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As 2024 comes to a close, your Editor would like to thank all the contributors and subscribers for Raildate's continuing success. I wish everyone a happy and healthy 2025.
In my case, I've downsized, ready for becoming a State pensioner in January. We moved house in November (150 yards from the over-large old house), handed over the RCTS website, booked some holidays.
There have been over 120 Raildate posers since taking on the editorship, and in every case something new has been learned whilst researching them. Nearly 40 people responded to the Barnstaple question (oops, that's the answer - see below), so between us we're doing something that we all enjoy.
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A newly opened station concourse. Where is it?
Please send your answers to raildate.co.uk@gmail.com
An estuarial town blessed with three stations, two major railway bridges, and one additional line already lifted by the time of the map. Where is it?
Answer: Barnstaple. Congratulations are due to the following for their correct answers: John Nuttall, Colin Penfold, Robert Heron, Dave Goodyear, Blair Robinson, Tony Hall, Paul Hopper, Mike Rapp, Richard Maund, Chris Neale, Peter Lineham, Simon Wass, Ian Lowe, Richard Hart, John Lacy, Andrew Twynham, Bryn Pitcher, Jim Allwood, Neil Kearns, Alan Twinam, Gordon Evans, Elliot Cowton, Paul Clayton, John Musselwhite, Andy McMillan, Dave Mant, Neil Spencer, John Czyrko, Jeremy Harrison, Phil Deaves, Paul Reeve, Bernard Gudgin, Richard Weller, Ian Bromley, Chris Gibbard, Martin King, John Gilby, Andrew Treves, Tony Parsons
Barnstaple was served by three gauges: standard gauge (the North Devon, later L&SWR/Southern, from Exeter), broad gauge (GWR from Taunton), and narrow gauge (the Lynton & Barnstaple) railways. The Exeter was partially built as broad gauge but converted before services commenced; the Taunton broad gauge was converted to standard gauge in 1881 only eight years after opening. The L&B (shown in red on the map) opened later (1898) so the three gauges were not contemporaneous. It had already closed (1935) prior to the map.
The L&SWR's Barnstaple Junction station, south of the river, survives as the terminus today but previously linked to Illfracombe and Bude. Barnstaple Victoria Road was the GWR's terminus which had, after gauge conversion, Paddington-Illfracombe through trains reversing. Barnstaple Town of the L&B was adjacent to Barnstaple Quay of the L&SWR. The final Lynton & Barnstaple timetable was included in a Raildate poser answer from 2023.
Raildate reader John Musselwhite sent in this photo of Car 14, now running on the Ffestiniog but originally built for the L&B in 1897. Between 1935-1959, it was located just outside Barnstaple, and housed evacuees and chickens (at different times, one hopes).
On Barnstaple Bridge in 1970, the year of its closure. Demolished 1976.
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© Matthew Shaw 2024