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Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

Discussion in 'Narrow Gauge Railways' started by 50044 Exeter, Dec 25, 2009.

  1. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    I would not disagree with the need for public consultation, but IMHO it would be nice if the members got to hear about it first. After all, when non-members ask questions about L&BR future plans on 'social media', the usual response is that any updates which can be reported will be done to the membership first via media such as the members-only area.
     
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  2. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Who'd be a planning officer, eh? I could well imagine the same sentiments pervade much of the "local opposition". That is, unless I've missed something and we're now gleefully anticiapting the massed cheers of the village and the peel of bells from St.Petrock's* ringing out, as a south facing and suitably decorated** Lyn bravely breaches a red ribbon strung twixt two outsize instant coffee jars.


    *is the old edifice actually stable enough for bell-ringing?
    ** hope it's not too windy on the day, or there'll be garlanded and confused ponies everywhere
     
  3. Mark Thompson

    Mark Thompson Well-Known Member

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    Uptick for the reference to instant coffee ;)
     
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  4. Breva

    Breva Well-Known Member

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    How would they deal with the demolished bridge at Killington Lane? Does that need special permissions, or is it just a money issue?
     
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  5. ghost

    ghost Part of the furniture

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    Apparently they have permissions and an accepted design to rebuild the bridge, so it would probably come down to money.
     
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  6. JMJR1000

    JMJR1000 Member

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    Personally I find this talk of the TWAO not being granted, thus preventing the L&B from progressing further then Parracombe for seemingly decades, is a tad alarmist and cynical. There's no way to guess which way the TWAO decision will go, the end result of the Rother Valley Railway's being perhaps the best example as to how L&B's chances are in getting it.

    I think the best thing is to feel positive that we will be getting an actual tangible expansion to the L&B now at last! And sooner rather then later too I might add. The longer run will give passengers more scenery to view, just a longer journey to settle down for.
    The loco crews will benefit too, getting better acquainted with going for longer runs, which would have been perhaps a challenge to do if they had to get used to running all the way to Blackmoor in one go. And of course logistically, financially wise, doing he overall expansion project all the way to Wistlandpound in more manageable chunks just seems the smarter course of action.

    And as for the villagers themselves of Parracombe, they may not like the railway terminating in their village, but perhaps that would incentivize them and the authorities concerned to actually push for the L&B getting that TWAO order after all. If only so as to stop trains from hanging round their village any longer then they have to, as once trains can run to Blackmoor, trains and their passengers sticking round and bothering the locals will be predominantly eliminated.
     
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  7. meeee

    meeee Member

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    I'm not sure what the difference between a terminus or a through station a Parracombe would really mean for the locals. You can have a station there but easily restict the traffic to it by saying all journeys must start at Woody Bay. You might get the odd car pulling up to take a picture but there aren't going to be hundreds of them lining the street. If there's no parking, amenities or opportunity to catch the train, then people won't go there for that.

    There were similar objections in Beddgelert but they went away when people quickly realised tourists got the train to Beddgelert, rather than go to Beddgelert to get the train.

    Tim
     
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  8. Meiriongwril

    Meiriongwril Member

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    It's not the TWAO that might not be granted (of course, this is possible but I suspect unlikely) but any accompanying powers to allow the railway to acquire property when the owners do not wish to sell it that is in question (see - I did not use the official term here - as it annoys other posters and the owners of said land might get to learn that such powers exist .... :rolleyes:).
     
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  9. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    Have you ever tried to drive to the station at Parracombe? Very narrow and winding lane and NO parking at the station other than a small patch of scrub land barely large enough for one car. Problem is, human nature being what it is, however much you tell people "do NOT drive to PE station", there will still be a minority who will think "well, I'll try it anyway and see what happens". It would only take a few instances of thoughtless parking or driving (eg someone in a big motor-home etc) for the locals to get very very annoyed....:-(
     
  10. mgp

    mgp New Member

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    You make a very good point there Chris. Once the extension to Parracombe has opened there could be a board at Woody Bay Station advertising 'Park and Ride for Parracombe Station'. Visitors can park their car, camper-van or whatever at Woody Bay, catch a train to take their photograph of Parracombe Halt, then get the train back to Woody Bay Station for their refreshment. 'Let the train take the strain' and avoid the risk of scratching their paint in the narrow lanes!

    Mike
     
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  11. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    I'm just pleased that there is a definite statement of the L & B extension work starting within the next 12 months.
     
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  12. Meiriongwril

    Meiriongwril Member

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    Well, only if this request to change the planning permission is approved ...
     
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  13. sycamore

    sycamore Member

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    Hence my thought re-modeling Killington Lane as a through platform and car-park (probably the same size as WB) in the existing site confines. Obviously planning permission (change of usage), Gradients (might not be practical to re-start trains on the up hill gradient), and road access (not too bad looking at Google Maps) would be 3 of probably many more constraints!!!

