ndrailusers - Mag26

Issue 26, Summer 2007

Table of Contents

Editorial

Editorial Entertainment on the platform at Barnstaple prior to the departure of a fully loaded Jazz Train Photo: Andy Hedges

Here we are again with another issue, and what an eventful few months it has been. Despite the state of the weather, and the problems that have occurred in some areas, the North Devon line has not experienced any repetition of the flooding problems in 2001, except for one recent isolated occurrence of flash flooding in the Crediton area, which caused the cancellation of one train.

Chairman's Report News Update and Miscellany The arrival of the railway in Devon changes perceptions of time A New Look for the Stations Music trains on the Tarka Line Station Gardens New contact at NDDC A Little Light Relief Secure Stations Secured What is the Secure Stations Scheme?

What are the accreditation criteria?

Calling All Walkers Unusual line blockage Earlier days at Umberleigh Exeter City's big day

A pretty good effort in the area of service provision then, but not so good for the provision of rolling stock. Many instances of insufficient capacity have been experienced over the past few months, both on services to and from Barnstaple, with the preponderance of luggage, buggies, and bikes not helping the situation The local staff, as usual, are coping with the situation admirably, but could do with a more effective information flow from the centres of command and decision, and possibly more local autonomy for certain decision making.

Winkleigh - Open Day Sunday 7 Oct. Membership Matters New Members Committee Meetings (Members Welcome)

In the early part of the year we were being provided with single coach trains, but with the assistance of local and senior management we have now not experienced this for some time, and in fact recently we have been provided with three and four coach trains at the busiest times. This is the sort of flexibility and responsiveness that is necessary on a line like ours where the demand pattern is relatively unpredictable, and is very welcome (and hopefully lasting).

Since the last magazine the line has been entertained, decorated, judged, secured, and blocked, all the detail of these are in the following pages; but whilst mentioning pages, I must advise you that this edition is eight pages shorter than usual due to a lack of content, so the usual plea goes out – more contributors please!

A look at the last page will show that there has been an influx of new members, which is really pleasing, in that there is increasing interest in what the line has to offer the community, Many new members were as a result of the passenger survey in February, and shows that there is no substitute for getting out there and talking to people. I look forward to meeting many of you at the AGM in October.

Andy Hedges

Chairman's Report Our miserable summer weather has certainly not affected passenger numbers using the Tarka Line. Indeed it may account for some of the overcrowding currently being experienced on certain services nearly every day.

Your Committee take this very seriously and are pursuing the issue on two fronts.

Firstly, we continually monitor services and submit a fair but usually critical report to the Department for Transport, Passenger Focus,

Devon County Council (DCC), Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership (DandCRP) and First Great Western (FGW). This gives details of short formations, overcrowding and (thankfully now very few) cancellations.

The main problem is with the 1040 departure from Barnstaple, especially on Saturdays. Under the original FGW timetable plan this was scheduled to be a single coach with a seating capacity of just 76! Thanks in no small measure to NDRUG lobbying, FGW now provide two coaches, enhanced to three coaches on summer Saturdays. This is a great improvement, but is still insufficient, especially when the large amount of luggage, buggies, surf boards and bikes are taken into account and frequently cause trains to arrive in Exeter with many standing passengers.

When this train is short of a coach, FGW have to provide alternative road transport. This is not what people want or have paid for, is an additional cost, does not reflect well on the railway and is known to have turned people away from using, or attempting to use, the train service.

Secondly, therefore, we take every opportunity to campaign hard for an additional 0940 departure from Barnstaple. DandCRP and ourselves have collected sufficient data to justify this service and, jointly with DCC, are urging FGW to provide it as soon as possible.

Passenger numbers have increased to the extent that the 1240 departure (and incoming 1219 arrival) often have substantial loadings.

Consequently, with the overall growth in passenger numbers, all three organisations are seeking an hourly service throughout the day which, in itself, will be certain to generate further increases in passenger numbers.

