ndrailusers - Mag24

Issue 24, Autumn 2006

Table of Contents

Editorial

Editorial Umberleigh in seasonal conditions Photo: Christine Adey

Chairman's Report A line too far? (1)

Time to revisit ‘Securing the To start this Future’? issue off I A line too far? (2) feel that Link to the past disappears apologies are Training Day in order; A line too far? (3) firstly that this issue of Heaven help us if they blow up the magazine Umberleigh is later than Silence is Golden... or is it? anticipated, A line too far? (4) and possibly Community Rail Awards a little on the News Update & Miscellany thin side as TravelWatch SouthWest far as content General Meeting, 30th goes.

September 2006 Secondly to those A line too far? (5) members Membership Matters who have New Members responded to reminders regarding subscriptions in the last issue and at the AGM, and who have received no acknowledgement from us. Individual letters to those involved are enclosed with this mailing, hopefully none have been missed. The same apology also goes to any new members who have not previously heard from us, this mailing should put things right.

Unfortunately we have had some administrative problems during the transition between occupants of committee positions, but this is now resolved.

It was again a pleasure to see so many members at the AGM, unfortunately shortage of time precluded too much discussion after the meeting closed, but it was good to.be able to put faces to names and have a quick chat here and there.

We are shortly entering the period for the winter timetable. The most important change to the timetable is the reduction from 12 trains per day each way to 11, with the service likely to be most severely missed being a 9.40 departure from Barnstaple. The Group is not content with the situation and is actively pursuing all the stakeholders in the line with a view to a resolution. No doubt you will hear more of this in due course.

I make no apologies in tempting fate by the use of the cover picture, its use is purely because it is seasonal, and I like it a lot, I am not expecting to see this scene at the moment, but in the new year... who knows?

Best wishes for a pleasant Christmas from your editor and all of the committee.

Andy Hedges

Chairman's Report As presented to the 2006 AGM. 1. As you will have observed from recent editions of the Magazine this has been another extremely busy year. So busy in fact that I will cover only the most significant achievements and events.

2. I will deal with things on a topic basis rather than chronologically as I think this will be most meaningful.

3. Firstly of course, I must deal with the change of Franchise. We have said goodbye to Wessex Trains with whom we built up a

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good accord and we made a special presentation to Andrew Griffiths with thanks for what he had done in conjunction with us for the North Devon Line.

First Great Western took over from 1 April and we were very pleased indeed that Julian Crow was appointed General Manager for the west of England. Prior to the bid he visited the line and met with the Committee twice and he therefore is well aware of the problems and our aspirations for the line. I went on your behalf to the official launch of the new Franchise at Plymouth.

Next the Timetable. As you probably know, the Franchise Specification included eleven instead of the twelve trains we have today. The original timetable produced by FGW was a disaster for our line, and many hours of Committee time were spent trying to get it amended. This culminated in a meeting at County Hall where Andy Hedges and I met with DCC, the district councils, FGW and the Community Rail Team from the Department for Transport.

Whilst the DfT would not be moved on the twelfth train (about which more below) they immediately conceded the arrival time for the morning train and after due deliberation agreed to the railhead stations being served rather than just Eggesford and Crediton during off peak times and, in recognition that around two thirds of journeys and revenue are to & from Exeter Central, that virtually all trains should call there.

Consequently the December timetable will continue to have all trains stopping at Umberleigh and all except one calling at the other railhead stations in accordance with our policy. Furthermore, connections with other services at Exeter St Davids will be greatly improved and most trains will be through to Exmouth. There is still some fine tuning to be done and we have met with Julian to discuss this.

We are very concerned that the one train that the DfT won’t pay for is the equivalent of today’s 1001 departure from Barnstaple – often the busiest train of the day. Consequently using data from surveys conducted by the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership and work undertaken ourselves we put together a report endorsed by both the Partnership and the County Council justifying the need for this train. This was presented to Julian who agreed to take it his Finance Director with a view to seeking his agreement that there is a commercial case to meet the needs of passengers. We are awaiting the outcome, prior to pursuing our next aspirations for an hourly service and a late night train.

I turn now to fares. First there was the Winter Wonder last February and which was almost a victim of its own success! What it did prove, however, from all along the line and not just Barnstaple, was that there is a huge potential demand waiting to be tapped. Also there is no doubt that it brought considerable economic benefit to Barnstaple as reports from retailers demonstrated.

