a local band, such as Scratch, who have featured in the show since 1997. The Railway and Lustleigh Lustleigh Station, and the smaller Hawkmoor or Pullabrook Halt, were stops on the Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway, a 12.3-mile (20 km) branch of the South Devon Main Line from Newton Abbot to Moretonhampstead. The Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway company was formed in 1861, and work on the line commenced in 1863. The line opened to the public in 1866 and converted from broad gauge to standard gauge in 1892. The railway brought tourists to the area, and this led to local business flourishing. The conveniently placed Gatehouse Farm was converted into the Cleave Hotel, still the village pub to this day. The railway was also used by local industries: farmers' produce, nursery plants and blacksmiths' products were all sent by train. The railway also served the nearby Hawkmoor County Sanatorium which was a tuberculosis isolation hospital, just outside the village, with a specific station called Hawkmoor Halt (later Pullabrook Halt), near to Pullabrook woods at the edge of the village. The station was used in 1931 for the film 'Hound of the Baskervilles', its name being temporarily changed (Ewans 1964). Railway traffic grew until the 1930s when it went into decline. Despite a significant summer tourist trade, being featured in many contemporary guide books to the region, traffic was not enough to cover rising costs. In 1957, the possibility of closure was reported in the Mid Devon Advertiser. In 1959 the last passenger service ran, although freight trains continued. The line closed in 1964 (several years before the Beeching axe). Several miles of the line between Bovey Tracey and Lustleigh, some of which is now a public path, are planned by the council to become a cycle track. The old Lustleigh station house is visible from the old railway bridge at Brookfield, as are the Brookfield, Caseley and Knowle bridges, and is now lived in as a home. References Bibliography Torr, Cecil (1918) Small Talk at Wreyland. 3 series. Cambridge University Press, 1918, 1921, 1923 (combined edition by Adams & Dart, 1970) Ewans, M. C. (1964) The Haytor Granite Tramway & Stover Canal. Newton Abbot: David & Charles; p. 43 Crowdy, J. (ed) (2001) The Book of Lustleigh. Halsgrove External links Entry in Kelly's Directory of Devon & Cornwall, 1893 The Lustleigh Society Lustleigh show Website Lustleigh Village Hall Home