Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

Given that was 10years ago and no enforcement action has been taken I assume that there is an extension permission as well?

 

Meanwhile...noted on the Cornwall Railways website today:-

"This should have been a visit to the Lynton & Barnstaple Steam Gala, however, as we arrived at Barnstaple a bus was seen departing from outside of the station, empty with no destination, 15 minutes before ours was scheduled to depart. We waited for an hour but nothing showed up, and unable to contact the Bus Company by telephone, a decision was made to instead visit the Bideford Railway Heritage Centre...."

I wonder what went wrong there?

 

I'm sure if you contact Filer's Travel on 01271 863819 they can tell you what went wrong................

 

Nothing to do with the railway that !

It's like contacting stagecoach buses to find out why the train at exeter left 2 early.

 

I did not mean to suggest that it was, but it does not help the railway if people coming to attend the Gala can't get there 'cos either the bus left early or did not come at all, so they go elsewhere instead for the day.

 

It's bloody hard going sometimes, isn't it? At every turn these days, there seems to be someone ready to take offence when it is quite obvious that none was intended

 

I belive they didn't look for the right bus as all the trackers point towards everything running to time or a couple minutes late .

 

Interestingly though i did see a comment on the Facebook page that the railways online shop was stating the event had been 'sold out' and that online tickets weren't available, the site these days might be run by a private company but its down to the railway to make sure such information is correct

 

Killington lane is also rented from the farmer so the financial situation should be taken into account as well

 

Visited the L&B yesterday for the first time in what must've been 6-7 years. Was great to see Lyn working for the first time - what an impressive and striking engine. I think that's the first time I've had haulage there from anything other than Axe.

I made probably half a dozen visits in the mid 2010s so feel like I've seen lots of significant incremental developments without the line actually extending yet. Not just the larger locos but the proper stock replacing those little red coaches I remember from my first trip, the new buffet that nestles in so subtly at a station that's got so much character.

One thing that struck me was the degree to which the L&B feels like it works well as it is right now. I was really struck by how many passengers were thanking the loco crew and guard (it was a good mix of small coach party, enthusiasts, older couples and families with very young children) and seemed plenty happy enough just to have had a short steam train ride even though the line's so short right now and Killington Lane isn't much of a destination. But a brief taste of an impressive looking steam engine, cheap fares (kids go free is a great move), very regular services, lovely view over the hills towards the Bristol Channel, excellent cake in the cafe... it's a great place to visit just as it is.

And yet because of what was there a century ago, all the history, the fact it could be possible to rebuild it all eventually, of course they want to push on with the full route (and the amount of information everywhere about both the history of the original line and the long-term ambitions now was really impressive). And I really hope over the decades ahead I can travel on ever more of it.

Definitely not saying they shouldn't try to rebuild it all, just that it was the first time on an L&B visit that I'd taken a bit more time to stop and think not 'how great could this be when it goes somewhere else' and more 'how lovely is this right now?'. If it was a one-mile scenic 2-foot gauge steam journey at a location without that legendary history, I think most people would be pretty satisfied with the current offering. I'll definitely try to get there for part of next year's gala weekend too as the timetable looked fantastic, so much going on.

I only skim read this thread sporadically and haven't properly followed all the ins and outs of what's been done, what hasn't, by who and whether calls were right or wrong. But as an open-minded passenger yesterday, I had a great couple of hours and hope everything that was charming about the experience remains as the line eventually grows.

 

Whilst the extension to CFL isn't all that we had hoped for, it does give us:

• A 941m extension (increasing the length of the line from 1.4km to 2.3km), which is (I think) a 67% increase
• Two bridges over the railway and another cattle creep
• Cuttings
• Embankments
• A visually different landscape
• That little bit closer to Blackmoor Gate

All of which enthuses me.

 

Thank God for someone who sees the b
Positives!

 

An extension is good. Getting closer to BR is good. As for the other the other 4 items, I can see all those within a couple of miles of my house, I think the railway would be hard-pressed to 'sell' them as an sort of USP.

 

So because you can see them , all the touist that live in towns and city's who don't see it as a daily shouldn't get the opportunity?

We don't survive on rail enthusiasts anymore , we survive on tourist trade

 

The L&B does, and this will be an enhancement to the offer. There remain many questions about the scope, need and value of this specific question, and I look forward to answers being forthcoming.

In the meantime, the application is in and I wish the Trustees well in their pursuit of it - whatever the backdrop, and whether or not I personally think it the right approach, it is now important that it is able to be a success, as the consequences of failure will be serious.

 

I don't dispute that. But as someone who is both a tourist (occasionally) and a railway enthusiast, exactly why please would I want to travel all the way to North Devon just to see "...two bridges, another cattle creep, cuttings and embankments..." ??

Now, if that 'bridge' were the Chelfham Viaduct, and I could travel across it in carriages hauled by a MW (or two!), that would be a different matter entirely

 

It's a fair question, but the longer run and different views do change the visitor offer. The question is by how much.

 

By "we" I assume you mean the operating railway at Woody Bay ? You may well be right that it survives on the tourist trade, and it is doing a good job at it and at promoting the project as a whole.
But it is only a small part of the overall plan of the Trust, and others, to reinstate the original railway between Lynton & Barnstaple. To do this is going to take a huge amount of money, most of which will need to come from enthusiasts; with the best will in the world you will not be able to earn it from tourists on a mile and a half of line.

 

The longer run will no doubt improve the visitor experience, and I'm certainly looking forward to it, but other aspects to consider are perhaps: "How much can we afford to raise ticket prices without disincentivising visitors?" (I would pay double, but I doubt I'm typical!), "How much extra revenue will the increase raise?" and likewise, "How much extra will it cost to run the extra distance?" I'm assuming that the vast majority of the development costs will not be borne by ticket sales, but raised through other fundraising activities.