Devon's Lost Railway - The Devon and Somerset line
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- čas přidán 1. 01. 2022
- Welcome to #EveryDisusedStation Number 41. In which we attempt to uncover some 6800 abandoned railway stations from around the UK. This week see's us hit north Devon to see what remains today of the Devon and Somerset Railway.
We also took a look at the tunnels along the line, which will be in a separate video.
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Hard to believe how many stations there used to be and just how many have been lost to time, but thanks to your efforts these pieces of history are being documented further for future explores.
When I was a young kid, I watched the trains going over Venn Viaduct, from my grandfathers house. When he was young he worked at the tin mines at Raleigh's Cross. Great video by the way.
What was your grandfathers' Name? was it Vic Brice? I too remember the trains going through Venn Cross station it was near the Rock Inn my great uncle/aunt Jim & Curly Pile. They had it 1954- 1964/5 I had many happy holidays from the age of 4 or 5 until he move in 1965 to Milverton.
Regards Julian
It's heartening to know that some people are keeping the history alive in their properties.What a magnificent train ride that route would be. Tough conditions but a great video again. Thanks
Couldn't agree more! So often people want to buy it up and hide it away.
I use to play on this line in the early 1980s whilst staying with family at a place called Ackland Barton, near to Landkey just outside Swimbridge. There use to be a three arched bridge at Birch lane that I use to clime up onto, that has now been replaced with a concrete road bridge. Sadly the north Devon link road was built on the alignment between 1988/90.
The services where Paul got his amazing sandwich is where we stop for a break on our way to holiday every time. And can vouch for the snack food.
Dear Paul & Rebecca. A quick introduction, my name is Julian Bishop, I have many fond memories of this area along the Branch line of Taunton to Barnstaple line. Especially Wiveliscombe Milverton and Waterrow. In the late the 1950's we lived in Sidcup and we would come to Taunton by steam train from Paddington then change to the Atunotn to Branch line on to Wiveliscombe sometimes Venn Cross. My memory takes me back to the early 60's when my great uncle (Jim Pile) owned the Rock Inn. 1954 - 1964/5 His kitchen staff included a lady called Mrs Brice (Aunty Topsy to her family and friends) she lived in the cottage beneath Venn Cross Viaduct with her Brother Vic . We would visit her for afternoon tea ( I was 5 or 6 at the time) I remember another member of the staff called Shirley Pearce her parents Alfie and Margaret. They owned a farm, where I would disappear over the weekends. After feeding the animals. We would rush across several fields (near one of the tunnels outskirts of Waterrow) and would stand on the farm gates waving at the trains. Later we would pop down in their Austin 10 or Morris 8 to Venn Cross station to collect the livestock ( young chicks). I have a collection of old photos taken by Douglas Allen (A commercial photographer from Bridgwater) who was commissioned by my uncle to take pictures of the Hunt and the pub itself.(1958 1963) outside the Rock Inn. To this day I have been unable to make contact with the Pearce family, as the farm was cut in two when the road was widen in 1970's? There was a gentleman called Ronnie Myer that had some film footage of the trains going over Venn Cross viaduct. and I've recent spoke to a chap that was a fireman on the footplate of the trains on the Barnstaple - Taunton branch line. It said it was scary going over the viaduct the very first time.. I am a film maker and archivist if you'd like to get in touch and her more please get in touch. I love the film sequence at Venn Cross. Regards Julian Bishop (Chedzoy age 66)
You are right about the goods yard at Sputh Molton, it still exists in some way. There is a shed still standing, and the large yard is now a concrete block making yard. I've done quite a bit of work in there and always enjoyed looking for any little remaining features! Thanks again for the video!
The station at South Molton was north of the township... quite a way I believe
@@janinapalmer8368 that's correct, it's a considerable distance from the town proper. The area now serves as commercial and industrial sites, due to its proximity to the North Devon Link Road, which runs on some of the trackbed as shown 😊
Thank you SO MUCH for starting my new year on an incredible high. My brother and I took the train from Filleigh to School on Barnstaple. We lived in Filleigh and on Boxing Day when there were no trains walked through the tunnel at Castle Hill collecting coal nuggets from the track side for our Annual coal fire...
Dad was the Forester so we always had log fires. Happy Days.
My mother was moved out to South Moulton in the 2nd WW as a young school girl with her mother and sister living above a barn in a farm. She spoke of walking to school along the railway track. That must have been this one. My mother passed away in 2016 so sorry I can't check any details with her but thanks for telling the story of this line. Happy New Year and keep up the great work on the videos.