A recent detailed survey of passengers also produced evidence to support our other main aspiration – for a later evening departure from Exeter at around 2245. This would not only allow for an evening out in the city (with increased use of the inward services earlier in the evening), but also enable the Tarka Line to serve the needs of long distance passengers returning from business or leisure trips in, say, London, the Midlands or the South Coast.

The survey also showed discontent with the 23 minute wait at Eggesford on the 0655 from Exeter. Consequently following a ballot of those passengers affected, we have asked that this wait be reduced to around 10 minutes in the next Timetable change in December, giving an arrival in Barnstaple at around 0815.

Another issue raised was the timing of the 1632 departure from Exeter Central. We have asked that if possible it should operate a few minutes later partly to reduce the long gap to the next train at 1750, but, more importantly, for the benefit of Exeter College students.

These and a number of other detailed timetable points have been discussed with FGW and it is encouraging that NDRUG is now considered to be a key stakeholder which is consulted on a number of issues and our views are listened to, often with positive results.

The Cheap day Return Fares in Devon and Cornwall remain very competitive and it is worth remembering that on the Tarka Line special arrangements apply so that these fares are available on all trains in both directions except for the 0704 Monday – Friday departure from Barnstaple. Remember too that these fares are even cheaper if you have a railcard or can take advantage of Groupsave.

I turn now to stations. Details of the Station Gardens Competition are given on page 10. I should like to record the Committee's sincere appreciation for all those who took part and we hope that someone will come forward to adopt Lapford, so that we can celebrate floral displays at all twelve stations.

Quite apart from the planting, the stations have all been painted and are well cared for (even if there is an overkill of notices) and tribute must be paid to Don Reid, FGW's Service Delivery Manger who supervises them. He is very supportive of NDRUG and always responds to our comments and suggestions as well as promptly responding to faults when we report them to him.

When first opened, no buses were using the new link from Sticklepath Hill to Barnstaple Station. We took the matter up with Brian Greenslade, the Chairman of the County Council. As a consequence, one DCC supported service (to and from Roundswell) is now using the link road providing a regular link to the town centre and Bus Station.

However, we consider it vital that a Bideford service should serve the Station – not least so that through bus/rail ticketing can be introduced. We hope shortly to meet up with FGW, the bus operators and DCC to try to resolve this as well as exploring the possibility of a daily bus service to Ilfracombe.

I represent users of stations between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple on FGW's Customer Panel. One issue of concern was the forthcoming refurbishment of the trains used in the West Country, especially in the light of rumours and articles in the railway press.

The refurbishment is just about to get under way as follows: Class 158: to be refurbished by Wabtec at Doncaster to the same high standard as those recently completed for South West Trains including better lighting, new seat covers etc.

Class 153: the most notable change will be higher seats, giving a much better view out of the window. Again the trains will be re-decorated.

Class 150: here the main concern was that there was to be a return to two plus three seating. This is not the case and the refurbishment will again include new seat covers.

In all cases, I understand that the layout (including tables) will remain the same and that much mechanical work will be undertaken to improve reliability. Hopefully this will put an end to cancellations and short formations due to mechanical failure as well as enhancing the travelling experience for passengers.

Have you visited our Web Site recently? Neil Sunderland, our Webmaster, has recently expanded and improved the service and would welcome contributions for inclusion, especially news or information about stations.

Finally, I draw your attention to the AGM, details of which are shown opposite. It is a considerable coup to have Alison Forster as the principal guest at our meeting. We have arranged a bigger (and better) venue and we will ensure that everyone can hear properly.

Light refreshments will be provided and formal business will be kept to a minimum. So please do attend – there will be plenty of time to ask questions!

John Phillips Chairman

News Update and Miscellany The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway Autumn Gala is on Sat 29 and Sun 30 September, when at least 2 steam locos will be in use on an intensive service.The railway has this year so far (until Aug) experienced an average monthly increase of 40% in traffic and is firmly becoming a major Tourist attraction in North Devon. It is high time the 'powers that be' (Exmoor National Park and Local Authorities) tried to make some funds available as there is only so much that private money and volunteers can achieve.

