Railways

Christmas Eve at the Front

An interesting letter has just been received by Mrs Packer, of Broadclyst, from her husband, Corpl Packer of A Company, 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment, who is serving with the Expeditionary Force in Northern France. In the course of a letter he describes a remarkable incident which occurred on Christmas Eve between the British and German trenches.

End of an era - Bideford's last coal truck 17th September 1965

This is a picture for the archives of the last coal truck to be unloaded at Bideford railway goods yard.

The occasion also marked the last trip to the railhead from the Westcombe yard of Messrs Littlejohns Bros. of the 'jumbo' crane, which has been making the journey since 1955.

200 passengers give the Halwill line a closure in style

It is a long since the queue for tickets at Torrington railway station stretched from the booking office out and down the platform.

About 200 people filled the last public passenger train from Torrington on the Torrington-Halwill line, and there can be few, if any, occasions when more passengers have been carried since its opening as a full scale line in 1925.

Passengers included members of Plymouth, Exeter and Launceston Railway societies and a contingent of 32 boys from the Transport Society of Grenville College, Bideford, led by Mr D Whittington and Mr B D Hughes.

The school party were armed with cameras, cine camera and a tape recorder and Edward Harrison, son of the Vicar of Torrington (Rev P Harrison), a pupil of the school had brought a not-too-unkind caricature of Dr Beeching, which found its way into the farewell display.

Mr Jack A Parkhouse, has frequently driven on the route. Stationmaster Mr L Somerfield lifted his arm, there were a few muffled cheers and the diesel train, proudly filled, disappeared round the bend to the bridge over the Torridge, en route to Halwill Junction for the last time.

Gazette article dated 5 March 1965

'Save railway' fight still goes on 22nd January 1965

When local M.P.'s and South Western rail chiefs were lunching they were interupted by Mr Roger Crowther, chairman of the Torridge Railway Users' Action Committee.

M.P.s, Mr Peter Mills and Mr Jeremy Thorpe, were discussing with south west rail executives the future of the Barnstaple - Torrington and Barnstaple - Ilfracombe railway lines.

Discussion took place on the special inspection train of the general manager of British Railways Western Region, Mr G F Fiennes. In the photograph he is greeting Mr Mills. Other executives on board were Mr J Flynn; Mr G Phillip; Mr C Hawkins; Mr C Brindle; Mr W Hartnell; Brig-Gen W Abraham and Mr D Fletcher

Mr Thorpe stated that the railway officials had been given a number of complaints, including some about the lateness of trains arriving in North Devon, it had also been stressed that with further industrial development planned for the area it was essential that a railway service was available.