Back to the Future
Once an important junction on the L&SWR's route between Exeter and Plymouth, the station at Okehampton was closed to regular passenger traffic in 1972 after closure of the two branches it also served (to Bude and Padstow), along with the through route to Plymouth, had succumbed in the 1960s.
Luckily the line continued to thrive as a freight route supporting British Rail's busy ballast quarry at nearby Meldon - at least until the operation wound down in 2011, by which time the political climate for the reopening of old railways to passenger traffic was more agreeable.
As a result, the northern side of the original station was sold back to Network Rail by the local Council for £1, and work began on sympathetically restoring it to capture the aesthetic glories of the past while ensuring it met the standards a contemporary passenger would expect. The extensive project also included renewing and replacing sections of track and signalling along the route.
With fanfare and national TV coverage, the line and station were reopened in November 2021 to a 2-hourly service to / from Exeter - which quickly proved so popular that an hourly service was introduced the following year.
With this shot I've tried to capture a flavour of the station building and its heritage-style restoration. Through the open door can be seen the Council-owned southern side of the station, porter's trolley and trunks, and the entrance to the museum. One of the original signal boxes has been retained at the end of the platform, and is now used to house a model railway depicting Okehampton station in the 1950s. Just as appealing is the book shop on the station, and not least the cafe!
No surprise I took plenty of shots on the visit here, and this was one of my favourites. Comments disabled, thanks.
12.30pm, 28th June 2025
Back to the Future
Once an important junction on the L&SWR's route between Exeter and Plymouth, the station at Okehampton was closed to regular passenger traffic in 1972 after closure of the two branches it also served (to Bude and Padstow), along with the through route to Plymouth, had succumbed in the 1960s.
Luckily the line continued to thrive as a freight route supporting British Rail's busy ballast quarry at nearby Meldon - at least until the operation wound down in 2011, by which time the political climate for the reopening of old railways to passenger traffic was more agreeable.
As a result, the northern side of the original station was sold back to Network Rail by the local Council for £1, and work began on sympathetically restoring it to capture the aesthetic glories of the past while ensuring it met the standards a contemporary passenger would expect. The extensive project also included renewing and replacing sections of track and signalling along the route.
With fanfare and national TV coverage, the line and station were reopened in November 2021 to a 2-hourly service to / from Exeter - which quickly proved so popular that an hourly service was introduced the following year.
With this shot I've tried to capture a flavour of the station building and its heritage-style restoration. Through the open door can be seen the Council-owned southern side of the station, porter's trolley and trunks, and the entrance to the museum. One of the original signal boxes has been retained at the end of the platform, and is now used to house a model railway depicting Okehampton station in the 1950s. Just as appealing is the book shop on the station, and not least the cafe!
No surprise I took plenty of shots on the visit here, and this was one of my favourites. Comments disabled, thanks.
12.30pm, 28th June 2025