Ilfracombe branch line

Ilfracombe branch line
Overview
Status	closed, parts converted to bicycle paths
Locale	North Devon, England
Termini	Barnstaple Junction Ilfracombe
Stations	7
Service
Type	branch line
System	London & South Western Railway
History
Opened	20 July 1874 (1874-07-20)
Closed	5 October 1970 (1970-10-05)
Route map v t e Ilfracombe Branch Line Legend North Devon Railway towards Bideford Barnstaple Junction Tarka Line River Taw Barnstaple Quay Barnstaple Town Lynton and Barnstaple Railway River Yeo Wrafton for RAF Chivenor Wrafton level crossing Braunton Braunton level crossing (B3231) 1 in 41 gradient Mortehoe & Woolacombe B3343 to Woolacombe Summit 1 in 36 gradient Slade Tunnels Ilfracombe

The North Devon Railway connected Barnstaple to the growing railway network in 1854 and as Ilfracombe developed as a watering place, it was obvious a railway connection to the town was needed. The hilly terrain was very difficult, but an Ilfracombe Railway was authorised in 1864 but failed when a major shareholder was unable to respond to a subscription call. After several false starts the Barnstaple and Ilfracombe Railway, soon taken over by the London and South Western Railway, opened in 1870.

The gradients on the line were exceptionally difficult and train loads were curtailed accordingly, although in the twentieth century, extensive use of assisting engines enabled ten coach trains to be operated at the busiest summer Saturdays. The Great Western Railway made a connection from Taunton to a separate station in Barnstaple in 1873 through an associated company, the Devon and Somerset Railway. The two lines at Barnstaple were connected in 1887, and some GWR trains ran through, or passed through coaches on to LSWR trains. From 1947 to 1954 an express train named the Devon Belle operated; it was a limited stop train service from London to Ilfracombe and back, using observation cars.^{[note 1]}

In the 1950s holiday travel to Ilfracombe by rail declined steeply as road travel took over; outside the peak holiday times local usage was very limited and the line was closed in 1970.
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).