Seaton branch line

Seaton branch line
A train on the Seaton branch by the Axe estuary in 1956
Overview
LocaleEngland
Stations4
Service
Operator(s)London and South Western Railway,
Southern Railway
History
Opened16 March 1868 (1868-03-16)
Closed7 March 1966 (1966-03-07)
Technical
Line length4.25 mi (6.84 km)
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map

(Click to expand)
Seaton Junction
Colyton
Colyford
Seaton

The Seaton branch line was a railway branch line connecting the seaside resort of Seaton, in the English county of Devon, to the main line network at Seaton Junction railway station, on the main line between Salisbury and Exeter.

The branch line opened in 1868; it became very popular with holidaymakers, greatly enhancing the attraction of the resort, but it declined and the line was closed in 1966.

Origins

The small town of Seaton became a seaside holiday resort in the middle of the nineteenth century, although its historic port activity had declined to the use of fishing boats only. When the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) opened a main line from Yeovil to Exeter in 1860, completing a route from London, local people saw that a rail connection might reinvigorate their town. However the difficult terrain of the Devon Coast in the area forced the L&SWR to align its route a considerable distance to the north. They opened a station called Colyton for Seaton, near Shute. The station was four miles from Seaton, and over a mile from Colyton.[1][page needed]

Local people wanted an actual rail link to the town, and after a first failed attempt to obtain an Act of Parliament for the purpose, they were successful, obtaining an Act for the "Seaton and Beer Railway" on 13 July 1863. The Company had an authorised capital of £36,000, and powers for a loan of £12,000, for the construction of a line from near the L&SWR Colyton station to a Seaton station to the east of the town.[1][page needed][2][page needed][3][page needed]

The Act included powers to construct a bridge over the River Axe, giving access to Axmouth.[4][page needed]

Construction

At a Company meeting on 5 December 1863, Sir Walter Trevelyan was elected Chairman of the Company, and W.R. Galbraith the Engineer.

A contract for the construction was awarded to Howard Ashton Holden, signed on 8 January 1864, but progress was extremely slow, and in April 1865 the Company wrote to Holden threatening suspension of the contract. On 27 September 1865 the Company terminated Holden's contract on Galbraith's advice. Two alternative potential contractors fell by the wayside, and it was obvious that the available firms lacked the financial resources to undertake the work. The Company itself was now running short of money, and it had to obtain a further £12,000 by a 5% preference share issue and a £4,000 loan in an attempt to fund the work more directly, and John Sampson was engaged to carry the work on, with considerable financial assistance from the Company. Even Galbraith, on the Company's authority, was unable to obtain a locomotive to hire for the conduct of the works. With horses instead, he took direct control of the works, with Sampson in effect his site manager.

The planned opening for the summer season of 1867 was abandoned, but by 2 August 1867 a locomotive was found to be hired in to work on the construction. Several small contracts were let for constructing buildings; an understanding regarding the supply of water to Seaton station was found to be unsatisfactory, and an alternative with Sir Walter Trevelyan had to be hastily arranged.[4][page needed]

The working arrangements with the L&SWR seem to have been left unclear. The company wished the L&SWR to work the line for them, and they tried to obtain more favourable financial terms than the L&SWR offered, and for a time considered working the line themselves. However the vulnerabilities of operating such a short line with the risk of accident or locomotive failure disrupting matters. At length the Company agreed the L&SWR terms.[1][page needed]

The Company submitted the line for formal approval by the Board of Trade's Railway Inspectorate, and Colonel Yolland visited on 27 December 1867, but he objected to the Company's proposed connection at Colyton (i.e. the junction with the L&SWR main line): branch trains arriving were to run past the station and then propel back 200 yards to use the down (westbound) platform of the main line, rather than having a separate bay platform. There were numerous other matters of detail objected to.[4][page needed]

When Yolland revisited for a second inspection on 19 February 1868, he was satisfied with all the minor issues except one, but the platforming arrangement at Colyton Junction was outstanding. However Sir Walter Trevelyan had an interview with the president of the Board of Trade, and the outcome was that this objection would be laid aside on the Company's undertaking to provide a branch line platform in six months on request from the Board of Trade.[4][page needed]

