ND&CJLR Halwill Junction - Torrington (plus Bideford and Westward Ho!)

[Gwiwer]

The second gallery of images from my ramblings in rural Devon and Cornwall is now presented for you interest.

 

This covers the former North Devon & Cornwall Junction Light Railway which ran between Halwill Junction and Torrington for just 40 years between 1925 - 1965. The northern part of the route, between Torrington and Meeth, had been opened much earlier as the Torrington and Marland Light Railway in 1888 on 3' gauge. While that donated its route to the later standard gauge line many of the structures now seen (and in particular the large Torridge viaduct at Torrington) date from the 1925 opening by the Southern Railway. In something of an ironic twist freight survived between Torrington and Meeth long after the passenger service had ceased not being withdrawn until 1982.

 

Traffic was always extremely sparse. A single coach formed the passenger train which made just two or three trips a day. Actually seeing a passenger on board (other than the occasional rail enthusiast) was apparently as rare as a hen's tooth. The busiest intermediate station on the line, Hatherleigh, a modest town which had (and still has) a weekly market, could allegedly record an average of just one passenger a week!!! Most of the halts were lucky to ever see a passenger at all.

 

The original logic behind the railway was to get china clay out from the isolated pits at Marland and Meeth which otherwise meant a very difficult road journey by narrow and hilly lanes. Some of those who used the trains were clay workers. No town or village of consequence was directly served along the way other than Hatherleigh. Indeed no building of any kind is visible from some of the halts to this day.

 

Also included are some pictures of Bideford station as it now is. Light railway trains terminated at Torrington but Bideford was the logical end of my trip and is thus included. Also included are a few shots from Westward Ho! as I discovered, much to my surprise, that 95 years after closure there are still some remains of the Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore Railway to be seen.

 

For visitors to the area be aware that access to most intermediate locations is by narrow country lane and a thorough exploration thus takes quite some time. There are good bus services to Halwill Junction from Bude, Okehampton and Exeter and to Bideford and Torrington from Barnstaple and Exeter some of which give access to Hatherleigh directly or with one connection. There are no services to most other locations although one or two villages such as Petrockstowe have a weekly market bus.

 

Much of the route is now to walkers and cyclists as the Tarka Trail meaning it is possible to start from Meeth and follow the track bed or be within a couple of metres of it) all the way to Barnstaple and much of the way thence to Ilfracombe. Short sections near Hatherleigh and Hole are also now newly reopened similarly but do not form part of a continuous route. Light refreshments are sometimes available at Yarde and usually at Torrington stations.

 

All images remain my Copyright © and are available for viewing via the posted link and for genuine research and fair dealing as permitted by Law. Any breaches of Copyright will result in action being taken.

 

http://s189.photobucket.com/albums/z273/Gwiwer/Halwill%20Junction%20-%20Torrington%20-%20Bideford%202012/

[darren01]

HI Gwiwer

Pity i did not know you would have been so close to where i live,you could have poped in and seen the model of Torrington .

Darren

[Gwiwer]

Which would have been a very worthy and welcome visit but perhaps another time?  As it was I managed to visit the 12" : 1' Torrington which was some compensation for missing the model

[Ramblin Rich]

Rick - having just seen your comment on "low level of interest" in the where rails once led thread, I'd like to record my appreciation for your work here - definitely worthwhile! (same goes for the Halwill - Bude thread)