Lynton and Barnstaple Railway

We welcomed Mike Pearce to our meeting on 19th November to give a talk on the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway. This was incorporated under its own Act of Parliament in 1895 and opened in 1898. It was constructed to a gauge of 1foot 11 ½ inches. The length of the line from Barnstaple Town to Lynton was approximately 19 ¼ miles. It had gradients as steep as  in 50 as it rose from almost sea level to about 1000 feet at Woody Bay, before descending to approximately 700 feet above sea level at Lynton.

A promotor of the line was George Newnes, a publisher, who had a holiday home in Lynton. The line was constructed by Nuttalls.  A major engineering feature was Chelfham Viaduct.

Mike took us on a journey along the line in the 1900s, and again in the 1930s using colourised postcards. The railway was purchased by the Southern Railway in 1923 who made some investment in the infrastructure and purchased a fifth locomotive. However, the lime was losing money and was closed on 1935 despite public objections. All the assets were sold at auction or scrapped.

The line came to the attention of enthusiasts and in 1979 the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway Association (now Trust) was formed. In March 1995 Woody Bay station was purchased. Other purchases were made, land cleared for track laying, and a public service commenced on 17th July 2004. A derelict First World War locomotive was purchased and named Axe, and a replica locomotive Lyn was purchased in 2017.

The railway currently runs from Woody Bay to Killington Lane and has aspirations to extend its operations to Blackmoor Gate, but planning application difficulties have been encountered with Exmoor National Park Authority.