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West of England
Gartell Light Railway
The Gartell Light Railway is a privately run narrow gauge railway located at Yenston in the Blackmore Vale, south of Templecombe, in Somerset, England. It operates a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway running for 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km), partly along the track of the old Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway.The railway has 4 stations - Common Lane, Pinesway Junction, Park Lane and Tower View.
The railway is controlled using a comprehensive signalling system operated from two signalboxes - Common lane and Pinesway Junction. Both signalboxes control a mix of semaphore and colour light signals with mechanically operated points.
The railway is open to the public on selected dates through the year when it normally operates an intensive 3 train operation with departures from Common Lane station every 20 minutes through the day between 10:30 and 16:30.
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Launceston Steam Railway
Standard gauge railway
The first railway to arrive in Launceston was the Launceston and South Devon Railway, opened in 1865 from Launceston to Plymouth and later incorporated into the Great Western Railway. In 1886 the London and South Western Railway opened from Halwill Junction, which was gradually extended to Padstow in the 1890s and later became part of the Southern Railway. The two Launceston stations stood side by side: Great Western closed in 1962 and Southern in 1966. bad5cf58d_
Revival on a narrow gauge
In 1965 Nigel Bowman, a trained teacher, rescued the Lilian steam locomotive from the Penrhyn slate quarry in North Wales and restored it to working order at his home in Surrey. He then began looking for a site to build a railway for Lilian to ride on and in 1971 decided on Launceston after considering the Guildford to Horsham section of the line and the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. The purchase of the track bed took several years and the first 1⁄2 mile (0.8 km) of track was opened on Boxing Day 1983. The railway was gradually extended, most recently opening in 1995 to Newmills, bringing the line to its current length of 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km).
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Lynton & Barnstaple Railway
The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway (L&B) opened as an independent railway in May 1898. It was a single track, 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) narrow gauge railway and was slightly over 19 miles (31 km) long running through the rugged and picturesque area bordering Exmoor in North Devon, England. Although opened after the Light Railways Act 1896 came into force, it was authorised and constructed prior to that act. Therefore, as with all other railways, it was authorised under its own Act of Parliament and built to higher (and more costly) standards than similar railways of the time. In the United Kingdom it was notable as being the only narrow gauge line required to use main-line standard signalling. For a short period the line earned a modest return for shareholders, but for most of its life the L&B made a loss. In 1923, the L&B was taken over by the Southern Railway, and eventually closed in September 1935.
The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway Trust was formed in 1979; and a short section was reopened to passengers in 2004. This was extended in 2006; and the following year plans were announced to open 9 miles (14 km) of track, linking the station at Woody Bay to both Lynton (at a new terminus on an extension to the original line, closer to the town) and Blackmoor Gate, and to a new station at Wistlandpound Reservoir. The present track is now 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) narrow gauge.
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Contact
Woody Bay Station,
Martinhoe Cross,
Parracombe,
BARNSTAPLE,
EX31 4RA
01598 763487