Eastleigh

Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh. The unparished area of the town had a population 24,011 at the 2011 census. The Eastleigh subdivision of the South Hampshire built-up area, which includes the adjoining settlements of Chandler's Ford and Bishopstoke, had a population of 78,716.
The town lies on the River Itchen, one of England's premier chalk streams for fly fishing, a designated site of Special Scientific Interest. The area was originally villages until the 19th century, when Eastleigh was developed as a railway town by the London and South-Western Railway.
History.
The modern town of Eastleigh lies on the old Roman road, built in A.D.79 between Winchester "(Venta Belgarum)" and Bitterne "(Clausentum)". Roman remains discovered in the Eastleigh area, including a Roman lead coffin excavated in 1908, indicate that a settlement probably existed here in Roman times.
A Saxon village called 'East Leah' has been recorded to have existed since 932 AD. ('Leah' is an ancient Anglo-Saxon word meaning 'a clearing in a forest'). There is additional evidence of this settlement in a survey from the time which details land in North Stoneham being granted by King Æthelstan to his military aid, Alfred in 932 AD. The prefix 'Est' or 'East' is thought to refer to its location relative to the established settlement of Baddesley.
The Domesday Book of 1086 gives a more detailed account of the settlement, which is referred to as 'Estleie'.
In 1838 the London and South Western Railway Company (L&SWR) built a railway from Southampton to Winchester. It was decided to build a station near the little village of Barton. This railway station was originally named Bishopstoke Junction. In 1868 the villages of Barton and Eastley were combined into one parish. A parish church, the Church of the Resurrection, was built in the same year, at a cost of £2,300. A local noted author of many novels, Charlotte Yonge, donated £500 towards the building of the church. She was rewarded by being given the privilege to choose a name for the 'new' parish; either Barton or Eastly. She chose Eastly, but with a new modern spelling; Eastleigh. In 1891 the L&SWR Carriage and Wagon Works from Nine Elms in London were transferred to Eastleigh. This was followed by the Nine Elms Locomotive Works which were moved there in 1909.
These railway works were closed in 2006 but have since reopened, albeit on a smaller scale.
Eastleigh has seen a rapid and controlled expansion in residential, industrial and commercial development over recent years. The borough of Eastleigh was ranked the "9th best place to live in the UK 2006" by a Channel 4 programme.
The United States Navy established a naval air station on 23 July 1918 to assemble and repair Caproni Ca.5 and Airco DH.4 and DH.9 bombers for the Northern Bombing Group of the First World War. The base closed shortly after the First Armistice at Compiègne. Perhaps Eastleigh's best-known 'resident' is the Spitfire aeroplane which was built in Southampton and first flown from Eastleigh Aerodrome. A replica has recently been placed on the roundabout at the entrance to the airport.
Eastleigh Museum, which is to be found in the High Street, holds information about the town and the surrounding villages, including Bishopstoke which had been the largest residential area.
Education.
Eastleigh has two further education colleges: Barton Peveril Sixth Form College (where Colin Firth was a pupil) and Eastleigh College (both on the same road). Crestwood Community School is the secondary school for the town, and primary schools include Cherbourg Primary School, Norwood Primary School, Nightingale Primary School, the Crescent Primary School and Shakespeare Infant and Junior Schools to the north of the town.
Religion.
The Anglican parish church is All Saints in Desborough Road. The Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Cross was built in Leigh Road in 1902 to replace an early tin church. Emmanuel Baptist Church was founded in the early 1930s, in the former Desborough Mission Hall in Desborough Road. The building dates to 1905.
Sport.
Eastleigh F.C..
Eastleigh F.C. are the town's sole senior football team playing, from 2014–15, in the Conference Premier (after promotion from the Conference South in 2013–14) as well as entering the FA Cup and the FA Trophy. They are known as The Spitfires.
Solent Kestrels.
Solent Kestrels are the town and area's basketball club, and compete in the English Basketball League Division 1, the second highest level of the sport in the country, behind the nationwide British Basketball League. The team were promoted to Division 1 in 2016, after finishing as champions of Division 2 in the 2015-16 season. They are coached by Matt Guymon and play home games at the Fleming Park Leisure Centre.
Eastleigh Ladies Hockey Club.
Eastleigh Ladies Hockey Club is based in South Hampshire. It fields 2 teams in the Hampshire Women's League (playing Saturdays), as well as playing floodlit and indoor league games (playing on weekdays).
Eastleigh Rugby Football Club.
Eastleigh Rugby Football Club play from "the Hub" in Eastleigh. They currently have four senior sides, colts and young player development, their 1st XV currently play in the London 2 South West. Also based at the Hub are "the Hurricanes", a team for young adults with learning difficulties.
Eastleigh Running Club.
There is a broadly based running club.
Politics.
Eastleigh is represented in the House of Commons by Conservative MP Paul Holmes. He was first elected for the constituency at the 2019 general election with a majority of 9,147 votes, taking over from Mims Davies, the Conservative MP who took the seat in 2015. Mike Thornton of the Liberal Democrats was elected at the 2013 by-election with a majority of 1,771 votes after the resignation of Chris Huhne, in a by-election that was closely fought with UKIP coming in second and the Conservatives finishing in third place.
In 2005 Huhne had been elected as the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) for the Eastleigh constituency after the previous MP (David Chidgey, also Liberal Democrat) retired. Eastleigh has a tradition of close contests, and Huhne narrowly beat the Conservative candidate Conor Burns with the second lowest swing against the Liberal Democrats of any seat with a retiring MP (2.6%). David Chidgey had succeeded the Conservative MP Stephen Milligan after his high-profile death. Chris Huhne was appointed as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change following the 2010 general election. Huhne resigned the seat in February 2013 after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice over a 2003 speeding case.
Eastleigh Borough Council currently has 34 Liberal Democrats, 3 independent and 2 Conservative Councillors.
Economy.
The B&Q head office is on Chestnut Avenue in Eastleigh (technically Chandler's Ford). The town was formerly home to a Mr Kipling bakery.
It was also home to a manufacturing plant owned by Prysmian Cables & Systems before it burnt down in 2008.
Transport.
Southampton Airport , the 20th largest airport in the UK, is located in Eastleigh. The airport is served by a dedicated mainline railway station, which is the next station stop south (5 minutes) from Eastleigh.
Eastleigh is served by , a station on the South Western Main Line from and to , , and , with South Western Railway services to those places. Eastleigh is also the junction station for two other routes, the Eastleigh-Fareham line and the Eastleigh-Romsey line.
Eastleigh has bus services provided by Stagecoach South, Bluestar, First Hampshire & Dorset, Wilts & Dorset and Xelabus.
Eastleigh is also located close to the junction between the M3 motorway and M27 motorway, giving easy road access to London, Southampton, Winchester, Bournemouth, Portsmouth and places between.
Swan Centre.
The Swan Shopping Centre opened in 1989, and was built in the heart of the town's Victorian 'grid iron' road layout and blocked off Market Street and High Street – although through access was possible for pedestrians while the centre was open. The Swan Centre included a French-style café and a new library (replacing the former library situated in the Park, now used as part of The Point)
Notable people.
The most famous people linked to Eastleigh are probably Christabel Leighton-Porter, the model for the Second World War cartoon character "Jane", and Benny Hill who both lived in the town. Hill's first job was at Woolworths on Leigh Road, Eastleigh. He then moved on to be a milkman for Hanns Dairies, on Factory Road, now Wells Place. His time working in Eastleigh on a horse-drawn milk float gave him his inspiration for his hit record, "Ernie, The Fastest Milkman In The West". In Hill's honour, a plaque has been put up close to the site of the now demolished Hanns Dairies building and a new road has been named "Benny Hill Close", though many of the people who had bought the new homes were not happy with the decision. An alternative suggestion was Cowpat Lane.
Sir Arthur Young, the eminent police chief, was born at 55 Chamberlayne Road in 1907. Sporting notables include Tommy Green who won an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1932 Los Angeles Games in the 50K walk, and Vince Hawkins who was British Middleweight Boxing Champion in the late 1940s.
Other notable residents of Eastleigh include:
Twin towns and sister cities.
Eastleigh is twinned with:
It has a "sister city" relationship with:
It has a "friendship link" with:


Worcester Tramways Company

Worcester Tramways Company and its predecessors operated a horse-drawn tramway service in Worcester between 1881 and 1902.
Tramways Trust Company.
The Worcester Tramways Order of 1881 authorised the Tramways Trust Company to build a narrow gauge horse tramway. There was a depot at St Johns, Bull Ring and three branches on the 3.5 mile network:
Services started in 1881 with single-horse single-deck tramcars. The Tramways Trust Company went into liquidation on 12 December 1885.
Plans were approved by the Board of Trade in 1886 for extensions, but, presumably due to the financial state of the company, these were not constructed.
City of Worcester Tramways Company.
The City of Worcester Tramways Company purchased the Worcester tramway from the liquidator in 1889, but this new company was unable to improve the financial position and on 3 April 1894 the company was wound up.
The Worcester Tramways Company took over the assets in 1894. There were more than 100 horses, nine tramcars and eleven horse buses.
Closure.
In 1898 British Electric Traction gained control of the company. Plans were put in place for modernisation and electrification of the system. The Worcester Tramways Act of 1901 and the Worcester (Extension) Light Railway Order of 1902 gave the British Electric Traction subsidiary company, Worcester Electric Traction Company, authority to upgrade, extend and electrically operate a narrow gauge tramway.
On 31 October 1902 Worcester Electric Traction Company took over the Worcester Tramways Company, which was finally dissolved in 1906.


