Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

Can anyone confirm if the Trust owns / has access to all the trackbed between OSHI and Wistlandpound? I'm thinking specifically about the land between bridge 53 and the embankment.

 

14 miles??

 

I keep making suggestions

I am not intrinsically against two operations, providing that it is clear why this is happening and what it demonstrates and to whom. What I would not want to see is it become a distraction from the main task.

I don’t have a detailed enough knowledge of what is owned to know what the pros and cons of any particular section might be, but it does occur to me that perhaps the section in discussion might not be the best place for the operation. It also seems to me that we are dodging the main issues which is that we need a solid fundraising plan and delivery thereof. Look at the problems, they are all of them resolvable if we fix that prerequisite.

I said it before, I just don’t see enough ambition. Maybe ambition is the wrong word. Get up and go might be better?

 

7.25" ? Tempting, but a mile all up would be about the maximum comfortable ride.
Nice idea though !

 

In my view you wouldn't run OSHI to Whistlandpound every day. It would be perhaps one day per week or at weekends only in high season, low season maybe once a week or even less.
The main operation is still at Woody Bay, but it gives a taster of what's to come at OSHI plus gives OSHI something to promote and draw trade in.

The rolling stock is very easy to resolve as I've already outlined, but we certainly don't want tackiness, we want quality to show we are serious in what we are doing in all areas of the L&B, keeping as far away from that Disney look as possible.

Engines? Possibly Axe, it would come into it's own then, one of the diesels or maybe a build around a battery drive, but not a ghastly looking brick shaped thing.

This way it shouldn't distract from the main centre of Woody Bay, but equally give OSHI a boost.

 

AFAIK no information has been released by the trust as to what trackbed they have purchased within the OSHI deal/boundary but they have the previously EA owned stretch from just north of B55 down to B53, from there to Wistlandpound it is said its owned by SWW but immediately south of B53 there is a short stretch thats a bit ???

 

All of which reinforces my view that it’s about people, money and vision (in no particular order).

There may be good tactical reasons for it, and it may be of value. But it needs to be done in a way that dovetails with the “main” railway, operationally, practically and organisationally.

Otherwise, there would be a tactical bodge that costs time and money to fix.


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In all honesty and what i think some people are not seeing is that funds are the deciding factor as is a sensible well laid out plan of extension, the trust wants to go to CFL and also back to Rowley, some want to just get B65 rebuilt within the timeframe, some want to see the purchase of all but 1 of the missing stretches of trackbed between Parracombe Halt and Blackmoor then redo the planning application and sort out the TWAO, others on Exmoor NG are raising valid questions on the rebuilding of Parracombe bank and its cost, and we also have those wanting to run a second operation from OSHI to Wistlandpound, i can understand this one especially with some type of railcar but at what cost, the return to Parracombe appeal is quoted as needing £1.65 million so OSHI to WP would have to be somewhere itro £1 million, and might not be everyday running, i know Anne is in favour of having some kind of rail link here but she is also in favour of repairing and maintaining stretches of trackbed already owned by the trust and opening them with permissive access for people to enjoy and explore so why not do this for the stretch between OSHI and WP, reinstate everything to base ballast and all fenced off, i have walked the ex EA stretch many times and it is a comfortable walk, Wistlandpound is not much further on and all of this would be at a much less cost than getting rail down and running a separate line, at the same time site specific information boards would help educate locals and visitors of the railways route and its ambitions

 

Rumour has it that something along those lines (no pun intended!) may appear shortly in the next Newsletter. Whether there will be enough difference between a CFL scheme and the site of PE itself to diffuse any opposition and get fresh planning consent will remain the unknown factor, as also is the true extent of the current amount of money in the 'Retrun to Parracombe' account and how much extra will need to be raised.

 

I think Permissive Access is a dangerous road to go down for a project like this - much easier if you're running a country estate or farmland but a linear landholding as part of a multi (very multi) year project to restore a railway is a different kettle of fish.

