Okehampton Station Reopens 

You know you’re famous when the Ticket Office recognises you. Congratulations, Geoff!

In Devon, we need that second line west. Specially as alternatives to the sea wall route has been kicked firmly into the long grass. It would obviusly help north Devon too.

Okehampton station was beautifully restored and painted in Southern Railway green years back by volunteers. This was originally part of the London & South Western Railway which was grouped with the other railways of southern England to form the Southern Railway company in 1923, becoming the Southern Region of British Railways after nationalisation in 1948. At its height, Okehampton had westbound services to Tavistock and Plymouth, Bude and Launceston, Wadebridge and Padstow, with services to eastbound to Exeter, Yeovil, Salisbury and London Waterloo.

The main reason this line wasn’t scraped was Meldon Quarry which supplied a large amount of BR’s ballast

I live in Crediton and know a civil engineer who worked on this reopening and it’s been huge news for us here. Apparently 400 people got on the first train! Hopefully the hype continues and we won’t lose the service again.

Terrific to see so many people using the line already.

Good to see old lines re-opened. Hopefully King's Lynn to Hunstanton will be reinstated one day - there are plans afoot. A big tick to paper timetables, another tick to bus times that integrate with railways and an even bigger tick if the heritage railway runs again. Excellent video as always Geoff.

Paper timetable booklets are indeed the way forward.

I live in Exeter and didn't even realise this was actually re-opening. They've been talking about it for decades and never done it, didn't think it was going to happen.

What a very comprehensive, informatative and enjoyable video. Exactly what we expect from Geoff (The Travel Vlogger)

Great to see this line back open. I went to University in Exeter and worked in Crediton for six months so have great memories of this part of the world. I spent many a great night in the Beer Engine during my time in Devon - great to see you give it a shout out - top pub!

What a brilliant advert for the reopening of the line. Well done Geoff! I hope local people as well as visitors use the service in numbers, and justify the money, time and effort that has been put into the project by all concerned.

I look forward to Oke Parkway. It means that I can drive 20 minutes from Launceston to catch trains to somewhere useful. At present my nearest station is Gunnislake, which only takes me to Plymouth then onwards. This opens up parts of North Cornwall to accessible rail use.

I saw Geoff on the southeastern train to Victoria the day he filmed this! I remember him wearing this fleece and as I was scrolling past RU-vid a post from him came up. I look up and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him sitting 2 rows from me. I wish I had the courage to say hello but I imagine he had a long day of travelling and didn't want to bother him. Was a pleasure seeing him though 😃

So Paul and Rebecca have to add Samford Courtenay, and drive all the way back to Devon for one station...

Good to see this open. I rode on the summer Rover service back in 1998, and a few times after that. At the time I felt there was a sense that a full re-opening was going to happen fairly soon. I didn't it expect to be more than 20 years later, but it's good to see that it has finally happened and that many people are using it. Back in the those days the Sunday Rover train service used to have bus 118 running a connection through to Gunnislake so you could take the train onto Plymouth. It used to be operated by a vintage double decker bus. Nice to see they have kept it as route 118 even if it now only goes as far as Tavistock. A couple of weeks back I went for a walk along the Devonshire Heartland Way and started by taking the train to Crediton. The route passes Newton St Cyres station and as no train was due soon I sat in the little garden there for lunch on the "Signalmans Seat" you showed in your video. Nice to see it again.

Often reminded of Field of Dreams - if build it they will come! Given that in the last few years, more people are questioning the in which they commute, they need to invest in more local services! This is not just local trains, but needs to include buses, trams and cycle routes as well! Hopefully the Camp Hill line in South Birmingham will actually get built as well!

It is Brilliant to see these lines reopening again. I do hope to see more disused lines back and operating as a Nework Rail Service as in this day and age we could do with some lines reopening. Thanks Geoff for that it is great to see this. Keep Filming. Keep trainspotting.👍😊🚂

Great to meet you Geoff in the doorway of the Premier Inn opposite Exeter St Davids. Would be interesting to see what Meldon Yard looks like now-prior to its vacation by the previous occupier, it was a veritable spooky graveyard of vintage rolling stock... Would be worth a visit...

It's awesome to see regular services finally returning to Okehampton. Incidentally I've done my own thing to celebrate the line's revival, albeit with a GWR Class 158 in Train Simulator.

