LYNTON & BARNSTAPLE LAUNCHES £160K ‘BRIDGE THE GAP’ APPEAL
Work on the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway’s long-awaited 4½ mile extension to Blackmoor Gate and Wistlandpound is finally under way, as repairs to a pair of bridges begin in earnest.
Contractor I&H Brown of Exeter is conducting muchneeded repair work to Bridges 54 and 55 on the section between Blackmoor and Wistlandpound, and have appointed Stoneman Engineering of Willand, near Cullompton, to fabricate steelwork for the new bridge deck structures. Bridge 54, blown up during the Second World War as part of a commando exercise, also requires a new abutment on the Lynton side, while the steel from Bridge 55’s old deck has been retained for possible future use.
It is estimated that the project will cost a total of £220,000. The LEADER 5 Rural Development Programme has already granted the project £60,000 and, to fund the remainder, the railway has launched a £160,000 ‘Bridge the Gap’ appeal.
For more information, and to donate, visit www.lynton-rail.co.uk/ page/bridge-gap
The bridge restoration forms the first stage of the reinstatement of the railway from the L&B’s current terminus at Killington Lane, for which planning permission was granted in March last year (SR478), and it is hoped the bridge work will be complete by the start of September.
Elsewhere, although plans for the L&B’s autumn steam gala this September are still being drawn up, it is hoped that reconstructed coach No. 5, a six-compartment composite from 1898, will be in operation, extending the revived railway’s rake of carriages to five.
●● Physical construction work on the L&B’s planned replicas of Manning Wardle 2-6-2Ts Nos. E759 Yeo and E760 Exe, including obtaining castings and materials, could begin in early 2020, funds permitting.