    Tend to agree that signage wont stop people trying to drive to Parracombe - there's only so much the railway can do to put people off, but at the end of the, Parracombe is on a public highway...

    Will
     
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  14. Mark Thompson

    Mark Thompson Well-Known Member

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    Similar restrictions were put in place at Kingscote when the Bluebell extended in 1994. As far as I'm aware, there has never been any problems there, although admittedly there was no village to annoy, and a park and ride scheme to assist. The railway will need to make it crystal clear on ALL forms of publicity material that there is STRICTLY no parking anywhere, either at Parracombe or Churchtown, which in reality is perfectly true, but this will need to be backed up by a marshall on duty at the halt, ready to send anyone packing who thinks they an exception to the rule.
     
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  15. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    I'm not sure what authority - if any - a railway 'marshal' would have over vehicles parked on a public highway.
     
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  16. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    Sorry, but no. It was a condition of the planning consent for Phase 1 that, once the railway started running of KL, the temporary station there would be abolished and the land returned to its original condition. Trying to get the planning consent constraints altered for Phase 2A will be hard enough, trying to do the same after so many years for the earlier consent for KL may be a step too far...
     
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  17. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    For the benefit of folks unfamiliar with the wider area, the problems associated with high traffic levels on roads and in villages are by no means confined to Churchtown and Parracombe, or even to Devon, nor (for the most part) are the residents of the area being unduly unreasonable. At the once and again to be northern terminal*, the twin villages aren't the only place folks look enviously at (near) traffic-free Clovelly and with good reason!

    It seems all parties are alert to both the possibilities and pitfalls which the reopened L&B presents and if I lived in Parracombe, I'd be anxious to see the operational line extend south of the village at the earliest opportunity too. I'm a tad surprised not to have heard any suggestion that no journeys should originate at Parracombe, whilst it serves as the southern terminal. Excepting those passengers arriving with a bus ticket oughtn't to present any insoluble problems, nor would walkers turning up with the return half of their tickets. In fact, there may even be scope for a spot of mutual back scratching with local bus operator, Filers, benefitting everyone.

    Before any howls of protest go up, consider the longer term relationship between railway and residents. If it is the intention to do everything to limit non-local car use, the (likely minimal) loss of railway custom would me more than made up for by the L&B becoming part of the solution, rather than one more headache for residents. Why should it just be the heaving fleshpots of Lynton and Lynmouth who benefit from the train?


    *and what's wrong with a smidgen of optimism?
     
  18. Mark Thompson

    Mark Thompson Well-Known Member

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    Having once, and once only, tried to park in Parracombe, one overcast weekday in October, I can testify that only by blocking the public road would one be able to "park" anywhere. A "marshal" (I can't think of a more appropriate description right now) would at least be able to turn people around before they get to the point of no return, wedged up between St Petrocks and (heaven forfend), Church Farm, and send them off to WB.
     
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  19. JMJR1000

    JMJR1000 Member

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    That was actually what I was referring to, and I am aware of the concerns/controversy of such powers being granted. Personally I don't see it being too much of a issue of such powers being granted if it's in a very limited capacity, case in point I don't know for certain how many there are, but I'm pretty sure it's only a couple owners or so that refuse to sell the land required. Most others land owners in the area however have general been pretty amicable and open to having discussions and eventual sale of the land needed. So if I was the person in charge of granting such powers, seeing that clearly most other landowners and indeed the authorities have been open and diplomatic in the railway's plans for expansion, I'd agree on the condition it was only used on the couple examples of those who aren't. As surely what the opinion of the majority and prospect of benefits the railway has for the wider area has to outweigh the objections of a couple owners who don't even do all that much with the land in question anyway.

    I would have thought the RVR will have a harder time getting such powers actually, for the land they need to purchase runs through farm land, and therefore that would result in a loss of long term revenue for the land owners.

    By contrast the the land the L&B requires to purchase seems to be purely just private land that's not really being used for anything, helps too that being a narrow gauge line, it's less intrusive and generally doesn't occupy/dominate the land it goes through as a standard gauge railway line would.

    Probably not, but I don't see no reason why the railway couldn't warn people of the possibility of getting a steep fine for parking round at Parracombe anyway. Won't be strictly true, but the prospect of potentially getting charged a big fine could be enough in it's own to scare off most from doing so.
     
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  20. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    Sorry, but I disagree with that on two counts. Firstly, what sort of 'steep fine' could you be given if you simply parked in a way that blocked the road? Secondly, trying to scaremonger people with talk of something which "won't strictly be true" might well lead to bad publicity for the railway once people realise the situation.
     

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