Next came the reduction in Cheap Day Returns by FGW throughout Devon & Cornwall and which we campaigned long and hard to no avail with Wessex. These go a long way towards making the train a real alternative to the private car, especially taking into account the high price of fuel and the cost of town and city centre parking. These fares were, I understand, introduced having regard to the success of the Bittern line in Norfolk where ridership has increased massively and where cheap fares have played a crucial part – an hourly service and late night train are the other essential components, and which are, as I’ve already said, our next aspirations. In fact up to the middle of August there has been an 18% increase in the number of passengers compared with last year.

Following the successful introduction last September of the Umberleigh Carnet tickets, they have recently been introduced from all stations between Morchard Road and Crediton to Exeter and it will be interesting to see the effect they have on the use of those stations.

Finally I can report that, from January, Cheap Day Returns will be available for use on all trains towards Barnstaple regardless of time of day and that the morning train now has an 0827 arrival.

We maintain close relations with the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, particularly through the Tarka Line Working Party.

Devon County Council have established a working party of members and I was asked to accompany them on a visit to the Line. As well as being briefed on our aspirations, they also considered problems such as lack of parking at Eggesford and the state of the Station Approach at Umberleigh. They also met Mike Day, who took them on a tour of the Station House at Barnstaple and John Kempson who runs the cycle hire business at the station. Their subsequent report to the Council fully endorses our stance on things.

North Devon District Council have appointed a link Councillor – John Travis. Two of us met him to appraise him of our work and we have remained in regular contact since.

At last year’s AGM we were urged to spend some money and, as Andy will demonstrate, this we have done!

Firstly we undertook quite an ambitious programme of events for Community Rail Day in May and were fortunate in being able to draw some Grant money from the Rail Partnership. Although the weather was not kind, the day was reasonably successful and a lot of lessons were learned. We intend to take part in Community Rail Day next May and would hope that more of our members will become involved.

Secondly we re-introduced the Station Gardens Competition after a gap of a number of years. We obtained a grant from the Rail Partnership to enable each of the 10 participating stations to receive oak half barrel planters and compost. We offered a grant of £40.00 per platform for the purchase of flowers and this sum was matched by FGW. Consequently the stations along the line looked great and the floral displays were appreciated by the train crews as well as passengers.

19. A letter has gone to each station team offering a further £10 to purchase winter plants and bulbs.

20. We hope that this can be expanded next year (for example Rose Removals have agreed to us restoring the famous Lapford sign – if anyone would like to help please see Mark our Stations Officer afterwards) and FGW have generously agreed to continue their sponsorship – thank you Julian.

21. The winners were Umberleigh, Crediton were runners up and Chapelton and Morchard Road were both Highly Commended.

The Committee would like to express their sincere thanks to all those who took part and made such a worthwhile and visible contribution to making our line so attractive.

22. As most of you will have noticed, Network Rail have done nothing about weed spraying the track until very recently. We therefore presented Daryl Milford with a special Certificate celebrating the establishment of a 39 mile long garden! I understand that it has been copied and sent round various Network rail offices!

23. Whilst talking about stations, there are four issues I should briefly mention.

24. The first is that Mike Day is still battling to take over the Station Masters House and I applaud his tenacity in dealing with all the bureaucracy and I am sure all of us support his endeavours. In the meantime he is providing a much valued catering facility on the Platform.

25. Also at Barnstaple we are partaking in an exercise to establish the need and a business case to re-instate Platform 2. This is being led by the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership.

26. At Umberleigh, the much needed improvements to the Approach Road including lighting is being actively pursued and hopefully the works will be undertaken next spring.

27. Finally following on from the Station Gardens Competition, FGW are going to establish a formal Station Adoption Scheme and we look forward to working with them on this.

28. Publicity – good and bad- is essential and to that end we have established good working relationships with the local press in both mid and north Devon, including a meeting with the editor of the North Devon Journal.

29. And so now I turn to your Committee. Firstly my sincere thanks once again to Tony Hill our Secretary for his sterling work in organising meetings and minuting them. Such is the level of business that we now have to meet monthly and I am very appreciative of Tony’s willingness to take on the extra work burden.

