{{BS-header|Okehampton to Bude Line}}
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|Bude Canal The Bude Canal was a canal built to serve the hilly hinterland in the Devon and Cornwall border territory in the United Kingdom, chiefly to bring lime-bearing sand for agricultural fertiliser....
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{{BS-header|Okehampton to Bude Line}}
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|Bude Canal The Bude Canal was a canal built to serve the hilly hinterland in the Devon and Cornwall border territory in the United Kingdom, chiefly to bring lime-bearing sand for agricultural fertiliser....
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Bude CanalThe Bude Canal was a canal built to serve the hilly hinterland in the Devon and Cornwall border territory in the United Kingdom, chiefly to bring lime-bearing sand for agricultural fertiliser....
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{{BS|exWBRÜCKE|||Woolston Viaduct}}
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River TamarThe Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . At its mouth, the Tamar flows into the Hamoaze where it joins with the River Lynher before entering Plymouth Sound...
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{{BS|exWBRÜCKE|||Derriton Viaduct}}
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{{BS|exWBRÜCKE|||Holsworthy Viaduct}}
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North Devon and Cornwall Junction Light Railway|}The North Devon and Cornwall Junction Light Railway was a railway built to serve numerous ball clay pits that lay in the space between the London and South Western Railway's Torrington branch, an extension of the North Devon Railway group, and Halwill, an important rural junction on the North...
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North Cornwall RailwayThe North Cornwall Railway was a railway line running from Halwill in Devon to Padstow in Cornwall via Launceston, Camelford and Wadebridge, a distance of 49 miles 67 chains. Opened in the last decade of the nineteenth century, it was part of a drive by the London and South Western Railway to...
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West of England Main LineThe West of England Main Line is a British railway line, running from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids. Historically, the main line continued to Okehampton and Plymouth, and competed for the lucrative Atlantic Boat Train traffic.-History:...
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{{BS|exWBRÜCKE|||Meldon Viaduct}}
{{BS|KDSTxa|||Meldon Quarry}}
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Dartmoor RailwayThe Dartmoor Railway is a long railway line in Devon, England. The line branches from the Tarka Line at Coleford Junction heading west, and serves Sampford Courtenay, Okehampton and Meldon. The route is owned by Aggregate Industries who run freight trains that serve the ballast quarry at Meldon...
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The
Okehampton to Bude Line was a railway line built to serve
BudeBude is a small seaside resort town in North Cornwall, England, at the mouth of the River Neet. Bude is twinned with Ergué-Gabéric in Brittany, France...
, on the Cornish coast near the Devon border in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
.
{{BS-header|Okehampton to Bude Line}}
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{{BS3|exKDSTa>
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|Bude Canal The Bude Canal was a canal built to serve the hilly hinterland in the Devon and Cornwall border territory in the United Kingdom, chiefly to bring lime-bearing sand for agricultural fertiliser....
Wharf}}
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{{BS-header|Okehampton to Bude Line}}
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|Bude Canal The Bude Canal was a canal built to serve the hilly hinterland in the Devon and Cornwall border territory in the United Kingdom, chiefly to bring lime-bearing sand for agricultural fertiliser....
Wharf}}
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Bude CanalThe Bude Canal was a canal built to serve the hilly hinterland in the Devon and Cornwall border territory in the United Kingdom, chiefly to bring lime-bearing sand for agricultural fertiliser....
}}
{{BS|exWBRÜCKE|||Woolston Viaduct}}
{{BS|exHST||{{stnlnk|Whitstone and Bridgerule}}}}
{{BS|exWBRÜCKE|||
River TamarThe Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . At its mouth, the Tamar flows into the Hamoaze where it joins with the River Lynher before entering Plymouth Sound...
}}
{{BS|exWBRÜCKE|||Derriton Viaduct}}
{{BS|exBHF||{{stnlnk|Holsworthy}}}}
{{BS|exWBRÜCKE|||Holsworthy Viaduct}}
{{BS|exHST||{{stnlnk|Dunsland Cross}}}}
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North Devon and Cornwall Junction Light Railway|}The North Devon and Cornwall Junction Light Railway was a railway built to serve numerous ball clay pits that lay in the space between the London and South Western Railway's Torrington branch, an extension of the North Devon Railway group, and Halwill, an important rural junction on the North...
}}
{{BS3|exCONTr|exABZlg||||
North Cornwall RailwayThe North Cornwall Railway was a railway line running from Halwill in Devon to Padstow in Cornwall via Launceston, Camelford and Wadebridge, a distance of 49 miles 67 chains. Opened in the last decade of the nineteenth century, it was part of a drive by the London and South Western Railway to...