Avocet Line

The Avocet Line is the railway line in Devon, England connecting Exeter with Exmouth. It was originally built by the London and South Western Railway, and was historically known as the Exmouth branch railway. The line follows the Exe Estuary for about half of its route, from just outside Topsham (on the Exmouth end) to Exmouth, giving views of the estuary. The line is named after the pied avocet, which lives in the estuary.
History.
The line was constructed in 1861, connecting the City of Exeter and the port town of Exmouth, in England. It was built in two portions by two railway companies, but worked as a single entity.
A series of false starts.
The City of Exeter lies on the river Exe in Devon, but the river is not navigable as far as the city. Exmouth, eleven miles further south on the east bank of the river at its mouth became important before the days of railways and reliable roads as the point of arrival for goods by coastal shipping, and the harbour there grew in importance. Topsham, also on the eastern bank of the river and only four miles from Exeter, also shared in growth.
The Exeter Ship Canal had been built in the sixteenth century to alleviate this problem, but use of the canal was inconvenient and limited to small vessels.
As early as 1825, Exeter merchants held a meeting to discuss the possibility of building a railway connection from Exmouth to the city. At this date there were no other railways nearby, and there was no thought of connecting the line to a network. However the proposal — estimated to cost £50,000 — was discontinued when the Corporation of the City of Exeter agreed to extend the canal southwards to Turf, opposite Topsham, enabling 400 ton vessels to reach the head of the canal by passing a difficult reach of the river channel.
In 1845 the Railway Mania was at its height, and two similar schemes for an "Exeter Topsham and Exmouth Railway" were publicised in August of that year. A few months later the Great Western Railway issued a prospectus for a "Great Western & Exeter, Topsham & Exmouth Junction Railway", and the South Devon Railway also issued a prospectus, proposing to run an atmospheric-powered broad gauge line from the Exminster pumping station, across the canal and crossing the River Exe on a 14-span viaduct to Topsham, and thence to Exmouth.
The financial frenzy subsided and the front-running proposal was to build a standard-gauge line from about the location of the present-day Exeter Central station, following the eastern bank of the river Exe and terminating at Exmouth. Joseph Locke was appointed engineer, and parliamentary authorisation was received on 3 July 1846 for the Exeter and Exmouth Railway. However the promoters had depended upon the standard-gauge London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) building a line reaching Exeter; their intention was to lease the line to the L&SWR. The larger company had been planning a line from Dorchester to Exeter, but at this stage they found that they could not finance the long route and cancelled the project, in effect killing the prospects of the E&E company as the powers expired.
The planned route of the Exeter and Exmouth scheme was revived in December 1853, and generated considerable support in Exmouth particularly, but the broad gauge interest countered with a revival of its scheme to make a branch from Exminster, crossing the river Exe by viaduct. By this time, broad gauge railways had been in Exeter since 1844, while in 1853 the standard gauge L&SWR was no closer than Salisbury, which it reached by a branch line from Bishopstoke (Eastleigh). Local people therefore considered the broad gauge railways a better partner, and an Exeter and Exmouth Railway Act was passed on 2 July 1855, for the broad gauge line from Exminster to Exmouth, crossing the Exe.
The first stages of constructing the line were proceeding and on 1 August 1857 the directors of the company announced that they had arranged with the Bristol and Exeter Railway and the South Devon Railway to lease their line for ten years at £3,000 per annum. However at the shareholder meeting, the shareholders appointed a committee to review the cost of the construction, (estimated at £94,435) and the committee reported back rejecting the lease to the broad gauge interest, and recommending altering the route of the line to join the anticipated route of the L&SWR into Exeter. The L&SWR had by now made real progress in constructing a direct line to Exeter, and its subsidiary, the Yeovil and Exeter Railway, undertook to make a branch line between Exeter and Topsham; the Exeter and Exmouth Company would confine its endeavours to the section between Topsham and Exmouth. The L&SWR would work the entire line for 50% of the gross receipts in proportion to the mileages respectively constructed. The costs of Topsham station and the quay line there would be shared,
A viable proposal at last.
Suddenly the Exeter and Exmouth Railway had the mileage they had to construct substantially reduced (to about ) and avoided the river Exe bridge. Exmouth would get its railway.
A new Act of Parliament was needed to authorise the change of route and reduce the share capital, and this was obtained on 28 June 1858; the original capital had been £160,000 with authorisation for loans to £53,000 but this was now reduced to £50,000 share capital and £16,600 in loans. As the Exeter and Exmouth would now only build a line from Topsham to Exmouth, the L&SWR needed authority to build the part from Exmouth Junction to Topsham, and it obtained an Act for purpose on 12 July 1858. (The line joined the L&SWR Salisbury to Exeter main line at Exmouth Junction.) Just after opening the E&ER company raised an additional £30,000 in loans at 5% to cancel forfeited shares, and a further £25,000 was raised in June 1861.
The engineer of the line was W. R. Galbraith and the contractor for Topsham to Exmouth was James Taylor of Exeter, for the sum of £39,000. Not without setbacks, the line was completed and inspected by Col Yolland of the Railway Inspectorate on 27 April 1861, and the line opened on 1 May 1861. The first train was pulled by the 2-2-2 Beattie well tank no. 36 "Comet".
Absorption of the Exeter and Exmouth Company by the L&SWR was authorised by Act of 5 July 1865, taking effect on 1 January 1865.
Train services in the nineteenth century.
The branch line, operated as a single entity, was exceptionally successful, and 2,000 passengers a day used the line in the first week. Passenger trains in the early days were worked by Beattie 2-2-2 well tanks, with a varied collection of coaching stock transferred from elsewhere on the L&SWR system.
At first there were five trains each way seven days a week, increased to seven trains each way (but four on Sundays) from 1 July in the opening year.
Topsham Quay.
The branch to Topsham quay was long, and was opened by the L&SWR on 23 September 1861; the purpose was to facilitate the transfer of goods, principally to Exeter, from ships too large to reach the city direct. Exmouth Dock did not exist at this time. In the early days the branch was only permitted to be worked during daylight.
The gradients were steeply falling to the quay, with sections at 1 in 38 and 1 in 44. Train movements were limited to eight wagons; there was a runaway in 1925 which ended up in the water. The main traffic in the 1930s was guano imported from South America, and destined for Odam's fertiliser factory, less than a mile away. The line closed in 1957.
Exmouth Harbour connection.
The Exmouth Dock Railway was incorporated in 1864, a extension of the Exeter and Exmouth company. It opened in 1866 and was absorbed into the L&SWR along with the Exmouth branch line as a whole.
The dock at Exmouth could take vessels up to 750 tons; most traffic was inwards, but outwards traffic included herrings for London. Wagons for the dock were propelled as there was no run-round facility there. Formal termination of the use of the dock took place in December 1967; the dock itself continued in use until December 1990.
Budleigh Salterton Railway.
After a number of abortive attempts to get a railway to the town, the Budleigh Salterton Railway was incorporated on 20 July 1894, with powers to build a line from Tipton (later Tipton St Johns) on the Sidmouth Railway to Budleigh. The connection at Tipton gave access to the L&SWR's London to Exeter main line at Sidmouth Junction, and no direct connection towards Exmouth.
The line was worked by the L&SWR from its opening on 15 May 1897.
Exmouth and Salterton Railway.
Promoters of a line to fill the gap between Budleigh Salterton and Exmouth formed the "Exmouth and Salterton Railway". The L&SWR agreed to take over the scheme, and the line got parliamentary authority as part of an L&SWR Act on 25 July 1898. The contractors were Henry Lovatt & Sons and the engineer was J. W. Jacomb-Hood of the L&SWR, and the line was built as an integral part of the larger company. It opened on 1 June 1903, with an intermediate station at Littleham.
The L&SWR considered at this stage making the junction at Exmouth a triangle, enabling a through Exeter - Exmouth - Budleigh Salterton service, but this was dropped on grounds of cost. (On some Ordnance Survey maps a pathway is indicated on the alignment that the third leg of the triangle would take, but the pathway was on the bank of a stream and there is no evidence that such a line was seriously planned. Carter Avenue now occupies part of this alignment.)
Operation after 1903.
By 1903 the network was complete, with a line from Exeter to Exmouth and a line from Sidmouth Junction to Exmouth.
From 1906 the L&SWR introduced steam railmotors in the Exeter area to Honiton on the main line, as a response to the competitive threat from street tramways. A new halt was opened at Lions Holt on 26 January 1906, between Exeter Central and Blackboy Tunnel, on the main line. (The halt was renamed St James' Park Halt on 6 October 1946 to emphasise the proximity to the local football ground.)
On 31 May 1908 the line between Exmouth Junction and Topsham was doubled. Two Drummond H13 class steam railcars, nos 5 and 6, had been operating local stopping services on the main line to Honiton, and from 1 June 1908 they (and presumably sister units) operated shuttle trains between Exeter Queen Street and Topsham also, with ten services each way (five on Sundays). Two additional halts were opened on the same day. Polsloe Bridge Halt was immediately on the Exmouth side of Exmouth Junction; it was extended in 1927. Clyst St Mary & Digby Halt was made of sleepers; the reference to Digby is to a hospital nearby. The halt was closed on 27 September 1948.
In 1916 the shuttle service to Topsham was discontinued and the railmotors withdrawn or transferred.
After 1923 the train service throughout to Exmouth increased to 20, and the peak was in 1963 with 31 each way, eighteen on Sundays.
The branch was significantly a commuter line for Exeter, as well as carrying holiday traffic, and during the steam era non-corridor stock for the majority although corridor stock was frequently used. Services mostly ran to and from Queen Street, later Central station at Exeter, using the bay platforms there.
Woodbury Road was renamed Exton on 15 September 1958.
Diesel multiple units were introduced on the branch from 15 July 1963.
In 1973 the double track section from Exmouth Junction to Topsham was singled (on 5 February), with Topsham having a crossing facility.
A new station was opened on 3 May 1976 called Lympstone Commando, adjacent to the Commando Training Centre of the Royal Marines. There was already a Lympstone station and it was renamed Lympstone Village on 13 May 1991. On 23 May 1995 Digby & Sowton station was opened near the site of the earlier Clyst St Mary & Digby halt; it was funded by Devon County Council and Tesco plc. Newcourt railway station opened on 4 June 2015.
Route.
The towns and cities served are:
The route follows the West of England Main Line in the suburbs of Exeter before diverging to the south.
There is a ferry service from Exmouth harbour to Starcross railway station on the opposite shore of the River Exe.
Services.
The typical daytime frequency is a train every 30 minutes with most trains extended beyond Exeter to and from . Trains only stop once an hour at St James Park, Polsloe Bridge, Exton and Lympstone Commando, the latter two being request stops. Since 2006 it has been operated by Great Western Railway, using , 150 or 153 diesel multiple units (DMUs) either singly or in multiple. Between December 2007 and December 2011 DMUs were also used.
The section in Exeter is shared with South Western Railway services on the West of England line between and London Waterloo as far as Exmouth Junction (between St James Park and Polsloe Bridge).
Infrastructure.
The line is double track from Exeter St Davids to Exmouth Junction, but is single thereafter except for a passing loop at Topsham, where many trains are scheduled to cross each other. All movements on the line are under the control of the signal box at Exmouth Junction, which remotely operates the level crossing at Topsham as well as the loop there.
Passenger volume.
The busiest station on the branch is Exmouth, which is the fifth busiest in Devon. The numbers of passengers using the line each year have shown an increase in particular Digby & Sowton and St James Park. Comparing all stations on the year beginning April 2002 to the Year beginning April 2010 there are a variety of trends. The biggest increases have been at Digby & Sowton by 157% and St James Park with 105%. The increases in descending order from there are Topsham by 89%, Polsloe Bridge by 82%, Exton by 60%, Lympstone Village by 31% and the smallest with Exmouth by 6%. Meanwhile, Lympstone Commando has declined by 33%.


