Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

There is an old military saying about how to capture a bridge.

And the answer is ‘both ends at once’.

There are many stages / parts to recreating the L&B.

Robin

 

Especially when you have lunatics laughing at you from the woods.
Cup of tea?

 

Just let me get my umbrella...

Robin

 

Lead the way, Major Carlyle

 

Okay this is clearly an inside joke of sorts, and it's got my interest peeked, may I ask what you lot are talking about?

 

It’s all about a bridge rather further away than could be managed.

Robin

 

I believe they are references to "A Bridge Too Far" - the film depicting Operation Market Garden. I hope none of the L&B's prove to be too far!

 

I hope too see trains over chelfham viaduct in my lifetime

 

Aha now I get, thanks for the insight, and indeed I hope the L&B does not encounter a obstacle too big to get past.

Same here, few structures (certainly for a narrow gauge railway) are as impressive and awe-inspiring as the Chelfham Viaduct, and to see a Manning Wardle hauling a full train across it would be a most magnificent sight indeed.

 

They were.

We started with the well-known quote from General ‘Jumping’ Jim Gavin, played in the film by Ryan O’Neal, that the best way to take a bridge is ‘both ends at once’. I believe that he was the only General Officer to make 4 combat jumps in WW2.

My point is that there are many parts that need to come together as the L&B grows back - structures, track, signalling, rolling stock, and is not wrong have parallel work streams as long as there is some co-ordination. Opportunities may arise in an area that need to be grasped.

BTW. From personal experience, Jim Gavin was right.

Robin

 

I think (hope) that JMJR1000 has missed the not out - so should read "does "Not"encounter an obstacle...."

 

There's an update from the 'East Group':
https://www.lynton-rail.co.uk/trust/groups/pages/east-group-news-september-2019

Could anyone in the know please clarify the paragraph on Van 23? The wording regarding underframes for it and Carriage 16 has confused me somewhat (which I'll admit isn't too difficult).

Boy, does that 1st class 'smoker' look worth the extra bunce to experience!

 

Hi, Howard.
I've literally just opened the latest Trust mag, delivered today.
The newsletter mentions the underframe for 23, and its being clad in oak, but nothing about reference to no.16's underframe.
I can only surmise that it has a virtually identical design, so economy of scale comes into play.
Interesting, as much is being made of Obs. Saloon no.1 being the next one up, and if number 5 was good, this should be a real peach!
Time to get the cheque book out again...

 

Tobbes, further to my rather vague reply the other day, the latest Trust mag. has just arrived, and it gives the date for the submission of the TWAO as February of next year.
How long it takes from there, of course, is anyone's guess!
Incidentally, in the shorter term, why not think about becoming a Trust member? It will keep you much more in the loop about all these matters, for just £30 per annum, and the tri-annual magazines are excellent, believe me!

 

Haven't seen any close up views of the Blodge built u/frames, but that does sound a reasonable interpretation.

I was delighted to hear about the schedule for carriage 1 too. The finest looking of all L&B carriage designs IMO. I'm astounded that over 8 decades since the demise of the old L&B, so many bits of rolling stock have survived at all.

I did note the comment elsewhere on their website concerning the 3rd & 4th MW recreations. Whilst obviously fantastic news (well, it will be eventually, at any rate!), is the intended reuse of the name Lew a tacit admission the original's now gone beyond any hope of recall? I sort of think (though I may well be alone in this) that, like Mr Checkov's character in the Star Trek movie franchise, the name should be 'retired' as a mark of respect. Daft of me? Possibly ..... but who cares?

 

If, on the outside chance that Lew ever did reappear, it would almost certainly be completely unrecognisable, and/or irretrievable by now.
For my own selfish reasons, I am rather fond of the name, as, apropros of nothing, it reminds me of one of my very favourite musicians, Lew Stone, who was probably at the peak of his creative output at around the time of the railway's closure:

 

Heh! Well spotted, thanks for pointing that out, couldn't believe it when I realised my error, talk about awkward... Give me support by actually wishing it DIDN'T succeed! Now that wouldn't gain me many friends on here, or maybe it would...

 

The matter of reusing the name Lew when people still hold hope the real one is out there does seem to be a slight contentious issue. Personally as much as I would love it to be so, I feel we are getting to the point now that we have to face the facts... Lew is probably long since been scrapped, and if not so, if it's out there somewhere in the wilderness of Brazil where it was sent. I feel it would be long since rusted by the weather and passage of time that not much would really remain of it, certainly not enough to return it to steam.

At this point I reckon the better course of action actually would be to pay respects to the original Lew when the new one is built. Not sure how you'd do that mind you, without looking rather daft and overdramatic for a steam engine's supposed loss...

 

Indeed Lew could be said to be, the narrow gauge answer to the vaunted standard gauge "strategic reserve". Much talked about, but like as not equally none existent now. Having been reclaimed by nature and rotted away. Though saying that I take the view...."never say never!" As there's always the more and more remote chance Lew is still there up the Amazon...................

 

Just call the new version Wel and all is fine...