The lost Ilfracombe Branch line in Devon! Calling at Barnstaple Town, Wrafton, Braunton, Mortehoe & Woolacombe and Ilfracombe. Credit to the Image Owners Featured. Feel free to subscribe and explore other lost lines!
I just love these video's. Being a nostalgia freak, very satisfying to watch. They are educational, satisfying and just a little sad to watch. All these closed lines are heart-breaking when you consider the traffic we have to endure to get to these places in our cars. Not to mention the costs! One line that I travelled in 1962, just before closure was the Cheltenham to Kingham (originally went to Banbury) .I would love to see the Ghost train travel this route one last time. Thank you for the wonderful video's you have created.
Moved to Ilfracombe a few months ago and have cycled the Tarka Trail many times trying to make sense of the old line. This was fantastic, thank you Mr Fox!
What an excellent video, remember this as a lad on holiday with my parents in the 60's. Have also cycled the tarka trail as an adult. If only we could go back.....Many thanks for sharing
Walked in 2022 from Barnstable to Wrafton. And also from ifracombe down to where the footpath bends approx five miles I think. There’s great railway walks all round here. Thanks for the memories
Travelled this line many times in the 1960s on my way to and from boarding school in Totnes. Had to remember to shut the windows before we got to the tunnel to stop the smoke and cinders coming in. This is a great video.
Hi James. Many thanks for this brilliant film with three time zones ! Fantastic stuff, and please keep them coming ok ? Even the music is good . Frosty.
I stayed in Braunton on holiday as a child, near the railway line. I remember going to see them pass with my sister although they were quite infrequent. Thanks for the memories.
I've cycled the Barnstaple to Braunton stretch and the Mortehoe to ilfracombe stretch, but for whatever reason (maybe land owners refusal) but the cycle track doesn't go from Braunton to Mortehoe. But i have heard there is a possibility of linking that section up too. which would be great, as you could then cycle the old railway line all the way from Ilfracombe to Meeth in the heart of Devon. That would be pretty much 41 miles of continuous old railway lines you could cycle then.
Loved this, absolutely fascinating. Go to ilfracombe every year, can't believe there's no railway line/station between the two in this day and age. I wonder why they demolished it?
The line was closed as a result of British Railways's regional policies. The Ilfracombe branch belonged to the Southern Region, previously Southern Railway. The Great Western Railway, and its successor, the Western Region, also had a presence in Devon and Cornwall. British Railways adopted a "one city, one region" policy, with the obvious exception of London. At the beginning of 1963, the entire Southern system west of Salisbury was transferred to the Western Region, and it was normal for the receiving region to run down the services it had inherited. After the summer of 1964, trains from Waterloo ran no further than Exeter. Passengers for Ilfracombe and other destinations had to continue in high-density diesel multiple units, not really attractive for a journey of 55 miles. (Some destinations were even further.) On summer Saturdays, Ilfracombe had one train to and from London, but it ran from Paddington. When the Taunton to Barnstaple line closed in 1966, that train had to reverse at Exeter, if it still ran. Meanwhile, the Ilfracombe branch lost its freight service, and in 1967, the branch was singled, and operated as "one engine in steam." This meant that there could never be more than one train on the branch. At this time, the Western Region had a penchant for singling lines, even on busy through routes. The branch was deliberately run down, and was closed on 5 October 1970. The track remained in place, because a group of enthusiasts tried to buy the line, but they could not raise sufficient funds, so track lifting began in about 1974. The branch was also threatened with closure under the Beeching report of 1963. I will concede that the terminus was not well sited, but as the rail approach was 1 in 36, a lower site would not have been possible. It is significant that almost the entire Southern Railway network in Devon and Cornwall has been closed, but a number of Great Western branches are still open.
Very clever indeed and thoroughly enjoyable. I will forgive the dodgy trains(!) The music was beautiful and totally appropriate. I used the 'Shazam' app and it (eventually) recognised each piece... but at the end it said 'by James Fox'. Can you help please?
Thanks John. I am planning on revisiting/ rereleasing some of these with era appropriate trains at a later date. I've not had experience with the Shazam app - I arrange and compose all the music used in my films (another hobby of mine)
This is the first video I’ve watched from the Time Travel channel. Absolutely outstanding creation. I can’t believe it hasn’t been seen by a much wider audience or picked up by a major broadcaster as a series. Dabbling in editing very recently, I appreciate the enormous effort involved in creating this type of content. Brilliant thank you 🙏 I’ve subscribed and shared.
