---

The L&B is Alive!

You can help it grow for
less than the price of a cuppa!

After 16 years hard work at Woody Bay we have now reached the stage in our development where we cannot extend this lovely little line in any direction without obtaining a special document called a Transport and Works Act Order - which will cost some £100K+. Although this may seem a tall order, as other railways have already shown us – if sufficient people contribute a very small sum – say just £1.25 (less than the price of a cup of coffee) - per week, this vital piece of paper will be ours  Put very simply - if you and all our other friends and supporters can forgo just one cuppa a week -  expanding the railway is within our grasp.

If you thought you could manage to do without as many as two cuppas a week or maybe even more - we would of course be delighted!

Do it today!   DOWNLOAD A FORM FROM HERE AND FILL IT IN NOW AND POST IT TODAY.

The more of us that do this - the sooner a longer line will be achieved. 

Without this document there is no way that we can expand and develop this singularly Devonshire asset into a significant attraction that will bring sizable benefits to many.

Having come this far, we don't intend giving up now.  Please do all you can to help us get to Blackmoor. 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF OUR RAILWAY

Click HERE to see the Honour Roll of those who have already signed up

---

The ‘All Aboard!’ campaign enables everyone to give something to funding the extension of the L&B – sooner rather than later.  The alternative is that we will forever remain running trains between Woody Bay and Killington Lane.
We would be very interested to hear from any generous individual who wants to make a larger contribution towards the project.  Complete confidentiality  is guaranteed.

---

What is going on!

To listen to an audio file which may give answers to some of your questions please  CLICK HERE.  But please be patient as it can take a while to load - depending upon your connection speed.

If you experience any difficulty - we suggest you download the file using RMC (Right Mouse Click) and save it to your desktop. 

PLEASE READ: It is known that certain software may prevent you from downloading this file. Already flagged up is Norton and Internet Explorer has claimed that "you have a diagnostic problem".  No such problems have been experienced with any other software other than as described.

---

HOW CAN I HELP?

In pole position is the ‘All Aboard!’ campaign, the purpose of which is to build a ‘fighting fund’ to pay for the costs involved in obtaining the TWAO.  All funds are "ring fenced"  and held in a designated "All Aboard - Restricted Fund" and cannot be used for anything other than the extension/expansion of the railway.

Download the "ALL ABOARD!" leaflet HERE - fill it in and return it to us, or
email peter.miles@lynton-rail.co.uk or call 01442-381278  if you have specific questions, or can offer advice, financial support or any other service.

PURCHASE L&B CIC SHARES

 

Download a CIC Share Application Form HERE - but please read the attached regarding the purchase of shares before filling in and submitting the form. 

All revenue derived from the purchase of shares is dedicated towards extending the railway from Killington Lane towards Blackmoor.

---

The submission of a TWAO requires the preparation of detailed plans showing land involved, environmental impact reports, discussions with local authorities, Environment Agency, Natural England, details of new works (bridges, stations etc), preparing a ‘book of reference’, planning documents, land surveys, soil investigations etc. The L&B is the longest-closed line to have re-opened (to date) in any form and is subject to the various requirements and regulations in force in the 21st century.  Reopening one mile of the L&B was certainly no easy task, but reopening the next mile will be much more difficult and have to be tackled appropriately.

---

This is a work in progress and there is much that lies behind the  "All Aboard!" leaflet.  We also expect questions to be asked and the Directors are always prepared to provide the required answers to the best of their knowledge.  So here are a few Q&As to begin with:

1. How much money is needed?  Well that is dependent upon many variables.  Our Solicitors Winkworth Sherwood have produced a detailed costing schedule which is very thorough and covers the many options. This is of necessity a complicated document which it is hoped we will be able to distil into something more manageable.
   
2. What it will be spent on? Obtaining the Transport and Works Act Order and required associated works.
   
3. What is it intended to produce on the ground? It will give the L&B the statutory powers to commence the construction to extend the railway beyond its current operating limit. No TWAO - No construction!
   
4. What will I get in return?  In addition to the satisfaction of knowing that you personally played a part in the revival of the L&B,  if you sign up as a covenanter you will get limited edition replica L&B token commensurate with your contribution.  It is intended to offer other incentives to donors - but we have to be mindful of the rules of Gift Aid and this is still being investigated.  If you purchase shares in the CIC you will benefit as described in the relevant section below.
5.  Will the extension be sustainable? Other Heritage railways have found that a longer length adds to their attraction and using figures obtained from other lines it is predicted that a longer L&B will not only cover its running costs but also make a degree of profit to feed back into it's further extension.
6. Why not target the appeals to a specific project such as a bridge? Without a TWAO there is no point in building the bridge as it would never see a railway so the money would be wasted.
   
7. By funding consultants, solicitors, planning etc. the money will only disappear into a "black hole" without any discernable result.  The necessary statutory authority to extend the railway is surely a worthwhile result.  It is in any case impossible to obtain a TWAO without funding solicitors, consultants etc.  So no funding of solicitors = no obtaining of TWAO.
8. Supporters want to see a definite short term result from their financial support such as contributing to Lyn or the heritage carriages. Yes many contribute to these two worthy causes, but without a TWAO these magnificent creations will be restricted to operating over one mile of track and no more.
9. The independant organisation Exmoor Associates has long term aims to buy up L&B trackbed, surely  this is attractive given the uncertainties involved in obtaining a TWAO.  The reason EA purchases L&B trackbed is to safeguard its future use by the railway.  If it is uncertain that a TWAO will be obtained, would there be any point to EA purchasing even more land for the reinstatement of the L&B when without a TWAO no train will run over land already bought by EA for this purpose? 
10. How can I be sure that the money I donate will only be used in obtaining the TWAO? The L&BR Trust is a registered Charity and consequently has to comply with the very strict charity laws concerning how the money raised for charitable purposes can be spent.  As the "All Aboard!" Appeal is a "ring fenced" restricted fund.  Funds raised by this appeal can only be used for the purpose of obtaining the TWAO and the extension of the railway and for no other purpose.
    
11. How much of the L&B will the TWAO cover? Woody Bay to Blackmoor and then probably a top up to get to Wistlandpound.  Woody Bay to Parracombe is just not a viable sustainable length for the costs involved.
12. What does a TWAO give the L&B? The statutory authority to build and operate a railway. Without a TWAO we cannot cross Killington Lane. When the L&B was built in 1898 it had an act of Parliament – a TWAO is the modern equivalent and is what’s required to build the railway today.
13. How long will it take us to get a TWAO? 18 months to two years
14. How much will it cost?  That depends on what issues we have to deal with on the way –  minimum cost quoted for a TWAO is about £25k but as there are complex issues that will take up more of our solicitors' time based on other railways experience of TWAO's  we are expecting it to be between £100k and £200k. Any surplus funds will be used to fund the reinstatement.
    
15. What happens when we have the TWAO? We can then begin the reinstatement of the railway beyond Killington Lane.

16. What happens if we do not get a TWAO? We will be forever restricted to running trains between Woody Bay and Killington Lane. With no hope of extending the railway the effort that has so far been put into obtaining the several sections of line already earmarked for future use by the railway, will have been for nothing and little point in purchasing any more sections of L&B trackbed for an eventual reinstatement.  

1. an annual return to the local economy of more than £15,000,000 per year. 

2. an additional 200 local jobs created or underpinned.
   

3. a significant boost to the economy through the local businesses via the additional visitors who will come to the area because they are attracted by the longer railway.

For more information about TWAOs look here: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/twa/guidance/twaorderbriefguide/pdf/guide.pdf and here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/42/contents. There is also a lot of other material on the internet about TWAOS.