Great they organised the timetables with buses etc. I remember going to Okehampton on the train in 1974 with a special for the army cadets from Winchester. I remember the steep hill up to the army camp. Well done Geoff, great work…

Good to see the bus, used to be Okemont Coaches with an extension up to Dartmoor Camp for the military. It was a rather worn out coach they used. The Bude service was replaced by a coach to Exeter run by Jennings Of Bude - whom eventually acquired the Bude Bus Garage of Western National (Okehampton was a best an Outstation for Devon General Buses to Crediton, Exeter and Newton Abbot, with assorted independent coaches running in or through on Market Days, and Born's Tours generally having the licences for seaside excursions and market days out.

I enjoyed this video and I'm so so pleased that disused lines are opening back up to the public. If any government is serious about climate then public transport is a huge part of that picture. In my old stomping grounds it looks like they are reopening a line from Stourbridge thru Brierley Hill, Dudley and beyond. The line and stations are still there, for the most part we just need to make people aware of it and to leave their cars behind. Edit I have been to that beautiful part of England many times and they deserve better transport way more than us in the cities do.

I live near Okehampton, I’ll definitely be trying this soon! :)

Thanks @Geoff Marshall, your enthusiasm for trains shines even on a cold November morning. New train service, happy days!

Welcome to Exeter! My home town.

The other 2 guys at the request stop were probably thinking “why do I have to raise my hand on 3?” 🤷‍♀️😂😂

Continuously welded Railtrack?!! The Clackity Clack is like, 90% of why I liked getting a train!!! 😱

I worked on the opening of this line…we refurbished most of the old bridges and structures along the line, a lot of work went into this, nice to see it up and running

Great video Geoff. I’m a part of the committee to reinstate the line past Okehampton and Meldon, and all the way to Plymouth cutting into the Tamar Valley Line. The only problem we’re facing at the moment is the fact that Meldon, in itself is heritage preserved and has been deemed not suitable for modern trains to run across it, so there would have to be a second bridge constructed alongside it. Other than that the old line is in perfect condition for reconstruction

So happy that network rail are slowly re opening old train lines all across the UK, when my grandfather worked with British rail and retired around 1960 he used to work in Carlisle and worked as a driver and the fireman shovelling coal in to the fire, he would also work as a signaller on the platforms at Carlisle citadel station, he also worked down in the old Carlisle 12B upperby engine sheds, sadly they closed and are now completely demolished where the turntable sat and a few other buildings network rail have now used up some of the land for their depot in Carlisle, the 2 lines that i think that should be re opened are the Carlisle-silloth line and the Carlisle-endinburgh line.

I used to live in Newton St Cyres and did a history project on the line, including a very rare photo of the NSC signalbox. The concrete sign was found in the undergrowth on the other side of the line and was donated by its finder to the Friends of NSC station - so good to see it again.

Yes the Devon Day Ranger is valid on the Dartmoor Line, I had a Devon Day Ranger myself on Saturday as you mentioned in the video, Also in the video when they trying to get the heritage like reopened, they did say that they do have a Diesel Shunter and a few coaches already what I been hearing while I was down there on Saturday and I also feel sorry that you have to walk half a mile from the Village/Bus stop to the station because the nearest bus stop is half a mile and there no paths leading to the station! But on Saturday the first Okehampton train to stop at Newton St Cryes was at 1054 and I was the first person to request Newton St Cyres on a Okehampton Train lol Brilliant Video Geoff.

would love to see more devon content, how about every stop from exeter to plymouth, some beautiful moments on that line!

I know many people are pushing the Dartmoor as a secondary route into Cornwall however the Teign Valley makes greater sense being shorter and cheaper with less major works to rebuild and maintain Saying that reconnecting Bude would make great commercial sense and would also safeguard the future of the whole line

The removal of the railways in the westcountry was incredibly short-sighted. Now with the growth of the area and towns, the ones that need those crucial rail links (to reduce pollution and congestion) simply don't have them. Getting those lines back is more difficult than it was to close them

I have visited The Beer Engine on a trip to Devon. Superb pub!

