Culm Valley Light Railway

The valley of the River Culm was an attractive, but remote and declining area in the early nineteenth century, containing the villages of Uffculme, Culmstock and Hemyock. The Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER) opened its main line in 1844 with a station at Tiverton Road (later Tiverton Junction), and local people observed the improvements in the local economy of places effectively served by the railway, and the decline of places that were by-passed. The small communities in the Culm Valley fell into the latter category.

An engineer, Arthur Cadlick Pain, born 1844, had become interested in the concept of a low-cost railway on his return from working overseas, following the enactment of the Railway Construction Facilities Act, 1864, which authorised railway construction without the necessity of an Act of Parliament if no affected landowner objected. The Regulation of Railways Act 1868 authorised the construction of a light railway—the first use of the term—subject to conditions that might be imposed by the board of Trade.[1]

He discussed the idea of a light railway with Henry S Ellis, a director of the B&ER; Pain suggested a low-cost line as a steam—or possibly horse operated—tramway running in or alongside the roadway, to serve the Culm Valley settlements. There were to be no stations, but the train would simply stop at road crossings. Such a line might be narrow gauge if the business was expected to be light; and by securing the enthusiasm of local people for the improvement of the district, land acquisition costs might be low. The line would be on the standard gauge.[note 1]

A public meeting was held at Uffculme on 15 May 1872 and the idea was received with enthusiasm, and on 19 June at another meeting he reported that he had prepared plans and a prospectus. There was some discussion about the location of the Hemyock terminus, in case extension to the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) were later required: Honiton is about ten miles away, but over challenging terrain. There were two objections to the scheme among many positive opinions.

The Construction Facilities Act authorised construction of a light railway provided that no affected landowner objected to the scheme, but here there were two; the provisional directors decided to apply for an Act of Parliament for their line, although that would incur considerable expense, in order to get compulsory acquisition of land. (The objectors soon withdrew their objection, but notice of the fact was received too late to avoid the Parliamentary process.[1]) Pain calculated that the line could be built for £3,000 a mile. Enthusiasm was high and a meeting on 18 November 1872 set the process in motion. Pain was soon appointed Engineer to the company for a fee of £1,125, to be taken in shares.[2][note 2]

Accordingly, without much enthusiasm the Great Western Railway now owned the little railway. Pain's dream of a very low-cost branch line with minimal station facilities and light track and rolling stock had been frustrated by the Board of Trade (personified by Yolland) and the GWR's attitude, which was that the line was defective in falling short of proper GWR standards for a branch line. They soon replaced the original locomotives with two 2-4-0T locomotives that had been built as broad gauge machines for the South Devon Railway, but not actually put into service. Completed at Swindon as standard gauge engines, they were numbered 1298 and 1300.

Refrigeration became a practical process in the 1870s and it had the result of enabling cheap imported butter, undercutting what could be produced in home dairies. This had the effect of spurring mechanical production methods and the Culm Valley Dairy Company was established at Hemyock in 1884. The quality of the product was much in demand and the Company despatched butter throughout England. Skimmed milk was a by-product of the process, and it was useful in pig husbandry, so that piggeries were established in the area also. Suddenly there was a focus of industry and agriculture on the line, and in 1890 the factory moved to larger premises next to Hemyock station. Quarry stone was also sent from Hemyock in later years.

In 1915 the United Dairies Company was formed, and it set about acquiring local dairy businesses. It took over the Hemyock plant the following year, and started sending liquid milk to London in ever increasing volumes; in addition condensed milk and dried milk were transported away, and coal was an inwards traffic.

Passenger traffic, never very heavy, remained broadly constant. The 1920 timetable shows four journeys each way, most of the trains being mixed. The first train from Tiverton Junction to Hemyock, at 9.0 a.m., was allowed 65 minutes for the journey of 7½ miles, time being included for shunting sidings on the way.

In the 1920s the GWR began to examine the cost base of rural branch lines; in 1925 receipts on the line were £22,609 against costs of £7,587. A GWR report recommended closure of the passenger service and limiting the branch activity to handling goods during a single working shift, and heavily reducing facilities on the line. The report was not acted on, and conversely a new halt, Coldharbour, was opened in January 1929. Later in 1929 it was agreed to spend money improving facilities on the branch, and in particular making it fit for standard rolling stock. The original loading gauge had been somewhat limited. However "main line" coaching stock was never used, and the imperative for this may have been the foreseen introduction of six-wheel milk tank wagons, then being trialled elsewhere on the GWR. These were introduced on the branch in 1932. The tanks were glass-lined and cork-insulated; the dairy company owned the tank while the GWR owned the underframe and running gear.[1]

Contemplating electrification of the main line, a 1929 report considered electrifying the branch too, or using "petrol cars" on it, but electrification never became a serious possibility. A number of alternative locomotives were used on the line in this period, most of them having come to the GWR from other independent lightly engineered lines. In 1932 the 4800 class of 0-4-2T locomotives started to be delivered, and variants of the class and the similar 5800 type dominated the subsequent history of the line.