Great to see another disused station collection and always good to see a station being used as a home.
I was told by a very big steam enthusiast friend of mine, that Beeching had shares in Tarmac. He wanted more roads! thus increasing his share price.
Your getting closer to me on between Bideford and Torrington, love to show you the bridges and tunnel and the Role cannel lock and those tub boats with wheels and the incline, I was on Bude beach today 02/01/22 and You missed the turn table at the end of the bridge onto the beach uncovered by the tide today , only a small one but a way of turning the wagons onto the tracks onto the beach tracks, I have video
Really good and I had no idea part of the Devon Expressway went over an old viaduct - cool.
Venn Station look really nice. Taunton Cider used to have a plant at Norton Fitzwarren and took their cider out by rail during the late 1980s into the 1990s, very interesting line, Brilliant Video Paul and Rebecca.
Happy New Year Paul & Rebecca! Another great video. There’s plenty to find on that line isn’t there. I love finding, exploring and researching disused lines, it still amazes me how much has been left if you know where to look. You guys have got the balance of light hearted humour and factual content just right. Always looking forward to your next upload.
I always enjoy how it was and how it is now. You do a great job on picturing that and it always takes me a moment when it doesn't look like it used to.
Another shame that a beautiful line was closed for whatever reason and will not be restored.
Happy New Year and that was a lot of stations to cover in a short (Winter) day!
Norton Fitzwarren junction was an interesting place. It had a big WW2 depot (British then American) and it was a site for 3 fatal accidents.
The accidents were: a head on collision involving a boat train in 1890 (10 dead), in 1940 a derailment due to a driver being confused by the blackout (27 dead) and finally a fire aboard a Penzance - London sleeper train which halted here in 1978 (12 dead).
Amazing knowledge their it's interesting to know what events and incidents happened round this area as I live in the west of Yeovil, "Stoke sub hamdon", their big events and would be headline news if they happend today, and in a way that wasn't really that long ago.
Excellent. The Venn station house and grounds was amazing. Bet you were thrilled to bits with your explore round there. Superb vlog. Shame about the rain but it didn’t dampen your enthusiasm. Thank you as always
Thanks Shirley, indeed, we always love an invite to somewhere like that!
Brilliant, of course. That was the first disused railway I ever walked on in about 1978 - can't quite recall where - around Barnstable possibly...
Next time you are down that way, have a look at Tiverton Junction station (closed 1986), the main line to London used to run through it from Exeter St Davids to Taunton.
oh yes they shut it down and now supports major road. oh those little brown envelopes. all the best for the new year to the both of you
Another interesting video, sorry that the weather wasn't very good for you. An area I am pretty familiar with as we used to drive the old A361 route before the North Devon Link Road was built and I managed to "badger" my dad into looking for the old D&S railway route and any remains - as I had an interest in railways and their associated structures. We actually drove along the small road to the Tone (or Waterrow) Viaduct remains and I took an "Instamatic Camera" picture of the piers (which I still have) in similar damp weather conditions to yours (albeit during the summer). We also passed South Molton Station which was still standing and I also saw the piers of the Filleigh (or Castle Hill) Viaduct before they were renovated for the new road bridge (I also have a later photo showing these after the road was opened). When you get to Barnstaple, you should still be able to see parts of the platform edge next to the A39 (on the north side) and opposite the old Goods Shed.
Happy New Year from Hong H
Kong! One line that was near you (and you have mentioned before in passing) is the West Somerset Mineral line which ran from Watchet up into the Brendon Hills. Despite its name it did carry passengers and it has a huge incline which you will love. Add it to your list when the weather gets better.
Thanks for the video Rebecca and Paul, shame this line was lost a beautiful part of the country!!😎🚂🚃🚃🚃🇬🇧🇺🇦
The production values of your videos get better and better. My father’s side of my family come from this area and you can see how the closure of the railways really did have the worst case impact that people suggested at the time. These villages and small towns without the railway and just small roads were starved of any economic development. Pretty, charming places to retire to but left out of the development the rest of the country has enjoyed in the past half century.
There's more to life than economic development, but that aside, it was an efficient transport system that was terminated in '66. Just how efficient is evidenced by the memory of my father phoning Grimsby at about 16.00 each day and receiving his order of fresh fish from the train at 08.00 the next morning.
