The North Devon Line

 Barnstaple, North Devon, England

another "content over style" heritage web page from Steve Johnson`s "Cyberheritage"

THE PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION   

Activity at Newbridge

click above to enlarge

The main Barnstaple to Exeter road passes over the Barnstaple to Exeter railway line just a few minutes drive from the centre of Barnstaple.

So it will come as no surprise as to hear that I would pull off the road here and take advantage of the good photo locations.

Summer Saturdays would see a locomotive hauled train on just about every other service, the haulage being either a 33 or a 31.

On a weekday, the only locomotive hauled train would be the very early service that would also convey a newspaper van along with its carriages.

So I spent a lot of really very early "a.m.`s" at this spot as the early morning North Devon mists cleared to reveal a train coming along a thin slender silvery track reseeding into the woods.

My son would lean over this bridge listening out hard for the first faint sounds of "clickety-click" to drift across the Taw flood plains that would herald the approach of our photographic prey.

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all taken 1985 to 1986

a class 33 heads out of Barnstaple towards Exeter

a class 33 with snowploughs fitted speeds toward Barnstaple - note trackside telegraph

a class 33 heads to Exeter

class 31 - no 31430 heads a goods train to Exeter Riverside Yard

a class 33 heads to Exeter

a class 31 heads a goods train into Barnstaple Junction from Exteter Riverside Yard - note trackside telegraph

class 31 - no 31120? heads a goods train along to Exeter Riverside Yard

a class 33 heads to Exeter

a class 33 heads to Exeter

a class 31 on a passenger turn from Exeter approaches New Bridge and thence on to Barnstaple- note trackside telegraph

a class 33 from Exeter 

a class 33 from Exeter heads along to Barnstaple - note trackside telegraph

a class 31 heads a goods train from Barnstaple along to  Exeter Riverside Yard

a class 31 heads a goods train from Barnstaple along to  Exeter Riverside Yard

a class 31 on a goods train to Exeter

a class 31 on a goods train to Exeter

a class 33 on a passenger turn to Exeter

a class 33 on a passenger turn from Exeter to Barnstaple - note lineside telegraph

a class 33 on a very early morning Exeter to Barnstaple turn approaches Newbridge through the early morning still mists - framed by arching trees

a class 33 on a very early morning Exeter to Barnstaple turn approaches Newbridge through the early morning still mists - framed by arching trees

a class 33 on an early morning weekday passenger turn from Exeter - note the newspaper van bringing the daily papers to Barnstaple and North Devon

a class 33 on an early morning weekday passenger turn from Exeter - note the newspaper van bringing the daily papers to Barnstaple and North Devon

a class 33 on an early morning weekday passenger turn from Exeter - note the newspaper van bringing the daily papers to Barnstaple and North Devon

a DMU heads along to Exeter on a sunny but frosty winters morning

a DMU glides along by the trees on its journey into Exeter

a class 33 on a passenger turn to Exeter

a class 33 hauls a goods train along to Exeter

a class 33 hauls a goods train along to Exeter

a class 31 heads a goods train to Exeter from Barnstaple Junction

a DMU  heads south to Exeter past flooded fields - often the Exeter to Barnstaple railway is closed for short periods due to flooding

a class 33 on a very early morning Exeter to Barnstaple turn approaches Newbridge through the early morning still mists - framed by arching trees

a class 33 on a very early morning Exeter to Barnstaple turn approaches Newbridge through the early morning still mists - framed by arching trees

a class 33 heads into Barnstaple - note lineside telegraph

a class 31 heads apassenger turn from Barnstaple to Exeter (and sometimes through to Paignton) on a drizzly and misty Summer Saturday morning

a DMU heads to Exeter

a class 33 hauls timber from Barnstaple Junction. The loco would have picked this up from Lapford, but would have had to then take it all the way up to the Junction to get it back down the line again with the rest of the goods traffic

a class 33 on a passenger turn heads toward Exeter

a class 31 on a passenger turn heads toward Exeter

a DMU heads for Exeter

a class 33 on a passenger working heads along for Exeter

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