Lynton & Barnstaple Railway 01/07/2023

The renascent Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, currently based around Woody Bay, runs for one mile as it skirts Exmoor national park; with big ambitions for more.

Opened in 1898, the independant Lynton & Barnstaple Railway took a winding 19 mile route to link its titular towns, via Blackmoor and Pilton. It lasted all of 37 years before closure under Southern Railway ownership in 1935, with distamantling being a swift affair. Of the 5 locomotives to see regular service on the L&B, four were built ready for the openning in 1898, and all followed a tradition of being named after local rivers with three letter names: "Yeo", "Exe", "Taw" and "Lyn". The fifth, built for the SR in 1925, followed suit with the name "Lew". When the line closed, the original quartet were scrapped at Pilton Yard, while "Lew" was used in dismantling the railway before being sold on; leaving the UK for South America, where it subsequently disappeared into the history books.

In 2004, after tireless work by the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust, the station at Woody Bay reopened to the public, along with the current mile of track to a new station at Killington Lane. Plans to create a replica of scrapped Baldwin "Lyn" were completed in 2017, with the locomotive entering service on the L&B in the same year. The Trust, under the banner of the 762 Club, has now set itself the target of building replicas of all the 5 original locomotives - after "Lyn", efforts are now focused on "Yeo" and "Exe"; work has begun on constructing components. This coincides with the Trust's plans to extend the line over the coming years.

Operating their standard timetable, the day saw 7 return services out of Woody Bay, as traction was provided by "Lyn". The Baldwin doing a sterling job tackling the steep gradient out of Killington Lane. 2023 marks 125 years since the original L&B opened to the public; as such, the locomotive would be adorned by an appropriate headboard during the day.

Locomotives:
Ex-L&BR Baldwin Class Replica - E762 "Lyn"

All footage filmed on Saturday the 1st of July 2023.