@@drecklydave9594 but lack of ANY economic development kills places. When I left school (in the Cotswolds) to find any sort of a reasonable career I had to leave. Unless you were a farmers son you moved on. School gone, shop gone, public transport gone, pub only survives by being a gastro pub for outsiders, no children. Retirement Disneyland
@@truebrit3578 Yes , it's the kind of economic development that counts.
Thanks to Beeching and his incurable phobia of trains.
Gosh that was great thanks. Loving this series it’s so interesting. Thanks for taking me along. Please stay safe and take care
Thank you! Will do!
How wonderful after 9 months, you picked the best day to visit. /s I'm watching this right before supper time and want that sandwich!
Great documentary! Love the 'now and then' shots. Spot on! Even though is raining, the scenery is beautiful!!!
It was a long and wet day!!
@@pwhitewick I know just how it felt ... I've been camping there before !! Brrrrr..!!
@@pwhitewick you should try coal mine exploring!
Really love the "merged" format -- including the "behind the scenes" shots -- great stuff!!!
It hurt my head 🤪
@@pwhitewick -- The price that creators have to pay.... 🙂 Well, at least include lunch in the videos! Want to see what great (and not-so-great) things that you find to eat! Maybe things that hearken back to meals 150 years ago on the canals, or 100 years ago on the trains.... Happy New Year!!!
WOW ! You guys went all over the place today and in the cold and wet ! Thank you both for making this happen !
Thanks Olin, yup it was a very long day!
Runaway train,never come back!So sad!As foreigner who live here in UK i feel the pain of british railway fans for this incomesurable lost of many branchline ,railway station and history of great British railway!
Soul Asylum??
I loved your visit to Venn station, such a lovely place apparently owned by some lovely people!
As a 6 year old, I had family holiday at a farm near South Molton in August 1966. My grandfather travelled from Paddington to South Molton Station and returned to London from the same station at the end of the holiday. The line of course sadly closed less than a couple of months later.
Loved that guys, been so looking forward to it, born in Landkey/Swimbridge, played on the line as a kid, especially after closure, knew everywhere you went, lived within spitting distance of Venn. what a joy, and I love you both so much I'll forgive the mispronunciations of Devonshire and Somerset names. It's pronounced Filly by the way, and Wivvel Lis Coombe, all joined together. Thank you for the nostalgic tour, my dad always said they drove a cow along the proposed route and every time it had a shit they built a station.
Haha, not too far away on wivel, but miles out on Filly!
Somewhere I have a rivet from Venn Cross Viaduct, given to me by a neighbour who was assisting in demolishing it in the early 1970s. This video reminded me. Now I shall not rest until I find the thing!
Very nice of that family to invite you both to thier Station House - Very good 🙂🚂🚂🚂
Thank you for another interesting video. I thought the West Somerset Railway put a triangle in at the junction to the mainline using a small part of the Barnstaple line so they can turn locomotives? I look forward to next week.
I was a chef at Canarvon Arms in the late 80s the staff accommodation was in the old station house where I lived, the waiting room was our lounge and I’d walk along the old platform to work every day, good times
Thanks for that your battling the elements; it is very much appreciated.
Thank you for taking your time travelling around the country, your videos are always interesting,thank you from NZ
Great video, very interesting. I crossed the bridge past East Anstey only a month ago and didn't realise what line it was!
For anyone reading this, the Devon Expressway runs from Exeter to Plymouth and is also the A38 trunk road. The trunk road travelled in this video is the North Devon Link Road aka A361.
There. I'm now officially an anorak.
My favourite line! I even moved 150 miles to be closer to the line! I built and N Gauge model of Milverton from maps and pictures of the area!
Was good to see that this Disused Stations episode suffered no danger of becoming the Diseaten Sandwich episode. ;D
Another lovely episode! Was looking forward to this one especiall after Rebecca's BTS sneak peek on Venn Cross station and the family living there. :D Really great stuff!
Well done a great achievement and in bad weather. Thanks 👍
I remember when on a caravan holiday with my parents in the 1970s we went to see a traction engine which was kept in the old goods shed at Dulverton station at that time.
What lovely people at Venn station, brilliant video as usual and what a great looking sandwich! Hope you got warm and dry later.
oooh that Sandwich
What a fine time you had and a nice sarnie too.
thanks for all your vlogs in 2021 they were a way of getting out and about while staying in doors.you must have spent many hours researching and planning your trips.stay safe,have a happy new year and thanks once again.
The owners of Venn Cross, (not Venn), station, are lovely. I've met them and they gave me a tour of the station and Venn Cross Tunnel.
Venn Cross Station was unique, because it straddled the Devon & Somerset border, so part of the station was in Somerset, and part of it in Devon!