Exeter to Plymouth railway of the LSWR

The Exeter to Plymouth railway of the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) was the westernmost part of a route competing with that of the Great Western Railway (GWR) and its 'associated companies' from London and Exeter to Plymouth in Devon, England. Whereas the GWR route from Exeter followed the coast to Newton Abbot and then went around the southern edge of Dartmoor, the LSWR route followed the northern and western margins of Dartmoor, passing through the towns of Crediton, Okehampton, and Tavistock.
The route was constructed piecemeal by independent companies, in most cases supported by the LSWR. LSWR trains first reached Plymouth in 1876 and the route took on its final form in 1891. The central part of the line closed in 1968 leaving just local services at either end. After storms damaged the tracks in 2014 at Dawlish and disrupted services, Network Rail considered reopening the section of the line from Plymouth to Tavistock: this would create an inland alternative to the Plymouth-Exeter mainline that runs along the coast. Plans were not taken forwards.
History.
Railways to Exeter.
The broad gauge Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER) was the first line to reach Exeter. It had reached St Davids station in Exeter in 1844 and was allied with the Great Western Railway (GWR) with which it connected at Bristol, forming a continuous route from London. The South Devon Railway (SDR) continued the line westward from Exeter to reach Plymouth in 1848. These broad gauge 'associated companies' formed a powerful group dominating rail services to Devon and Cornwall.
The London and South Western Railway (LSWR) had started out as the London and Southampton Railway, but the Company soon expanded and changed its name to reflect greater ambitions. Extensions and branch lines were soon built around the core route, but westward extension into Devon and Cornwall was a strategic objective that took much longer to achieve.
The LSWR finally opened to Exeter on 19 July 1860 after considerable difficulty in gaining parliamentary approval and financial support. Its Exeter station was at Queen Street (now ), in the city centre and a mile or so east of the B&ER line.
West from Exeter.
Having secured a presence in Exeter, the LSWR saw the opportunity to expand westward by leasing two local companies, the Exeter and Crediton Railway (E&CR) and the North Devon Railway (NDR). These were broad gauge companies originally allied to the B&ER. The E&CR branched off the B&ER main line at Cowley Bridge, some distance north of the St Davids station, and the NDR was an extension of it at Crediton. The chairman of the E&CR was William Chapman, who was also the Chairman of the LSWR; the line had opened 12 May 1851 and was leased to the B&ER.
The ceremonial opening of the NDR from Crediton to Barnstaple took place on 12 July 1854, but the full public opening was delayed until 1 August 1854.
To reach them the LSWR built a new line from Queen Street (converting it to a through station) to St Davids, from where it was granted running powers northwards over the B&ER to Cowley Bridge Junction, where the Crediton line branched off westwards.
The Exeter and Crediton had been authorised by Act of Parliament on 21 July 1845, and opened on 12 May 1851. It was a broad gauge line operated by the B&ER, which owned 40% of the company’s shares, but the LSWR owned the other 60% and leased it from 1 February 1862. LSWR trains began running from Queen Street to two days later, after which time the B&ER only operated freight trains on the line. A third rail was laid along the line between St Davids and Crediton to give a 'mixed gauge' on which trains of either gauge could run. The Exeter and Crediton company was sold to the LSWR in 1879.
The route was continued north of Crediton by the North Devon Railway which had opened on 12 July 1854. This too was a broad gauge line but it was operated by Thomas Brassey, the engineer who built it. This line was leased to the LSWR from 1 August 1862 which then ran its trains right through to and . At first it had to use Brassey’s broad gauge stock, but the line was also mixed gauge from 2 March 1863. The North Devon was amalgamated into the LSWR on 1 January 1865.
On to Plymouth.
The Okehampton Railway, an independent company supported by the LSWR, was authorised on 17 July 1862 to build a line from Coleford Junction (north west of Crediton) to . Before the line was built it had been leased to the LSWR and an extension authorised to Lidford. In 1864 it was renamed as the Devon and Cornwall Railway and construction finally started. It opened slowly in sections: from Coleford Junction to on 1 November 1865; from there to Okehampton Road (later renamed ) on 8 January 1867; to itself on 3 October 1871; and finally to Lidford on 12 October 1874. (This was spelt Lydford from 3 June 1897.) The Devon and Cornwall Company had been taken over by the LSWR in 1872, before its line was complete.
Lidford was chosen as the terminus because from there a connection with the SDR's Tavistock branch line could give LSWR trains access to Plymouth via Tavistock. However it was only on 17 May 1876 that the connection was made and trains could run through to Plymouth. This was a broad gauge line so, as at Crediton, a third rail was added to create a mixed gauge route.
Running over the SDR line, the trains of the LSWR entered Plymouth from the east. Trains called at the cramped and inconvenient Mutley station, but on 28 March 1877 a new, more spacious, North Road station was opened a little further west. LSWR trains now used this as their principal Plymouth calling point, although some trains continued to call at Mutley. Both stations were shared with the broad gauge companies. LSWR trains continued to the company's own Devonport and Stonehouse terminus. At this time Devonport and Stonehouse were independent towns and the former, with its naval dockyards, was an important traffic source. To reach their station they used the 'Cornwall Loop', a newly built connection from the SDR to the Cornwall Railway which avoided a reversal at their terminus.
Having obtained a foothold in both Plymouth and Devonport, the LSWR now set about improving its facilities in the area so that it could reduce its dependency on the broad gauge companies. On 1 February 1878 it opened its own goods station at Friary on the east side of Plymouth. This used a connection over the SDR's Sutton Harbour branch, which made an east-facing connection with the main line at Laira Junction that allowed LSWR goods trains to run directly from the Lidford line to Friary. The LSWR opened a short extension from Friary to the wharves at nearby Sutton Harbour on 22 October 1879.
In 1880 it made another line from near Friary to the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway's old gauge route to Cattewater, which gave it access to more quays. Meanwhile, on the other side of Plymouth, the Stonehouse Pool Improvement Company had been formed to create a quay that large vessels could use at all states of the tide. It proposed to build a railway connection to Devonport station which the LSWR agreed to rent, and this opened for freight traffic on 1 March 1886. From 1904 to 1910 transatlantic passengers joined fast London boat trains at the quay.
