31:
512:
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.
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701:(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.
485:(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
563:
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
531:
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
523:
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
511:
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.
496:
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
685:
too. 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
535:
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
547:
Accordingly, the branch line opened for traffic on 16 March 1868. 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
515:
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
660:
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."
519:
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
672:
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."
554:
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 to avoid confusion with the Town station.)
740:
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.
613:
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.
602:
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.
524:
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.
481:
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
623:
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.
551:
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.
1012:
709:
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
650:. 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
473:
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.
520:
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.
729:
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
689:
The takeover resulted in the preference shareholders receiving 75% of the nominal value of their stock, the residue going to the ordinary shareholders.
634:
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.
30:
631:
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.
1022:
681:
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
748:
opened a new route from Riverside to Seaton Harbour Road/Underfleet in 1975, which does not use any part of the branch line alignment.
486:
508:
At a Company meeting on 5 December 1863, Sir Walter Trevelyan was elected Chairman of the Company, and W.R. Galbraith the Engineer.
945:
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877:
847:
813:
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When Yolland revisited for a second inspection on 19 February 1868, he was satisfied with all the minor issues except one, but the
1017:
482:
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497:£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.
413:
186:
201:
341:
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same year the platform at Seaton was extended by 180 feet to accommodate the now-heavy volume of passenger traffic.
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immediately to the east of the Seaton station leading to Axmouth; the bridge was taken over by Sir A.W. Trevelyan.
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391:
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682:
75:
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point of convergence with the main line, and then reversed back into the down (westbound) platform.
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tank engines replaced the Beattie engines in the 1890s, occasionally supported by an Adams radial
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in 1970. It was extended northwards in stages, reaching Colyford in 1971 and Colyton in 1980.
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The Act included powers to construct a bridge over the River Axe, giving access to Axmouth.
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The original powers for the Company had included the provision of a toll bridge over the
516:
unsatisfactory, and an alternative with Sir Walter Trevelyan had to be hastily arranged.
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The arbitration award referred to above was notified by letter on 15 March 1868.
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992:
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806:
The London & South Western Railway: Volume 2: Growth and Consolidation
493:. The station was four miles from Seaton, and over a mile from Colyton.
647:
196:
329:
237:
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With Seaton Station unavailable due to demolition and redevelopment,
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to the east of Seaton station, giving access to the village of
458:
was a railway branch line connecting the seaside resort of
595:. From 1930 auto train operation was begun on the branch.
35:
A train on the Seaton branch by the Axe estuary in 1956
962:"Axmouth Bridge, Axmouth - 1020419 | Historic England"
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620:working took over the branch from 4 November 1963.
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470:, on the main line between Salisbury and Exeter.
725:File:Colyton on The Seaton Tramway in July 1982
8:
872:. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens Limited.
16:Former railway branch line in Devon, England
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1013:Closed railway lines in South West England
908:From Salisbury to Exeter: The Branch Lines
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870:Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies
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910:. Shepperton: Oxford Publishing Company.
610:were reported to have run on the branch.
842:. Sparkford: Oxford Publishing Company.
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567:The line was worked at first by Beattie
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838:Phillips, Derek; Pryer, George (1997).
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938:Southern Main Lines: Yeovil to Exeter
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936:Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1991).
808:. Newton Abbot: David and Charles.
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536:improvements only were required.
483:London and South Western Railway
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764:Williams says 1 September 1869.
693:Improvements at Seaton Junction
579:being in use at the beginning.
468:Seaton Junction railway station
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466:, to the main line network at
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1:
940:. Midhurst: Middleton Press.
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1023:Railway lines opened in 1868
840:The Salisbury to Exeter Line
868:Awdry, Christopher (1990).
462:, in the English county of
125:4.25 mi (6.84 km)
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664:The bridge is listed as a
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906:Phillips, Derek (2000).
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677:The L&SWR takes over
1018:Rail transport in Devon
804:Williams, R.A. (1973).
90:16 March 1868
966:historicengland.org.uk
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105:7 March 1966
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683:Great Western Railway
638:The bridge to Axmouth
559:Traffic and operation
627:Original engineering
618:Diesel multiple unit
334:West of England line
242:West of England line
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697:In 1927–1928, the
666:scheduled monument
571:well tanks, no 12
487:Colyton for Seaton
456:Seaton branch line
441:Show route diagram
24:Seaton branch line
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969:. Retrieved
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529:platforming
342:Basingstoke
131:Track gauge
122:Line length
67:Operator(s)
1007:Categories
772:References
731:Eastbourne
532:of Trade.
109:1966-03-07
94:1868-03-16
971:2 October
644:River Axe
171:Route map
117:Technical
608:pacifics
392:Colyford
191:Show map
150: in
54:Stations
41:Overview
705:Closure
648:Axmouth
577:Phoenix
573:Jupiter
543:Opening
489:, near
477:Origins
370:Colyton
145:⁄
107: (
92: (
82:History
62:Service
49:England
944:
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876:
846:
812:
593:4-4-2T
587:class
575:and 3
460:Seaton
414:Seaton
202:Legend
195:
102:Closed
87:Opened
46:Locale
752:Notes
589:0-4-4
569:2-2-2
491:Shute
464:Devon
348:
328:
256:
236:
973:2023
942:ISBN
912:ISBN
874:ISBN
844:ISBN
810:ISBN
598:The
583:and
454:The
668:by
340:to
248:to
1009::
964:.
926:^
888:^
858:^
824:^
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600:M7
585:T1
581:O2
189:)
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185:(
152:(
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73:,
57:4
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
