News Feed: 
Contemporary (1900) Map (left) and modern satellite image (right) of the L&B (click images for larger view - satellite image links to "Acme Mapper" . Other online map resources, centred on Woody Bay, can be found at GeoHack)
The line was bought by the Southern Railway in 1923 who carried out extensive track and infrastructure improvements. They bought a new locomotive in 1925 (Lew) and this was followed in 1927 by two cranes and some new wagons. In 1932 the SR fitted the locomotives and some of the coaches with steam heating. However all this did not lead to more goods traffic or passengers, so, in time, closure became enevitable.
With closure imminent, the summer of 1935 brought more travellers to the line than ever. However, this could not turn the tide. On 29 September the 11.50 from Barnstaple, double headed by Lew and Yeo, was the last down train. The return from Lynton (7.55 pm) was accompanied by the playing of ‘Auld Lang Syne’, cheering crowds and whistling from the engines. The weather on the journey home fitting the occasion - it was dark and it was raining!
The morning after the last train had run, a wreath was placed on the stop-block at Barnstaple by a Woody Bay resident . The card which accompanied the wreath contained the words “To Barnstaple & Lynton Railway With Regret & Sorrow From A Constant User & Admirer. Perchance it is not dead but sleepeth".
On November 13th, an auction was held to sell of all the equipment where one locomotive feched a mere £34. But apart from all the locos and two of the carriages, little was actually sold. In late 1935 a dismantler was brought in to lift the track and dispose of what had not been sold at the auction. By the summer of 1936 all the track from Pilton to Lynton had been lifted.
The first event of significance after the closure of the line was in 1959, when the remains of L&B coach 15 was dismantled by volunteers from the Festiniog Railway and transported to North Wales. After considerable work, the coach re-entered service on the FR as a buffet vehicle in Easter 1963. This coach has now been running on the FR many years longer than it ever ran on the L&B!
In 1979 the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Association held its first meeting in Lynton to discuss the possible rebuilding of the railway. Various attempts were made to start rebuilding the line, however unfortunately little real progress was made. On 24th May 1981, the first working party was held on a section of trackbed purchased near Parracombe. During the year the trackbed was cleared and a short track was laid for moving spoil. After some time, the trackbed was left and once again became overgrown as it was in an inappropriate location to start a railway. In spring 1983, negotiations were well progressed for the building of a railway from Woody Bay Station but unfortunately this fell through. In 1985 it looked "all systems go" for a short railway and museum starting at Blackmoor Gate but again, this didn’t work out. Throughout much of the 80s and early 90s the Association leased the old LSWR Barnstaple Town signal box, which they used as a small museum. In the early 1990’s the Association spent several years working towards the establishment of the railway from Hole Ground on the outskirts of Barnstaple. Unfortunately by 1994, an acceptable agreement still could not be reached with the council (who owned the land) and yet again the proposals fell through. However, 1994 did see the opening of the ‘Lynbarn Railway’ at the Milky Way Adventure Park near Clovelly. The Lynbarn was built by the L&B in co-operation with the Milky Way and was run and maintained by volunteers plus full time L&B-employed drivers.
At the end of 1994, Woody Bay Station became available to the Association and an appeal was launched to buy the property. The station was secured in 1995, and over the following years the newly formed Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Company and the supporting Trust negotiated the purchase of the adjoining land and progressed construction work. Finally on 11 May 2003, the station was officially reopened to the public.
The Lynton & Barnstaple is now running passenger trains once more. A further milestone in the history of the L&B was passed in October 2005, when the ownership and operation of the Lynbarn Railway was handed over to the Milky Way.
Our aim now is to completely focus on the operation and expansion of the railway at Woody Bay. With your support we can do it - future generations will ultimately be able to again enjoy this jewel in the crown of narrow gauge railways!
The L&BR locos were very distinctive in their appearance. Yeo, Exe and Taw were the three original locos built as 2-6-2Ts by Manning Wardle of Leeds. Lyn was a 2-4-2T from Baldwin of Philadelphia (USA) entering service in July 1898. Lew was the fourth Manning Wardle and the last loco on the line. It was bought by the SR in 1925. After the auction four of the locos were scrapped. Lew, which had been retained to dismantle the line was shipped to Pernambuco Brazil aboard the SS Sabor. However, despite numerous searches for this historic loco, it has never been found.
Read more about the Mystery of Lew
The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway shop at Woody Bay Station sells several books for those who want to read the more detailed history of the railway. We are lucky that so many photos were taken of the line while it was running. There is also a surprising amount of cine film.
Books can be purchased from our Online Gift Shop!