Independent route.
Access to Plymouth was inconvenient as LSWR trains had to run over the GWR's lines from Lidford to Plymouth and Devonport, most of which was just a single-track where GWR trains were given precedence. In 1882 an Act of Parliament was passed to allow the construction of independent lines alongside the GWR route from Lydford to a new station in the centre of Plymouth. This scheme was replaced the following year by that of another independent company supported by the LSWR, the Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway (PD&SWJR). This obtained its Act on 25 August 1883 for a new railway from Lidford which would pass to the west of Tavistock then down the valley of the River Tamar to reach Plymouth. In 1889 the idea of a central station in Plymouth was abandoned in favour of running to Devonport and converting Friary to a passenger terminus.
The PD&SWJR line opened on 2 June 1890 and this changed Devonport into a through station. The new west-facing connection to Friary was brought into use on 1 April 1891. Trains to London now started from Friary, ran through Plymouth from east to west, called at North Road, and continued westwards through Devonport before heading north alongside the Tamar. They might have passed a GWR train for London running in the other direction through Plymouth; at Exeter this anomaly was repeated when they ran southwards from Cowley Bridge to St Davids, where GWR trains to London ran northwards.
In 1897 a branch was opened from Friary to Turnchapel. Competition from tramways in Plymouth and Devonport in the first decade of the twentieth century spurred the company into constructing several new stations in the towns and running an intensive suburban railmotor service.
The GWR had amalgamated with the B&ER, SDR and Cornwall Railway during the 1870s and 1880s, and converted their lines to standard gauge in 1892. In the weeks before the conversion, some of the new rolling stock required was worked over the LSWR to reach the Plymouth area, and during the two days that the line was closed they also sent the important London mail trains by this route.
After the LSWR.
Unlike the other companies supported by the LSWR, the PD&SWJR remained an independent company until, in 1923, it and the LSWR became a part of the new, larger Southern Railway. This in turn became the Southern Region of British Railways in 1948, at the same time as the GWR became the Western Region of British Railways. During the 1950s and 1960s there were many boundary changes between the two regions, but eventually all the former LSWR lines in Devon and Cornwall became part of the Western Region. Traffic was now concentrated on the former GWR routes. The last timetabled through service, from to Plymouth, used the route in March 1967. Friary station had been closed to passengers on 15 September 1958 but was retained as the city's principal goods depot; passenger trains then used North Road as their terminus. Devonport station closed on 7 September 1964 and trains were diverted to the former GWR route between Plymouth and St Budeaux. Here they regained the LSWR route by a connection that had been opened on 2 March 1941 as a precaution against damage on either line during World War II. The line onwards to Bere Alston was retained as access to the branch, which is nowadays marketed as the Tamar Valley Line.
Trains between Exeter and Plymouth via Okehampton were withdrawn from 6 May 1968. The section between Meldon Quarry and was lifted, and between Meldon and Okehampton the line was only retained for freight trains. Okehampton to Exeter passenger services were withdrawn on 5 June 1972. This left just Barnstaple line services between Exeter and Yeoford (the Tarka Line)
Since 1997 a limited service has run between Okehampton and Exeter on Sundays during the summer. The heritage trains of the Dartmoor Railway also operate between Meldon Quarry, Okehampton and Sampford Courtenay at other times. The Granite Way rail trail follows the route over Meldon, Lake, Wallabrook and Tavistock viaducts. The other two viaducts, at Lydford and Shillamill, remain intact.
Possible reopening of Plymouth to Tavistock section.
There are proposals to reopen the line from Tavistock to Bere Alston for a through service to Plymouth.
In the wake of widespread disruption caused by damage to the mainline track at Dawlish by coastal storms in February 2014, Network Rail are considering reopening the Tavistock to Okehampton and Exeter section of the line as an alternative to the coastal route. The line was listed in 2019 by Campaign for a Better Transport as a 'priority 1' candidate for reopening.
Geography.
Engineering features.
As the line leaves Exeter Central it drops at 1 in 37 and passes through a tunnel to reach St Davids station, where the line is only just above the level of the River Exe. It follows this and crosses it shortly after leaving the GWR route at Cowley Bridge Junction. From here to Yeoford it follows river valleys, but the next stage of the route, through Okehampton and Lydford, takes it around the northern edge of Dartmoor. Meldon Summit to the west of Meldon Junction was the highest point on the line. Indeed, it was the highest point on the whole of the Southern Railway, at above sea level.
The GWR route from Lydford to Plymouth crossed many valleys on timber viaducts. The PD&SWJR route into Plymouth followed the valley of the River Tamar but still involved much heavy engineering with gradients as steep as 1 in 73. Between Tavistock and the Tamar the line passes through the Shillamill Tunnel. Two wide tributaries join the Tamar which are crossed by the long iron Tavy Viaduct and Tamerton Viaduct. After passing twice beneath the GWR Cornish Main Line there and two tunnels of and at Ford and Devonport Park. On the GWR section the line crossed the viaduct which carries the Cornwall Loop near North Road station, and dives through Mutley Tunnel.
Stations.
Dates of opening and closure refer to passenger services unless otherwise stated.


Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway

The Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway was a pre-grouping railway company in the English Midlands. Construction began in 1869 and the railway was opened in 1873. The railway was built to serve the Leicestershire coalfield. It linked Moira and with .
Ownership.
Until the 1923 grouping the railway was jointly owned by the Midland Railway and the London and North Western Railway. It then became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, which withdrew passenger services in 1931. Nationalisation in 1948 made the railway part of British Railways, which closed the line to freight traffic in 1971. Although the section from Measham to Overseal and Moira remained open to serve Donisthorpe Colliery until 1981, when the line closed. The section from Ashby to Moira remains open to freight traffic on the Burton - Leicester Line.
Today, the stations and their sites are:
Moira-Shackerstone section:
Coalville-Shackerstone section:
Shackerstone-Nuneaton/Hinckley section:
Preservation.
Part of the line between and has been re-opened as the Battlefield Line Railway, a heritage railway.


