Some more photographs of my wanderings around the former Southern Railway lines in the west country in the early 1980s. This time it is Torrington Station on the line from Barnstaple Junction.
The Station had opened as a terminus on the London and South Western Railway line from Barnstaple Junction on July 18, 1872. It remained a terminus until the opening of the North Devon and Cornwall Junction Light Railway which opened in July 1925. This line formed an end-on junction at Torrington and partly replaced a former mineral railway which had served clay pits in the Meeth and Marland area. However, the North Devon and Cornwall line continued across a sparse agricultural to make a junction with the LSWR line from Okehampton.
Though Torrington closed to regular passenger services on October 04, 1965, occasional excursion trains still called. The station remained open for freight traffic including milk and fertilizer. The original goods shed and one platform being replaced by a new rail served fertilizer depot in the 1970s. Unfortunately the milk, fertilizer and clay traffic which came through from the clay works further south switched to road transport and the station and line was finally closed on March 05, 1983. These photos show the station before and after final closure.
A view of Torrington station from the road overbridge. The then quite new rail served fertilizer depot can be see, but with its traffic switching to road a further nail was driven into the railway's coffin. For those interested in cars the white convertible in the station car park is a Hillman Super Minx - owned by my Grandfather and latterly my father from the early 60s to the early 1990s.
A monochrome track level view of Torrington Station. Looking back I wish I had taken many more photographs including ones from the north end of the platform, but for some reason I didn't!
One would expect to see a Southern Railway notice painted in green and picked oout in white. However, in the early 1960s the by then British Railways Southern Region (formerly Southern Railway) lines west of Exeter were transferred to the management of British Railways Western Region (the former Great Western Railway) who did some repainting hence the sign shows the WR chocolate and cream colour scheme.
Torrington photographed on May 16, 1985 two years after closure. The track remains in place but the scrap recovery contractors are at work elsewhere on the line and the track would not remain for much longer. The milk loading apparatus has already been removed. The station has been reopened as a pub and tea rooms - The Puffing Billy.
I hope you enjoy looking at these - more to follow!
My web sites:
www.irishseashipping.com
http://jhlphotography.smugmug.com/
The Station had opened as a terminus on the London and South Western Railway line from Barnstaple Junction on July 18, 1872. It remained a terminus until the opening of the North Devon and Cornwall Junction Light Railway which opened in July 1925. This line formed an end-on junction at Torrington and partly replaced a former mineral railway which had served clay pits in the Meeth and Marland area. However, the North Devon and Cornwall line continued across a sparse agricultural to make a junction with the LSWR line from Okehampton.
Though Torrington closed to regular passenger services on October 04, 1965, occasional excursion trains still called. The station remained open for freight traffic including milk and fertilizer. The original goods shed and one platform being replaced by a new rail served fertilizer depot in the 1970s. Unfortunately the milk, fertilizer and clay traffic which came through from the clay works further south switched to road transport and the station and line was finally closed on March 05, 1983. These photos show the station before and after final closure.
A view of Torrington station from the road overbridge. The then quite new rail served fertilizer depot can be see, but with its traffic switching to road a further nail was driven into the railway's coffin. For those interested in cars the white convertible in the station car park is a Hillman Super Minx - owned by my Grandfather and latterly my father from the early 60s to the early 1990s.
A monochrome track level view of Torrington Station. Looking back I wish I had taken many more photographs including ones from the north end of the platform, but for some reason I didn't!
One would expect to see a Southern Railway notice painted in green and picked oout in white. However, in the early 1960s the by then British Railways Southern Region (formerly Southern Railway) lines west of Exeter were transferred to the management of British Railways Western Region (the former Great Western Railway) who did some repainting hence the sign shows the WR chocolate and cream colour scheme.
Torrington photographed on May 16, 1985 two years after closure. The track remains in place but the scrap recovery contractors are at work elsewhere on the line and the track would not remain for much longer. The milk loading apparatus has already been removed. The station has been reopened as a pub and tea rooms - The Puffing Billy.
I hope you enjoy looking at these - more to follow!
My web sites:
www.irishseashipping.com
http://jhlphotography.smugmug.com/
Nice shots JH.