30. Andy Hedges does a huge amount on your behalf in his dual role as Treasurer and Magazine Editor. He also did the lions share of the Community Rail Day work and much else besides. I am sure you will want to join me in congratulating Andy in being nominated as an outstanding volunteer and receiving his award at the ACORP ceremony in Darlington in September. In doing so he beat off a very large number of other nominations and so very well done indeed Andy.

31. As you know, Neil Sunderland is our webmaster (as well as being one of our timetable experts). He has adapted the web-site to make it more user friendly and expanded it to include all sorts of useful information. Thank you very much Neil and I would urge you all to take a look if you haven’t recently.

32. Patrick Adams is our ever alert Press Officer and has had a busy year. He has issued several Press Releases and written numerous letters to the editors of our local press, radio and TV. Patrick has found some difficulty in getting them to cover good news items, but will still persevere on your behalf. Thank you very much also Patrick.

33. Mark Toms is now in a position to take over the role of Stations Officer with responsibilities including the Gardens Scheme.

We thank you for agreeing to do this Mark and you will certainly have a busy year ahead of you.

34. The role of Membership Secretary is key, even if somewhat unsung! David Smith has been carrying out this role for the past few years, but has decided to call it a day. We thank you very much indeed for all that you have done, especially in computerising our records so that we have a better picture of where we are at any one time. In thanking you, we also wish you well for the future and hope that we will still see you from time to time.

35. We are very fortunate in that Wendy Toms has offered to take on the role of Membership Secretary. As I said it is a vitally important one and we thank her very much indeed for her very kind offer.

36. You will see that the Committee agreed to co-opt three new members onto the Committee. We thank Alan, Barrie and Mike for volunteering and they were formally elected onto the Committee at the AGM. 37. Finally, I come to Hugh Butterworth. Hugh has given years of loyal service to the Group and has always been a source of wise counsel. We have been very fortunate in having his support and I have very reluctantly accepted his resignation. Despite searching enquiries from previous chairmen, no one seems to know how long Hugh has served on the Committee so all I can do is say thank you for your many years service. We gave Hugh a small parting gift in recognition for all he has done and also presented him with a certificate conferring life membership of the Group.

And so on that pleasant note, ladies & gentlemen, I conclude my report for another year!

John Phillips Chairman

A line too far? (1) From the Tiverton Gazette, March 18th 1873: Railway Wanted: On Thursday last a public meeting was held at The Angel Hotel, Witheridge to consider what steps had better be taken to procure railway accommodation for this locality. It has been ascertained that most of the principal owners will give their land if a line is cut from Tiverton. After a brief discussion it was decided to have a second meeting next Fair day (April 17th). A committee was formed for Witheridge, Thelbridge, Worlington and Rackenford. The motto is to be "Union is Strength".

Time to revisit ‘Securing the Future’?

In 1955, a committee of British Railways Western Region senior managers, largely drawn from former Great Western Railway personnel, proposed the closure of every Western Region branch line in Cornwall and South Devon to regular passenger traffic.

Further, they recommended the general withdrawal of stopping trains and closure of all but the principal stations on the main lines.

The grounds were straightforward. The services were hopelessly uneconomic. If nothing was said about Southern lines in Devon, it was because they were not part of the committee’s brief.

Within a few years, many of the lines and most of the stations earmarked had been closed. All this, one should note, happened before Dr Beeching came on to the scene, proposing not merely that the remaining branches should go, but some of the main lines too. The grounds were similar, but more constructive. The services concerned were huge loss-makers. It was better to concentrate the railway’s efforts on what it could do well, rather than waste them on what it could not. In this way, the conditions for the development of today’s increasingly successful inter-city, block freight and freight liner services were laid.

That fewer services were withdrawn than Beeching intended stemmed from political intervention, not the railway authorities’ largesse.

The social consequences of closure had to be taken into account, not just profit and loss. Where people would otherwise lack transport, subsidised operation could be justified. Hence many lines survived. Our North Devon line was among them, albeit in truncated form.

A period of relative stability followed. Forty years on, however, the spectre of Beeching is again at large. This time, it is associated with government departments, rather than one figure in particular. Those involved are Transport and the Treasury. They have a common line, advanced a multitude of hints. Rail absorbs too large a proportion of public funds. Spending on it must be reduced.

Support for rail should be concentrated on what it can do best. That is to say, on shifting large numbers of people or big volumes of freight. First Great Western’s draft timetable for December this year indicated what this could mean for branch lines in Devon and Cornwall. Many predict that this will not be the only turn of the screw, but merely the first.