Heaton TMD

Heaton TMD is a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in the Heaton area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, it is located next to the East Coast Main Line, around east of Newcastle station. Heaton was a sub-shed of Gateshead between 1963 and 1967.
History.
Originally built by the North Eastern Railway to provide steam locomotives serving principally the extensive Heaton marshalling yards and freight traffic, but also a considerable proportion of main line and local passenger traffic from .
The location meant that it provided motive power to the and steep Riverside Branch. Unliked by crews due to the need to pass through three tunnels and the resultant toxic smoke in their cabs, in 1905 it was electrified using 750 VDC technology, with power supplied via both overhead catenary and, within the tunnels, third-rail. Both of the BTH/Brush 640 hp (BR Class ES1) locomotives were based at Heaton, designed as a Bo-Bo with central cab. They worked from the shed until 1967.
Coded 52B in the NE Region (Newcastle District) under British Railways, in 1954 it had an allocation of 95 locomotives, comprising:16x 4-6-2; 17x 2-6-2; 1x 4-4-0; 14x 2-6-0 (9 LNE + 5 LMS-type); 14x 0-6-0; 12x 2-6-2T; 1x 0-6-2T; 18x 0-6-0T; and 2x ES1's.
Present.
After demolition and redevelopment to diesel traction in the 1960s by British Railways, today the depot is operated by Northern, and mostly houses stock operated by them and Grand Central. The depot code is HT.
The basic allocation consists of Class 156 and British Rail Class 158 diesel multiple units operated by Northern. Although not allocated to the depot, Class 91, Class 180 and Class 800 units, as well as HSTs may also be visible with Grand Central, TransPennine Express and London North Eastern Railway storing units and/or contracting out maintenance at this depot.
Northern Class 158s and Class 150s also regularly visit Heaton for maintenance.
Network Rail's New Measurement Train is allocated to Heaton, and returns there regularly for scheduled maintenance. Maintenance on its recording equipment is carried out at the Railway Technical Centre in Derby.
Sewage and clean out.
Heaton is used by the main express operator of the East Coast Main Line to store stock overnight. In 2004–06, this led to a dispute between the RMT and then operator GNER. Legally in the UK, train operators are allowed to discharge of sewage per carriage per journey, onto the railtrack. Most Mk3 carriages have only holding tanks, not fully compliant toilet tanks. Further, Heaton then had no toilet clean-out facilities. However, in the 2000s both the RMT and politicians were concerned at the environmental impact of this legacy issue. In 2006 the RMT agreed waste tank and clean out developments at Heaton with GNER, plus new clean out procedures at all other depots, to solve an ongoing dispute over sewage spray.
Access.
The depot is closed to the general public. Only those with an official pass can access the depot, or those attending the occasional open days organised by Northern.
The nearest station, from which the depot can also be seen, is Chillingham Road Metro station, whilst the nearest mainline station is . The entrance to the site is from Benfield Road, just south of where the ECML crosses it.


Tynemouth and District Tramways

The Tynemouth and District Tramways operated a narrow gauge tramway service between North Shields and Tynemouth between 1883 and 1900.
History.
The company started services in 1883 with horse-drawn tramway services. The depot was in Suez Street, North Shields.
The company was taken over by North Shields and District Tramways Company in 1884. This company introduced steam traction with five steam locomotives.
This company was taken over by the North Shields and Tynemouth District Tramways in 1897.
Closure.
The company was taken over by British Electric Traction in 1897 and it was modernised and electrified and opened as the Tynemouth and District Electric Traction Company.


The Railway Club

The Railway Club was - until it disbanded - the oldest society for railway enthusiasts in the world. It was formed in 1899. The club provided regular meetings of general railway interest, and members had access to a club room and library located in London, UK. See articles in "Railway Archive" Nos. 35 and 36 about Lord Monkswell and his notebooks and letter from Robert Humm in 36 page 51.


Cromer Tunnel

The Cromer Tunnel was built by the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway to take their Cromer Beach to Mundesley line under the Great Eastern's Cromer High to Norwich line. Both portals of the tunnels are open but undergrowth and modern housing in the area make access difficult.
It is the only standard gauge railway tunnel in Norfolk (the narrow gauge Bure Valley Railway crosses Aylsham Bypass by means of a newly constructed Aylsham Bypass Tunnel which replaces the former level crossing).


Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company

The Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (BRC&W) was a railway locomotive and carriage builder, founded in Birmingham, England and, for most of its existence, located at nearby Smethwick, with the factory divided by the boundary between the two places. The company was established in 1854.
Production.
BRC&W made not only carriages and wagons, but a range of vehicles, from aeroplanes and military gliders to buses, trolleybuses and tanks. Nevertheless, it is as a builder of railway rolling stock that the company is best remembered, exporting to most parts of the new and old worlds. It supplied vehicles to all four of the pre-nationalisation "big four" railway companies (LMS, SR, LNER and GWR), British Rail, Pullman (some of which are still in use) and Wagons-Lits, plus overseas railways with diverse requirement including Egypt, India, Iraq, Malaya, Mandate Palestine, South Africa and Nigeria. The company even built, in 1910, Argentina's presidential coach, which still survives, and once carried Eva Perón. Before World War II, the company had built steam-, petrol- and diesel-powered railcars for overseas customers, not to mention bus bodies for Midland Red, and afterwards developed more motive power products, including BR's Class 26, Class 33 (both diesel) and Class 81 (electric) locomotives. Examples of all three types are preserved.
Wartime production.
The company built hospital trains during the Second Boer War. Handley Page Type O bombers and Airco DH.10 Amienss were built in World War I.
During World War 2, the company had a major impact on tank production as one of the many companies building the A10 Cruiser tank, Valentine tank, Churchill tank, Cromwell tank and Challenger tank). They led the design and production of the Cromwell tank in liaison with Rolls Royce and Rover on the Meteor engine.
The company also built Hamilcar gliders in 1939-1945.
Locomotives.
Some of the locomotives and multiple units built by the company are listed below:
Closure.
In the years before 1963, the company had built an extensive number of locomotives, diesel multiple unit trains, and Underground cars, but it then became apparent that fewer rolling stock orders were to be expected, and the company restructured itself as an industrial landlord and financing business. The self-funded main line locomotive prototype "Lion" was a particular disappointment. Powered by a Sulzer diesel engine, it was pitted against another self-funded prototype, "Falcon", built by Brush at Loughborough, which had twin Maybach engines. After trials, British Railways preferred the BRCW approach, but ordered them to be built by Brush Traction, and they became British Rail Class 47.
In June 2014, the company was reformed as a not-for-profit organisation, to reconstruct locomotives from the 1960s that had been lost to scrap, including D0260 "Lion". , the company had identified an area of the old South Works site that would provide a suitable location for its headquarters. Other sites, which might prove to be better suited to the company's requirements, were also being evaluated.


Barrow Hill Engine Shed

Barrow Hill Roundhouse, until 1948 known as Staveley Engine Shed, is a former Midland Railway roundhouse in Barrow Hill, near Staveley and Chesterfield, Derbyshire (), now serving as a railway heritage centre.
History.
Staveley Roundhouse was built to a standard Midland Railway square shed design in 1870 with a central turntable under cover. After 1948 it became known as Barrow Hill so as not to confuse it with the ex-Great Central shed nearby. It was operational from 1870 until 9 February 1991.
The last shed foreman was Pete Hodges and the last person to sign on at Barrow Hill was Joe Denston, for the up sidings preparer. The last locomotives to use the shed on its final day of operation were four diesels: Class 58 no. 58 016 came on shed at 11:00; Class 58 no. 58 027 came on shed at 11:30 and coupled up to 58 016; both Class 58s left for Worksop at 11:40; Class 20 nos. 20 197 and 20 073 arrived on shed at 12:00 and both Class 20 locomotives left for Worksop at 12:10, driven by driver Bob Hill.
Preservation.
After closure, the building was heavily vandalised. After lobbying of the local council, the building was Grade II listed by the Department of the Environment in February 1991. Following negotiations with the British Railways Property Board, Chesterfield Borough Council became the new owners of the shed and nearby yard on 20 December 1996.
The council subsequently granted a recurring maintenance lease to the Barrow Hill Engine Shed Society, who secured and refurbished the site, including renewal of the original 1870 roundhouse glass roof, except for one section. Funding was provided by the council, Derbyshire County Council, the Transport Trust, North Derbyshire Training and Enterprise Council, European Regional Development Fund and the Government SRB fund. The site reopened to the public in July 1998.
Today, still retaining its connection to the UK national rail network through Network Rail, it is the home to many preserved British railway locomotives. The Harry Needle Railroad Company also store and maintain a number of operational lease locomotives on site. As well as the main roundhouse building, Barrow Hill is also home to the former Pinxton Signal box. Relocated after closure, it has since been refurbished and fitted out as per a typical day in its last year of use for Network Rail.
Locomotives.
Note: Only preserved locomotives are listed below. There are also various locomotives either stored or under repair that are not listed here, which are owned by commercial entities on site.
Rail-Ale Festival.
There is an annual beer festival held at Barrow Hill Roundhouse. The CAMRA held event is held in May each year and attracts brewers of beer, ales, lagers ciders and other drinks from around the country. The event hosts live music and there are 350 real ales, ciders and craft beers, along with a prosecco and gin bar. During the event, a train operates to give rides to visitors.