Dartmoor Railway Autumn Diesel Gala will now take place on Sat 13 and Sun 14 or Sat 20 and Sun 21 October, this will include a special 'Beerex' passenger train from Okehampton to Paignton and back on the Saturday afternoon/evening - for full details ring Okehampton Station on 01837 55637 or visit their website: http://www.dartmoorrailway.co.uk Ballast trains are now scheduled to run twice each weekday, usually one each from and to Westbury and Taunton Fairwater. It is understood that while loadings on the Dartmoor Sunday Rover trains from Exeter to Okehampton have been down on last Summer, no doubt due, until August, to the often poor weather, there has been a steady increase (often to a 100+) in those travelling on the first train from Okehampton to Exeter. This increase in demand for travel to Exeter, and not just on Sundays, is sure to continue, with many houses being built in Okehampton and another 500 to come in the next couple of years. Dartmoor Railway's plans to run to/from Yeoford, hopefully in 2008, continue to make steady progress.

General adverse comments about the refurbishment, with removal of all but 2 tables to provide more seats, of the interiors of the FGW HST fleet highlight the lack of views out of the coaches (other than by some window seats if you are lucky to sit in one!) due to the now very high seat backs. This will not encourage people to take 'off peak' leisure trips by train when one of the things they want to do is look out of the windows and see the scenery etc! The seat cushions whilst not as hard as on Voyagers are nevertheless far less comfortable now,and also smaller,than on Class 158 and 159 units. At least the simple, reliable and 'passenger friendly' paper destination and seat reservation labels have been retained!

Crediton station, particularly the wonderful flower beds, buildings painted in LSWR colours and old fashioned signage is a great credit to all the hard work done by the small band of volunteers who make up the "Friends of Crediton station" It is a great shame that it is all let down by the appalling impression of neglect and 'no one (at Network Rail) cares' given due to the weeds growing rampant in

the tracks and now only kept in check by the passing trains' axles!

Tony Hill

The arrival of the railway in Devon changes perceptions of time

Time seemed to be of very little value when I first knew the place. After the railway had been made my grandfather took his time from the station clock - he could see the hands with his big telescope, looking over from a stile near here.

Till then he took it from the sun-dial: he writes to my father, 16 January 1853, "My watch has taken to lose lately: unfortunately the sun does not give me an opportunity to see about the time ... I shall depend on my own time as soon as the sun will give it me". Though the sun gave him his time, he allowed for the equation; but many of the people here ignored the difference between mean time and solar time. The equation varies from fourteen minutes one way to sixteen minutes the other; and a variation of only half an hour was hardly worth considering in a sleepy place like this. He writes on 14 January 1851, "My watch kept stopping and brought me late to meals, and I had the frowns of the folks: so returned to the old one, which is sure to bring me home in time, as it gains a half-hour in a day".

After the railway came, the trains proclaimed the hours, as most people knew the time-tables approximately, calling the 8.19 the 8, the 11.37 the 12, etc. - odd minutes did not count. As the trains upon this branch were 'mixed', partly passenger and partly goods, there generally was some shunting to be done; but this caused no delay, as the time-tables allowed for it. If there was no shunting, the train just waited at the station till the specified time was up. The driver of the evening train would often give displays of hooting with the engine whistle while he was stopping here, and would stay on over time if the owls were answering back.

From: Small Talk at Wreyland. Third series, by Cecil Torr, (Cambridge University Press, 1923) I often wonder whether there is a similar variation in the perception of time between the train operating companies and the passengers... Ed

A New Look for the Stations We have recently seen the complete repainting of the stations on the line, all of which are now resplendent in First's corporate colour scheme – with the exception of two. It was agreed that both Barnstaple and Crediton would be repainted into more traditional colour schemes. In the case of Crediton, into the original colours of the London and South Western Railway, to match the excellent signage that the Friends of Crediton Station have erected, and in the case of Barnstaple into the Southern (Railway or Region – take your pick!) colours of green and light stone.