Whatever the accuracy of this forecast, it is clear that the climate for branch lines is less favourable than it was when we produced our Securing the Future paper a couple of years ago. With the North Devon line in mind, how should we respond? Not, I would hope, by placing our heads firmly in the sand. Those who hold that, regardless of the many poorly-used services on the ND line, a host of others in still worse straits will see cuts before any are inflicted on ours should keep one thing in mind. Whereas the cuts in Devon and Cornwall in the 1950s were piecemeal and local in impact, those made under Beeching were systematic and widespread. There is little in the present climate to suggest that the ND line could not be swept away in a similar closure programme.

Equally, however, I urge that we do not despair. On the contrary, we should harness the winds that are blowing to our advantage.

Chief among these is the indication that rail must do what rail does best, namely carry people in large numbers. A constructive response to the emerging climate must start with an admission that, in terms of passengers carried, the ND line underfunctions. Many of its stations are barely used. Some of its trains are busy, but many load lightly. It should then go on to consider whether there is any possibility of enticing passengers to use the trains in substantially greater numbers than now and, if so, how.

These questions are not new. The urgency of constructing answers, however, is greater than ever. Broadly speaking, two are

emerging. Each assumes that passenger numbers can be driven increased. Both aspire to an hourly service, with improved connections at Exeter. They differ in how these aspirations can be realised, principally with regard to the place of the least used stations and, in consequence, the overall shape of the timetable.

Proponents of the first answer regard all stations on the line as assets. Even the least used meets the needs of some people now.

With lower fares, timetables geared more closely to when people want to travel, better marketing and closer involvement with local communities, all stations have the potential to attract more passengers, including those travelling for leisure purposes. In this approach, reducing end-to-end journey times comes second to ensuring that all the stations currently in operation are served every day by at least by some of the trains and, on Sundays, by all of them.

Proponents of the second argue that the line must play to its greatest strength. This is its ability to carry large numbers of people swiftly over relatively lengthy distances. By far the largest populations served by the line live, work, shop, study or holiday at its extremities, namely Barnstaple and Exeter, or beyond them. In this approach, reducing end-to-end journey times and improving connections are of primary importance. In consequence, little-used stations are liabilities. Providing a service to them makes the rest less attractive. If the intermediate areas of the line are to be served, it would be more appropriately done by a limited number of railheads located where there is potential for substantial growth.

The first answer leaves the overall service pattern close to the recommendations made in Securing the Future and much as it is now.

The second suggests that we should go beyond them by advocating an entirely railhead-based service. Either way, we need to consider the priorities we established two years ago. As a contribution to this, and if the Editor will allow it, I would like in a future magazine to explain why I think the second approach offers the better answer to how the future of this precious line may be secured.

John Gulliver

A line too far? (2) From the Tiverton Gazette, April 22nd 1873 : The Railway; On Thursday a meeting was held in the schoolroom to consider what steps should be taken to connect the town with the railway system of the country. The Rev Hosegood presided. Among those present were: Messrs T Cumings, J Partridge, G Smyth, J Troake, G Ayre, T Strong, Jas Partridge, J Selley, Cocks, Ayre Jnr, Lake Mildon, etc. The proceedings lasted but a very short time but they were of a hopeful character. Four plans are suggested. One is to make a line from Eggesford to Witheridge through the valley of the Dart; another is to get a line from here to Tiverton; a third from here to Lapford; and the fourth plan is to get it made towards Cheriton Fitzpaine and so on to Crediton. It is thought that the second plan would be the most suited to the convenience and requirements of the locality, the trade being done here chiefly with the London markets, and a line to Tiverton will give direct communication with the main line. As most of this land would have to be purchased it would make it an expensive undertaking, and therefore the proposal to make the rail to Eggesford is more popular, as Lord Portsmouth and Sir G Stucley have offered to give all the land necessary for the work. Mr Cummings suggested at the meeting that they should get the land surveyed, as the cost of this would be only ÂŁ40, which they could raise among themselves. On the other hand it was urged that a committee should be appointed to walk over the land between this and Eggesford and report. Eventually this was agreed to and the following were appointed: Messrs J Selley, John Troake, G Smyth, Lake and Cocks. They are to report to another meeting two months hence.

