The reconstruction of the railway between Blackmoor Station and Barnstaple currently forms part of our long term plan, after reinstatement of the railway between Blackmoor and Lynton.
Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
At Blackmoor the new railway formation will pass below the current beer garden, allowing the pub and restaurant to continue to function as they are and allowing the railway and the pub to complement each other.
The trackbed between Blackmoor and Wistlandpound is owned by Exmoor Associates on behalf of the railway. The new formation will rejoin the original trackbed immediately below Blackmoor, just before the cattle creep.
The bridge over Pound Lane will need reinstating, but is the only major engineering work required as far as Wistlandpound.
At Wistlandpound, the original trackbed remains intact to just past the bridge by the Calvert Trust. It is anticipated that here, just prior to the start of the deviation, a new station/halt will be constructed to serve Wistlandpound and the Calvert Trust. This will make another fantastic stopping point for visitors, with scenic woodland walks and trails, plus the opportunity to link with the Calvert Trust which is likely to bring wide ranging benefits to the local community.
The trackbed around the reservoir will require a degree of new embankments and cuttings - it is expected that the ratio of cuttings to embankements can be made approximately equal. The work to get round the reservoir itself is not considered particularly difficult in engineering terms and the project has been discussed with engineers from South West Water and the South West Lakes Trust. The new formation will however be about 3m higher than the original at the dam.
Beyond the dam at North Thorne, the trackbed will then be too high to rejoin the original formation. It will then decend along a new formation immediately parallel to the old trackbed, decending at a slightly increased gradient of around 1in40. It can rejoin the original trackbed at South Thorne, and would reach the original level at around MP9,58ch. (just before Hunnacott).
Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
The trackbed from Hunnacott to Narracott is now occupied by a minor road. Along this stretch the road will have to be moved to the side of the trackbed on a new formation, the railway re-taking the original formation. More significant earthworks would be required at Hunnacott bank, where the culvert will need extending and the bank widening to accomodate the road.
At Narracott it is likey that a new bridge and road alignment will be needed to cross the railway. The road originally crossed the railway by a now redundant, but still extant, bridge.
The trackbed is fairly clear from Narracott to Bratton, only a small bridge over the road at Knightacott needing reinstatement.
Between Knightacott and Bratton the trackbed has been well cared for. We then arrive at Bratton Station - noteably quite a walk from Bratton itself!
Bratton Station is very little changed. Even the platform edges mostly remain and the down name board posts still stand. The good yard with road access remains clear and the whole site is cared for as a delightful private garden attached to the station building.
Bratton is the first place where a passing or run-around loop can be installed beyond Blackmoor/Wistlandpound. It is therefore likely that construction of the line to Bratton will be the next major phase beyond construction between Blackmoor and Lynton.
Beyond Bratton the trackbed passes through Holywell Woods. The woods here are being carefully managed with a positive approach to conservation, they also make for a delightful walk that starts from Bratton Station Road along a public footpath.
The trackbed is unobstructed beyond Bratton, however bridges are missing at Bratton Mill Lane and Mill Lane (pictured). 10 chains beyond here is the site of Lancey Brook Viaduct.
Lancey Viaduct was almost completely destroyed as a practice exercise in World War 2. The site that remains leaves a small engineering challenge, either in way of a basic replacement bridge or a new embankment. Fortunately the viaduct here was fairly low and small, certainly in comparison to Chelfham!
Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
The formation meanders through the fields above Loxhore Mill as far as Chumhill. At Chumhill a new house has been built after closure of the original railway. Whilst the trackbed remains unobstructed careful negotiation will be needed to ensure this section is safely crossed in a manner that leaves all parties satisfied with the end result.
Beyond Chumhill the railway will reach Bratton Cross Road Bridge. This bridge still remains in good condition and carries the railway beneath the road, allowing the road to drop down to the valley.
From here, a clear run to Chelfham. At Chelfham the original station still stands, the station, trackbed and woodlands all being owned now by the railway. The building is in very good condition and the whole station and site could easily be transformed back to its 1930’s appearance.
