That video took a lot of planning & car moving. It amazes me how you spot the remains of a hinge of a level crossing gate, you are really observing as you are walking. Well done Sherlock🔎!
Thanks Faith! Yes, that was a bit of sheer luck discovering the former level crossing gate post and its hinge. It is hard to envisage that a railway once did cross the road there. Hope you are having a good weekend. Take care, Paul
Do you mean the ones behind the viaduct at the start? If so, then yes, they have been planted grown up since the line closed. Kingsbridge in Bloom has a great website ( www.kingsbridgeinbloom.co.uk/primrose-line-railway-bridge.html) which has loads more photos which I cannot use for copyright reasons, including one of that viaduct just after it had been built, but just before the railway opened by the looks of it. Cheers Martyn! Paul
Hello Paul. Greetings from Poland. With a little imagination, I can visualise just how beautiful this line must have been back in the day. Thank goodness that private individuals have spent time and money renovating those fabulous stations.
Thank you Michael. I do hope that your recovery continues to go well at home. I really enjoyed my wanders around The Avon Valley again last Friday - it really is a stunning area. Yes, you are right - really good to see! I forgot to mention in the video that Loddiswell has a restored signal box too - which you can hire as a holiday let. Take care, Paul
Thankyou for that lovely video ,Paul. A lovely place, and as you say, it must have been a scenic ride on that line, especially with the camping coaches!
Very enjoyable discover of what must have been a delightful rural branch line to Kingsbridge. Good to see some of the stations have been sensitively restored and bridge architecture preserved. The vintage photo's of Kingsbridge station with horse-drawn transport, are wonderful. Thank you.
A lovely,restful,comprehensive video of the ‘Primrose Line’. I can imagine how pretty the journey would have been when it was in its heyday. How scary to be bombed & thank goodness there was a tunnel in which to shelter! Thank you for all your detective work in finding the course of the railway!
Thank you Diana. Glad you enjoyed it - it really is a lovely part of the world. I think enthusiasts would have flocked to it today, if it had become a heritage railway, although there are a couple more in the area (South Devon and Paignton to Dartmouth Line). Yes, it has a lot of history and much more that I could convey in a shortish video. Take care, Paul
Lovely tour, Paul - I enjoyed seeing the variety of bridges and tunnels that the rail line traveled through. The brickwork on many of them is so lovely. I also enjoyed that story of the train taking refuge in the tunnel during the bombing - great thinking on the driver's part. Thank you for taking the time to travel around and connect all the pieces together.
Thank you Donna! Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, unfortunately, much of former route this one isn't walkable, so I couldn't do it as part of my Lost Railway Walks series (I will have another one of those soon, hopefully). It was nice to be able to walk a section of it through the trees following the river though - it is a beautiful area. Hope all is good with you. Take care, Paul
What a wonderful way to welcome people to Kingsbridge. Also what a perfect way to memorialize the railway with such a beautiful flower garden. Great walk. Thank you Paul.👍
Thanks for posting this, it's a lovely area certainly. The picture of the camping coach comes from a TV series made in the late 1950s and early 1960s called Railway Roundabout. The camping coach item was filmed at Gara Bridge and shows a school or youth group staying in a camping coach there and watching the trains and splashing about in the river. A rather nice memory of times past.
Thank you! Yes, I have a couple of that Railway Roundabout series on DVD but not the one that covers this line. I think the group of children were a scout group. It must have been a wonderful experience to have stayed in it. Cheers, Paul
Paul, what a fantastic video we really enjoyed watching it, so interesting and such beautiful countryside. Once again, your knowledge is astounding. You really ought to be on TV, so that more people can enjoy your work, thankyou regards Gary and Julie.
Thank you Gary and Julie. Glad you enjoyed the video. Not sure about being on TV bit though! I prefer to do things under my own steam, rather than have a paymaster or time restraints and deadlines. It is a super area to explore around. Take care, Paul
You're welcome! I thoroughly enjoyed exploring around the beautiful Avon Valley again last Friday. I was delighted to find the remains of the level crossing gate in Topsham Bridge. Paul
Hi Paul, That must have been a wonderful branch line back in the day. I wonder if there is anyone who remembers staying in those holiday coaches? The walk was perfect just on its own but you kept on finding more and more relicts. My favourite was the iron crossing gate hinges half hidden away under the ivy. If you'd ask me where your dentist was, I think I'd have probably said in an old railway building. I can visualise you and Ron in the waiting room waiting for your fillings!! The river looked really healthy very clear fast flowing. It reminded me A bit of a river a bit further north and to the east of Dartmoor, where you will find Becky Falls, a place we often stop at on the way to Cornwall. Anyway great video, I'm glad you had no need to enter that last station building!! All the best!!
Thank you David! Yes, it is good having a dentist there as you can keep your mind occupied by watching the trains pass by frequently. It is actually a pleasant and light and airy building inside what was once the goods shed. But they do need some old photos of The Primrose Line on the walls inside it though! Yes, Becky Falls is a super location - I have been there a few times now. Hope you are having a good weekend. Take care, Paul
Wonderful video of a truly beautiful area. What a shame that they have no railway there now. What a wonderful resource they would have. Camping Coaches, simply wonderful idea!
