NINETEEN SIXTY FOUR – PART 55
Yeo Mill Halt 18 July 1964
Michael L. Roach
In the first eight months of 1964 I made several trips to the Taunton - Barnstaple line. This was a 45-mile route and a Great Western branchline from Norton Fitzwarren to finish at the former Southern Railway's Barnstaple Junction Station in 1964. On Summer Saturdays some long-distance holiday trains continued on the 15 miles to Ilfracombe on the North Devon Coast. The line served a number of small communities but no large towns. In this it was very similar to the 54-mile Ruabon - Barmouth route visited recently. Another similarity is that one can still travel between the ends of the routes by a longer alternative route. Ruabon to Barmouth closed in January 1965 still steam operated, while Taunton to Barnstaple was dieselised in September 1964 and closed two years later. The staple motive power for the last years of steam was the Churchward Mogul, a design dating back to 1911 which earlier would have been equally at home hauling 10 or 12 coaches along the main line. A quick glance at the Middleton Press book of the line confirms that the vast majority of passenger trains were hauled by Churchward Moguls with very occasional appearances by the BR Standard Class 3 in the 82000 series and the Southern's N-class. Ten years earlier in the early 1950s the Southern's T9-class and the GWR's 4500 prairie class also made appearances. The 4500s would probably have been regulars pre-war.
On Friday 17 July 1964 I made a day return trip to London for an interview, as described in Part 54 arriving home in the house at about 11.40pm. The next day I was off on the 60-odd miles to North Devon by car to do a day of lineside photography. The first five hours were spent in the vicinity of Yeo Mill Halt 19 miles east of Barnstaple Junction in pleasant countryside and there was no difficulty in taking photos in several different places. The last steam timetable was dated 15 June 1964 to 13 June 1965 with the last Saturday of the summer service being on Saturday 5 September 1964 with the line going over to dmus on Monday 7 September. However there were so many alterations on so many lines that a 127-page supplement was issued from 7 September and so many four months later that the timetable was reprinted to operate from 4 January 1965. I will include a scan of the Summer 1964 timetable from which it can be seen that there were six trains Monday to Friday and nine on Saturdays; with five through trains to Ilfracombe and seven from Ilfracombe. Of all the coastal resorts in Britain that lost their railway station the town of Ilfracombe was one of the worst affected because of its relative isolation. Visitors came to the rest of North Devon, which still had a railway station at Barnstaple, but declined to head north of Barnstaple in the same numbers as they did when Ilfracombe had its own railway station. The town was depressed for a couple of decades. The lines to St. Ives and Looe were both reprieved from closure at the eleventh hour and with the benefit of hindsight Ilfracombe should have been reprieved as well.
My notes record that I went first to a location between Yeo Mill Halt and Bishops Nympton & Molland Station. A very minor road leads off the B3227 (then the A361) to a hamlet called Bottreaux Mill. The road passed under the line and the bridge carrying the single rail track still exists with the trackbed converted into a farm track. Quite by chance a friend called Aidan Hall walked this length in early July 2025 and took the last image between Bottreaux Mill and Yeo Mill. Many thanks Aidan. The trackbed makes an excellent private road. I parked near the bridge and walked westwards through the fields for a couple of hundred yards to take the first few images; returned to the road and then walked eastwards to take more images. Then I moved on the short distance to Yeo Mill Halt itself where similarly the minor passed under the track but with even less headroom for road vehicles which means the bridge span has been removed, although the abutments survive; but one very strange anomaly is that one abutment is built of brickwork while the other abutment is built of stonework. The halt was opened on Monday 27 June 1932 to “continue the Great Western Railway Company's policy of providing facilities wherever there are prospects of obtaining new passenger traffic.”
In this area the line was following the valley of the River Yeo from one of its sources just north of East Anstey Station westwards to a point about a mile west of Bishops Nympton & Molland Station where after six miles the river left the railway and turned from heading west to head south west passing under the line to join the River Mole coming south from South Molton. I presume that the Lynton And Barnstaple Railway's engine “Yeo” is named after this river.
