Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

Welsh Highland - more info. in this thread:
https://www.national-preservation.c...-of-trackbed-for-uk-heritage-railways.829282/

Rother Valley Railway also intend to seek CPO powers.

 

Asking about CP powers on a public forum is about as helpful as going up to the owner and telling them to bugger off. We want to play trains.

The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway are trying there hardest to keep the words CP power out of sight and out of mind. They dont intend to use it and dont want to use it.

All there land purchase so far has been done via negotiations and hard work.

Dont need someone, especially one who helps at the L&B bringing up that comment again.

 

Hi Small Prairie -
apologies if you're upset by the comment.

I'll delete my post and ask Miff to delete his reply (via this message). If you too could delete yours, that will remove the subject altogether.

 

I am a farmer. However, for a time I worked for Railtrack/Network Rail in the Operational Contracts dept. I had quite a bit of success with recalcitrant farmers who had hitherto refused access across their land. Communication rather than compulsion is definitely the answer, and being able to speak the other guy's language.

L&B - I'd be happy to help

Ross

 

The L&Bs East Group (the C&W miracle workers) are moving into their new base. Update, with photos of wood, stock and wildlife (!) :

http://www.lynton-rail.co.uk/trust/groups/pages/july-update-east-group

 

Spoke to a person on the L&B stand at RailWells yesterday, and he said they are hoping the planning will come up in the October planning meeting. Exmoor NP are more than happy to pass the application, but will like some more information on the Parracombe station section so most likely a drone will be needed to see the site from the air again as there is just one major objector for this. Also the ENP had had a feasibility study done for the reopening which came out very close to what the L&B one was against the one supplied by the main objector. The ENP want it to open again as they can see the benefits the railway will being to the area. Also some of the reasons the new site for the Lynton station was chosen against trying to get into the old station site is that it is more near the main part of the town, and more level and a far better water supply as well, yes the road could be a problem getting to the site so will need to be sorted out.

 

54 photos taken earlier this month, before Lyn had arrived, may be of interest:

https://andrewstransport.smugmug.co...ways/Lynton-Barnstaple-Railway-2017/i-29BFS8v

Cheers

Andrew N

 

Hi Ross I fear your talents would be wasted as the problem isn't some one who farms.

 

As I understand it, it has been suggested that there may have to be a review about the Lynton Terminus, this is mainly to do with the cost of land and would it be financially viable for the railway to build it.

To be honest 'building back to Blackmoor' is more than enough for everyone to concentrate on at the moment. I have been told that it might cost around the same amount to rebuild the railway between Blackmoor to Barnstaple as it would to get to Lynton from Woody Bay.

I know what I would do first given the options.

 

Has the land at Lynton changed from agricultural land to development land?

 

Not sure about the old loco shed, but the rest (including the sometime goods shed) have been in residential use. From the L&B website:
http://www.lynton-rail.co.uk/page/lb-locations

 

The old site isn't possible without demolishing several houses. I'm presuming the land use question refers to the proposed new site?

 

Is the proposed Lynton site within ENPA borders?

 

Looking at the Map it should be.

 

It hasn't changes it use, it is just the value which has gone up, I have been informed that going beyond Dean Steep towards Lynton could cost anything around the £8-10 million pounds mark, and that is before you build a railway, some of this land does have property on it. But I wouldn't say it is never going to happen it will at some stage, but the Trust has more than enough on its plate at this moment in time, in just getting to Blackmoor. Once the line is up and running between Woody Bay and Blackmoor, then that will be the time to decide on what happens next.

It may well be the case of having a break from an extension, so the railway can built up its locos and rolling stock reserves, if we take it that the railway was running a gala train service between Blackmoor and Woody Bay it would need say three locos and three trains sets (5 coaches per set) this would allow for a half an hour service each way with a stop over at each end, the railway only has two mainline steam locos available at the end of this year, the need to build or buy in a third (or fourth) steam loco will be required at some point once B/WB is open.

I understand that Charlie Wytock needs some major boiler work so is not available at present and then we have AXE which is due her 10 year Boiler/overhaul examination at the end of this year, hopefully AXE will return, but she will only be able to handle a 3 coach set, so that will limit her to the early and late parts of the season.

The big problem facing the L&BR is that it is a medium sized 2ft gauge engine line, I think you can rule out Garratt's and possible NG15's but should something like a South African class 9/Hopefield/Avontuur/ 2-6-0 or 4-6-0 size loco as an example become available, well that would be an interest prospect to say the least. The thing is there is not an Tesco's where you can just go out and buy a new steam loco or is there 2ft gauge scrap yard where we could go and buy such a loco, these take time and money, so I would say that there is not a chance for at least twenty years that we shall see trains running into a station at Lynton, hopefully I will still be about just (will be 80 by then).

 

Charles Wytock is being offered for sale via the Preston Services website, so clearly does not appear to form part of even medium term plans. I could see the next locomotive move being to build two more Manning Wardles. The patterns for Lyd are all there and there must be some economies of scale building two rather than one.

 

Is the existing frame (Project Yeo) usable with "Lyd's" spec?

 

I think the answer would be I hope so, but until it goes in to be worked on we don't know, I have heard it said that anyone who take on the next project to build two Manning Wardles will want to start from scratch as the set up cost and CAD drawings will work out cheaper in the long term, I know they done some work on them a few years ago to stop them going out of shape, but just how successful that was once again I don't know, I heard some one at Woody Bay a few years ago describe them as being banana shaped and not fit for purpose, but to be honest I am sure any decent engineer will know a way to put them right if they are that bad, part of me has already accepted the point that they will end up being scraped, the sad point is that project came along at the wrong time and mistakes where made and we have to live with them.

 

That is such a shame as it is was the one loco I didn't see working at Woody Bay, just goes to prove you need a bucket full of money to keep one working, It is a bit scary when you know how much it is to buy one and then how much you need to sink in to it to get it working, my heart still tells me that I want to rescue other locos, but my brain is telling me to forget it.

 

Bearing in mind that one of the stipulations on ENPAs consent to rebuilding the line is that it be "as close to the original as possible". I'm not sure how much bearing this has on what runs on it, but the Trust's avowed intention is the same.
To me, batch-built Manning Wardles are the obvious step. If Lyn cost £600k as a one-off, I'm sure that with economies of scale, plus the fact that all the design work and patterns are already extant, the unit price could be brought down as low as £400k for a run of 4. Yes, I know that a total of £1.6 million is still a helluva lot of cash, but that could be the completed railway's entire motive power requirements taken care of.
Food for thought?