Schoolboy error Geoff: Bude is in Cornwall! 😜

That scenery from 4:10 onwards looks incredibly idyllic ✔✔

This is a great first step. I hope that these old lines will continue to be expanded. What we really could do with is a line from Oakhampton to Plymouth, that would act as a diversion route as an alternative to the dreadful Dawlish section that closes in bad weather. Very cheeky that GWR run now run the trains on what used to be Southern Railway.

my neck of the woods! that guy in the ticket office has been there years. When I used to study in Exeter he was a dispatcher

OMG - David is The Dude from Bude - an old friend I've not seen in 20 years!

It stresses and upsets me that I've been following Geoff for so long that we've literally aged together and at the same rate.

Hopefully they will eventually reopen the full Okehampton line all the way to plymouth. I hope we can get all the old trainlines back. Could be a great boost for the country and the Enviroment.

I love this! The plans for the museum are very exciting, David's excitement at the line reopening is infectious, and I actually stayed at that YHA about 20 years ago!

Hi Geoff, I saw this piece of information on Wales Online and thought of you, "The Welsh stations with no entries and exits in 2021-21 were Abererch (Gwynedd), Llanbedr (Gwynedd), Tygwyn (Gwynedd), and Sugar Loaf (Powys)."

That's brilliant to see. Good to see so many people using it, too...

Excellent content, even better editing, bravo Geoff.

This is so exciting! Thanks for taking us along Geoff, I'm looking forward to heading down to Okehampton when we're over next Summer.

I remember travelling as a child from Barking to Bude, to have a 2 week holiday during Fords shut down. My father was born not far from Bude, so always visiting the family. I seem to remember the steam engine being a pannier tank type? The train I think used to arrive at Bude around 9 in the morning. I did in the 70’s walk part of the track bed towards Hallwill Junction.

Fantastic video Geoff. Very informative.

Hi Geoff, Well done on another good video, always great to see a closed line re-opened. Will be good to see the rest of that area opened up again... Take care, Jon Barnes.

Lovely video! Very informative and full of positive energy :)

Really pleased to see part of the withered arm unwithering! :) great video, Geoff!

Great video Geoff, this is amazing 👌😀👍

How wonderful to see another service introduced and an old station reopened! 😎 Thanks for another comprehensive review Geoff. Plus you got to add another notch to the request stop bedpost 😉 Nice to see that chap from Bude enjoy himself. My ex girlfriend’s dad came from there and he always said how devastated he was when the railway shut, mostly because he used it to meet up with his then girlfriend! 🤷 I think he ended up having to get a scooter 😃 Cheers 🍻👍🍀

Hurrah! Bude? Yes please!

Superb video. Thanks.

Another great video Geoff !

I can't believe you met someone from Bude and didn't ask about the famous Bude Tunnel! ;-)

Hi Jeff. I always enjoy your videos and am always happy when I see you have made a new video to watch. I and my late girlfriend who subsequently passed away after a short battle with cancer visited this station and got the heritage class 205 DEMU to Meldon Viaduct. The viaduct and the reservoir are worth visiting. The viaduct is a quite impressive metal structure that has been preserved by funding from local firms. Okehampton is quite an interesting station with a chequered history. We can only hope its future is now assured, particularly if proposals to reinstate the line through to Plymouth get the go-ahead. I think that is a long way off and doubt that you or I will live to see it! Thanks for uploading.

my family frequents a holiday resort that's down in okehampton, one day i'd love to take a train there. it's lovely that these older lines are in use again

It was great to travel on the line on the first day of service . It was interesting to see that the train departed St David's from the bay platform (2) . I've not seen the bay platform in use before. I was also pleased that you filmed the model of the viaduct in the museum. It was built by a (late) friend of mine, Mike Ellis, who was a Dartmoor Railway Association member. A great number of welding rods went into the construction of the model. He would have been so pleased to see his work on film.

Been waiting to see this. .. looks very cool.

Great Guide 👍🏻 yes you are right the Beer Engine is an amazing pub it’s our favourite local (worth coming down on a Sunday for roast) Will and the team are brilliant. Nice to see my home station your map today (Copplestone)

brilliant video i def need to ride the Dartmoor line in the future

Fabulous news, thank you sir.

Great video Geoff. Love from Australia

Nice to briefly see you again on the train back from Okehampton

I,m hoping to do the same trip very soon. Great video and the pub looks very tempting.