Basically, the challenge with permissive access is to stop it developing into a legal right of way through custom. This is generally achieved by closing (and enforcing closure) of the permissive way for at least one day per year. Best practice is to advertise that date in advance, and to enforce the closure on a bank holiday so that the maximum number of people who might be expecting to use it are turned away/confronted with signs telling them that they can't use the path. Closing for a day on February 8th (say) builds ammunition for objectors to any path closure in the future to say that it wasn't clear that this was a permissive route and not a right of way, because no one would be using it anyway.

Hands up anyone who can see a confrontation with mischief making opponents to the line coming a mile off?

From what I've heard Anne has many good ideas. IMO this however is not one of them.

 

I too have big reservations on making a walkway, it's been seen elsewhere where certain groups get involved and cause huge opposition when it comes to claiming the walkway back for the intended purpose.

If this was going to be explored I would want to see it as something only open so many times per month, say Sundays only or maybe weekends only.

Unlike perhaps the TVR/Puffing Billy in Torrington where they have a double trackbed and can, at the railways expense I might add, provide a walkway beside the reinstated line, we cannot due to narrow cuttings and embankments etc.

Something that must be very very carefully thought about before attempting.

 

What is the surrounding land (I know nothing of the area).
As well as the above, if you have a footpath you will almost inevitably get "leakage" (not necessarily deliberate or malicious trespass), but wandering dogs, small children etc, which you don't get from a train (unless things go remarkably wrong).

Someone who has got comfortable with the idea of a train rattling past three times a day (or whatever), may be less happy with a continuous drip of walkers, some of whom may not stay on the path. So you may want better fences etc.

 

Ideally, as part of stewarded and advertised 'open days' with members present at points of ingress and egress.

Anything that allows people to think they can rock up on spec and use it as a route for whatever purpose needs IMO to be avoided.

 

A neighbour at Broadway walked right through our busy construction site, and when challenged said: 'I've walked here for 30 years, and you're not stopping me now '

He then submitted an application with the planners to turn our trackbed (that we bought!) into a public footpath, right through the station platforms

So I agree, a temporary footpath along the trackbed is a risky thing.

 

Absolutely, those on a train are supervised, and all in one vehicle and through the land in a few seconds. Walkers, dog walkers (and the mess from the few who don't clear up after their dogs), hikers and bikers are not and any overspilling into private land won't be looked at favourably with the local neighbours etc. It could inadvertently set up opposition later on.

 

I understand the concerns about permissive paths, as I recall one objector to the S73 suggested the TB should be a footpath instead of a railway but if well managed should it be a problem, @DaveE has already said running along this stretch should be limited to a couple of days a week, for the cost of building it that's not going to give any return and as I have said with the trust committed to option c, where is the money going to come from in the first place, the return to Parracombe appeal ran for some 9 months and only raised £250k so in all honesty at the moment OSHI - WP as a working railway is a bit of a dead duck to start with unless as someone on exmoor ng has suggested the steam element is relocated to Rowley sheds - OSHI - Wistlandpound and that stretch becomes the working heritage centre and WB has some sort of heritage looking railcar, the down side of that is steam operations being removed from within ENP which will give objectors another card to play with, the L&B was a bit late in joining the heritage / preservation movement, the chance to start at Hole Ground was a missed opportunity and as such with the last 17 years wasted there is a good chance with the way modern thinking is going we are in great danger of missing the heritage boat all together

 

I don't see how the trust would make money from allowing the line to be used as a footpath.

 

The talk of running a battery railcar got me thinking whether there was any historical precedence for such a vehicle. I thought I had read something about such a rail motor in the twenties in Christchurch, New Zealand.

I have found an article on it for those who are interested.

NZR RM class (Edison battery-electric)

It's amazing to think that most people would consider battery railcars as being the latest thing but here is proof that at least one existed on a narrow gauge line almost a century ago!

Personally, I think it looked rather handsome, and a scaled down replica of the body, on a modern chassis with modern battery technology and perhaps regenerative braking would be amazing. I assume it just had a two person crew, (Driver and Guard) so it would take many volunteers to run the operation.

Now we just need the £2 million to build the infrastructure from OSHI to Wistlandpound and the railcar. And oh yes, agreement from enough members that this is the way forward.

I can but dream.

 

I think many think that battery power is all new but I can remember milk floats and also in Ipswich Greengrocer vans being battery driven and my Grandparents getting their fruit and veg from them.