Link to the past disappears Since the last issue of the magazine a well known Barnstaple landmark has finally disappeared. The twin bridges that originally used to carry Sticklepath Hill over the railway lines to Bideford and to Ilfracombe have finally succumbed to the demolition crew as part of the work on the access roads to the new downstream bridge.

Photo: source not known

This view in LSWR days shows the elevated signal box, replaced by a smaller structure in 1924, which was itself eventually removed in the 1970’s Photo: Andy Hedges

The view recently, the overbridge under construction on the left will take the new road over the bus link to the station, at the time of writing it is well on its way to completion.

Training Day On the 20th of November a group of committee members took advantage of an invitation from First Great Western to travel to Plymouth and visit the HST simulator suite. On arrival we were ushered into the ground floor of what used to the Royal Mail sorting office and introduced to Brian Clark, the Simulator Manager. Brian is a long serving railwayman and an experienced driver, and as such knows all the problems and conditions that can be experienced whilst being in charge of 400 tonnes of train travelling at 125 mph and carrying over 400 passengers. All these eventualities can be reproduced in the simulator and drivers are regularly refreshed with days on the simulator, particularly those aspects that will not be a regular occurrence.

Photo: Brian Clark A case in point was our journey to Plymouth, which was delayed by 30 minutes due to a preceding train having trouble over the gradients between Newton Abbot and Plymouth. This had resulted from greasy rail conditions due to the amount of leaf fall, and this is one of the relatively infrequent conditions able to be replicated on the simulator. Others such as fog, loss of one engine, loss of air pressure, and many others can

be replicated with ease for the subject to deal with.

This facility is one of several operated by the company, at locations around the network, and it normally takes a year to fully train someone from scratch. Needless to say, after an explanation of the controls and instruments we all tried our hand on a prepared short route with varying results, at least one of us would probably have lost their job in the real world!

It proved surprisingly difficult to drive, with so much to do and look out for, but the general consensus was that the most difficult thing to do on our short journey was to stop—both at the right speed, without spilling the passengers’ coffee, - and in the right place, so passengers could actually get on and off the train.

Our appreciation goes to Brian for the time and effort spent on making our visit a memorable experience; more than that though, we all came away with a much greater appreciation of the actions and responsibilities of the person at the front of the train, next time the train we are waiting for arrives in the platform we will look at the situation in a new light—for that many thanks.

Andy Hedges

A line too far? (3) From the Tiverton Gazette, June 8th 1880 : The Proposed Railway; A short time ago the promoters of the scheme waited upon the Directors of the South West Railway and urged them to take the matter into consideration. After a little discussion two of these gentlemen offered to survey the proposed route for £50. Letters were sent to the resident gentry and to those whose land would be affected by the line. Answers soon came in bearing congratulations and cheques. The notes from the Earl of Portsmouth and St Stafford Northcote were most encouraging. The sum is subscribed and the route will be surveyed during this present month, the surveyors starting from Witheridge.

Heaven help us if they blow up Umberleigh I guess it was inevitable that a terrorist threat would reach Umberleigh railway station. And that it would also include Chapelton, Copplestone, Eggesford and all stations on the Tarka Line. Security fears have prompted First Great Western to remove anything from the stations in which a criminal could hide a device. I had noticed earlier this year that there's nowhere at Exeter or Barnstaple station to put rubbish, but now the authorities consider that such tiny stops as Portsmouth Arms and Kingsnympton are in danger too.

Of course it's better to be safe than sorry, but I wonder if we aren't losing touch with reality. If someone wants to blow up Chapelton, or indeed Barnstaple, they're not going to be deterred by not finding a litter bin. And if they want to blow up Copplestone then we are all in serious trouble, not just we in the UK, but the USA, The Middle East, China, Outer Mongolia, Tuvalu and the whole rest of the world. The defence against such attack is simply for us ordinary people to band together, watch what's going on around us, and act if we think something's wrong. Please tell me if I'm talking nonsense?