Museum of Rail Travel

The Museum of Rail Travel at Ingrow, England is operated by the Vintage Carriages Trust (VCT), a charity based just north of Ingrow (West) railway station on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in West Yorkshire. Founded in 1965, it became a registered charity in 1981 and opened in 1990.
The Trust has provided railway carriages for over 70 films and television programmes.
Two of the steam locomotives owned by VCT - "Sir Berkeley" and "Bellerophon" have visited railways in the Netherlands. "Bellerophon" has also visited Belgium. "Sir Berkeley" is on loan to the Middleton Railway, Leeds. A third locomotive, Lord Mayor, an 0-4-0 saddle tank steam locomotive is on static display in the museum.
The VCT Collection.
Carriages.
The Vintage Carriages Trust owns the following carriages:
Road vehicles.
Until early 2008, the museum was also home to a 1948 Scammell "mechanical horse", on loan from Tate & Lyle. This lorry attracted media attention in July 2002 when the museum received a speeding ticket, from Greater Manchester Police, claiming that the three-wheel vehicle had been caught speeding at 44 miles per hour in a 30 mph zone – when in fact it has a maximum speed of only 18 mph. (It was a case of mistaken identity: a Belgian car with the same number plate has been caught on camera in Bolton). Museum bosses were pleased to be able to show CCTV footage in its defence – at the time of the incident it was in pieces in the Museum's workshops.
After a lengthy restoration into LNER blue livery, the mechanical horse and a matching trailer left Ingrow for pastures new in June 2008.


Burnley Corporation Tramways

Burnley Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Burnley between 1901 and 1935.
History.
In 1900, the assets of the Burnley & District Tramways Company were purchased by Burnley Corporation for the sum of £53,000 (equivalent to £ in ). This had operated standard gauge steam hauled trams since 1881. The corporation rebuilt the tramway to 4’ gauge, as this was in use by neighbouring systems, and there were plans to link to these systems. The tramway was powered by direct current electricity at 530/565 volts supplied from Burnley power station.
The first converted route to Padiham opened on 16 December 1901, and the second in 1902 to Nelson, which permitted through running onto Nelson Corporation Tramways tracks.
In July 1903 a route to Rosegrove opened, and in February 1904 to Towneley Park and Summit. In 1910 new routes to Gannow Lane and Lane Head were opened.
Extensions were made in 1910 on the Towneley Park route as far as Rock Lane. The Summit line was extended to Rossendale Road. In 1912, the Lane Head route was extended to Harle Syke.
In 1924 the company name changed from Burnley Corporation Tramways to Burnley Corporation Tramways & Omnibuses.
Fleet.
The company amassed a fleet of 72 vehicles:
Accident of 1923.
On 21 December 1923 a coal lorry collided with a tram No 10 on Briercliffe Road. This sent the tramcar backwards down the road. The tramcar derailed and crashed into a house and shop on the corner of Sedbergh St. The conductor, William Simpson, and a 14-year-old schoolgirl, Ethel Pomfret were killed. Seven other passengers were injured.
Closure.
Burnley, Nelson and Colne became a combined transport undertaking on 1 April 1933. The new organisation closed down the remaining tramway services in Burnley on 7 May 1935.


Stone to Colwich Line

The Stone to Colwich Line is a long railway line in Staffordshire which serves as a cut-off for West Coast Main Line services to . This route goes direct from Rugeley Trent Valley to Stoke-on-Trent, not going via Stafford.
History.
The line as built by the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) and opened to traffic on 1 May 1849.
The NSR opened several intermediate stations along the route but these were all closed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1947 (shortly before nationalisation of the UK railway network).
During the Second World War due to the proximity of RAF Hixon, the line was blocked on several occasions resulting from aircraft crashes on or close to the line.
The line was the location of the Hixon rail crash in January 1968, which killed 11 people.
Route.
The line diverges from the Trent Valley Line at Colwich Junction and runs through to join the Stafford to Manchester Line at .
The route was electrified with 25 kV overhead as part of the electification of the West Coast Main Line by British Rail in the 1960s. It is double track throughout its length. Nearly all of the traffic it carries is now passenger trains, although there used to be a regular flow of Class 47 powered Merry Go Round coal services from the coal mines of the Stoke-on-Trent area to the Rugeley power stations.
Services.
The majority of trains on the route are operated by Avanti West Coast which is used for their to via services in which 2 trains per hour in each direction run. Some morning and evening peak West Midlands Trains trains between London Euston and also operate via this route.


List of underground stations of the Merseyrail network

This article lists the six underground stations and five below ground level stations of the Merseyrail network which is centred on Liverpool, England.
Former stations.
Merseytravel intend that St James railway station will be reopened as part of the Liverpool City Region transport plan.
Future.
St James railway station, which has been closed for a century, may reopen because of the important Baltic Triangle development in Toxteth. If opened, the station will be on the Merseyrail Northern Line between Liverpool Central and Brunswick railway station


Milford Tunnel

Milford Tunnel in Derbyshire is a double-track railway tunnel on the Midland Main Line which runs under a hill called the Chevin between Duffield and Belper. It was built in 1840 by the Stephensons for the North Midland Railway. At long, Milford Tunnel was the second-longest tunnel on the North Midland Railway when it was built.
The west side of the Derwent valley has a number of gritstone outcrops, one being Burley Hill to the south of Duffield, another being Castle Hill in Duffield itself. The valley here however was too narrow, and already occupied by the village of Milford from which the tunnel gets its name, and one of Jedediah Strutt's cotton mills. The name Chevin has Celtic origins, but the hill is often called Firestone Hill, for the spot on which the beacon fires were lighted to rouse the country when peril of invasion or other dangers were imminent.
Description.
The North Midland built more ornate portals at the northern ends of its tunnels, while the southern ends were relatively plain. In this case the northern portal is a Saxon-inspired arch, surrounded by seven huge concentric semi-circular rings of stone. The portal is set into a wall of rubble masonry, which has become so overgrown as to be no longer visible. The southern portal is to the standard North Midland design. Both portals are grade II listed, being part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site.
History.
The Milford Contract for building the tunnel was let by the North Midland Railway in about October 1837 and completed by June 1840, in time for the opening of the line. The engineers for the route were George and Robert Stephenson, assisted by Frederick Swanwick. The winning contractor was David McIntosh who tendered £93,122 () Historic England has suggested that the architect Francis Thompson may have been involved with the design of the tunnel portal, which received more special aesthetic treatment because it faced land owned by the Strutt family, who were in negotiations by the railway, and it could be readily appreciated by standing on an adjacent road bridge.
No contract drawings of Milford Tunnel North Portal have been found. Milford Tunnel is included in the drawings for the Milford contract, but this doesn’t show the North Portal as executed. Instead it shows the standard North Midland Railway design for tunnel portals, without specifying the north or south portal. This design was executed at the tunnel's south portal, suggesting that at the time the contract was let, both portals were intended to be the same, and that the northern structure's design as built was a late addition to the contract.
When the Midland Railway upgraded the line to four tracks south of the tunnel, a signal box was installed to control the junction of the goods and passenger lines, also providing warning distant signals at the north entrance.
Tower.
At the summit of the hill there was built a substantial tower, which still exists, the purpose of which has been a matter for speculation. It has generally been thought that it was to check the alignment of the tunnel construction, and was equipped with a rotating telescope. It has been pointed out that such a facility appeared with no other tunnel of the time and there is an alternative theory that it was concerned with supervising the passage of trains through the tunnel. In effect an early experiment with a form of block working, instead of the time interval system commonly used.