Towards the end of my spell on the Taunton to Barnstaple line that day I moved on from Yeo Mill Halt more than 10 miles to the west end of Filleigh Viaduct (also known as Castle Hill Viaduct), probably to be a bit closer to Barnstaple and the road home. Here I took two photos before moving to the road bridge by Filleigh Station for the last photo of the day. In the photo of 7337 coming off the viaduct there is a small square hut which is connected with the “motor economic system” of maintenance introduced on this and many other lines in the 1930s. It enabled a small motorised trolley to be manhandled on to the track between trains by the permanent way gang to carry themselves and their tools and materials to the worksite; but now they were occupying the track so needed a token. The introduction of the system, later just called the economic system, was not simple as it involved the installation of occupation control instruments, occupation key boxes and telephones at several places along the line. The signalmen at the adjacent signal boxes would be kept informed of the gang's intentions as they would need to approve the withdrawal of the token and occupation of the line.
This was my type of day out. An enjoyable day at the lineside in lovely countryside photographing Great Western steam engines on a Great Western railway line that was still one hundred per cent steam in dry summer weather. It could not last, and this was the last year that it was possible. The few remaining lines where it was still possible would all be dieselised or closed to passengers or completely by the end of that year 1964. With the dieselisation of the Taunton to Barnstaple line all the six Churchward Moguls based at Taunton were withdrawn at the beginning of September 1964 and the shed closed. The last few Churchward Moguls were stationed at Didcot Shed and Gloucester Shed, believed to be five in number, and they were withdrawn in October and November 1964. Of the 342 moguls built between 1911 and 1932 it is quite surprising that only two were preserved.
On Friday 17 July 1964 I made a day return trip to London for an interview, as described in Part 54 arriving home in the house at about 11.40pm. The next day I was off on the 60-odd miles to North Devon by car to do a day of lineside photography. The first five hours were spent in the vicinity of Yeo Mill Halt 19 miles east of Barnstaple Junction in pleasant countryside and there was no difficulty in taking photos in several different places. The last steam timetable was dated 15 June 1964 to 13 June 1965 with the last Saturday of the summer service being on Saturday 5 September 1964 with the line going over to dmus on Monday 7 September. However there were so many alterations on so many lines that a 127-page supplement was issued from 7 September and so many four months later that the timetable was reprinted to operate from 4 January 1965. I will include a scan of the Summer 1964 timetable from which it can be seen that there were six trains Monday to Friday and nine on Saturdays; with five through trains to Ilfracombe and seven from Ilfracombe. Of all the coastal resorts in Britain that lost their railway station the town of Ilfracombe was one of the worst affected because of its relative isolation. Visitors came to the rest of North Devon, which still had a railway station at Barnstaple, but declined to head north of Barnstaple in the same numbers as they did when Ilfracombe had its own railway station. The town was depressed for a couple of decades. The lines to St. Ives and Looe were both reprieved from closure at the eleventh hour and with the benefit of hindsight Ilfracombe should have been reprieved as well.
My notes record that I went first to a location between Yeo Mill Halt and Bishops Nympton & Molland Station. A very minor road leads off the B3227 (then the A361) to a hamlet called Bottreaux Mill. The road passed under the line and the bridge carrying the single rail track still exists with the trackbed converted into a farm track. Quite by chance a friend called Aidan Hall walked this length in early July 2025 and took the last image between Bottreaux Mill and Yeo Mill. Many thanks Aidan. The trackbed makes an excellent private road. I parked near the bridge and walked westwards through the fields for a couple of hundred yards to take the first few images; returned to the road and then walked eastwards to take more images. Then I moved on the short distance to Yeo Mill Halt itself where similarly the minor passed under the track but with even less headroom for road vehicles which means the bridge span has been removed, although the abutments survive; but one very strange anomaly is that one abutment is built of brickwork while the other abutment is built of stonework. The halt was opened on Monday 27 June 1932 to “continue the Great Western Railway Company's policy of providing facilities wherever there are prospects of obtaining new passenger traffic.”
In this area the line was following the valley of the River Yeo from one of its sources just north of East Anstey Station westwards to a point about a mile west of Bishops Nympton & Molland Station where after six miles the river left the railway and turned from heading west to head south west passing under the line to join the River Mole coming south from South Molton. I presume that the Lynton And Barnstaple Railway's engine “Yeo” is named after this river.
