flood Plains in the vicinity of the town centre which house developers did not think of apparently. I also had a letter published in the Exmouth Journal and Budleigh Journal asking people whether they had heard anything about re-opening lines, but have heard nothing on that so far. Certainly the people I spoke to at Sidmouth, Budleigh and Exmouth would like to see it re-open. Brian George. Readers may wonder why East Devon is appearing in the North Devon magazine, but it has to be remembered that the Exeter to Barnstaple line could easily have been in the same situation as these lines, and that we have to be continually vigilant to protect and improve the line and its service, which is our reason for existence.

Every little helps During the year, as we have advised in previous issues and elsewhere in this issue, the line has been suffering from overcrowding on trains departing from and arriving at Barnstaple station, and the necessity at times to provide road transport for some passengers. Whilst this is none to pleasant for the passengers, consider the situation of the station staff, usually numbering three, sometimes only two. Only one of them is responsible for the activity on the platform itself, so you can imagine the problems that can be experienced. Consider this (not uncommon) scenario : 150+ passengers are waiting to board a train that has not yet arrived, another 100 are on the arriving train, the possibility is that there will be a coach outside waiting to take any overflow, and the staff in the booking office want to advise the person on that platform that the train is delayed - itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not easy is it! Several of the committee have seen this sort of situation arise, and considered that the means of communication were poor to nonexistent. Consequently it was agreed that the group would provide a set of two way radios for use by the station staff, and also a loud hailer for use in crowd control at busy times. These have now been supplied and the first reports are that they are a great success, and are likely to make life easier in the future for these hard working people. Andy Hedges

A request from the Editor You will have noticed that the last issue contained no readers letters, and this issue contains only two. We would be very interested to hear members views on the what the committee is doing, the service on the line itself, the history of the line, or on any topic related to the transport provision in the area . We hope to hear from you soon.

Readers Write Our AGM went well, to us it is the most important meeting of the year. It was well attended, and the new venue was a surprise—it was held at the Imperial Hotel, and the refreshments were first class. Also we had for the first time the staff from our local railway station, nice to see them with us. Also three big boys from the railway who travelled long distances to be with us, and who gave us very interesting inside information about the railways and what they are going to do. Passenger figures on our line are very healthy. Now something of big importance to us, there is the possibility of us renting platform 2 at Barnstaple station, if this happens we must, repeat must keep it clean at all times. By doing this we will be saving it from demolition, so lets go for it and who knows what could happen. Next—I’ll let you guess—nothing was mentioned about goods, a freight hub, but that could come later. Something else new, there is now a bus service from Bideford Quay, you can catch a Stagecoach bus and it takes you under the new bridge and stops right outside Barnstaple Railway station on its way into town, and the same applies from Barnstaple to Bideford, yes it stops both ways. The sun is beginning to shine on us at last! Stanley Thomas

I have noticed in a recent issue of the Devon Record Office newsletter that several new deposits of documents have been made at the Barnstaple Record Office. One of these is a goods ledger dating from 1878 from the old GWR Victoria Road station. Examples of some of the goods shipped from there are paper, tea, felt, shoes, matches, candles, bacon, cloth, and ale, these going to destinations as far afield as Glasgow, Belfast, and Manchester. The ledger is available in the Record Office (upstairs in the library) if anyone would like to look at it, under reference B826. Geraldine Sainsbury

Notes

Membership Matters If you know someone who you think might like to join NDRUG, please contact the Membership Secretary whose address is shown opposite. New Members We welcome: Mr J Porter Miss A Symes Mrs L Ackland Mr T Bowden Mr & Mrs D Boyd Ms S Abbot Mr & Mrs R Durrant

Poole Sidbury Barnstaple Georgeham Kings Nympton Braunton Chapelton

Committee Meetings (Members Welcome) Wednesday, 16th January ; 19.00 Rising Sun, Umberleigh Wednesday, 20th February ; 18.30 Mare and Foal, Yeoford Wednesday, 19th March ; 19.00 Fox & Hounds, Eggesford

Committee Members Chairman: John Phillips Higher Living Farmhouse, Down St Mary, Crediton, Devon, EX17 6EA. john.phillips23@tesco.net

Secretary & Vice Chairman: Tony Hill Langridge, Ingleigh Green, Winkleigh. Devon, EX19 8AT tony@hillglobal.wanadoo.co.uk

Treasurer: Andy Hedges 20 Barton Meadow Road, High Bickington, Umberleigh Devon, EX37 9AN.

Membership Secretary: Andy Hedges 20 Barton Meadow Road, High Bickington, Umberleigh Devon, EX37 9AN.

Press And Publicity Officer:

Magazine Editor: Andy Hedges 20 Barton Meadow Road, High Bickington, Umberleigh, Devon EX37 9AN andyhedges@gmail.com

Position vacant

Webmaster: Neil Sunderland Wishbone Exeter Road Braunton, Devon, EX33 2JL neilsunderland@tesco.net

Stations Officer: Janet Day Toye Farm, Durrant Lane, Northam, Bideford, Devon EX39 2RL Committee Members: Alan Clark Mike Day Phil Simkin George Harris Peter Craske

Benslee, Morchard Road, Crediton, Devon EX17 5L Toye Farm, Durrant Lane, Northam, Bideford, Devon EX39 2RL Puffing Billy, Railway Station, Torrington, Devon EX38 8JD 5 Chichester Road, Barnstaple, Devon EX32 9EH Blackhall Cottage, South Tawton, Devon EX20 2LP

Other Useful Addresses: Richard Burningham Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, Faculty of Science, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA.

Membership Details:

Membership forms are obtainable from the Membership Secretary at the address shown above. Rates are: ÂŁ5.00 Ordinary and ÂŁ3.00 Seniors.

ÂŠ Authors And Publishers, North Devon Rail Users Group, 2007 28