Cracking video! Better presenting skills than a majority of mainstream TV reporters too!!

Excellent Stuff Geoff. Cheers!

Great to see this reopen and love the video Geoff. Showing my age, the Blundells School Railway Society rode the line when in 1971 it was announced it would close, a single car DMU, no-one else on it! Also involved an illict trip to the pub in Crediton - must recreate the trip and visit the Beer Engine!

Cool to see you down this way!

Enjoyed this video...thanks

Network king! Well done, Geoff

This popped up on my suggested and I had to watch, its been so exciting to get a train service from Okehampton. When I was little My mum and Dad used to take me on the steam train from Okehampton to Meldon just for fun on a weekend all the time :)

Great video as always Geoff. So good that regular services have been returned to Okehampton. Station looks great too. Let's hope that GWR update Exeter St David's too as it looks like it could do with a refresh!

Great watch…remember doing a rail tour to Meldon in the early 90s

Cracking video sir, and thanks for the map link 👌😎 fred

Hey Geoff wish I knew you was down my way yesterday would of come down to met you I live in Exeter

Superb video and really good that the line has been restored and is operating successfully. Let's hope more defunct lines can be restored in similar fashion (better use of effort than HS2 in my opinion) and also, I agree on the paper timetables. The fact that transport operators are ceasing to print them drives me mad. Not everyone has got or wants a smart phone and even those who have can lose them or have them lose power. Transport operators please KEEP paper timetables going.

Really pleased to see good passenger numbers on the platform.

Lots of excitement in Devon about this line. Beer Engine pub does great food, incidentally!

Good to see this and plenty of passengers .

Wonderful to see, and so many catching the train from there. Lets hope at some point soon the GOVT bring the Railways back in to public hands and open more lines.

Great video! Looks like next years holiday for me will have to be to Devon!

Another great video. While watching this crisp cool november video I remembered that my uncle, Harold Pollins wrote a book on British Railways, in the early seventies. I'll get hold of the family copy, perhaps he writes about the Beeching cuts.

I been in exter when last time 1986 to 1991 because I’m deaf school in topstam road last year wipe out, I’m miss my deaf school, I’m live in Cardiff long time and I’m heard glad back old way train and I will go in Exeter to Dartmoor, very beautiful place in Dartmoor, I appreciate you

It would be great to get the train to Bude! Can’t open up the railways quick enough! Good video.

Interesting to see it reopened. Up to the early nineties I lived near Okehampton and we occasionally went to see trains passing through to the quarry. I understood it was a good source of ballast for southern England. There was also a rail tour to the quarry by a full HST set that went through Okehampton and down to the quarry.One of my neighbours arranged a small tour of the quarry and we were allowed to see screens and crushing plant but the highlight was a walk out along the viaduct. From a distance it looked a spindly affair but close up it appeared even more fragile. There were many gaps between sleepers resulting in a 100ft drop should anyone slip. If the line is ever reopened to Plymouth as an alternative to Dawlish the viaduct will certainly have to be completely rebuilt! Incidentally reopening was suggested in the nineties but trades and shops in the town felt they would lose business to Exeter. The line was always maintained to a high standard because of the ballast trains. One further point was that for many years it was possible to purchase a though ticket to Bude even though the line had long closed. The service was run by Jennings Coaches of Bude and it was possible to purchase a ticket at any booking office in the Uk. This service picked up at Exeter st David’s then Okehampton town centre followed by Hawill Junction, Launceston and Bude. It was still operating in the early nineties but I understand Jennings is no more so I guess the service has now ceased.

I always love it when somebody comes to Exeter my home city

Thanx for the video.

Love this. I’m waiting for the hourly service before I make a trip up the line

Finally back.. Wish I could ride the route once.

we went on Sunday the first day of service, noticed the clackety clack which is unusual then noticed it stopped as you did also. Had a lovely chat with Matt from GWR and the guys in the museum who were very welcoming.

Great video. There are so many heritage railways that would benefit from this kind of takeover and get a professional regular service. I do like a heritage railway but this is so much better for routes that actually serve significant populations.

the line is lovely, i went on the opening day!

Great video Geoff

it was only 7 months ago I vlogged here from a cycle from work to here and then see the line being built, its going to be so good to finally cycle then get a train