Towards the end of my spell on the Taunton to Barnstaple line that day I moved on from Yeo Mill Halt more than 10 miles to the west end of Filleigh Viaduct (also known as Castle Hill Viaduct), probably to be a bit closer to Barnstaple and the road home. Here I took two photos before moving to the road bridge by Filleigh Station for the last photo of the day. In the photo of 7337 coming off the viaduct there is a small square hut which is connected with the “motor economic system” of maintenance introduced on this and many other lines in the 1930s. It enabled a small motorised trolley to be manhandled on to the track between trains by the permanent way gang to carry themselves and their tools and materials to the worksite; but now they were occupying the track so needed a token. The introduction of the system, later just called the economic system, was not simple as it involved the installation of occupation control instruments, occupation key boxes and telephones at several places along the line. The signalmen at the adjacent signal boxes would be kept informed of the gang's intentions as they would need to approve the withdrawal of the token and occupation of the line.
This was my type of day out. An enjoyable day at the lineside in lovely countryside photographing Great Western steam engines on a Great Western railway line that was still one hundred per cent steam in dry summer weather. It could not last, and this was the last year that it was possible. The few remaining lines where it was still possible would all be dieselised or closed to passengers or completely by the end of that year 1964. With the dieselisation of the Taunton to Barnstaple line all the six Churchward Moguls based at Taunton were withdrawn at the beginning of September 1964 and the shed closed. The last few Churchward Moguls were stationed at Didcot Shed and Gloucester Shed, believed to be five in number, and they were withdrawn in October and November 1964. Of the 342 moguls built between 1911 and 1932 it is quite surprising that only two were preserved.
7306 plus 6C on the 11.25 Taunton – Barnstaple has just passed milepost 191 and over the minor road to Bottreaux Mill on Saturday 18 July 1964. There was a a connection at Taunton out of a train from Bristol to Kingswear. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
I have crossed to the south side of the track and a little further westwards among some trees and eight minutes later 6326 passes with 6C on the 11.05am Ilfracombe to Taunton. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
I have now moved eastwards to the other side of the minor road where 7337 with 4C on the 12.20 Ilfracombe to Taunton is about to enter a shallow cutting. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
7303 plus 6c On the 12.55 Taunton (11.35 off Bristol TM) to Ilfracombe passes an occupation crossing and small culvert about a quarter of a mile west of the bridge over the road. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Twenty-one mins later 6363 with 4C follows in the same direction with the 10.17 Cardiff General (13.27 off Taunton) to Ilfracombe at the same occupation crossing. The train had divided at Taunton with the front half of the train going to Minehead. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
There was now a two hour gap between trains during which I moved the short distance to Yeo Mill Halt and while I was there the five Churchward Moguls I had seen earlier started to return. Here I am looking north west with the boundary of the Exmoor National Park a short distance away on the horizon. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
7306 with 3C on the 3.50pm Barnstaple to Taunton is seen entering the halt at 4.35pm. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
The entrance to Yeo Mill Halt was beside the east abutment on the north side of the low rail bridge. Here I am stood part way up the flight of steps looking at the platform slope and notice board giving the times of trains. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
6326 plus 4C on the 4.03pm Taunton to Barnstaple stopping train slows to a stop at Yeo Mill Halt to pick up one passenger. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Another view of the Halt – the signs are looking tired and unloved. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
7337 with 4C accelerates away from the 25mph speed restriction over Castle Hill Viaduct with the 5.45pm Taunton to Barnstaple train. Note the hut described in the text. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
7303 heads downhill and slows to 25mph to pass over Castle Hill Viaduct with the 17.57 Ilfracombe to Taunton. The load was 6C plus one one milk tank. The signal is Filleigh down distant and it looks as though it could be motor-operated. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
6363 is seen leaving Filleigh Station with 4C on the 18.50 Ilfracombe to Taunton train on time at 19.53 This was the last eastbound train of the day, but there was one more westbound when this one reached the far end of the line. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
In this view from early July 2025 Aidan Hall is looking eastwards along the trackbed half way from the road bridge at Bottreaux Mill to Yeo Mill. Copyright Aidan Hall
Re: Moorswater Clearance
Peter Murnaghan
Many thanks to Craig for answering the question that many have asking about the Moorswater branch. While it might seem a bit crazy for the rail mounted machinery to need to be lifted off the rails at the end of each day's work, it does still count as a 'live railway' up at Moorswater. I hope that the work doesn't impact on the remaining platform of the former Moorswater station, beneath the viaduct, that featured on the website a while ago.
