The Bideford, Westward Ho! & Appledore Railway
Saturday 2nd September, 2017
Roger Winnen 01736 350048 or Mobile 0777 380 8074 (Not Friday Evening between 19.15 and 21.30)
PURCHASE AN OFF PEAK DAY RETURN TO BARNSTAPLE
Penzance 06.30 St Erth 06.38 Camborne 06.51 Redruth 06.57 Truro 07.09 St Austell 07.25 Par 07.32 Bodmin Parkway 07.46 Liskeard 07.58 Plymouth 08.21 arr Exeter St David's arr 09.20 Depart Platform 3 at 09.27 Barnstaple arrive10.35
Please use the facilities on-board the train before alighting as there is a six minute connection with the bus.
Bus 21 From Barnstaple Station 10.41 to Bideford Quay arr 11.08
We look around the Bideford Quay area before departing on Service 15 to Appledore at 11.43 arrival at Appledore 12.01 to explore the station area and the historic port.
View the The Bideford Westward Ho! and Appledore Railway carriage shed as we depart Bideford from the upper deck of the Double Decker.
We return to Bideford on the Service 15 at 12.35 from Appledore arrivng near the carriage shed at 12.50
We cross the road to view the shed and head for the next bus stop for a Service 21 to Westward Ho which departs from Bideford Quay at 12.57. This bus will arrive at Westward Ho! At 13.12
The bus service terminates in the area of the old station which nothing now remains
However by following the coastal footpath we soon come across a bridge which carried the railway over a small lane which lead to the beach. We have time to follow the coastal path which was the railway until 1917 passing Seafield and Morley House to give spectacular views across to Lundy Island and the North Devon coastline.
We return on Service 15 from Westward Ho! At 14.46 arriving at Bideford Quay at 15.01 giving us time for a short visit Bideford Railway Station.
Returning to Bideford Quay we again catch Service 21 at 16.06 to Barnstaple Railway Station arrive 16.32
The train departs Barnstaple at 17.08 arriving Exeter St David's 18.23/18.46 Plymouth 19.48 Liskeard 20.11 Bodmin Parkway 20.23 Par 20.35 St Austell 20.41 Truro 21.02 Redruth 21.13 Camborne 21.19 St Erth 21.31 Penzance 21.40
Colin travelled the complete the route on his 'chariot' which can be seen parked by the vehicle in the picture above above. We'll be surveying the line as best possible using buses.
Section 4 1944
Sunday 13th February 1944
Warrant Gunner J Landis, USN, takes over the new ammunition depot at Bugle chosen for its rail sidings and main line services. The drys at Carn Merry, Halivet, Rock and Wheal Henry were used. There were 23 men working in the depot with an additional 21 guards provided as D-Day approached. These were all billeted in the village of Bugle. The US Army RTO, stationed at Fowey, wrote all out-going waybills and tagged all out-going trucks. (US National Archives)
Tuesday 2nd May
Passenger services are again suspended on the Lostwithiel – Fowey branch line. (Wikipedia – citation needed). This was to allow the loading of ammunition for the US 29th Division based in Cornwall who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day.
Tuesday 6th – Friday 30th June 1944
US Navy – From D-Day to the end of the month 22 coasters were filled with ammunition for American forces in Normandy. That was 13828DWT. (US Navy Docs)
Friday 1st September
The Southern Railway Magazine resumes monthly publication. (The Southern Railway Handbook 1923 – 1947 by David Wragg)
Monday 2nd October
The Lostwithiel – Fowey branch line recommences its passenger services. (Wikipedia – citation needed).
Sunday 31st December
The numbers for the year at the GWR’s hotel at St Ives, the Tregenna Castle, drop to 30,906, but still 126% of their 1939 figure. GWR
Many thanks to Phil Handley for providing this wonderful record of 'Railway Events' during the second world war. Next month we will be concluding this series looking at 1945 and also a considerable number of facts concerning railway engineering the war.
Mike Morant
John Cornelius