NARROW GAUGE, BIG PLANS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: july/august 2017 :: RMTnews 26 The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway in North Devon is a non-profit organisation currently offering one mile narrow gauge train rides at Woody Bay in Exmoor National Park but it has one aim: to fully restore the legendary railway. The line was closed in 1935 and the original engines and rolling stock sold off for scrap. But, thanks to the dedication of thousands of determined supporters across the country, it is slowly being rebuilt. As part of this project, on September 30 it is unveiling a replica of the Lyn, one of the original steam engines that used to weave through one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country. Enthusiasts have also lovingly restored carriages salvaged from wrecks found in gardens and farmers' fields across Devon including one rebuilt by an East Anglia support group. When asked if trains really could be running along the original 19 mile route, L&B director Ian Cowling has no doubt about it. “Not only does the Trust own or have access to around 90 per cent of the track bed, there is huge national support amongst the public as well as local councils and organisations,” he said. The railway carried over 52,000 visitors last year on just one mile of track. An extended line running from Barnstaple to the small coastal town of Lynton, which is linked to Lynmouth by a water-powered cliff railway, would be irresistible to all. The original line was built like a main line in miniature, partly to save money and to allow for the tight curves as it climbs onto the shoulder of Exmoor. In 1898 builders blasted through sold rock and built eighty bridges including two viaducts. The magnificent eight- arched Chelfham Viaduct curves 70 feet above the valley floor and has now been fully restored to enable it to bear trains once more. Moreover a £16.5 million project to restore part of the railway could be ‘shovel ready’ in just over two years. North Devon Council has granted planning permission for ‘phase 2a’ to reinstate the line from NARROW GAUGE, BIG PLANS The Lynton and Barnstaple narrow gauge railway is moving one step closer to fully restoring the original line Isaac, a 1952 narrow gauge steam locomotive, chugs on the line at Woody Bay station.