Heritage Railway – September 21, 2018

DURING my twodecades in railway journalism,
conflictsbetween the requirements of rails and
the ambitions of cyclepath promoters have
oftenbeen vexed issues, the latest manifestation
being the controversy over the use of the footbridge
that links Totnes to the South DevonRailway’sTotnes
(Riverside) terminus and the town’smagnificent rare
breeds farmnext door that, as an animal lover, is the
finest of its type I have ever seen.
So far the railwayhas refused to allowthe
footbridge to becomepart of a long-distance
cyclepath stretching across southernEngland from
the Kent coast to southCornwall,
and it has comeunderabarrage of
criticism fromlocal politicians at all
levels for taking this stance.
Thereare two factors at play
here. Firstly, the footbridge would
need tobeopen24hoursaday. So
who would be funding the cost of
additional securityat the station
and the farmpark?
Twoyears ago, I presented the Heritage Railway
Association’s Interpretation Award, which this
magazine sponsors, to this railway for the creation
of this station, usingbuildings saved fromclosed
GWR stations across the former Swindonempire.
Uninformed visitors would never guess inamillion
years thatwhile everything they see there is genuine,
nothing is new, but rebuilt on whatwas oncean
emptymuddy greenfield site.
Sadly, ourmagazine regularly carries stories about
vandalismof heritage railwaybuildings and rolling
stock, which in far toomany cases ends without
the culprits being caught or givenmeaningful
punishment asadeterrent to others. I’m all in favour