Pop across to our tunnel video of this line and you'll see the same.
The excuse for closing lines was often weak viaducts etc which were too costly to repair. This was finally disproved on the Settle & Carlisle line where the cost of repair to the Ribblehead viaduct were overestimated in order to justify the closure. A public campaign along with re-estimated lower engineering costs resulted in the viaduct being repaired and the line remaining open.
Interesting to see that this line passed through Morebath. A book "Voices of Morebath" deals with the records of an Elizabethan clergyman. This books paints a picture of a very remote area.
I can partly imagine why. It's very undulating and probably seemed like an arduous coach trip
Superdry coat seems ironic… Morebath I have a book on, charting the time of a local vicar as England changed from catholic to Protestant and back and forth… really fascinating read. Good to see you out and about again
Loved it guys, the tale of the massacre of the North Devon & North Cornwall Railway system is heartbreaking. I believe that as with the Okehampton Plymouth route it is an episode we will sincerely come to regret.
Those are some beautiful abandoned stations indeed. :)
Hi Paul & Rebecca Very happy new year to you both and thank you for another interesting vlog you do get some interesting weather I thought it only rained here in Manchester
Apparently it rains in Devon too. Who knew!!
@@pwhitewick If you can see dartmoor from okehampton (bottom of the valley) its going to rain, if you cannot see it its raining
Must be something about that line it was heavy rain when I did it a couple of years ago!!!!! Great keep up the good work
Fascinating stuff and what lovely owners to show you around. Would love to live there, i would be digging up and uncovering the tracks for sure :)
I remember travelling over that line in the 90's Driving over bridges with nothing underneath, lol.
Always good to see you guys!! even better to see you in my neck of the woods. Keep em coming,Please
Been following your channel and watching your Every Disused Station videos for a while now - as someone who is interested in historical railways, I find your videos brilliant in how historical information is mixed with a sense of fun and adventure. Happy New Year and fingers crossed that the weather will improve for your travels in 2022!
Congratulations on getting over 400 done!! Lovely visit to Venn Station. Happy New Year from Spain
Great video guys. Thanks again.
One of my best mates parents currently reside at the old Little Dunham station site from the Lynn and Dereham Railway.
I don’t know if you’ve done this line yet but if you haven’t I’m happy to try and ask them if they wouldn’t mind allowing you into their property to have a look around, they have the original station building, one of the platforms is still intact and they also have one of the original rail carriages that used to run on the line.
Another great video!
I enjoy them all. Keep 'em coming!
I really like the old photos you have found and that you've taken the effort to take a 'now' shot from the same spot. All the best for 2022!
Thanks very much for a trip back to the early 1960’s when as a teenager I travelled on that line going to a cycling holiday from Barnstaple onwards - I still have (somewhere!) a black and white photo taken just out of the train window on the curved viaduct, which I now know to be Castle Hill Viaduct, using the windows as a mirror so that the train appears to be curving away in two directions in a bizarre fashion! Happy memories from long ago....
hi again paul and rebecca , well done it was very interesting , so cool that the brother and sister both got in touch with you lol , really well done and thank you guys :)
Here we go again!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Rebecca and Paul.Stay healthy wealthy and blessed.
Happy New Year Paul & Rebecca! Another great video. While trying not to copy and repeat others comments, the videos do keep getting better (unlike the weather!) - Please keep up the excellent work, and looking forward to 2022
Evening Paul n Rebecca
Excellent video of the old gwr line between Taunton and Barnstaple hope you found castle hill tunnel shame the weather was bad hopefully. One day do disused stations from Barnstaple to ilfracombe
And Barnstaple to Torrington and maybe beyond also okehampton to bude line in the future
Bloody awesome🧐 love your commitment
Good luck and happy new year
It's amazing how much can disappear in 55 years. And now the world wants to re-embrace mass transit.
This is fabulous! Thank you
HNY both.
It's always great to follow you on a Disused Station adventure. Have you thought of visiting the Waveney Valley Line between Tivetshall & Beccles? There's13 stations - including some interesting relics - to tick off in no more than 30 miles.
You are tremendously resilient in your fascinating pursuit of disused stations. Thank you for keeping going! In my childhood (1950s) I travelled many times on what is now the West Somerset Railway, but never, to my regret, on the Devon & Somerset line.
Great video wow lots of disused stations in ONE day :-)
A very enjoyable video. Thank you and Happy New Year :)
I think you should make the review of locally sourced food on your trips a more regular feature (somewhat akin to Mark, from Well Deck Diaries' "Right Nice Pint" features lol).