Whitehall Halt was opened on 27 February 1933.[1][2]

After nationalisation in 1948, the railway continued pretty much unchanged in the custody of British Railways. However, in 1950 the two ancient passenger coaches were replaced by two bogie coaches from the former Barry Railway. The slow speed on the line was inadequate to re-charge the lighting batteries on the coaches, so they were converted from electric to gas lighting, and were the last gas-lit coaching vehicles on British Railways. The coaches acted as guards' brake vehicles and Messenger suggests that the passenger service would have been terminated if they had not been used; five passengers a day were recorded as using Hemyock station a few years later.

Passenger usage continued to decline and early in 1962 notice of intention to discontinue the passenger service was given. In the last months the Barry Railway passenger coaches themselves had to be replaced, and two ex London and North Eastern Railway vehicles were found; Messenger says that they were run to Exeter once a week to charge their batteries. The last passenger train ran on 7 September 1963. No replacement bus service was considered necessary.[2]

The following Monday a 204 hp diesel locomotive operated the remaining goods traffic on the line, and was the general motive power subsequently. General freight continued for a while, but that too was discontinued on 6 September 1965. However, the line continued to serve the dairy at Hemyock until 31 October 1975. Class 25 diesel locomotives were used in the final months. From the following day the line was closed.[1]

Today the line forms some popular riverside walks at various points along the valley. The station sites have been redeveloped.

A model railway of the line at Tiverton Junction with branch to Hemyock is displayed at Culm Valley Model Railway club at the Old Well Garden Centre.

The line was 7 miles 27 chains in length; single track throughout, it fell consistently from Hemyock to Tiverton Junction, with two short rising lengths; the steepest gradient was 1 in 66. Stations on the line were:

• Hemyock
• Whitehall Siding; and halt opened 27 February 1933
• Culmstock
• Uffculme
• Cold Harbour Siding; and Coldharbour Halt (also spelt Cold Harbour Halt) opened 23 February 1929
• Tiverton Junction, on the main line.

The line approached Tiverton Junction station in a southward direction.[1]

Colonel Yolland described the track as originally provided:

The width of the line at formation level is 11 feet on the embankments and 12 feet in cuttings. The gauges were 4 feet 8½ inches. The permanent way consists of flat-bottomed or Vignoles patterned rail stated to weigh 40 lbs per lineal yard in lengths of 15 feet, 17 feet 6 inches, and 21 feet, laid on transverse sleepers of half-round Baltic timber creosoted (4½ in.), and 9 feet long placed at an average distance of three feet apart, centre to centre, except that on some of the sharpest curves an extra sleeper has been inserted under every 21 feet length of rail. No chairs are made use of, but the rail is fastened to the transverse sleepers by a fang-bolt with a clip under the head, overlapping the flange of the rail on one side, and by a wrought iron spike on the other side. On the sharpest curves a wrought iron plate is laid between the rail and the sleeper, with holes punched in it, through which the fang-bolt and spike are driven; the joints of the rails are fastened with wrought iron fish-plates and bolts, and secured to the sleepers with a fang-bolt and clip on each side of the rail. The ballast is of gravel, a small proportion of sand; it was required according to the contract, to be eight inches deep under the sleepers, but is stated to average about one foot. No engine turn table has been provided. The line has a very large number of sharp curves having radii of 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 chains. The steepest incline is 1 in 66.[7]

R D Blackmore wrote a three-volume novel called Perlycross: a Tale of the Western Hills which is set in the fictional villages of Perlycombe, Perlycross and Perliton, which represent Hemyock, Culmstock and Uffculme respectively.[1]

• R.V.J. Butt (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1.
• Paul Karau (1977). Great Western Branch Line Termini (combined edition). Oxford Publishing Company and Paul Karau. ISBN 0-86093-369-5.
• Iain Rice (1990). Model Railway Layout Design. Wild Swan Publications Ltd. and Iain Rice. ISBN 0-906867-85-1. (Although a book on modelling technique it contains some photographs of the line and useful station track plans).

• Map of line
• Disused stations site record
  • Uffculme
  • Culmstock
  • Hemyock
  • Tiverton Junction