Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

Times have, of course, moved on - but not in all areas! The VoR with wealthy support is not the same as the L&B in that respect, but another important point of difference is that the VoR never closed and had naturally made the transition to being a tourist line, and people had come to realise its value as such from an early stage. I don't think that, in its operating days, the L&B ever really made that transition and hence it is not really remembered and appreciated for its tourist potential - the potential is only now being recognised and realised, and its influence as such is, in reality, very limited. Hopefully, as it grows and develops, that potential will be far more widely recognised and will become more exploitable, but at the moment its proponents haven't really generated the momentum necessary to make it more compelling, especially to some of the local population.

 

I think you have also hit on a point which many within the L&BR family have yet to acknowledge, and that is the difference between the underlying argument of commercial development versus authenticity, which would not be new to anyone else who has volunteered over the years at a railway.

As I have said before, I don't have a problem with the L&BR being authentic, but I do think it needs to be better run along commercial lines, and sometimes these viewpoints will clash.

One of the weaknesses of the railway is that it is still seen by some in North Devon as a toy for the boys and old men playing trains at weekends. That said, I need to make it quite clear that I do appreciate the amount of hard work put in by all the volunteers and the staff, but part of the problem, I think, is the image which has been projected in the past mainly by the then management team.

Sure, in hindsight it is very easy to be critical, but we are where we are due to that image which is still seen by many people around Devon and to a certain extent by some on this very forum.

A book which I have only just obtained has the title 'Holding the line' Preserving the Kent and East Sussex Railway by Nick Pallant, and what I have read so far, you could so easily substitute the L&BRT for the K&ESR. So I feel there is nothing new in the railway heritage world (It's well worth the £15.00).

 

AIUI the NYMR is planning to use rapeseed oil as a fuel which is widely grown in the UK, it would also seem that their oil conversion is designed to run on a range of oil fuels, like it or not these alternatives to coal must be explored alongside modern eco coal fuel

 

On the contrary, I think the tourist potential of the L&B was realised and used - within the context of the tourism of the period (there is then also the question of the true motives behind George Newnes’ support of the railway!). A century later, our understanding of the role of tourism is very different, and hence of its potential.

However, that then raises a different issue. North Devon is a low waged area, where many jobs are very seasonal, and with deep poverty. In other words, it’s already very dependent on tourism - many suggest over-dependent.

That means that an extended and reopened railway would be both a provider of new jobs (good) and deepen the area’s dependence on seasonal work (bad).

Authenticity and commerce are not mutually exclusive; I’d suggest that they are actually complementary and can allow more to be achieved than a single minded focus on commercialism. @60044 has made that argument well over the teak carriages at NYMR, other examples exist in the sector.

It should not be conflated with the alleged attitudes of some, and/or the perception that the railway is for old men to play trains at weekends. That may be a factor in the restricted growth of the railway over the last 20 years, but that is a different and backward looking conversation.

I don’t know how a significantly longer reopened L&B would plan, or quite where demand would be. But where those arguments for change are made, including but not limited to those mentioning Statfold and/or Collection X, there tends to be a “playing trains” focus on locomotives and train lengths, with corresponding heedlessness to the infrastructure constraints. Visit Chelfham or Bratton Fleming, and you rapidly see how those are fundamental to the character of the railway, in a way that’s not true of Woody Bay or, probably, Blackmoor Gate.

Better by far to look at how the NT or English Heritage maximise tourism potential at their properties while maintaining authenticity of the core parts of those properties than going “commercial”. Otherwise, maintaining the historic buildings comparison, the risk is that you end up with the theme park experience of an Alton Towers or Watermouth Castle, rather than anything recognisable. Or, in railway terms, you end up with a tripped down PDSR experience, or the unsatisfactory no-man’s land that is today’s NYMR

 

The L&B undoubtedly needs to win support from locals and to some extent that support will come in part by creating the year-round jobs as well as the seasonal ones. The argument about authenticity is a different, but I think we can all agree that a reproduction (which in all honesty is what it is, there's very little preservation going on there) that is as true as possible to the original will be more attractive than the stripped down no-man's land.

 

I agree that some smart thinking is required regarding alternatives to coal, although I am sceptical of the claims that this years weather is to be the new normal. Last spring we were told confidently that global warming would cause warmer wetter summers in Britain. In the southwest, the current summer spell is quite similar to 2021, but in that year other parts of the country experienced flooding, iirc.
Rapeseed oil cannot simply burned, it requires preheating at the very least, and usually is blended to produce a rapeseed biodiesel, which has about 38,000Mj/tonne. Unfortunately that tonne costs about £1,100-£1,200, so 30% more than ordinary heating oil, and 2 1/2 - 3 times the cost of coal.
Due to the extended dry period this summer there have been issues with low moisture content in rapeseed. Farmers are harvesting between 10pm and 0500 in the hope of some moisture content. Less than 5% moisture and the crop is worthless, although the millers will take it (at £0.00/tonne) for use in cattle cake, so at least the farmers are not having to pay to get rid.
If we get a wetter summer next year, then there will be more rapeseed oil, but less fire risk. If we get the same summer next year, it will be a long time before any one plants rape again.

 

That I have no doubt; however, I would suggest that it is just as important not to destroy the USP of the L&BR, but we also need to take into consideration what the general public thinks about the railway. At the moment, the ride is very short, but how many people would be willing to travel L&BR-style 3rd class over, say, a 10-mile round trip? As enthusiasts, we are more than likely to rough it; the other half might not want to. I know mine would object in no uncertain way and would make sure everyone knew about it as well, and this is where the fine balance comes into play to maximise bums on seats; it is, I guess, one of the oldest questions in the heritage railway playbook. I noticed the other day that the Brecon Mountain Railway has now had three consecutive days of every ticket being sold out, so they must be doing something right.