Barnstaple to Meeth 1974

Exeter University Railway Society Brake Van trip on the line finally closed in 1982.

[@tango6nf477]

It makes you want to cry when you look at the OS Map and see this and all the other branches closed in Devon and the West, so short sighted, I and many others would happily pay to use this route just for fun. Im sure it would pay its way as a tourist attraction today.

[@DocAlRead1]

Yes, but hopefully the railway at Torrington progresses well. Also perhaps Bideford to Barnstaple might reopen one day?

[@Bitsforboats]

Yet nobody considered buying it up and turning it into a heritage railway..

[@andrewhotston983]

That line would have made a fantastic heritage railway.

[@EBush-i4o]

I was a secondman at Salisbury in the 1970's. We worked a railtour for the Lea Valley Railway Club (Atlantic Coast Express) to Meeth, first going to Meldon Quarry. What a brilliant day out.....got paid for it as well !!!!

[@thomasshepard6030]

I was still called a fireman when I started with BR 1974 eastfield traction depot springburn Glasgow on my brown envelope pay slip It said on the top fireman and on the roster board it said fireman D.H Matthew

[@synthengine]

Did that trip behind a class 22 with milk tanks and clay wagons and two brake vans in 1971 . Even got to drive the loco once past Great Torrington.

[@DocAlRead1]

That must be a great memory. What a different world it is today.

[@stephenholmes1036]

I was involved in the lifting of the line so short sighted

[@martinconnerty1201]

Hi Stephen. Great to meet you on here. When you were lifting the line (and probably others aswell), what was the general feeling among your gang of what you were doing? By that I mean ... Was there a sense you were lifting up a redundant waste of tax payers money and doing everyone a favour; or the sense that this was a bad idea for whatever reasons you had; did you guys have any visions of the future and if so what were they? ... all those sorts of feelings as you went about your work. I've never come across anyone who was involved with lifting rails (maybe they were from the local omnibus company and had no interest in rail, who knows).

[@robhavock9434]

Incredible footage of a golden time, I made it to Cornwall in 1980 so I have a idea of things lost and the period, the universe doesn't run backwards so it's probably lost forever.

[@DocAlRead1]

Just a chance Bideford to Barnstaple might be restored?

[@railwest]

This brought back some memories. I went on a similar EURS trip circa-1970. Weather was poor and no-one of us could afford the luxury of a cine camera!

[@DocAlRead1]

Thanks - I might have taken more but the film was expensive!

[@railwest]

Indeed, which is why I took very few colour-slides, and they were not very good either, especially in the North Devon murky weather :- ( Did you have the EURS headboard on that trip?

[@DocAlRead1]

@@railwest Headboard? Possibly but I can't remember!

[@rail324nqch-par-8]

Nor so many years ago that the line was still laid.

[@amigacooke]

Used to holiday in Westward Ho! and remember well the railway line in and out of Bideford that never seemed to have any trains on it

[@DocAlRead1]

Interesting, yes. I did teaching practice at Bideford Grammar School in the 70s, and stayed at Westward Ho! !

[@robertpearce2244]

I never knew Fremington had a station! Spent a lot of time at the army camp there in the late 90s 😊

[@Shelfandtabletoplayouts00gauge]

Really enjoying these videos, thanks 👍

[@DocAlRead1]

Glad you like them!

[@brianswan3559]

This is now the Tarka Trail cycle route.

[@sgcycling7658]

Wow, thanks for sharing

[@XxBec3509]

Great collection of videos

[@alexishamer6427]

The year 1974 is now 49 previous years ago in 2023. Look 👀 how lovely ☺️ the railway 🚃 line is? It happened 2 previous years before I was born. It’s sad 😞 that no trains 🚆 run from Barnstaple to Meeth via Instow, Bideford and Torrington anymore. Barnstaple railway 🚃 station 🚉 now only had one 1️⃣ ☝️ single track 🛤️. It’s because Barnstaple is the terminus railway 🚃 station 🚉 in north Devon , southwest of England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿. 👍

[@DocAlRead1]

Yes the world is a different place today. At least Barnstaple is still railway served, and it's a trip well worth doing.

[@Aaaeendrew]

Thanks for sharing this! Great vid

[@nigelkthomas9501]

Quality isn’t great, but I guess after half a century it’s understandable.

[@DocAlRead1]

Well it is very old, and a standard 8 film which was superseded by Super 8 soon after. Neither had the quality of modern film recording.

[@julianlane8313]

Quality doesn’t matter all things considered, we are blessed you filmed what is now a distant memory, thank you 🙏🏻 👍🏼

[@geoffcollier8736]

As I am 81 tomorrow I well remember this line, particularly the various road crossings in the area, unmanned but safe if you stopped and listened! The thought of being hit by a train made us very careful. So much for our sanitised world today!

[@rail324nqch-par-8]

Was this cine film ?

[@DocAlRead1]

Yes it was standard 8mm film

[@quadtraxxx]

Wow! What a privilege to see it, thank you for sharing. Like so many others, how I wish these railway lines were still in place!!! Amazing to see 👍🙌👌