At the end of February 1868 the Company received a letter from the L&SWR in which it declared its own objections, mainly connected with the provision of more durable structures. The Seaton and Beer Company went to arbitration over the L&SWR's demands, and the arbitrator found that limited improvements only were required.[1][page needed]

The arbitration award referred to above was notified by letter on 15 March 1868.[4][page needed]

Opening

Accordingly, the branch line opened for traffic on 16 March 1868.[3][page needed] The L&SWR worked the line. There were five trains each way each weekday, with mixed operation for two up and one down trains. Branch trains arriving at Colyton (later Seaton Junction) ran past the station towards Exeter to the point of convergence with the main line, and then reversed back into the down (westbound) platform.

The 1:30 PM train from Seaton reversed at the Junction and ran to Axminster to make a connection for London, returning and making a connection out of the 10:50 AM from Waterloo.[1][page needed][5][page needed]

The line was 4¼ miles long; there were two intermediate stations, at Colyton Town and Colyford; Colyton (on the L&SWR main line) was renamed Colyton Junction on the same day. (It was renamed Seaton Junction on 18 July 1869[note 1] to avoid confusion with the Town station.)[2][page needed]

Traffic and operation

In the three and a half months to 30 June 1868, the line had only earned £300 from "coaching" and £43 from goods; the L&SWR retained £155 and the Company received £145. However, by 1870 matters much had improved, with 81,000 passengers and 13,928 tons of goods being carried in that year; in the same year the platform at Seaton was extended by 180 feet to accommodate the now-heavy volume of passenger traffic.[1][page needed]

The line was worked at first by Beattie 2-2-2 well tanks, no 12 Jupiter and 3 Phoenix being in use at the beginning. O2 and T1 class 0-4-4 tank engines replaced the Beattie engines in the 1890s, occasionally supported by an Adams radial 4-4-2T. From 1930 auto train operation was begun on the branch.[2][page needed]

The M7 0-4-4 tank engines are most associated with the line in its post-war years; these engines used the Westinghouse brake on passenger trains, making a characteristic sound as the train brake pipe was charged with compressed air.

Bulleid light pacifics were reported to have run on the branch.

On summer Saturdays after 1949 there was considerable extra traffic on the line, with two locomotives together operating nine-coach trains with through coaches to and from London. However, from 1962 through working to and from the branch ceased.

Diesel multiple unit working took over the branch from 4 November 1963.[2][page needed]

When the line opened, it was operated on the "one engine in steam" system, but from 5 March 1899 the Tyers electric tablet system was instituted, with an intermediate signalbox at Colyton.[4][page needed]

Original engineering

The original track on the branch was 65 lbs per yard flat bottom rail in 24 feet lengths fastened direct to cross-sleepers on 12 inches of ballast.

The line was on easy gradients from Seaton to Colyford, and then rose at 1 in 76 with some short easier sections, to the junction with the main line.[1][page needed]

The bridge to Axmouth

The original powers for the Company had included the provision of a toll bridge over the River Axe to the east of Seaton station, giving access to the village of Axmouth. The small harbour there had road access on that side of the Axe. A contract for the bridge was let to William Jackson of Westminster on 15 December 1875; the engineer was Philip Brannon.

Axmouth Bridge was opened on 24 April 1877, with a central span of 50 feet and two side spans of 30 feet span. It was constructed in concrete, and "is believed to be one of the first bridges in the UK to be constructed in concrete, with the adjoining toll house being the oldest concrete house in England."[4][page needed]

The bridge is listed as a scheduled monument by Historic England who report that: "Axmouth Bridge is believed to have been the third concrete bridge to have been built in England and, as the two earlier examples have been demolished, it now stands as the earliest and best example of a mass concrete bridge to survive in the country."[6]

The L&SWR takes over

The Company and the L&SWR negotiated a lease of the line to the L&SWR. Awdry says that the Company discussed lease terms with the Great Western Railway too.[3][page needed] A 1,000 year lease to the L&SWR was effective from 1 January 1880 for a rent of £1,000 in the first year, rising progressively to £1,550. The agreement had an option to purchase, and the L&SWR took ownership on 1 January 1888. However it refused to adopt the Axe bridge, a road bridge immediately to the east of the Seaton station leading to Axmouth; the bridge was taken over by Sir A.W. Trevelyan.[1][page needed]