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{{BS|exBHF||{{stnlnk|Halwill Junction}}}}
{{BS|exHST||{{stnlnk|Ashbury}}}}
{{BS|exHST||{{stnlnk|Maddaford Moor Halt}}}}
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West of England Main LineThe West of England Main Line is a British railway line, running from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids. Historically, the main line continued to Okehampton and Plymouth, and competed for the lucrative Atlantic Boat Train traffic.-History:...
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{{BS|exWBRÜCKE|||Meldon Viaduct}}
{{BS|KDSTxa|||Meldon Quarry}}
{{BS|BHF||{{stnlnk|Okehampton}}}}
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Dartmoor RailwayThe Dartmoor Railway is a long railway line in Devon, England. The line branches from the Tarka Line at Coleford Junction heading west, and serves Sampford Courtenay, Okehampton and Meldon. The route is owned by Aggregate Industries who run freight trains that serve the ballast quarry at Meldon...
}}
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The
Okehampton to Bude Line was a railway line built to serve
BudeBude is a small seaside resort town in North Cornwall, England, at the mouth of the River Neet. Bude is twinned with Ergué-Gabéric in Brittany, France...
, on the Cornish coast near the Devon border in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
. It branched from a main route at Meldon Junction, a little to the west of
OkehamptonOkehampton is a town and civil parish in Devon, England, at the northern edge of Dartmoor, on the River Okement. The border of the Dartmoor National Park is just south of the town....
, on the northern margin of
DartmoorDartmoor is an area of moorland in the centre of Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops , providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
. The line is now closed.
Location
The Bude branch (as it is called for short) diverged from the
London and South Western RailwayThe London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(L&SWR) main line from
ExeterExeter is a city and district in Devon, England; it is the county town of Devon. Exeter is located approximately northeast of Plymouth, and southwest of Bristol, on the River Exe. The city has a population of 111,076 according to the 2001 Census....
to
PlymouthPlymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
at Meldon Junction, and ran to Bude by way of
HalwillHalwill is a village in Devon, England just off the A3079 Okehampton to Holsworthy road. About a mile away on the main road is another settlement called Halwill Junction....
and
HolsworthyHolsworthy is a market town in the west of Devon, England. It is situated near the county border with Cornwall, and is 9 miles from the coastal resort of Bude. It is on the intersection of the A388 and A3072 roads, and lies on the River Deer, a tributary of the Tamar...
. The terrain it crossed was hilly, and largely agricultural, and population density was low. When the line was first constructed, Bude was not yet important enough to be
an objective destination, and the line was at first built from Meldon Junction to Holsworthy.
The line was later extended to Bude; its location is in Cornwall on the Atlantic coast south of
Hartland PointHartland Point is a high rocky outcrop of land on the northwestern tip of the Devon coast in England. It is three miles north-west of the village of Hartland. The point marks the western limit of the Bristol Channel with the Atlantic Ocean continuing to the west...
. The railway brought Bude prosperity as a watering place, and in the closing decades of the nineteenth century it became a holiday destination.
Railway construction
In 1871 the Devon and Cornwall Railway had reached Okehampton giving that town access to the eastern network via Exeter. In 1874 the company extended its line to
LydfordLydford, sometimes spelled Lidford, is a village, once an important town, in Devon situated six miles north of Tavistock on the western fringe of Dartmoor in the West Devon district, 27 m...
(then spelt Lidford) to get access to the important city of
PlymouthPlymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
over the
Great Western RailwayThe Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835, and ran its first trains three years later...
line. A third rail was laid on that line, which had been
broad gaugeBroad gauge railways use a rail gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For a list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
, to give the standard gauge trains access. The Devon and Cornwall Line was leased and operated by the L&SWR, but never owned by it.
On 20 January 1879 the L&SWR opened a new line diverging from the Lydford line at Meldon Junction, to
HolsworthyHolsworthy is a market town in the west of Devon, England. It is situated near the county border with Cornwall, and is 9 miles from the coastal resort of Bude. It is on the intersection of the A388 and A3072 roads, and lies on the River Deer, a tributary of the Tamar...
. At that time Bude was a small harbour town, and although proposals had been put forward to run the branch to the town, the L&SWR evidently did not consider it important enough to justify the cost of running the line there. A coach service was operated from Holsworthy station to Bude, a distance of ten miles.
In the following 19 years, the importance of Bude rose as a regional centre, and the notion of seaside holidays had gained in importance. On 10 August 1898 the line was finally extended to Bude. The neighbouring inland town of Stratton was still considered by its residents to be more important, and according to Wroe the station at Bude stopped short of the town centre to appease Stratton. However there was a wharf siding line extending from near the station to a tidal harbour.