And while we're on the Tarka Line, it made my heart sink to hear that they've started repairs again. I ought to be grateful, really,because the work is dedicated to having a better service in the end. But, in truth, it actually makes me sick. A rare thing for me to say because I'm one of many who are a bit in love with the train ride from Barnstaple to Exeter. We can gaze out from the cosy carriage warmth at the frosty fields and stark elegance of the winter countryside, or admire the green beauty spread out beside the river in summer. No it's not the train journey I'm disturbed about, but the service that replaces it when it's unusable. If there's one road not intended for a breakneck coach trip it's the A377 alongside the River Taw. Each journey there and back reminds my stomach what happens in a big swell on a voyage to Lundy Island. It's more than 40 miles down one of the country's twistiest main roads and the trouble is that the rail company feels obliged to try and do two impossible things when it puts on the coach. First is

trying to compete with the train time, so the driver has to put his foot down. But then said driver must also detour off the road and into the railway stations to pick up passengers. Result? It adds many minutes to a journey already extended severely by the endless bends. The speed required to keep up with the schedule is enough to induce impending nausea most of the way. While I was on one of these journeys a young mother nursing a crying baby and consoling a two year old beside them couldn't keep quiet. "I don't believe it!" she called out in a Victor Meldrew outburst as everyone held onto their seats. I had already abandoned the newspaper after going green.

Often you'll see passengers on the train delving into their sandwich boxes between Barnstaple and Exeter. No-one on this trip could face as much as a tangerine. Most tried to settle their stomachs by looking anxiously at the road ahead and giving way to sharp intakes of breath. It was an hour and a half before we reached St David's station. And there was more. The final lap into Exeter Central meant swapping the coach for a minibus, in which we had to sit and wait what seemed like eons for a driver to turn up. When he did finally get us into the city I was hugely relieved to get out. So why do we have to suffer the bus? Well apparently these repairs happen twice a year, and are to improve the train's speed from here to the county capital. I would be more than happy to enjoy the current time of about an hour. I'd even go so far as to say they should make it longer, just so we can enjoy the experience and those views.

Reproduced from the "John Barum" column in the North Devon Journal with their kind permission.

Silence is Golden... or is it?

Working outside in deepest mid Devon today 1st Nov, a lovely sunny still Autumn day, with no noise except for the occasional tractor and mooing cow, something was missing... .Yes, it was the sound of a train clattering along the ND line... .something we all take for granted... .but I could have been in the now railway 'desert' of North Cornwall & West Devon.

Tony Hill For those of you in far flung places who may not be aware, the date in question was during the two weeks of engineering possession when buses replaced trains. Ed

A line too far? (4) From the Tiverton Gazette April 27th 1895 : A preliminary meeting in connection with the proposed Witheridge Light Railway was held at the Angel Hotel on Thursday after the fair, and was well attended. Mr T L Lee of Crediton presided and the subject was introduced by Mr W Hannaford, auctioneer, who invited Mr R B Mildon of Ash Thomas, the originator of the scheme to give the company an account of it. This he did at some length, remarking that he was aware that in years gone by similar schemes had been proposed for the district, but with the aid of the Government measure now before Parliament there should be no serious obstacle in the way of the present project.

Community Rail Awards The annual award dinner hosted by the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACORP) was held in September at ‘Locomotion� the National Railway Museum at Shildon in County Durham. All the major players in the rail industry were represented, from train operating companies, maintenance organisations and rolling stock companies, to those in the voluntary sector; a good opportunity to make useful contacts.

Devon was well represented in the awards, in the category for Best Community Rail Image, Rachel Griffiths of ImageRail in Newton

St Cyres took first place, whilst Paul Rendell from the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership took third place for his picture “Waiting for a train” which featured on the cover of our last issue. In the category of Best Heritage/Conservation Scheme, Friends of Crediton Station took first place for the work the team has carried out at the station, and in the category of Outstanding Volunteer Contribution your editor took third place.

During the evening a ministerial letter was read out, and within its contents was the statement that the Exeter to Barnstaple line had been designated a Community Rail Line – we currently await more news on this point. The annual event is recognition of the work being carried out around the country to support the principle of Community Rail and we hope that by our efforts we shall be represented at the next awards.

Andy Hedges

News Update & Miscellany The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway reports a very busy year with business well up on 2005; no doubt helped by the extension of the railway to Killington Lane Halt which now gives a 2 miles round trip from Woody Bay station. Nearly a thousand people travelled on the Railway during its recent 2 day Autumn Gala when 3 steam locos were in use providing an intensive and varied train service.