The painting team: Nick, Tim and Dave Barnstaple has now been completed, and the painting team, who are employed by First rather than being contractors, have been complimented on not only their cleanliness and tidiness, as well as their safe working practices, but also for their relationships with the customers on the platform at what was a particularly busy period. Not only were they happy to answer any queries put to them, if they did not know the answer they would direct them to someone who did; indeed they were not averse to assisting customers struggling with luggage or buggies if the regular staff were already busy. Above all else though – they were good painters.

Compared with the contractors that come to work at the

station, they were a revelation, obviously proud of their work, and of working for the railway, and taking an interest in what they did and where they were. I hope that the powers at be in FGW will take note of this and of the benefits that having in house teams brings, in terms of customer care, image, quality of work and ultimately cost effectiveness.

Mike Day

Music trains on the Tarka Line Guy Fenton's All Stars just find enough space on the train to Eggesford on 10th August

Once again the popular music trains have been running this year from both Exeter and Barnstaple. Loadings have been dependent on the vagaries of this summer's weather, but not all our travellers have planned to partake of the music however...

One chap had come from Paddington and had to stand all the way down. The journey was just hell he said to me. He got on the train at Exeter St. Davids to go to Barnstaple and his trip turned into Heaven because there was a jazz band playing and there was a bar with real ale. He could not believe it - both on the train! He said to me the Barnstaple train was very busy (96 people on it) but the music and the bar just made his day - he had just gone through Hell and Heaven.

Another young man came up to the bar and told me about what a wonderful evening he had just had. His girlfriend had arranged a special evening for his birthday. It was all kept secret until the day before when he was told he was going on a train where there would live music and a bar on board. He did not believe it. On the Friday he boarded the train and it was true. A jazz band and real ale on a train. He said it was one of the best nights out he'd had for many years.

Paul Rendell Music Train Events Organizer

Station Gardens The annual Station Gardens competition has been run again this year, with the judging taking place at the end of June and the presentations being made on the 24th of July by Julian Crow, West Country General Manager for First Great Western. Unfortunately the vagaries of the weather had caused problems at some of the stations this year, and also, due to the early judging, some of the planting had not reached its best.

First prize this year was awarded to Mrs and Mrs Lewis for Chapelton which, despite there being a relatively small amount of space to work with, managed to achieve a coherent display of a mix of plants; the ground cover from strawberry plants being a particularly pleasant touch. It is a pity there are not more passengers to appreciate the display.

In second place was Kings Nympton, entered by Mr and Mrs Boyd for the first time this year, which gave a feeling of space and orderliness by the planting and strategic positioning of the planters.

Highly commended certificates were also awarded to Kim Woods at Coppletone and to Patrick O'Connor at Portsmouth Arms both, for excellent displays at what are station environments with relatively limited scope.

Thanks go to Don Reid of First Great Western for taking the time to carry out the judging, and to all the participants for the effort that has been put into the displays.

There are discussions taking place as to whether to move the judging date to a little later in the year in order to maximise the effectiveness of the displays, whatever happens though the Station Gardens competition will return in 2008 and whoever the winners are, the real winners are the users of the stations on the line.

Andy Hedges

New contact at NDDC Following the decision of John Travis, who, until recently, was our link to North Devon District Council, not to stand at the last local elections, Councillor Faye Webber has been appointed to be our new liaison with the council.

Faye, who is member for Barnstaple Central, is an extremely experienced and active member of the council and has already attended a recent meeting to get to know the committee and understand what our policies and aspirations are. We look forward to working closely with her on matters of mutual interest and importance.