Tarka Line

The Tarka Line, also known as the North Devon Line, is a local railway line in Devon, England, linking the city of Exeter with the town of Barnstaple via a number of local villages, operated by Great Western Railway (GWR). The line opened in 1851 from Exeter to Crediton and in 1854 the line was completed through to Barnstaple. The line was taken over by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1865 and later became part of the Southern Railway and then British Rail. In 2001, following privatisation, Wessex Trains introduced the name "Tarka Line" after the eponymous character in Henry Williamson's book "Tarka the Otter". The line was transferred to First Great Western in 2006.
It is one of the railway lines supported by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership and passenger numbers on the line have more than tripled since 2001.
History.
Early proposals.
The first proposals relating to what would become the Tarka Line originated in the 1820s, when it was proposed that a railway line might be built from Crediton to Exeter Quay. Authority was obtained to build this line by an Act of 1831, but construction never started and the powers lapsed. However, business interests in Crediton became interested in a railway again after allies of the Great Western Railway (GWR), the Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER), reached Exeter in 1844, and the GWR-allied South Devon Railway started extending that line to Plymouth. In 1844, the Exeter and Crediton Railway (E&CR) was formed and a proposal was put forward for a new line to connect Crediton to the B&ER. This proposal was accepted and authority was granted by an Act of 1845. The new company had capital of £70,000 (around £8.5 million in modern money), and made arrangements with the B&ER for the latter's trains to run to Crediton along the former's tracks.
Meanwhile, a proposal from business interests in Barnstaple was put forward in 1845 to build a new line connecting their town to the B&ER at Exeter. However, these proposals were rejected by the Railway Commission under Lord Dalhousie, the so-called "Five Kings", who wished to defer the decision on linking Barnstaple to the national railway network in order to appraise an alternative proposal by the B&ER to construct a line that would run between Barnstaple and their station at Tiverton.
E&CR constructed and gauge controversy.
By January 1846, construction had started on the E&CR and on an unrelated line connecting Barnstaple with Fremington Quay, five miles to the west, and this created a new sense of urgency in connecting Barnstaple to the national network. Two proposals to reach Barnstaple were put forwards: an east-west route from Tiverton to Bideford, via Mid Devon and Barnstaple; and a north-south route from Barnstaple to Crediton (with access to Exeter along the E&CR). The Tiverton option had Isambard Kingdom Brunel as its engineer, was favoured by the GWR, and had backing from the Five Kings and the Lord Lieutenant of Devonshire, Hugh Fortescue, 2nd Earl Fortescue. Meanwhile, the LSWR had long-term ambitions to challenge the GWR's dominance in the south-west, and they backed the rival Crediton option, installing John Locke as its engineer.
The GWR party failed to submit their plans in line with the standing orders, and so Parliament rejected them, authorising the Crediton route despite the recommendations of Dalhousie's commission and the preference of the Lord Lieutenant. This Act of 1846 created the LSWR-allied Taw Vale Extension Railway (TVER). In 1847, the GWR party tried and failed to agree a lease of the TVER's line to the B&ER. In the same year, the LSWR party purchased a majority stake in the E&CR and then leased the E&CR line to the TVER. The E&CR board, led by a J.W. Buller, remained aligned to the B&ER until Buller was removed that year (amid a procedural controversy that resulted in an unsuccessful appeal to the Five Kings). At the same time, construction continued on the E&CR, and by the end of 1847, the line was complete except for a connection to the B&ER. Given the departure of Buller, the E&CR directors conceded that an agreement with the B&ER would be impossible and ordered that the line be converted to the LSWR's narrow gauge and a station be constructed at Cowley Bridge.
As for the TVER, the end of Railway Mania had left it without funding and the Act of 1846 had left the decision on its gauge to the Railway Commission, who in 1848 announced it would be in broad gauge. Four days later, the conversion of the E&CR was complete. Thus, in 1848, construction had not yet started on the Crediton to Barnstaple line, there was no capital available, and it would have to be constructed in a gauge that would make through trains to Exeter impossible. Meanwhile, the Commission also told the LSWR that they would not be permitted to construct a line linking the Cowley Bridge to Exeter, leaving the E&CR completely isolated.
Progress resumes and services begin.
The deadlock was broken in 1851 by William Chapman, chairman of the LSWR and the E&CR. He agreed to convert one of the two tracks on the Crediton line to broad gauge and lease the line to B&ER; in exchange, the B&ER agreed to construct a junction allowing trains to run from Crediton to Exeter St Davids, and Cowley Bridge station was never opened. A service commenced of seven trains a day in each direction—the first trains to run on the future Tarka Line—and new railway stations opened to passengers at and . In the same year, new company the North Devon Railway (NDR) was formed to replace the financially failed TVER and construction started on the Crediton–Barnstaple section. The NDR opened in 1854 with stations at , , , , , South Molton Road, , and , as well as a siding at "Chappletown". However, the track south of Crediton continued to be owned by the E&CR. The NDR was taken over by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1865, and while the E&CR remained nominally independent, the majority of its shares were owned by the LSWR and the B&ER. The section south of Crediton became part of the LSWR in 1876.
Grouping and nationalisation.
Following the passage of the Railways Act 1921, the LSWR was merged into the Southern Railway, and twenty years later this became the Southern Region of British Rail. Along with the LSWR line to Plymouth, the route was part of the "Withered Arm" of Southern routes in predominantly Great Western Railway (and subsequently Western Region) territory.
Wessex Trains and First Great Western.
On 13 October 1996, the Tarka Line was taken over by Wales & West, controlled by Prism Rail. National Express purchased Wales & West from Prism Rail in July 2000 and on 14 October 2001 rebranded Wales & West as Wessex Trains after the Strategic Rail Authority transferred the company's Welsh services to Wales and Borders.
Sponsored by the North Devon tourist board, Wessex Trains renamed unit 150241 to "The Tarka Belle" and changed its livery to advertising for tourist destinations on the Tarka Line.
The line was transferred to First Great Western in 2006, who rebranded as GWR in 2015 and introduced the line's current fleet and service pattern in December 2019.
Stations.
The Tarka Line runs between and , but trains continue east across Exeter to terminate at . The line leaves Exeter St Davids to the north, and then turns to the west. The railway broadly follows the route of the A377 road, and north of , the Tarka Line is intertwined with the River Taw.
It runs through , and , and then remainder of the line runs north-west through , , , , , , to terminate at .
The majority of stations on the line are request stops. On summer Sundays before the company ceased trading, the Dartmoor Railway ran alongside the south-eastern Tarka Line between Exeter and .
Services.
Passenger services on the line are operated by Great Western Railway mainly using Class 158 diesel multiple units, having replaced Class 143 units that operated majority of services on the line until December 2019. In September 2020, Class 166 units also began operating on the line on weekends.
Passenger volume.
The majority of passengers on the Tarka Line travel to or from Barnstaple – about three times the number of all the other stations north of Exeter. Portsmouth Arms is the quietest station in Devon. Some of the smaller stations have seen a decline in passenger numbers during the last few years, although there have been significant increases at Umberleigh, Eggesford, and Copplestone and on the line overall with passenger numbers more than tripled since 2001.
Community rail.
The Tarka Line is named after the otter in Henry Williamson's book "Tarka the Otter" which is set in the area. It is one of the railway lines supported by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, an organisation formed in 1991 to promote railway services in the area. The line is promoted by many means such as regular timetable and scenic line guides, as well as leaflets highlighting leisure opportunities such as walking or visiting country pubs.
The Tarka Line rail ale trail was launched in 2002, the first of several such schemes which encourages rail travellers to visit pubs near the line. The trail originally covered 16 pubs, and the number has risen and fallen over the years, but in 2020 is 11 pubs. There are three pubs in Exeter and five in Barnstaple, with one each at Lapford, Portsmouth Arms, and Umberleigh. 10 stamps collected in the Rail Ale Trail leaflet entitle the participant to claim special Tarka Line Rail Trail souvenir tour shirt.
Wessex Trains covered Class 150 2-car DMU number 150241 in coloured pictures promoting the line and named "The Tarka Belle". It is still in service with Great Western Railway (Formerly First Great Western) but is no longer in that livery.
The line was designated by the Department for Transport as a community rail line in September 2006. This aims to increase revenue and reduce costs. Among possible options are increasing the car parking at stations, looking at ways to increase the train frequency and facilities at stations.
Working.
No-signaller token remote working.
Parts of the line are single track, meaning that trains travelling in opposite directions must sometimes wait for each other. Collisions are prevented on these sections by requiring the train crew to be in possession of a physical token released from an electrically operated apparatus at a station under a system known as no signaller token remote working. The full journey from Barnstaple to Exeter takes just over 1 hour, much the same as the journey time in a car.


