Penstone's Railways

Neville Enderson: 

Their were a number of gardens in the glade which was railway property and were tended by railwaymen. There may well have been a one of them who was a cobbler as a hobby, certainly Bill Keat, the signalman who lived in what is now known as Pencroft had a shed there where he carried out watch and clock repairs.

Mary Stephenson: Penstone's Railway Connection

With the building of the Exeter to Barnstaple railway line in the 1850s, Penstone has had connections with the railways.  As you can see from these photos, the Jerrett family, some of whom came from Penstone, had strong links.  

Coleford Junction, situated as it was beside the railway line at Penstone, was the cause of some heated debate and demonstrations by residents of Penstone who believed it should have been called 'Penstone Junction'.  

More recently, in 2003 when Network Rail were carrying out extensive work on the railway line, Penstone residents once more showed the world that they weren't the be messed with.   The first thing Penstone knew of these intended works on the line nearby was one night when they were kept awake by arc lights along the line and very loud banging and crashing as the old rails were taken up.   This carried on all night, ceasing during the day so the trains could continue to run.

One Penstone resident was so incensed she marched up to the railway line in her nightie and told them in no uncertain terms what she felt about the situation.  Nevertheless, the disruptive work continued and over the next week or two more Penstone worthies, wearing various night-time attire, remonstrated with the workmen.  On at least one occasion the police were called.

Finally a meeting was held in Colebrooke Village Hall between representatives from Network Rail and Penstone villagers.  During the discussion it came to light that night-time disruption was allowed even if it disturbed people nearby.  If it disturbed badgers, however, it could not go ahead.  Contact was made with the Badger Trust and a swift survey carried out which proved that there were indeed badgers living nearby.  The night time work stopped and continued during daytime with passengers transported by bus instead.

Back at Network Rail HQ in Bristol, the engineer involved arrived at his desk one day to find a toy badger sitting there with a large note saying: 

'GOTCHA!'

Paul Clemence: Penstone and its Railway Connection

The arrival of the railway had an unimaginable impact on rural communities and Penstone was no exception. Two important railway lines cut swathes through previously untouched land, and new sights and sounds provided the backdrop to country life. Traffic built up over the years and the significance of the lines increased. In 1958, eighty steam hauled trains passed through every summer weekday. Both lines were clearly visible from most of Penstone before trees and vegetation were allowed to grow unhindered. Two important named expresses ran on both lines. The “Atlantic Coast Express” was one of the most famous trains in the country. It bought countless holiday makers to the resorts of North Devon and North Cornwall. In its heyday it was so popular that extra relief trains were needed at peak times. The other train was the luxurious Pullman, the “Devon Belle”. The Ilfracombe portion included an observation coach, which gave the lucky passengers an uninterrupted view of the glorious countryside.

The two lines originally divided at “Coleford Junction” . This was just beyond the end of Penstone Glade. The name was a misnomer as the junction was closer to Penstone than the neighboring hamlet of Coleford. The local residents, at the time, were not happy about this! Until 1971, the junction was controlled by a signal box. The various signalmen lived in Penstone in the three “Railway Cottages”. There is no longer a junction as both lines continue separately to Crediton. However, railway officials still refer to the location by the same name and so do some older residents.

One line originally went to Plymouth and was the rival main line to the Great Western Railway’s costal route. It also fed into branch lines leading to Bude, Wadebridge and Padstow. The other line went to North Devon and the popular resort of Ilfracombe. The infamous Beeching cuts decimated both these routes. The Cornish routes were predictable victims, but the biggest shock came when the line between Okehampton and Bere Alston closed in 1968. Thus, the main line to Plymouth was eliminated and there was no longer an alternative route when bad weather closed the costal line. The line to Ilfracombe closed in 1970 and the once extensive system was reduced to two stubs. One line terminated at Okehampton and the other at Barnstaple.

In June 1972, a further retraction took place when passenger services to Okehampton were withdrawn. Heavy ballast trains still travelled the route to Meldon quarry and continued to periodically disturb the peace of the countryside. During the subsequent years, a cloud of uncertainty hung over the Barnstaple line. Services were withdrawn and the timetable retracted. Continuous rationalizations occurred, and the line became a shadow of its former self. There was an expectation that this line would also close, especially when the planned North Devon link road opened.

Events proved the soothsayers wrong. A serious attempt was made to market the Barnstaple line as the “Tarka Line, ” and slowly improvements were made to train timings and frequencies. Usage increased and this was further aided by a national trend that saw passengers returning to many of the remaining branch and secondary lines. Governments also started to embrace the environmental advantages of rail travel. Passenger numbers have reached unprecedented numbers, and it now has an hourly service throughout most of the day in both directions.

The revival reached a peak on 20/11/21, when after a long campaign, the Okehampton line re-opened to passengers. It is also an hourly service, but at the moment Penstone residents need to travel to Crediton to access this line.

The future is bright for both these lines, but to meet the increasing demand urgent investment is needed in infrastructure and rolling stock. In the meantime, Penstone residents have a valuable public transport link to Crediton, Exeter and Barnstaple from nearby Yeoford station. This involves a moderate walk to reach the station but what a great way to exercise and the scenery is fantastic!