The takeover resulted in the preference shareholders receiving 75% of the nominal value of their stock, the residue going to the ordinary shareholders.[1][page needed]

Improvements at Seaton Junction

In 1927–1928, the Southern Railway (who had taken over the L&SWR at the Grouping of the railways in Great Britain) extended and improved the station facilities at Seaton Junction, providing through main tracks with the platform lines on loops; there was a new branch platform (opened on 13 February 1927), which branch trains could use without fouling the main line.[2][page needed][5][page needed]

Closure

With the growth of road transport after 1950 and of car ownership in the 1960s, the line declined substantially, and the line was closed on 7 March 1966 in the course of the Beeching axe.[5][page needed]

Seaton Tramway

File:Colyton on The Seaton Tramway in July 1982

The alignment between Riverside (just north of the old Seaton Station) and Colyton was purchased by Modern Electric Tramways Ltd, who moved their operations from Eastbourne in 1969 and established Seaton Tramway in 1970. It was extended northwards in stages, reaching Colyford in 1971 and Colyton in 1980.

The original Colyton station building is still in use as the Tramway's gift shop and restaurant. Colyford Station was demolished to make way for a tramway passing loop and siding, with just the old Gents WC remaining, although long since decommissioned.

With Seaton Station unavailable due to demolition and redevelopment, Seaton Tramway opened a new route from Riverside to Seaton Harbour Road/Underfleet in 1975, which does not use any part of the branch line alignment.

Notes

  1. ^ Williams says 1 September 1869.[1][page needed]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Williams, R.A. (1973). The London & South Western Railway: Volume 2: Growth and Consolidation. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5940-1.
  2. ^ a b c d e Phillips, Derek; Pryer, George (1997). The Salisbury to Exeter Line. Sparkford: Oxford Publishing Company. ISBN 0-86093-525-6.
  3. ^ a b c Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens Limited. ISBN 1-85260-049-7.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Phillips, Derek (2000). From Salisbury to Exeter: The Branch Lines. Shepperton: Oxford Publishing Company. ISBN 0-86093-546-9.
  5. ^ a b c Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1991). Southern Main Lines: Yeovil to Exeter. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 0-906520-91-6.
  6. ^ "Axmouth Bridge, Axmouth - 1020419 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2023.


Read other articles:

Kun AntaGenre Drama Religi Komedi PembuatMNC PicturesSkenario Novy Pritania Emmanuella Mila Sad Purnadi Abhirama Hermansyah Fiona Mahdalena Yulie Odang Messiah Fadjarwati CeritaRina Novita BuchariSutradara Rully Manna Reka Wijaya Pemeran Nasar Anuz Rassya Hidayah Zoe Jireh Sinyo Zayyansakha Penggubah lagu temaHumood AlkhudherLagu pembukaJadi Diri Sendiri oleh Humood AlkhudherLagu penutupJadi Diri Sendiri oleh Humood AlkhudherPenata musikGambar SoundNegara asalIndonesiaBahasa asliBahasa...

 

本條目存在以下問題,請協助改善本條目或在討論頁針對議題發表看法。 此條目需要补充更多来源。 (2018年3月17日)请协助補充多方面可靠来源以改善这篇条目,无法查证的内容可能會因為异议提出而被移除。致使用者:请搜索一下条目的标题(来源搜索:羅生門 (電影) — 网页、新闻、书籍、学术、图像),以检查网络上是否存在该主题的更多可靠来源(判定指引)。 �...

 

Centre nationald'enseignement à distanceHistoireFondation 1939CadreSigle CNEDType Établissement public à caractère administratif placé sous la tutelle du ministère chargé de l'Éducation nationaleForme juridique Autre établissement public national d'enseignementDomaine d'activité Autres enseignementsSiège Technopole du Futuroscope, Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, Vienne FrancePays  FranceLangue FrançaisOrganisationEffectif 2 200Directeur général Jean-Noël Tronc (depuis 2022)Site web...