Santa Specials are programmed in Dec with ordinary trains running again from 7 Feb... full details from 01598 763487 or www.lynton-rail.co.uk The first ever Gala event organised by the Dartmoor Railway was held on 14 & 15 Oct and saw a hive of activity at Okehampton with masses of visitors from near & far enjoying the very successful weekend which saw 9 different diesel locos in use including 37142 & 50042 from Bodmin General. Rolling stock in use was the 2 car Hampshire unit, 3 car TC unit + 3 car CIG unit (being hauled) and 6 MK 2 coaches. The short term contract to supply ballast from Meldon to Westbury/Oxford (up to 4 trains a week) was completed in May and since then no further trains have run until this month. Ballast trains recommenced running from Meldon Quarry at end of Nov. The daily EWS worked train from Westbury arrives mid morning & departs late afternoon after wagons have been loaded.

The Bideford & Instow Railway Group has not been running trains at Bideford this Summer and hopes to reopen to the public in 2007.

I am firmly of the opinion that a far more suitable base for any future standard gauge operation in North Devon would be by moving the complete track & rolling stock assets from Bideford to Torrington. A stretch of the former up platform track (last used in Nov 1982 by a 15 coach special from Bristol T.M., with a class 31 loco each end from Barnstaple, and also by a Single Power Car 'possible reopening to Bideford’ Inspection special in Jan 1983) remains in situ and has a passenger coach, open wagon and brake van berthed on it. There is also potential for a longer running line than that available at Bideford and a far more secure site for rolling stock etc.

BRUTE (British Railways Universal Trolley Equipment)... A recent visit to Newton Abbot found the 6 ex-BR Brutes obtained (saved!) by the Pannier Market back in the mid 1980's from Newton Abbot station still going strong and in almost daily use for ferrying stallholders' merchandise around the market. Brutes which were metal with 4 solid tyre wheels and 3 sides of weldmesh had hand brakes and could be coupled together and were often pulled noisily & speedily by battery tractors along platforms in long 'trains' scattering the passengers!. They were a very successful design introduced to replace the traditional 2 & 4 wheel platform trolleys.

They could be manually pushed up a ramp or fork truck lifted into Railway Parcel Vans. Thousands were made at Swindon Works in the late 1960's & 1970's, and were once in common use throughout the BR system. With the ending of Parcel Post, Magazine, General Parcels & Perishable traffic conveyance by rail in the 1980's,virtually all of these Brute trolleys went for scrap.

Already announced continuing cutbacks in French owned Imerys china clay production on SW Dartmoor and in Mid Cornwall are bound to adversely affect future conveyance of clay by rail. What rail traffic will survive in 2007 is unclear; possibly just bulk clay from Drinnick Mill & Goonbarrow to Fowey.The survival of the present not inconsiderable EWS set up at St Blazey must look very dubious.

FGW are ceasing to overnight service and berth local Diesel units at St Blazey from this December and the future of Par traincrew depot therefore looks suspect. Crews (& units) are instead likely to be centred on Plymouth & Penzance for Cornwall. The port of Par will close leaving just Fowey for shipment traffic. Cattewater Harbour is likely to continue for shipment clay from Watts, Blake & Bearne's SW Dartmoor clay pits.

Well kept, but little used, Portsmouth Arms station now boasts a length of track on which sits a shell & chassis of a former Pullman car undergoing restoration by NDRUG member Patrick O'Connor who lives in the adjacent station house. In due course a second, more complete Pullman car (already acquired) is planned to arrive, thus recreating a representative portion of the former 'Devon

Belle' Pullman which used to run from Waterloo to Ilfracombe in the 1950's.

Network Rail after much criticsm, including photos of Crediton station in the Railway press, showing the appalling neglect & lack of weed spraying this year on the North Devon line finally arranged hand spraying of the worst weed infested stations on the line in early September, however this was far too late to prevent weeds seeding for next spring!

Tony Hill

TravelWatch SouthWest General Meeting, 30th September 2006 I attended the general meeting of TravelWatch SouthWest (SWPTUF) at Taunton on the 30th September 2006 on behalf of NDRUG. The meeting was introduced by Chris Irwin, the Chairman who began by congratulating South West Trains on retaining their franchise with the promise of an hourly service on the Exeter - Waterloo line. The Plymouth/Paignton portion of the service will be retained at least until December 2009. He announced that the UK bus awards had 2 nominations from the South West. These were Stagecoach Devon in the larger category and Western Greyhound in the smaller business category. Professor Frank Chambers then opened the debate and break out sessions on the Regional Funding Allocation for Transport. This focuses on schemes over £5 million and does not cover road schemes of national importance or schemes under £5 million funded through the integrated transport block for local authorities and by the Highways Agency or schemes funded by developer contributions or maintenance. The schemes must aim to harness population growth, improve economic prosperity, to address deprivation, enhance the environment, and improve culture.