Happy New Year to you both.
Happy new year to both of you love your videos love your new colour hair Rebecca
Paul, the spans of both viaducts were the problem. The spans of the viaduct at Venn Cross (aka Waterrow Viaduct) were of wrought iron whilst those at Castle Hill viaduct (aka Filleigh viaduct) were of cast iron. It can be seen that the road over the latter viaduct only uses its pillars and not the spans. So the reason given for the closure could be true.
Metal structures have finite lifespans, the Meldon Viaduct is a case in point. The speed limit over this viaduct was set at 20mph in the 1920 due to the curve and the exposed position. In the 1930s and 1940s to allow heavier trains the trestle ward strengthened. More strengthening was carried out around the end of the 1950s. Since the 1990s the bridge had been deemed too weak for use by trains serving Mekfon Quarry (since the closure of the line to passenger services the viaduct had been used as the head shunt for the quarry. After the closure of the South Devon route due to storms in 2014 there were calls for the line go be reopened but Network Rail confirmed that the Meldon Viaduct needed to be replaced if this line was to opened beyond Okehampton.
Inpacked daily newspapers from Exeter to Barnstable on a moving train in the 1980s. What a switchback line!
Stood on the bridge at Norton Fitzwarren many times. My old dog walk!
Happy New year you Two!!
Really interesting video, I’m making a 00 gauge model of Dulverton at the moment, it has been interesting to see what the line is like nowadays from your video.
Well done on the video in the weather. In the book " The Country Railway" by David St John Thomas pub; David & Charles 1976, there is a whole chapter on the Devon and Somerset Line but mainly about South Molton as this was where the author and his family were evacuated to during the war. It gives a good insight on the line at that time, as well as a fascinating insight in to the country railways of Great Britain and Ireland
Another great video!
looks like Rebecca's ankle is completely healed. rock on
Another fantastic video - interesting the Devon expressway used much of the route. I suspect another reason it was closed was that it was just so rural and the Exeter - Barnstaple route was kept instead as it had crediton on the route.
Great video. I lived in Devon for a number of years and have been past these places. I now kick myself for not taking the time to visit them as you guys have. I'd forgotten how horrible the weather is in winter though. Now I remember why I live in Queensland Australia.
"Winter"?? We had 61F + sunshine on Christmas Day!
South Molton station ‘collapsed’ After the town council had permission to have it listed the goods shed still survives. The Beatles music video ‘hard days night’ was filmed at the station and on the line.
Absolutely looking that up right now!!
Wasn''t that shot on what is now the West Somerset Ry..
The road over the line is with respect the North Devon Link Road. from South Molton to almost Branstaple. That was where all the 40 mph roadworks are.The Devon Expressway is the A38 from Exeter to Plymouth. From a local. Loved the film though.
When the Molland station and house was up for sale in 2017, the wife and I went to have a look. Our plan would have been to do up the station house and sell it and live in the smaller platform station house. With the profits, I would have rebuilt the signal box making the top part like a conservatory room. Then, if any money were to be left over, I would have ran a short length of track where people crossed over to the other platform. There's a picture on google that shows an engine at the station that gives the example.
In the end it was simply too far of a drive to get to Barnstaple and that was the end of my dream.
love the faces Rebecca makes
Great video guys as ever!. I live in Station Hill, Swimbridge. I sat my family down to watch but you didn't show us!
I travelled this line in August 1964, from Barnstaple to Taunton. It makes me sad to see what has happened to England’s once great railways. Dr. Beeching’s name is anathema to any true railway enthusiast
Dr. Beeching produced a report as requested.
He had neither the power nor the inclination to close any railway lines.
However, politicians did.
Always vote carefully.
@@wossisname4540
I recall Dr. Beeching produced the report at the behest of the MacMillan Conservative government, but who did not implement it. However, come the 1964 Wilson Labour govrnment Dr. Beeching was appointed head of the British Transport Commision & now had the authority to implement his report plus the political support to do so, & thus proceeded to do so. Remember at the nationalisation of the railways in 1948, the Atlee government declared thea the railways were 30% too large.
Nice video. Happy new year.
Thank you
Happy New Year Paul and Rebecca, love Ur videos. Why don't U come over to the Isle of Wight sometime and explore the old railway line which once covered the whole island, lots of old stations and some tunnels still accessible and also some other historical places of interest for U to get stuck into. And there is a section of steam railway still running
Very interesting thank you