Skyscraper located in downtown Houston Texas 1600 Smith Street1600 Smith Street (formerly Continental Center I)General informationStatusCompletedTypeOffice[2]LocationDowntown Houston, Texas, United States[1]Coordinates29°45′19″N 95°22′22″W / 29.75518°N 95.37275°W / 29.75518; -95.37275Completed1984; 40 years ago (1984)[1][2]OwnerBrookfield Properties[3]ManagementBrookfield PropertiesHeightRoof732 ...

 

Telepon umum di Indonesia Telepon umum adalah fasilitas layanan telepon publik dengan cara pelayanan memasukan uang (pada umumnya koin) atau kartu telepon sebelum melakukan panggilan. Sejarah Telepon umum pertama kali ditemukan oleh William Gray tahun 1889 dan dipasang pada sebuah bank di daerah hart ford Connecticut. Penemuan tersebut berkembang dengan pesat dan pada tahun 1892 jumlah telepon umum di Amerika Serikat sebanyak 81.000 buah. Pada tahun 1905, telepon umum koin ciptaan Bell dipasa...

 

American microbiologist This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources. Find sources: Peter Satir – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) This a...

This article is about 2020 election obstruction prosecution. For other prosecutions of Donald Trump, see Indictments against Donald Trump. Prosecution for obstruction of election proceedings United States v. TrumpSeal of the U.S. District Court for the District of ColumbiaCourtUnited States District Court for the District of ColumbiaFull case nameUnited States of America v. Donald J. Trump Docket nos.1:23-cr-00257-TSCChargeConspiracy to defraud the United StatesConspiracy to obstruct an offic...

 

1966 single by the Beach Boys For the Brian Wilson autobiography, see Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story. Wouldn't It Be NiceSingle by the Beach Boysfrom the album Pet Sounds B-sideGod Only KnowsReleasedJuly 18, 1966 (1966-07-18)RecordedJanuary 22 – April 1966StudioGold Star and Columbia, HollywoodGenre Rock[1][2] power pop[3][4] progressive pop[5] Length2:33LabelCapitolSongwriter(s)Brian WilsonTony AsherMike LoveProducer(s)...

 

此條目可参照英語維基百科相應條目来扩充。 (2021年5月6日)若您熟悉来源语言和主题,请协助参考外语维基百科扩充条目。请勿直接提交机械翻译,也不要翻译不可靠、低品质内容。依版权协议,译文需在编辑摘要注明来源,或于讨论页顶部标记{{Translated page}}标签。 约翰斯顿环礁Kalama Atoll 美國本土外小島嶼 Johnston Atoll 旗幟颂歌:《星條旗》The Star-Spangled Banner約翰斯頓環礁�...

Сельское поселение России (МО 2-го уровня)Новотитаровское сельское поселение Флаг[d] Герб 45°14′09″ с. ш. 38°58′16″ в. д.HGЯO Страна  Россия Субъект РФ Краснодарский край Район Динской Включает 4 населённых пункта Адм. центр Новотитаровская Глава сельского пос�...

 

This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (March 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Aztec society was traditionally divided into social classes. They became sophisticated once the Mexica people settled and began to build the Aztec Empire. The class structure was so elaborate that it impressed the Spanish almost as much as Aztec architecture. Classes Upper The inaugural ...

 

artikel ini perlu dirapikan agar memenuhi standar Wikipedia. Tidak ada alasan yang diberikan. Silakan kembangkan artikel ini semampu Anda. Merapikan artikel dapat dilakukan dengan wikifikasi atau membagi artikel ke paragraf-paragraf. Jika sudah dirapikan, silakan hapus templat ini. (Pelajari cara dan kapan saatnya untuk menghapus pesan templat ini) BBC OneDiluncurkan2 November 1936[1]PemilikBBCPangsa pemirsa20.4% (Juni 2013, BARB)NegaraBritania RayaSaluran seindukBBC TwoBBC ThreeBBC F...

NGC 3536   الكوكبة الدب الأكبر[1]  رمز الفهرس NGC 3536 (الفهرس العام الجديد)PGC 33779 (فهرس المجرات الرئيسية)2MASX J11085117+2828321 (Two Micron All-Sky Survey, Extended source catalogue)MCG+05-26-061 (فهرس المجرات الموروفولوجي)UGC 6191 (فهرس أوبسالا العام)Z 155-73 (فهرس المجرات وعناقيد المجرات)UZC J110851.3+282832 (فهرس زفيكي المحدّث...

