Steam trains are always fun, I've been to lots of heritage railways, but I'd never visited the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, on Exmoor. It was great to experience it during there Autumn Gala, where there was a great buzz about the place.
The railway was originally built in 1898, connecting the town of Lynton on the Exmoor coast with Barnstaple, 20 miles away. It closed in 1935, probably due the popularity of other forms of transport. It's a narrow gauge railway, necessary for the hills and natural landscape of this part of Devon.
We then fast forward 60 years and group of enthusiast decide to reinstate part of the railway, between the old Woody Bay station and Killington Lane. It's only a mile in length but gives you a flavour of how it used to be. They have aspirations for most of the line to be reinstated and have bought a lot of the land that used to be part of the route, I hope they succeed...
So back to my trip, as well as the railway, they had a BBQ, a beer tent, visitors in Victorian dress setting the scene, vintage cars, including a wonderful Rolls Royce, and people selling railway memorabilia and model railway trains and accessories.
As well as the main railway, in which you could travel up and down the line as often as you wanted, there was a smaller railway, a small sit-on railway for kids little and large, that was also fun.
So here's a few photos from my trip to the railway, I hope you enjoy them...