A Little Light Relief In the absence of passengers, our poet entertains Steve Mason, Barnstaple's Rail Operator On Thursday 16th August Barnstaple Station was honoured to be among the very few stations in the South West to have been granted the presence of the "Poet on the Platform", one Sally Crabtree, known as "the pink-wigged pocket Venus from Cornwall" who has recently been appointed to the post by First Great Western.

The poet gave performances at Reading, Oxford, Bath Spa, Bristol Temple Meads, Exeter St Davids, Plymouth, Paignton and Barnstaple – all the important stations on the network!

Unfortunately the timing of the performance (2.30 to 4.30) was not well chosen; whereas at stations like Reading, Exeter, and Plymouth there are always passengers around to ‘entertain', at Barnstaple at 2.30 in the afternoon the train has been in the platform for 10 minutes, all passengers are aboard, and it is about to leave, with the next service over an hour away, and not

one of the busiest services at that.

The quote from First Great Western was as follows, "This is an interesting idea that makes poetry more accessible across a large geographic area. It's an exciting project which we think is fun and inspiring. Sally is an inspirational performer, and we are pleased to be able to offer her a 'platform' to a wider audience!

Train travel has always inspired creativity and Sally's work will bring an intriguing new element to our stations on her tour." I will refrain from commenting but feel free to draw your own conclusions.

Andy Hedges

Secure Stations Secured Don proudly displaying the certificates that have been awarded On the 27 June 2007 I accompanied Geoff Bruskill of the British Transport Police who is Crime Reduction Advisor to all the stations on the Tarka line. Geoff was carrying out an assessment to ascertain if the stations could achieve the Secure Station Accreditation. We set out nice and early and visited some stations before arriving at Barnstaple and sampling some of Mike's delights. At Barnstaple Geoff chatted to the staff who answered his questions to a very high standard so credit to them all. Then it was back on the road again to complete the visits. At the end of the day with every station having been visited all but one received Secure Station Accreditation. The station that failed was Chapelton and the reason was due to the damaged roof and water damage to the public phone. I have another meeting planned with Geoff towards the end of this month (Aug) to try and receive accreditation for Chapelton. The reason behind this is the fact that Network Rail have finally carried out work on shelter but only due to the complaints raised by this process. They have put up a false wall and at the same time moved the phone forward. The phone is now in working order after having had British Telecom repair it. Hopefully the station painters will be available soon to paint the shelter out but they are busy currently at Barnstaple.

Don Reid FGW Service Delivery Manager Exeter and Mid-Devon As we go to press we have been advised that Chapelton has now achieved accreditation—Ed

What is the Secure Stations Scheme?

The Secure Stations Scheme is an opportunity for Britain's rail companies to improve security at their stations and display to their customers their desire to reduce crime. Recognising the public's fear of crime at stations, the Scheme provides an incentive to station operators to improve security and provide reassurance to passengers and staff.

This national Scheme covers all rail and underground networks which are policed by the British Transport Police [BTP]. It establishes standards of good practice and accredits individual stations which have worked with the BTP and other local partners to implement security measures.

Launched in 1998, the Scheme has recently been independently reviewed and subsequently revised in order to simplify some procedures and encourage more operators to take part. The Scheme is directed by the Department for Transport and the BTP

What are the accreditation criteria?

There are four accreditation criteria: the design of the station must conform to standards judged by the local BTP Crime Reduction Officer to prevent and reduce crime and improve passenger perceptions; the management of the station must enable you to take steps to prevent crimes, respond to incidents, and communicate effectively with passengers; crime statistics for the station over the twelve months prior to the inspection must show that you are managing crime; and a survey of users must show that, on the whole, passengers feel secure when using the station.

The Scheme recognises that security can be improved both through physical design measures and through management practices.

Many stations are old and were designed without personal security in mind. In such cases operators will need to make whatever improvements are possible (through, for example, lighting and signage) and take steps to manage the problems that remain.