The team is doing a magnificent job down the branch towards Looe. It is now possible (for the first time in many years) to see the course of the old Liskeard & Looe Union Canal alongside the railway from Lodge Farm Crossing down to Trussel Bridge (site of a canal lock) and onwards to St Keyne.
It's timely to mention that a volunteers day at Lock 21 (between Coombe Junction and Lodge Farm crossing) will be taking place this Saturday 26th July between 1000 and 1600. Lock 21 is the only 'dry' lock on the old waterway, following the 1901 construction of the link line to Liskeard, which breached the watercourse.
If anyone is in the area on Saturday, please call by and say hello to the volunteers, who will be clearing away the pink Himalayan Balsam, which is a harmless, but invasive, plant. Even better, stay awhile and help us to keep this rare transport artefact maintained in a visible condition for future generations.
A couple of photos below of Lock 21 from 2024.
The team is doing a magnificent job down the branch towards Looe. It is now possible (for the first time in many years) to see the course of the old Liskeard & Looe Union Canal alongside the railway from Lodge Farm Crossing down to Trussel Bridge (site of a canal lock) and onwards to St Keyne.
It's timely to mention that a volunteers day at Lock 21 (between Coombe Junction and Lodge Farm crossing) will be taking place this Saturday 26th July between 1000 and 1600. Lock 21 is the only 'dry' lock on the old waterway, following the 1901 construction of the link line to Liskeard, which breached the watercourse.
If anyone is in the area on Saturday, please call by and say hello to the volunteers, who will be clearing away the pink Himalayan Balsam, which is a harmless, but invasive, plant. Even better, stay awhile and help us to keep this rare transport artefact maintained in a visible condition for future generations.
A couple of photos below of Lock 21 from 2024.
Lock 21 near Coombe Junction receiving attention in April 2024. Copyright Peter Murnaghan.
The lock looking much tidier in July 2024, the volunteers having done a great job. Copyright Peter Murnaghan.
Many thanks, Peter - best of luck with the work!
'Where are we too?'
Can you help?
Roger Griffiths
Hello again Jon, hoping you can help please. The attached photo shows Small Prairie No.5521 at an engine servicing point, beside a hillside public park, with a railway running between - but where? The picture is undated though the loco wears the pre-1957 BR logo; its known allocations during the BR years were:
There are pictures online of 5521 with the post-1957 logo, working mainly the Launceston branch - i.e. it was based at Laira. Then, I studied ordnance survey maps for what I think are all the lines operated by Taunton, St.Blazey and Machynlleth, but have not yet found a loco servicing point matching the photo. Given that 5521's longest tenancy was at 83E, I am hoping someone in your society might just identify the location as somewhere in Cornwall.
Looking forward to hearing from you in due course. Thanks Jon and best wishes.
- Taunton 1948 to June 1951 then moved to Machynlleth.
- St.Blazey from November 1951 until August 1958 and back to Taunton.
- To Laira from November 1961 and withdrawal during April 1962.
There are pictures online of 5521 with the post-1957 logo, working mainly the Launceston branch - i.e. it was based at Laira. Then, I studied ordnance survey maps for what I think are all the lines operated by Taunton, St.Blazey and Machynlleth, but have not yet found a loco servicing point matching the photo. Given that 5521's longest tenancy was at 83E, I am hoping someone in your society might just identify the location as somewhere in Cornwall.
Looking forward to hearing from you in due course. Thanks Jon and best wishes.
An undated photograph (photographer unknown) showing small Prarie 5521. Do you know where it is?
Thanks Roger - an interesting photograph. I'm sure one of our sleuths will be able to help!
Please drop an email to [email protected] with any suggestions.
Please drop an email to [email protected] with any suggestions.