Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

So, in other words, a set of questions constrained by factors you’ve decided on and fit your vision of what the restored L&B might look like. For those of us not intimately acquainted with the costs of railway preservation, the values wee meaningless, so I’m going to ignore them.

If money were no object, I’d restore the L&B through to Town, then extend it over a reinstated Taw bridge to Junction. At Lynton, I’d extend it towards the town.

For rolling stock, I’d look hard at what is being done elsewhere, but stick to designs that support the L&B livery (plain olive green is just dull). The existing loading gauge would however be retained, and designs chosen around what would fit, rather than try to revise the loading gauge to suit.

The same principles would apply to traction. There would be necessarily be a Manning Wardle bias, but the objective would be to develop based on what subsequent owners might have done to develop the railway’s ability to operate tourist traffic economically. Battery electric and diesel would be considered

All of the above would be based on the existing constraints of station sites and platform lengths, recognising the possibility that additional loops may be needed to offer a commercially viable service rather than override the history by extending the stations significantly - the L&B is a small railway, and that flavour needs to be retained. If the WHR is South African 2ft brought to Wales, and the Ffestiniog is touristified, this would represent a different facet of preservation and restoration.

Depot facilities would be based on a proper analysis of sites and needs, and Blackmoor would be treated as just another site, with OSHI taken as it is, assuming that it remains a viable business.

 

I basically agree with Tom.

But before abandoning my fantasy heliport suggestion, I realise it missed a trick. Instead of a green fields site, the heliport should be on the foreshore at Lynton. That way the underground-railway connection to it would give the L & B the truly useful terminus location it has always lacked, with potential for through running with no change of train. Easily achievable with a slick change of loco from steam to electric taking place at Woody Bay (or closer to Lynton - wherever the tunnel starts).

That would revitalise prospects for a swift re-opening of the whole line back to Barnstaple. Next steps would be a further extension along the coast to Bideford (often easy on old trackbed), Clovelly and Bude. The latter would be all-new and would have some spectacular views - and epic engineering to draw the crowds.

There would be so much more traffic that pressures would grow to modernise and double-track the original route of the L & B, with easing of curves and gradients; and then probably a conversion to standard gauge for through running from London ….

Be careful what one wishes for!

 

What is the point of just one heliport? It's a bit like having a railway with only one station. Oh, wait...

 

Has someone been over-dosing on the Xmas 'spirit' a bit too early....???

 

This lack of ambition is very disappointing. Why aren't you proposing to tunnel under the Bristol channel, pop up in south Wales and link up to the Vale of Rheidol, via a much-expanded Gwilli and two changes of gauge? That's what I'd do...

 

Seen on the Barnstaple & Yeo Valley Railway Trust's facebook page - apparently Exmoor Associates is to be merged into the newly renamed Trust.
"The YVT (now B&YVRT) and EA are still separate entities. EA Shareholders have agreed to transfer all their assets (eg. trackbed, cash) to B&YVRT. What with the name change and a new constitution having to be authorised by the Charity Commission, and the legal aspects of the land transfers all taking time, it will be a while before the dust settles and EA can be made dormant."