St Ives Bay Line

The St Ives Bay Line is a railway line from to in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It was opened in 1877, the last new broad gauge passenger railway to be constructed in the country. Converted to standard gauge in 1892, it continues to operate as a community railway, carrying tourists as well as local passengers. It has five stations including the junction with the Cornish Main Line at .
History.
The St Ives Junction Railway applied for an Act of Parliament in 1845, but as the West Cornwall Railway’s Bill failed in its application for an Act at the same time, the St Ives company withdrew its proposal. A new Act was successfully applied for in 1873 to authorise a St Ives branch line as an extension of the West Cornwall Railway, although by that time this was controlled by the Great Western Railway. It was opened on 1 June 1877, the last new broad gauge passenger railway route to be built in Britain. A third rail was added to the southern section of the line in October 1888 to allow standard gauge goods trains to reach the wharf at . The last broad gauge train ran on Friday 20 May 1892; since the following Monday all trains have been standard gauge.
Although there was heavy traffic in fish in the early years, this declined during the first half of the twentieth century. Goods traffic was withdrawn from the intermediate stations at Lelant and in May 1956 but continued at St Ives itself until September 1963.
All the sidings were taken out of use at St Ives by 1966, by which time trains on the branch were operated by diesel multiple units. The line was proposed for closure in the Reshaping of British railways report which prompted it to be one of the lines featured in Flanders and Swann’s "Slow Train", but it was reprieved by Minister of Transport Barbara Castle. On 23 May 1971, the platform at St Ives was moved to make way for a car park but seven years later, on 27 May 1978, a new station was opened at between St Erth and Lelant. This was given a large car park so that it could operate as a Park and Ride facility for St Ives. In June 2019, the Park and Ride facility was moved to St Erth and services at Lelant Saltings were reduced.
Route.
The branch line is single track for its whole length with no passing places. It runs alongside the Hayle estuary and then the sea coast and is promoted as a good place to see birds from the train. It has also been listed as one of the most picturesque railways in England.
The line diverges from the Cornish Main Line at . After the line goes through a short cutting and underneath two road bridges which carry the A30 roundabout outside the station, the line follows the western side of the estuary past . Beyond Lelant railway station the line enters a cutting and climbs onto the sand dunes above Porth Kidney Sands on St Ives Bay, with the church of St Uny and Lelant golf course on the left; the church's cemetery was disturbed when the railway cut through the hill. The South West Coast Path crosses the line here and then follows close by all the way to St Ives. The railway continues to climb up and onto the steep cliffs at Hawkes Point, about above sea level. Soon after the line comes around the headland at Carrick Gladden and into . Perched on the hillside above the beach, this resort only developed after the railway arrived in 1877. The line now crosses long Carbis Viaduct then continues on the cliff's edge until it emerges at Porthminster Point, from where it drops down across the St Ives Viaduct to reach St Ives railway station which is situated above Portminster Beach.
Services.
The line initially saw just five trains a day, but by 1909 this had grown to nine and in 1965 it was 17 with up to 24 on summer Saturdays. Some trains included through carriages from London Paddington station and in the 1950s the Cornish Riviera Express ran from St Ives through to Paddington on summer Saturdays. The number of services continued to increase following the opening of Lelant Saltings and the summer of 2006 saw 26 daily services operated by Wessex Trains. Great Western Railway (train operating company) took over the operation later in the year and the winter timetable was reduced to 16 trains which caused some concern but the summer of 2007 saw a return to the previous service level.
As of August 2016, trains run at approximately 30-minute intervals in each direction for most of the day, including Sundays.
In the summer months when traffic levels are high, most services are now operated by 2 x two-car Class 150 sets, but in the winter a two-car Class 150 set is used. On particularly busy days additional sets are added; St Ives can handle six carriages but the bay platform at St Erth is long enough for just five. Two or three trains are extended to and from on most days to facilitate crew changes and to get the stock to and from Penzance Traction Maintenance Depot (TMD).
As of May 2019, there continues to be trains running every 30 minutes. All these services call at Carbis Bay with trains serving Lelant mostly every two hours with some hourly gaps between services. Lelant Saltings is now served by just one train per day in each direction due to the relocation of the Park and Ride facility to St Erth.
Since the line has no passing loops and before May 2019, the average journey time along the full length of the line was just under 15 minutes, services on the line used to suffer from very short turnaround times (about 1 minute) at both St Erth and St Ives stations. As of May 2019, the journey time has decreased due to the majority of trains no longer stopping at Lelant Saltings. As a result, the turnaround time has been increased to roughly 4 minutes.
Signalling.
The line is controlled from the signal box at ; only one train is allowed to operate on the line at any time. Trains travelling towards St Ives are described as 'down trains' and those towards St Erth as 'up trains'. There are three public crossings on the line. 'Western Growers Crossing' is a crossing at St Erth which the signaller can see from the signal box. 'Towan Crossing' is a user-worked crossing north of Lelant, and there is a foot crossing at Hawke's Point as the line approaches Carbis Bay.
Community rail.
The St Ives Bay Line is one of the railway lines supported by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, an organisation formed in 1991 to promote railway services in the area. The line is promoted by many means such as regular timetable and scenic line guides, as well as leaflets highlighting leisure opportunities such as walking, birdwatching, and visiting country pubs.
The St Ives Bay Line rail ale trail was launched on 3 June 2005 to encourage rail travellers to visit pubs near the line. Of the 14 participating pubs, five are in St Ives,one in Lelant, two close to Lelant Saltings, one near St Erth and five in Penzance 6, 10 or 14 stamps collected in the Rail Ale Trail leaflet entitle the participant to claim special St Ives Bay Line Rail Trail souvenir merchandise.
Wessex Trains gave Class 153 single-car DMU number 153329 a special blue livery with large coloured pictures promoting the line and named it "St Ives Bay Line", although this has now been removed by First Great Western who now operate the line.
The branch was designated as a community railway line in July 2005, being one of seven pilots for the Department for Transport's Community Rail Development Strategy. This aims to increase the number of passengers and reduce costs to make lightly used railways more economically sustainable. Among its aims are a higher-frequency of service, to introduce local tickets and ticket vending machines, and public art on the stations promoting the line as the artistic gateway to St Ives.
Passenger volume.
Since 2001 journeys on the St Ives Bay Line have increased by 68%.


Lynn and Dereham Railway

The Lynn and Dereham Railway was a standard gauge single track railway running between King's Lynn and Dereham in the English county of Norfolk. The Lynn to Dereham line opened in 1846 and closed in 1968, although the section between Middleton Towers and King's Lynn remains open to freight.
History.
The Lynn & Dereham Railway, which weaved a route to East Dereham via Narborough and Swaffham, was given the Royal Assent on 21 July 1845, opening in stages between 1846 and 1848; this later became part of the Great Eastern Railway. Only the section of line between King's Lynn and Narborough was opened under the L&DR, on 17 October 1846. The remainder of the line was opened in stages by the L&DR's immediate successor, the East Anglian Railway. The original intention of the company had been to extend their line to Great Yarmouth, via Norwich, but this plan was blocked by the rival Wymondham to Dereham scheme proposed by the Norfolk Railway.
A reported case in the Court of Common Pleas in 1850 reported that a five-mile section of the railway was constructed at a cost of £41,029. The case concerned a mason and bricklayer (Mr. Heyhoe) suing for his fees after two of the partners (a Mr. Fry and a Mr. Frost) of the firm to whom the railway had subcontracted the job had become bankrupt, the issue being whether a third person (Mr. Burge) was also a partner and thus liable for the partnership debts. The case is still considered an authority in English law on when a person who has not signed a partnership deed can be treated as regards outsiders as a partner in the firm by reason of the conduct of the parties.
Diesel units were introduced in 1955, based at Dereham. Services increased from 5 or 6, to twelve a day and journey time was cut to an average of 54 minutes. Prior to that passenger trains were mostly worked by D16s and freight by J17s.
The line was not listed for closure in the original 1963 Beeching Report. But it was nonetheless closed to passenger and freight services by the Eastern Region of British Railways on Saturday 7 September 1968, save for a three-mile section for sand freight from King's Lynn to Middleton, however Wendling station continued for a short while as a filming location, with the station and its road bridge featuring in several episodes of the British situation comedy "Dad's Army".
Route.
The line starts at King's Lynn, where the original station building was replaced by the current building in 1871, and has remained largely unchanged since; the original was a somewhat rudimentary timber building on the site of the goods yards of the time. Leaving the station the line passed through the goods yard, passed the locomotive shed and the harbour branch before crossing over the junction for the lines to Hunstanton and Cambridge.
Soon after leaving King's Lynn the route passed under the former Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway. The first station on the route was at Middleton Towers. This small station remains in use as a freight terminus, and the station has been the destination of a number of charter trains. The following station was at East Winch, which was provided with two platforms and a passing loop. Although there had briefly been an intermediate station between them, the next station for most of the line's existence was at Narborough and Pentney. This was the terminus of the partially completed line when it opened in 1846, and was equipped with two platforms and a large canopy.
The next station was , where there was a branch line service to Watton and Thetford. The route then passed through (closed 1850), , , and (closed 1850) before arriving at on the line between Wymondham and Fakenham.
Locomotives.
The L&DR was initially operated by eight 2-2-2 passenger engines and two 0-4-2 goods engines, all of which being coke burners. The first four were delivered in 1846, with the remaining locomotives being delivered in 1847. The two goods locomotives arrived in 1848.
Present day.
The majority of the route remains unobstructed. All of the later stations, other than Wendling, remain in good order, and large sections of the route remain in transport use as roadways and drives. While track remains between King's Lynn and Middleton, the remainder has been lifted and the section of line between Dereham and Wendling has been claimed by the A47 road.
Most stations survive as private residences, although Swaffham's large yard and junction has been redeveloped as an industrial estate, with the station building surviving in community use. Dunham station was used as a museum for a number of years, although this has now closed. Fransham still has a short section of track and some rolling stock in what is now a private garden, and the route into Dereham has been partially redeveloped for housing and an inner link road. Dereham station itself survives as the headquarters for the Mid-Norfolk Railway.
In January 2019, Campaign for Better Transport released a report identifying the line which was listed as Priority 2 for reopening. Priority 2 is for lines that require further development or a change in circumstances (such as housing developments).