Totem signs at former Southern Region stations in north Devon

[southernelectric]

I'm hoping I might be able to get some clarification on something I've been trying to research online but haven't had much luck.

 

Station totems were, as I understand it, introduced by British Railways in 1948, at the time when the railways were nationalised, and there were several different colours that came into use, each representing the various regions of BR.

 

The Southern Region had green totems, the Western Region had brown totems. In 1963, part of the Southern Region (all routes west of Exeter) was transferred to the Western Region. 

 

The area I'm most interested in finding about are the totems that would have been used the stations on the long-closed Torrington and Ilfracombe branches out of Barnstaple (and also Bude and Padstow in North Cornwall) after these stations became part of the Western Region in 1963. Up to that point, being Southern Region stations, their totems would have been green.

 

So when these stations came under Western Region control in 1963, would the totems have been transferred to WR colours soon after, or were some never changed? Given that the lines from Barnstatple to Torrington closed to passengers in 1965 and the line to Ilfracombe in 1970, would some of the stations on this line still have had totems in SR colours at the time of closure? If so, does anyone know which stations?

 

Same goes for Bude and Padstow stations in North Cornwall, closed 1966 and 1967 respectively. Former SR stations until 1963. Did either or both ever have WR brown totems?

 

I've seen pictures of Ilfracombe station in 1970, just before closure and certainly the platform station name signs are green but I can't find any proof that the totems were still in SR green at the time.

 

The remaining station platform at Instow on the fomer Torrington branch has a WR totem, whereas the platform and signal box nameboard colours are green - which suggests those parts of the station were never changed after the switch-over from SR to WR. Or does it? I don't know if this is a "restoration to former colours" thing happening here (like at the current Barnstaple station) or whether they would have been WR colours for the last couple of years the line was in use after 1963.

 

What I'd like to establish for certain which, if any, of the following former SR stations ever had brown WR totems after the transfer to the WR in 1963:

 

• Torrington
• Bideford
• Instow
• Braunton
• Ilfracombe
• Bude
• Padstow

Does anyone know? Or know how I can (easily) find out?

[stovepipe]

Torrington doesn't appear to have been changed before closure

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/110691393@N07/12193184526/sizes/o/

[The Stationmaster]

Picture of Torrington on the 'net suggest to me that it retained Souther Railway totems right up to closure (i.e. it never had any of any colour to the BR pattern).

[southernelectric]

Torrington doesn't appear to have been changed before closure

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/110691393@N07/12193184526/sizes/o/

 

Thanks. Can make out the old Southern Railway style totem on the lower right. So it seems that station never had BR style ones. The platform to the left remains, but no totems - only the platform name boards (if that's the correct term for them) and they are green.

[Andy M]

southernelectric,

 

From your list, all stations retained Southern vintage signage until the end, with the following exceptions.

 

Bude and Ilfracombe received SR Green Totems; and Instow got WR Brown Totems.

 

 

This info is taken from the reliable 'Book of the British Railways Station Totems' by Brennand & Furness. Hope it is of use.

 

 

Regards,

 

Andy.

[southernelectric]

Picture of Torrington on the 'net suggest to me that it retained Souther Railway totems right up to closure (i.e. it never had any of any colour to the BR pattern).

 

Which begs the question, which of these stations on my list above ever even had BR style totems? Or did they all retain old Southern Railway ones in BR days and were still in use at the time of closure?

 

I know Barnstaple - formerly Barnstaple Junction -has SR green ones now (they have been added in the last few years, but I don't know if it ever had WR colour totems).

 

Below are a couple of photos I took when I was in the area earlier this year: the BR-era one one at Instow (in WR colours) but I don't know if it was there pre-closure in 1965 or if it has been added since then, keeping in mind the signal box and other signage is green...again, I don't know if those were ever changed to WR colours and then changed back again in more recent times!

 

Below it an old Braunton station sign that is in the Braunton museum (again, the totem is a Southern Railway style one) but I don't know if it was still being used at the time of closure in the 1960s or if the sign dates from an earlier time.

 

 

[southernelectric]

southernelectric,

 

From your list, all stations retained Southern vintage signage until the end, with the following exceptions.

 

Bude and Ilfracombe received SR Green Totems; and Instow got WR Brown Totems.

 

 

This info is taken from the reliable 'Book of the British Railways Station Totems' by Brennand & Furness. Hope it is of use.

 

 

Regards,

 

Andy.

 

Thanks Andy! That is hugely helpful I was busy compressing my photos to a suitable size to upload so didn't see your post.

 

Out of interest, what does the book say about totems at Barnstaple station (formerly Barnstaple Junction station) and the former Barnstaple Town station that closed in 1970?

[southernelectric]

Instow got WR Brown Totems.

 

That answers my question about the Instow totem that's still there, but not as to why everything else is in Southern green!

[Andy M]

The Instow totem in your image is clearly a replica, but the original WR Brown examples have appeared at auction.

 

Only Barnstaple Town got totems as can be seen in the attached image. The reason many of the former Southern stations never got BR signage was due to the fact that much of the original pre-nationalisation enamel Targets and Running-In boards remained in such good condition and didn't warrant changing.

 

 

Regards,

 

Andy.

[southernelectric]

The Instow totem in your image is clearly a replica, but the original WR Brown examples have appeared at auction.

