Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

An alternative - the 1904 25" map - attached. Killington Lane and Bridge 65 at the top, Cricket Field Lane at the bottom.

Of course, since this map was surveyed, the bypass has been built, extending below where it says 'Parracombe Lane Head', parallel with the railway at this point.

 

I think there is a bit of a misunderstanding in some circles as to how the educational purpose of railway heritage charities should be looked upon.
It is very easy to fall into the narrow definition of "educating the public" by running some old trains, having signs up and selling guide books or whatever.
What about the arguably more beneficial purpose of "educating the volunteers" in how to operate and maintain heritage machinery, and how to build and maintain railway infrastructure?
I have no connection to the L&B (I've visited once) but I did join a heritage railway as a volunteer in my teens, this sparked a life-long interest in railway engineering which led to sponsorship for a degree course, an industry-accredited training scheme and many years of paid employment holding relevant professional qualifications and licences. I'm currently a principal engineer on a multi-million pound railway engineering project and I can trace all of this back to the opportunities I was given as a spotty youth who wanted to volunteer on his local heritage railway. If that isn't the ultimate demonstration of the value of public education as a charitable aim then I don't know what is. And it only really happened because the railway concerned was extending, otherwise I think I would have lost interest around age 16...

 

I very much agree, although I also see value in places of other types of restoration engineering too, places like Ironbridge, The SS Great Britain, Mining Museums, Road Steam, etc. They all can be places where the spark of interest in many trades for young people can begin.
In many ways learning to build and maintain an old railway gives an insight into how it used to be done which can sometimes be an advantage especially where bespoke manufacturing is required.
I think there is a danger though in placing that value in extensions alone, we must look at places like Ffestiniog and the WHR, they no longer seek to extend, but the value at Boston Lodge, in track maintenance, rolling stock maintenance, infrastructure maintenance and so forth is just as important. Along side is the opportunities in learning about retail and stock control, catering, people management on busy days, office management etc.
Everyone of these areas and more at a heritage attraction and indeed museums, may start the career of a young person in any one of a multitude of trades and industries.

 

From the website
https://www.lynton-rail.org.uk/page/back-blackmoor
"We now own Rowley Moor Farm with land and buildings that are a vital site for the future sheds and engineering works for the rebuilt railway"
Hopefully planning permission for a "Boston Lodge" type workshop (on a smaller scale) can now be started at Rowley Moor Farm, using a small test track and low loaders to and from Woody Bay, even if the extension is delayed?
The engineering crew can then continue the engineering discussion in the pub/restaurant.
(I think may have been discussed earlier but lost in the long thread)

 

And there can be an opportunity to put the carriages under cover in winter.

 

I will also just add here that it isn't just those industries related to bygone ages.
When I went to the Museums and Heritage trade show at Olympia, Kensington in May the attendees were by no means older, in fact at times I felt I was the oldest there!
There were many quite young going round taking notes, speaking to the many advisory stands there, and many were representatives of museums and heritage concerns, small and large.
So we also have the museum and heritage industry itself presenting an opportunity for young people to begin careers in conservation, preservation, restoration, curating, storage, cataloguing of artifacts and the upkeep of heritage locations, as well as presentation, exhibition knowledge, product sales, funding and so on.

 

Agree, but with the bit in bold surely (post the enormous extension of Porthmadog-Caernarfon) there's nowhere for them to extend to unless they start on the Croesor Tramway or the branch from Tryfan Jct...?

Which is a bit different to e.g. the SVR taking a position of pretty much ruling out 'north from Bridgnorth' in any way other than 'never say never, but we're not doing any work on it', and certainly not bothering with the running rights under the LRO and the trackbed that they've got to Burlish Crossing.*

At the other end of the scale the L&B feels a bit more like the Mid Suffolk (though with bigger ambitions) in that it's trying to extend and to do everything else to do with stock properly too. The Mid Suffolk is an accredited museum in its entirety of course, probably because it's not trying to be 20 miles long.

*though can you imagine the pressure on the SVR to do something if Dowles Bridge still had its deck...?

 

What was the date on this website page....

 

Is there a date? But the page could do with some updating, However to get improved engineering facilities and perhaps a test track going at Rowley Moor Farm will be a good thing in the long term.

 

This is from the old web site which is no longer updated. I suspect the Rowley Moor Farm article is quite old so shows how little has been done there in actual fact!

 

Rowley Farm, of course, is all tied up with the proposed new Loco and C&W Depot, for which the ENPA's planning consent has now lapsed :-(

 

Has not substantial work already started there with the revised entrance arrangement, preserving the permission?

 

I'm not entirely sure, but AIUI that was a separate matter from the main Depot area. That is why - presumably - the 'Option C' proposal includes the need to "...seek permission to develop the engine shed site".

 

That sounds plausible.

 

The work had to be done under a separate permission. Although the s73 variations did list the remodeling of Rowley Farm's access, as we all know, the "variations" were stillborn, so no permissions were preserved by this work being carried out.

 

At times I feel that Blackmoor could develop into something like a North Devon version of Bressingham, Hollycombe, Tinkers Park and Amberley Chalk Pits all rolled into one at the same site.

Blackmoor would make for a great steam museum and it could show how steam was used in the location around North Devon in and around the various farms and water mills, there is a photo or two of the famous Barnstaple Steam fair from Colin Pealing, to my way of thinking that would be something else to try to re-create.

Of course there just so happens to be a number of either water or steam powered mills in North Devon, so there is plenty of scope to expand this part of the museum collection over time.

Also I should not forget the various cars and van collections that have been put together by North Devon individuals, I have not kept up to date with it, but I am sure there used to be an Ambulance and fire truck collection around North Devon at one point.

 

the earliest revision still extant is 2014

 

The L&B have more than enough to be getting on with, without adding all that to the costs and volunteer requirements!

 

Agreed, but you of course are not a corporate lawyer with an inability to interpret!