Development
Having reached Bude the L&SWR was anxious to encourage growth of holiday passenger traffic, and it marketed Bude strongly as a resort destination. However the journey from London and the Midlands was very long and although Bude developed, it never became a resort to challenge the
South DevonThe South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers 337 square Kilometres, including much of the South Hams area of Devon and the rugged coastline from Jennycliff to Elberry Cove near Brixham....
seaside towns.
The area was a major producer of meat, and a heavy traffic was carried on in meat to London and the Midlands cities. However, the low population density in the district and the lengthy and difficult railway connection via Okehampton and Crediton, meant that when car ownership and road lorry usage became popular in the 1950's, the line's traffic went into decline.
Before arrival of the railway, sea sand from Bude was use to improve the agricultural qualities of land, as it was rich in minerals, particularly lime. This had been carried by the
Bude CanalThe Bude Canal was a canal built to serve the hilly hinterland in the Devon and Cornwall border territory in the United Kingdom, chiefly to bring lime-bearing sand for agricultural fertiliser....
, and was its primary traffic. When the railway had opened to Holsworthy, this material was conveyed from Bude to Stanbury Wharf by canal, and then carted to Holsworthy station, a distance of about a mile, for onward conveyance by train. However in the last decade of the nineteenth century, manufactured fertilisers became available, and these were brought in to the district by train and the canal fell into disuse.
In 1925 the
North Devon and Cornwall Junction Light Railway|}The North Devon and Cornwall Junction Light Railway was a railway built to serve numerous ball clay pits that lay in the space between the London and South Western Railway's Torrington branch, an extension of the North Devon Railway group, and Halwill, an important rural junction on the North...
was opened, connecting Halwill and
Torrington-Places:In Australia:* Torrington, New South WalesIn Canada:* Torrington, AlbertaIn the United Kingdom:* Black Torrington, a village in Devon* East Torrington, a small village in Lincolnshire* Great Torrington, a market town in north Devon...
. From that date, Halwill signal box may have been the most complex all-single-line junction in the country, with single line operation from the Okehampton direction, onwards towards Lydford and Bude, and northwards towards Torrington.
Closure
The line closed on 1 October 1966 following several years of declining passenger numbers, as more and more tourists bought cars and no longer needed to travel to the area by train.
Route
From Meldon Junction:
- Maddaford Moor Halt (opened 1926)
- Ashbury
- Halwill
- Dunsland Cross
- Holsworthy
- Whitstone & Bridgerule
- Bude
Halwill was originally called Halwill & Beaworthy; from 1887 it was called Halwill Junction, and finally plain Halwill from 1923.
Col Cobb shows a "first station" and a later "second station" to the east of, and replacing the first one. However this is misleading; when the line was extended from Holsworthy to Bude, so re-location of sidings was necessary, but the station as a whole, and the passenger platforms, remained in their original position.
Train Service
In the summer of 1958, there were seven stopping trains Monday to Friday between Okehampton and Bude, of which one conveyed through coaches from London Waterloo. In addition there was the
Atlantic Coast ExpressThe Atlantic Coast Express was an express passenger train in England between Waterloo station, London and seaside resorts in the south west...
, a through train from Waterloo at 10:35, running non-stop from Exeter St Davids to Halwill, then calling at Holsworthy and Bude only, arriving at Bude at 15:25. Most trains conveyed through coaches to
PadstowPadstow is a small town, civil parish and cargo port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The UK Census 2001 reported a parish population of 3,162.-Geography:...
, usually marshalled in front of the Bude coaches in the down direction. The portions were divided at Halwill.
On summer Saturdays there were the same seven stopping trains but three of them conveyed through coaches from Waterloo. The Atlantic Coast Express had a similar stopping pattern but left Waterloo at 10:35 and arrived in Bude at 15:45.
On Sundays there were three trains each way in summer only, although prior to 1958 there had only been one.
Bus connections were advertised in connection with the long-distance train services, from Bude to
Widemouth BayWidemouth Bay is a bay and beach on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, England, UK, approximately 3 miles south of Bude. This stretch of coast is steeped in the smuggling history of times before, and not far south of Widemouth Bay can be found many little inlets and coves.-Activities:The beach is...
,
StrattonStratton is a small town situated near the coastal resort of Bude in north Cornwall, UK. It was also the name of one of ten ancient administrative shires of Cornwall - see "Hundreds of Cornwall"...
and
MarhamchurchMarhamchurch is a village and civil parish in North Cornwall, UK. The village lies two miles inland from Bude off the A39 Atlantic Highway to Wadebridge....
, operated by
Southern NationalSouthern National was a bus company operating in South West England from 1929 to 1969, and again from 1983 to 1999.Southern National Omnibus Company Ltd started in 1929 as a joint venture between the Southern Railway and the National Omnibus & Transport Company...
.