 

Only Barnstaple Town got totems as can be seen in the attached image. The reason many of the former Southern stations never got BR signage was due to the fact that much of the original pre-nationalisation enamel Targets and Running-In boards remained in such good condition and didn't warrant changing.

 

 

Regards,

 

Andy.

 

 

Thanks again Andy, greatly appreciate the info and pictures! 

 

So the correct term for the platform name boards in running-in boards? I'll remember that for future, thank you. You can probably tell I'm still very much a novice at all this!

 

Even though the Instow totem is a replica, there's no easy way of establishing if the signal box and running-in board colours are in the same colours they were in when the line closed in the 1960s - even if they have repainted them since - or whether these two were repainted into WR colours at some point. And then painted back into green again later.

 

Seems a little odd that they would put new WR colour totems in place and leave the rest of the station colour scheme a sourthern green colour!

[RailWest]

Why not ask the people at the Bideford  Railway Centre, who will probably be able to give you all the historical info re Instow box?

 

Sadly the only pre-closure picture I took of it was from too far away on a murky day to be of much help :-( , but I suspect that a bit of 'googling' will soon lead you to some websites with colour pix of lines in that area pre-closure (eg the Cornwall Railway Society's site gallery for Devon)

[southernelectric]

Why not ask the people at the Bideford  Railway Centre, who will probably be able to give you all the historical info re Instow box?

 

Sadly the only pre-closure picture I took of it was from too far away on a murky day to be of much help :-( , but I suspect that a bit of 'googling' will soon lead you to some websites with colour pix of lines in that area pre-closure (eg the Cornwall Railway Society's site gallery for Devon)

 

I was actually down in that neck of the woods last month and had been hoping to see a steam-hauled "Atlantic Coast Express" railtour pull into Barnstaple station while I was there! But sadly that never happened (there's a thread on it, Clan Line coming to Barnstaple) for a number of reasons.

 

Didn't get to Bideford this time around but next time I'm down there I'll go to the Railway Centre there and see what I can find out.

[bécasse]

There was a period in the early 1950s when the former Southern Railway lines in Devon and Cornwall were transferred to the Western Region for commercial purposes but remained part of the Southern Region operationally. A number of former SR stations acquired the brown and cream WR paint scheme during this period, and, if the totem signage needed renewal, they would have received brown WR lozenges. It would seem that Instow was the only station, at least within your nominated group, to actually do so.

 

When these lines were again transferred to the WR in the early 1960s, virtually the only expenditure allowed was that associated with the continual rationalisation of facilities and, in due course, line closure. 

[Branksome71B]

Not a totem but shows the Western put their mark on Mortehoe. 

http://mikemorant.smugmug.com/Trains-Railways-British-Isles/SR-and-BRS/Other-SR-related-material/i-M8VFq3j/A

[westcountryman]

Hi from a Braunton boy,

The station at Braunton had Southern green totems & signage through the fifties up to closure in 1970. The same goes for Wrafton & Barnstaple Town stations.

The running in boards with Braunton above & 'for Saunton Sands & Croyde below, were all Southern green & cream.

All of the signal boxes, crossing huts etc had the green signage.

Wrafton station is now a private dwelling, but the owner has retained the platforms, signage & a lattice post LSWR signal, lovely to see.

The only 'odd one out' for absolutely no apparent reason was the crossing box at the north end of the Braunton section.

For some reason, the '|Georgeham' crossing box had a Western region brown name board.

The bungalow situated where the box used to be has a repro sign on a garden structure.

There are some lovely examples of railway signage in many of the local museums & still fixed to the former railway buildings.

Regarding Instow, yes the boards were WR brown, but if you walk through the back streets, behind the Bar pub, there are 2 LSWR cast bridge loading diamond signs.

Us locals are amazed that none of the old enamel signage hasn't been pinched, but thankfully, residential housing close by tends to protect them.

Hope this helps

Rob

[westcountryman]

Hi again guys,

 

Just a quick aside to the above post, the local authorities have very recently cut back a lot of the 'lineside' growth on what is now the Tarka Trail, formerly the Barnstaple to Torrington line.

My lad & I were walking our Jack Russell along the Tarka, just after the cutting, & we managed to find two long handled coal firing shovels, one BR steel pick & a number of metal sleeper / rail chairs, quite a find.

We were amazed that no-one else had picked them up, but their loss is our gain. They look lovely mounted on the outside wall of our railway / garden shed.

 

Also on a walk through rainy Barnstaple, I noticed totems ( Southern Green) on Barnstaple Town station, green replicas on Barnstaple Junction station ( now the only station) & some fine GWR decoration on the old metal railway bridge crossing the River Taw to the south of town, formerly the GWR/Southern link from Barnstaple Victoria Road GWR to Barnstaple Junction Southern.

 

There is also a fine example of a Southern lattice girder signal in Sidings Way in Braunton, & according to my Braunton relatives, the afore mentioned repro sign where the Georgeham box was, is actually an original.

 

Braunton museum, Barnstaple museum & Ilfracombe museum have some lovely examples of old signage, totems, running in boards, & loco nameplates + shields.

 

Hope this helps

Rob

[Andy Kirkham]

I've just come across this thread, and I thought it might be appropriate to contribute this https://www.flickr.com/photos/52554553@N06/10066178154/in/set-72157636143031276from 1970 showing the Southern Railway signage still in place. Ironically there are retro Southern Region totems there now.