(Material Crown Copyright—reproduced courtesy of the DfT)

Calling All Walkers We are proposing to prepare a good quality Station Walks leaflet. The purpose is to provide local people and visitors with ideas for walks from (and in some cases between) local stations on the Tarka Line. This has been very successfully introduced elsewhere and funding is available.

What we need, however, are people who would be willing to develop walks, of varying length and, hopefully, from most, if not all stations along the line.

The walks should encompass as far as possible suitable refreshment facilities and places of interest, but the essential component is to tie in to local stations. Hopefully, we will also be able to incorporate cycle routes.

If you can help us, please do get in touch with me at mailto:alan@almatan.plus.com . The intention is to set up a small working party drawn from those willing to assist and whose function will be to co-ordinate the walks so that we can then take the production of the brochure forward.

This is a great opportunity for you to get involved with our Community Railway.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Alan Clark

Unusual line blockage We have become used to flooding and bus replacements, but on the afternoon of August 14th an ambitious farmer tried to take too large a load of hay across the line at an accommodation crossing between Eggesford and Copplestone resulting in part of the load blocking the line and delaying the 15.42 from Barnstaple for 50 minutes. This in turn meant that the 16.36 from St Davids couldn't leave Crediton until 20 minutes past its due time. Due to the delay to what would have been the heavily used 16.45 from St Davids to Exmouth, a replacement for that part of the service was swiftly found to satisfy the customers for Exmouth, but is was unfortunate for anyone on the train from Barnstaple if connections were required.

Andy Hedges

= Help wanted = Our Membership Secretary is in need of some assistance with a subscription that has been received. Three pounds in one pound coins was delivered in the post , in a torn manilla envelope with no covering letter and no return address to provide a clue. If the member in question recognises the writing on the envelope pictured would they please advise either the Editor or the Membership Secretary so that membership may be renewed.

Earlier days at Umberleigh One of our members has kindly loaned us some information and artefacts relating to Umberleigh in the 1930's. Sally Greene's grandfather, William Wheeler, was Station Master at Umberleigh from 1927 until he retired in 1936. Originally employed by the London and South Western Railway as a boy porter at Sampford Courtenay in 1892 he subsequently served the company at Milbourne Port, Tavistock, Whimple, Egloskerry, Whitstone, Bridgrule, and Exeter Queen Street (now Central), before coming to Crediton as office porter in 1905. He then remained at Crediton, eventually becoming the booking clerk until his promotion to Station Master.

The responsibility of the Station Master at Umberleigh was not for that station alone, but also for South Molton Road (now Kings Nympton), Portsmouth Arms, and Chapelton. In the year William Wheeler retired, issuing of tickets at Umberleigh was running at around 9000 per year, parcel receipts at around 1800 per year and goods receipts toalling 2000 tons per year including coal, other minerals and general merchandise. At that time Umberleigh had more passenger traffic than most intermediate stations on the line, thus the job was not an easy one !

Exeter City's big day The early morning start of 0545 from Barnstaple, to collect Steve Mason, the Rail Operator to take him down to St Davids for a 7am briefing was a bit of a shock to the system on my only day off!

I had been granted permission to shadow the teams preparing for the expected thousands of Exeter City football fans attempting to make their way to London Paddington and then onto Wembley stadium, the first visit in the club's history.

At 7am prompt a security, safety and event briefing was held in the duty manager's office led by Kevin Ogilvie-White (Mid Devon Station Manager) and Don Reid, Customer Service Manager (primarily responsible for the Tarka Line). In attendance were many grades of railways staff, both office and frontline operational, also in attendance was a strong presence from British Transport Police.

All information was circulated and questions answered in connection in dealing with 2 service trains and 2 charter trains for the event, one charter was hired by First Great Western and one by Exeter City Football Club, each comprising 12 carriages and a class 67 from EWS as locomotive power, allowing a combined seating availability of around 2000. A further 10 coaches were hired and placed at the front of the station to cater for any overspill, the coaches were to be dispatched to Bristol Parkway at the earliest opportunity

to connect with a London service from Cardiff.