Four regional breakout groups were formed: Devon & Cornwall Somerset & Dorset (including Exeter – Waterloo line) Bristol area Glos. & Wilts.

Each group had to think of issues and solutions suitable to progress for funding. This then had to be narrowed down to four contenders for proposal. The Devon and Cornwall group issues are listed below: Sea Wall at Dawlish Make route sustainable. This is a medium to long term solution.

Social exclusion Bere Alston, Exmouth, North Devon Line and Truro-Falmouth general route enhancements.

Station accessibility Infrastructure modifications to improve safety and give improved access for the disabled Franchises All improvement schemes use to be locked into the franchise process.

The groups commented that there was a lack of coherent vision but noted that improvements outside the region would have a direct improvement in the region.

Julian Johnson a member of Wiltshire County Council and Wiltshire's representative on the South West Regional Assembly then gave a talk on TravelWatch SouthWest's response to the South West Regional Spatial Strategy 2006-2026.The strategy is now at the examination in public stage. A website is dedicated for this purpose at www.southwesteip.co.uk/home . From the EIP website there is a link to the Regional Assembly website (www.southwest-ra.gov.uk/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=836 ), where you may download the draft RSS papers.

There are 10 regional planning areas in England, of which the South West is the largest geographically. An objective is to reduce the need for car travel and there is also a need to enhance the rail network. There will be a step change in the prioritisation of public

transport to enhance town and city growth.

Chris Irwin in his Chairman's Report expressed concerns over the rolling stock leasing market, particularly as he feels it leads to overcrowding due to the high cost of hiring stock and the relative overpricing of older stock. He feels that the Department For Transport are overspecifying the current round of franchises e.g. the Greater Western, which works to the detriment of the Train Operating Companies, passengers and government. He also looked at the bus market in the South West. The bus industry is vulnerable in rural areas, the only exception being Stagecoach in Devon. Patronage of the bus market is declining with ever increasing costs. It needs better coordination and imagination.

Adrian Lyons (Director General of Rail Forum) gave a talk entitled “Vision For Rail” in which he expanded on the Regional Development Agency (RDA) transport plans. The RDA take a regional viewpoint which is widely consulted and involves multimodal forms of transport. A scheme in one region can have benefits in other regions. Examples are improvement of rail infrastructure at Birmingham or Reading can improve punctuality in the South West of incoming trains. Large capital schemes can substantially improve economic growth and social inclusion. The South West rail network need large scale projects like doubling the Exeter to Salisbury line and making the Exeter to Plymouth route sustainable. Network Rail is now benefiting from a stable structure and leadership.

This talk concluded the meeting.

Alan Clark

A line too far? (5) January 30th 1897 The Witheridge Railway Scheme: In attendance was Mr Pain, the Civil Engineer who supervised the construction of the Culm Valley Railway. The meeting was informed that they must set aside altogether the idea of coquetting between two schemes and of playing off the South Western Railway against the Great Western, otherwise between the two stools they might come to the ground and have no railway at all. A narrow gauge was the only possibility, two and a half feet or three feet, and must come into Tiverton town to get Tiverton support.”

... and so it came to pass that a branch off the North Devon Line never did materialise, either from Crediton, Lapford, or Eggesford, and the people of Witheridge never achieved their goal of a railway connection at all.

Membership Matters If you know someone who you think might like to join NDRUG please contact the Membership Secretary whose address is here.

New Members We welcome: Mr M Wride - Exeter Mrs L Squire - Umberleigh Mr & Mrs F Adey - Umberleigh Mr P Rendell - Okehampton Mr P Adams & Ms P Bamber - Crediton Mr D Coppard - Braunton Committee Meetings (Members Welcome)

Wednesday, 17th January: 19.00 Rising Sun, Umberleigh Wednesday, 21st February: 19.00 Fox & Hounds, Eggesford Wednesday, 21st March: 19.00 Rising Sun, Umberleigh