Bodmin & Wenford Railway, Wadebridge here we come ?

So boiling it right down - I'm not a fan of sustrans and I think the railway should go back. And I'm not a fan of lycra louts!

If there is a path and a railway, great. If there is a railway and no path, also great. If there is no extension and it's blocked by sustrans and nimbys I'll carry on shaking my fist in the air and being grumpy!

Also if I see one more so called 'local' person commenting on it in the media I'll skate my fist even more! If your from London and you have only been here 5 years, shut up!

 

In other related news, it was my 33rd birthday yesterday. I'm starting my grumpy old man training nice and early!

 

In other words, precisely the sort of cyclists who might struggle sharing a trackbed with a train?

 

Why cannot preservationists be happy and enjoy what they have already and that is up and running.. To re-open part of a closed railway is an achievement and if it is successful why take on more maintenance and expense with, in some cases I am sure a less profitable railway resulting . I do not understand the incessant desire for extensions to working railways which, to my view, seems to be simply empire building.
Previous posts mention that what remains of the trackbed simply exists because it has acquired a new, well used and appreciated, use other than house building.

 

I'd say many preservationists are never happy with what they already have, because by the nature of how the movement started out, they've always been a very ambitious lot. Tell a railway preservationist he can't do something, or even that it's not that practically or financially realistic/feasible, and I guarantee you they'll refuse that view and desire to do it all the more.

Ultimately though, I believe it comes down to a point someone once pointed out on this forum: many steam preservationists are always looking for a big glamorous project they can get behind, which more often then not is a extension, they always want to add more, whether it's practical or not.

In the case of the Wadebridge project, my support is mainly towards the B&WR, but not just because I tend to be guilty as charged to being one of those folks that flock to the big glamour projects. My perspective on this project is that, while a good number of heritage railway have potential extensions they could do (be it advisable or not), this extension project is the only one the B&WR could ever really do, as they can't go beyond Wadebridge with the formation been built on so much. Of course I'm not suggesting they do it simply because they can, since there a good number of reasons it could be viable to do, one being that the beautiful scenery the extension goes through would be a great attraction. Certainly Wadebridge could benefit from the railway's presence too.

Mind you I doubt ambitions will ease off if they reach Wadebridge at any rate, next they'll probably want a few new build beatie well tanks!

 

Now you are talking! *heads off to start the FB group*

 

You'll never see a cyclist window hanging!

 

not unless they didn’t get out of the way fast enough then you may very well find them hanging off the windows whilst it would be very nice to see Wadebridge re connected to the railway map the cyclist lobby are very hard to beat, its a shame because i can see the appeal of putting your bike on the train at Wadebridge after cycling up there from somewhere like say bodmin, and catching the train back.

 

Of course, there is the opposite direction from Wadebridge, back to Okehampton ! Nothing too ambitious. Earth shows that all stations are intact except Launceston and Halwill Junction, both built on. Delabole has houses along the trackbed near the station. Farmers have ploughed up odd bits here and there. The A39 and A30 now go through the trackbed. Most other bridges seem intact. Apart from that, no problems...............

 

I have to say we have a fantanastic movement in our little Island as soon as someone says 'Nah you cant do that' there seems to be someone who tends to reply with 'You wanna bet?' I really do hope the BWR does get into Wadebridge simply because it's a lovely little town and theres far to many cars snarling it up. Dare I say that if the railway hadnt closed When it did we may have seen it re open in the late eighties as an early park and ride example?

 

Only little problems mate!

 

Anyone old enough to have experienced Wadebridge before the Beeching cuts will disagree with this. Branch line heaven!

John

 

To me, whether a scene in the past was heaven or not is not the point. It is whether the scene is now, or in the near future which is important.

The besetting sin of railway preservationists, apart from chronic untidiness, is the allied one of never finishing things before moving on to something else. As a result the situation all too often is very far from heavenly! Greenway is correct.

P.H.

 

I did John, I often traveled from Padstow to Bodmin Road when stationed in that area in the mid 1950's. Now the former clay lines were far more interesting.

 

Indeed. There's no scope for speeding on the Camel Trail in my experience, and the number of people doing a 'my first bike ride in 40 years' means that the direction and speed of travel is wildly variable. There's a number of businesses in Wadebridge and Padstow that depend on the trail, and the trail is already a useful connection between the two places (infinitely preferable to cycling along road routes to Padstow at least).

I had a lovely day out on the B&W recently, but I'd imagine that for most of their visitors, the current set-up is perfectly adequate as it is, and ditto the Camel Trail.

Simon

 

I don't think that the B&WR can seriously be accused of 'never finishing things before moving on to something else'. The extension to Boscarne Junction was opened to regular traffic back in 1996, and after 19 years of consolidation, the time is right to make the next move. Wadebridge is a logical goal.

John

 

Deliberately I am not going to comment one way or another about the B&WR but, in abstract, being around for 19 years is no guarantee of any degree of consolidation. There is a major player in the heritage railway world far to the north of Cornwall who has catering facilities at a terminus just as inadequate as they were 20 years or more ago whilst deplorable lavatories are widespread despite the strictures of the late Ian Allan.

If you doubt this just take a look at Tripadvisor or, if you prefer the comments of a tourism professional to those of the paying public, how about this quotation "sets standards that many other heritage railways could only aspire to".

19 years is nothing.

PH