Shortly after the briefing, a phone call came through potentially throwing all the carefully laid plans out of the window. Network Rail's overnight maintenance possession of the main line had over run, meaning a probable 45 minute delay, which, if all the expected fans had turned up, would have caused a very serious problem.

Fortunately just before the planned 0730 for the opening of the station to the fans, the all clear came through and we were back to plan A much to the relief of all concerned.

At 0730 Kevin ordered the front doors to be opened and the boarding of the first trains to commence, the gates were manned by several FGW staff including Kevin with the support of several BTP officers.

The fans were all of good nature and excited at the "triple whammy" of hopefully being promoted, playing at Wembley and being one of the first clubs to play at the new Wembley, to which some 27,000 tickets for Exeter Fans alone had been sold!

Other FGW staff manned security points and customer direction points, one of which was Don Reid who was helping separate the service train passengers from the Exeter City charter, Steve Mason was helping to organise the loading of the passengers onto the waiting coaches.

After an initial burst of many hundreds of fans, everything eerily went dead on the entry front, all expectations of full trains disappeared as the queues failed to form. The first two trains left, on time but with many empty seats, the third hired by FGW left with only a dozen or so on board. This was a sad reflection on what had transpired to be a very turbulent time for FGW from some elements of the South Devon Press during the previous week. Mass overcrowding and no hope of getting there by rail was promoted in certain quarters of the media, putting many hundreds of fans off taking the train, much to the cost of the football club and FGW. This truly showed the power of the press be it positive or negative coverage.

It has to be said it was a bit of an anticlimax to have so many empty seats after so much hard work by Kevin and Don's team, I was highly impressed at the level of professionalism and cooperation between the various teams from FGW at Exeter St Davids and the surrounding stations who had supplied additional staff, also the interagency cooperation from BTP. Everyone involved helped everyone else without hesitation, to a make a potentially very difficult and complicated situation run very, very efficiently. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kevin and Don for allowing me the privilege of "going behind the scenes with full access", to see just how much work and how many people are involved in ensuring that hundreds of loyal fans had a smooth and pleasant start to their team's big day.

Unfortunately Exeter was not to be successful on this occasion, losing to Morcambe and thus missing out on promotion to the football league — still there is always another season.

Mike Day

Winkleigh - Open Day Sunday 7 Oct. The West of England Transport collection based in an old WWII hangar on the former Winkleigh airfield will hold its annual Grand Open Day on Sunday 7 Oct. from 1000 to 1600. Entry £5 adults, £3 OAPs and reductions for children and families. Frequent free vintage bus and coach trips will operate around Winkleigh including visits to the Cider works. Also a Free vintage bus service will run between Eggesford station and Winkleigh (connecting with 1110 and 1310 trains from Barnstaple and 0934 and 1137 from Exeter Central and 1440 and 1639 to Barnstaple and 1346, 1542 and 1749 to Exeter for those using the North Devon line.

Tony Hill

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

here.

New Members We welcome: Mr and Mrs P Hilleard, Hayes, Kent Ms R Winstone, Bideford Mr D Watkins, Morthoe Rev E Blackmore, Appledore Mr G Conyngham, Crediton Mrs L C Bowden, Barnstaple Ms J Arthur, Ashford Mr N Bacon, Bradnich Mr P Ellis, Eggesford Mr T Hedley, Bideford Mr N Kego, Launceston Mrs M Lee, Colebrooke Mr and Mrs G Newland, Yarnscombe Mr T Phillips, Bideford Mrs J Scott, Barnstaple

Committee Meetings (Members Welcome) Wednesday, 19th September 19.00 - Gables Tea Rooms, Umberleigh Friday, 12th October 18.15 - Imperial Hotel, Barnstaple (AGM) Wednesday, 14th November 19.00 - Fox and Hounds, Eggesford