 

American political commentator (1951–2021) For his grandfather and politician, see Rush Limbaugh Sr. For the radio show, see The Rush Limbaugh Show. Rush LimbaughLimbaugh in 2019BornRush Hudson Limbaugh III(1951-01-12)January 12, 1951Cape Girardeau, Missouri, U.S.DiedFebruary 17, 2021(2021-02-17) (aged 70)Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.Resting placeBellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis, MissouriOccupationsRadio hostpolitical punditYears active1967–2021Spouses Roxy Maxine McNeely R...

 

Women's high jump at the 2023 World ChampionshipsVenueNational Athletics CentreDates25 August (qualification)27 August (final)Winning height2.01Medalists  Yaroslava Mahuchikh   Ukraine Eleanor Patterson   Australia Nicola Olyslagers   Australia← 20222025 → Events at the2023 World ChampionshipsTrack events100 mmenwomen200 mmenwomen400 mmenwomen800 mmenwomen1500 mmenwomen5000 mmenwomen10,000 mmenwomen100 m hurdleswomen110 ...

Viverridae musang luwak TaksonomiKelasMammaliaOrdoCarnivoraFamiliViverridae Gray, 1821 Tipe taksonomiViverra Tata namaEjaan asliViveridae Genera Arctogalidia †Leptoplesictis Subfamili Genettinae Genetta Poiana Subfamili Hemigalinae Chrotogale Cynogale Diplogale Hemigalus Subfamili Paradoxurinae Arctictis Macrogalidia Paguma Paradoxurus †Kanuites †Tugenictis Subfamili Viverrinae Civettictis Viverra Viverricula Viverridae adalah suku mamalia berukuran kecil hingga sedang, berisikan 15 gen...

 

نظرية الاحتمالمعلومات عامةصنف فرعي من رياضيات جزء من نظرية القياس يدرس احتمال يمارسها منظر الاحتمال تعديل - تعديل مصدري - تعديل ويكي بيانات   ميّز عن نظرية احتمالية. فرع من الإحصاءنظرية الاحتمال فرضيات الاحتمال فضاء احتمالي فضاء العينة حدث أولي حدث متغير عشوائي قياس �...

 

Pour les articles homonymes, voir DXM. Dextrométhorphane Structure du dextrométhorphane Identification Nom UICPA (4bS,8aR,9S)-3-méthoxy-11-méthyl-6,7,8,8a,9,10-hexahydro-5H-9,4b-(épiminoéthano)phénanthrène Synonymes ent-3-méthoxy-17-méthylmorphinane[1] No CAS 125-71-3 No ECHA 100.004.321 Code ATC R05DA09 DrugBank DB00514 PubChem 15978238 ChEBI 4470 SMILES COc3ccc4C[C@@H]1N(C)CC[C@]2(CCCC[C@H]12)c4c3 PubChem, vue 3D InChI InChI : vue 3D InChI=1/C18H25NO/c1-19-10-9-18-8-4-3-...

Questa voce sull'argomento atleti bulgari è solo un abbozzo. Contribuisci a migliorarla secondo le convenzioni di Wikipedia. Segui i suggerimenti del progetto di riferimento. Vanja StambolovaNazionalità Bulgaria Altezza175 cm Atletica leggera Specialità400 metri piani, 400 metri ostacoli Palmarès Competizione Ori Argenti Bronzi Mondiali indoor 0 1 1 Europei 1 1 0 Universiadi 1 0 0 Coppa continentale 0 0 1 Vedi maggiori dettagli  Modifica dati su Wikidata · Manuale Va...

 

Book by Nintendo The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia Front cover of the standard English editionEditorPatrick ThorpeAuthorNintendoOriginal titleハイラル・ヒストリア ゼルダの伝説 大全Cover artistCary GrazziniLanguageJapaneseSeriesThe Legend of ZeldaGenreVideo game artPublished 2011 (Nintendo) (Japanese) 2013 (Dark Horse Comics) 2013 (Norma Editorial) (Spanish) 2013 (Tokyopop) (German) Publication placeUnited StatesMedia typePrint, digital (Wii U)Pages276ISBN97...