The viaduct at Chelfham towers above the valley. Hardly suprising as it is the tallest Narrow Gauge Railway viaduct in Britain. At 70ft high and 132yds long, the eight arch structure is truly impressive.
In 2000 the viaduct was completely restored by its owners British Railways Board (Residuary), with assistance from the Railway Heritage Trust and the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust.
The viaduct is now complete with proper drainage, parapet walls and ballast; actually it is ready to lay track on when the railway reaches it!
BRB(R) owns the trackbed from the viaduct back to Goodleigh Road. The bridge here will need some minor work, but remains sound.
From Goodleigh Road the trackbed runs parallel to the road again on a ledge. Through Budds Wood the line is substantially clear with only a minor occupation bridge missing where the land ownership changes to an Exmoor Associates section.
Exmoor Associates has acquired all the land required where the railway passes under the road, so as to allow for the realignment works and construction of a new bridge.
Once the road has been crossed, it is a clear run down into the Yeo Valley to Collard Bridge. The bridge has recently been restored by Exmoor Associates and Devon County Council.
The bridges over the River Yeo here and at Blackwell have long gone, and new structures would need constructing in partnership with the Environment Agency. The trackbed also traverses the Scout’s campsite. It is likely that at such a time as the railway construction reaches this section, the camp site would likely get relocated to a more suitable area.
After here it is again a clear run to Snapper. It is along this section where L&B coach 15 was left in the field, eventually being rescued by volunteers from the Ffestiniog Railway, where it now runs in Wales as buffet coach 14.
At Snapper the trackbed runs immediately below the road in the valley, so it is not easily noticed from the car window. The halt and platform still remain, as does the concrete waiting shelter. Access onto the road now from the station gate is probably a little more risky than in the 1930s due to the increased speed of passing traffic.
From Snapper the railway passes below Yeotown and follows a relatively clear route through the fields until it reaches another missing river bridge. A small occupation bridge over a private road is also missing at Stoneyard.
Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
Beyond the missing bridge (No.10) over the Yeo, the formation reaches the fringes of Barnstaple. Passing along the lower edge of the cricket ground and alongside the meandering river, we eventually reach our final missing bridge at Raleigh Weir which marks the extent of the tidal section of the Yeo river and estuary.
Raleigh Weir bridge would make another great vantage point for photos of passing trains - it would also carry the formation onto the last remaining clear section of trackbed before the town.
The land at Hole Ground by Rayleigh Weir is a potential site for a new terminus station at Barnstaple.
From Hole Ground, the trackbed runs to old Derby Lane bridge - still intact, although the cutting on the townside is completely filled in and covered with car parking spaces and a play area.
Crossing under the next road, the land from here to Pilton Yard suprising still remains completely clear, albeit that some gardens have encroached onto the formation. If there was a will and need to return the railway to Pilton, and the local authority supported such plans, it could be done without excessive engineering work.
Pilton Yard is completely clear and now used for car parking. The old L&B railway offices still remain and are used for selling building reclaim material - they could maybe make a good museum building one day at the Barnstaple end of the line?
Beyond Pilton the trackbed is heavily redeveloped and completely unpassable.
The gate post caps still remain at Pilton Crossing (the L&B Trust also own and are restoring the gates!) - where the crossing was is now a mini-roundabout.
Gould’s Yard and Rolle Quay still remain, albeit unused. The council’s civic centre stands on the trackbed at the curve into town station, with a car park and retirement apartments occupying the site of the Town Station platform. A plaque on the wall marks the site of the end of the line.
Barnstaple itself is a thriving community, with a hub of shops, restaurants and places for entertainment. The town has recently benefited from construction of the western bypass, and the square is now also seeing a major facelift. Future development is likely to see construction of a new further education college on the south bank of the Taw - maybe the arrival of a railway to the Raleigh / Pilton side of town could be part of it’s future regeneration?
If you want to help or be involved in the reconsolidation of the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway’s trackbed, in preparation for future use, have a read about the activities of Exmoor Associates
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