User:Lynbarn/Sandbox/Route of the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway

Main Article: Lynton and Barnstaple Railway

The Route of the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway (L&B), over 19 miles (30 kilometers) long, ran from Barnstaple, and its exchange facilities with the L&SWR through picturesque North Devon countryside, along the Yeo valley, then up into the higher ground to the West of Exmoor, and eventually to the terminus at Lynton, 700 feet above and a mile by road from the ultimate destination of many of its passengers, at Lynmouth, on the coast.

Although some of the former trackbed has been restored, and has been reopened to the public, and other sections are owned and managed by those working towards the restoration of the line as a working railway, much of what was the railway is currently still privately owned, and should not be visited without seeking permission. With five principle stations, eighty bridges, and numerous cuttings, embankments and other works, there are still however, still many signs of the railway that can be seen from the public highways.

The nineteen-mile journey from Barnstaple Town to Lynton & Lynmouth stations took an hour and a half, with frequent stops en-route to collect and deliver goods as well as passengers. The line passed through the outskirts of Barnstaple, along the floor of the Yeo valley, then a long climb took the trains onto the higher ground approaching the wilds of exmoor, and so on to the outskirts of Little Switzerland, stopping just short enough of the twin villages so as not to spoil the view of the wealthy inhabitants. Waiting coaches would convey passengers and goods from there on into Lynton, or down the steep, narrow roads into Lynton, 700 feet below.

following tables describe key features along the route, as they were before the railway closed, and as they are today. For convenience, and mimicking the original signal block sections, the route is divided into six.

In common with established UK railway practice, "Up" refers to the direction towards London (i.e towards Barnstaple) and "Down" refers to the direction away from London, (towards Lynton).

All distances along the L&B were measured (in miles and chains - see first column) from the Barnstaple Town stop-block, which was itself 212 miles 20 chains (341.583 kilometers) from London Waterloo. In the UK, trains pass on the left, so the "down" platform is that nearest the station building at all L&B stations.

Further references

 * Railwest - L&amp;B Signalling information


 * L T Catchpole: The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway 1895–1935 published by The Oakwood Press. Eighth edition 2005. ISBN 0-85361-637-X.


 * G A Brown, J D C A Prideaux, & H G Radcliffe: The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway published by David and Charles, First Edition 1964,
 * New Edition 1971, Third impression 1986. ISBN 0-7153-4958-9
 * New Edition 1980, Fourth impression. (Green cover) ISBN 0-7153-4958-9
 * Third Edition, published by Atlantic in enlarged format, 1996. ISBN 0-906899-68-0
 * Fourth edition, published by the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway Trust, 2006 with additional material by G A Brown & P J M Rawstron. ISBN 0-9552181-0-1


 * P Gower, B Gray & K Vingoe: The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway &mdash; Yesterday and Today published by The Oakwood Press. First edition 1999. ISBN 0-85361-537-3


 * D. Hudson & E. Leslie: The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway&mdash; An Anthology published by The Oakwood Press. First edition 1995. ISBN 0853614857


 * C Leigh: Portrait of The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway published by Ian Allen. First Published 1983. ISBN 0-7110-1330-6


 * V Mitchell, K Smith: Branch Line to Lynton published by Middleton Press. First Published 1992. ISBN 1-873793-04-9


 * J D C A Prideaux: Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Album published by David & Charles 1974 ISBN 0-7153-6809-5


 * J D C A Prideaux: The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Remembered published by David & Charles 1989. ISBN 0-7153-8958-0


 * J R Yeomans: The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway published by Bradford Barton. First Published 1979. ISBN 0-85153-259-4

Magazines:


 * The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Magazine published three times a year by The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust. 1979 to date