Thank you - glad you enjoyed the tour. Yes - the roads around the beautiful South Hams aren't the best, and can become easily clogged at any time of the year. Such a shame and a waste of infrastructure that this line - like many, closed, when it could have taken a lot of holiday traffic, and some regular traffic, particularly that heading on to Salcombe, and the coast, off the roads. Camping coaches are fab - I do think there are some you can still stay in - I think there are a couple at St. Germans on the mainline in Cornwall. Cheers, Paul
@@westcountrywanderings Thanks for the great reply. I live in America now but I am from Glasgow and studied the Geology of Malvern and Dartmoor. Even the Romans had a hard time understanding that area and further west to Penance.
Hi Paul. I found journey along the sadly lost Kingsbridge line very interesting. As an early GWS member I well remember TWE Roche who was really one of the driving forces promoting the Society. In the early days he campaigned flat out to save the line, having it seemed a favourable liason with B.R. and the contractors.As I remember it an arrangement was made to postpone lifting the line until discussions for saving the line could take place. Apparently due to a 'misunderstanding' the contractor somewhat stealthily moved in and started ripping up the line. Also of interest, another GWS member Ken Williams and Dermot Reynolds produced an excellent history of the line in 1977. Not sure if still generally available. What a loss to the Heritage Movement.
Thank you Bob - and glad you found the video and wander here in the South Hams interesting. It would have indeed made a spectacular heritage line, with stunning views, although having two other preserved lines nearby would have possibly reduced visitors numbers, perhaps? This would still make a useful commuting and tourist line, as I am sure you are aware, roads around the South Hams are not the best! It would have been especially useful if there were through trains to Exeter and/or Plymouth to Kingsbridge and bus connections to Salcombe - both towns have grown considerably in recent times. Thank you for a great comment. Take care, Paul
Oh, gosh yes! The dividing 'line' is Modbury - anything to the north and west of it has a much wetter climate. I lived in South Milton, and I would often leave home on a sunny evening only to arrive in work less than an hour later in pouring rain in Plymouth (I worked night shifts there). The reverse would happen in the morning - the rain would stop around Modbury on the A379. All to do with the pull of Dartmoor hills I believe. Thanks Caroline! Paul
That video took a lot of planning & car moving. It amazes me how you spot the remains of a hinge of a level crossing gate, you are really observing as you are walking. Well done Sherlock🔎!
Thanks Faith!
Yes, that was a bit of sheer luck discovering the former level crossing gate post and its hinge. It is hard to envisage that a railway once did cross the road there.
Hope you are having a good weekend.
Take care,
Paul
I would assume that those trees blocking the view were not even planted when the railway was working. Great video, Paul. It was very interesting.😊
Do you mean the ones behind the viaduct at the start?
If so, then yes, they have been planted grown up since the line closed.
Kingsbridge in Bloom has a great website ( www.kingsbridgeinbloom.co.uk/primrose-line-railway-bridge.html) which has loads more photos which I cannot use for copyright reasons, including one of that viaduct just after it had been built, but just before the railway opened by the looks of it.
Cheers Martyn!
Paul
Hello Paul. Greetings from Poland.
With a little imagination, I can visualise just how beautiful this line must have been back in the day. Thank goodness that private individuals have spent time and money renovating those fabulous stations.
Thank you Michael.
I do hope that your recovery continues to go well at home.
I really enjoyed my wanders around The Avon Valley again last Friday - it really is a stunning area.
Yes, you are right - really good to see! I forgot to mention in the video that Loddiswell has a restored signal box too - which you can hire as a holiday let.
Take care,
Paul
Thankyou for that lovely video ,Paul. A lovely place, and as you say, it must have been a scenic ride on that line, especially with the camping coaches!
Thank you Michael!
Oh, yes, I would have loved to have had a ride on that line and stayed in the camping coaches too.
Take care,
Paul
Very enjoyable discover of what must have been a delightful rural branch line to Kingsbridge. Good to see some of the stations have been sensitively restored and bridge architecture preserved. The vintage photo's of Kingsbridge station with horse-drawn transport, are wonderful. Thank you.
Thank you Malcolm.
Glad you found it enjoyable.
Yes, I particularly enjoyed that photo - full of interest and atmosphere.
Take care,
Paul
A lovely,restful,comprehensive video of the ‘Primrose Line’. I can imagine how pretty the journey would have been when it was in its heyday.
How scary to be bombed & thank goodness there was a tunnel in which to shelter! Thank you for all your detective work in finding the course of the railway!
Thank you Diana.
Glad you enjoyed it - it really is a lovely part of the world.
I think enthusiasts would have flocked to it today, if it had become a heritage railway, although there are a couple more in the area (South Devon and Paignton to Dartmouth Line).
Yes, it has a lot of history and much more that I could convey in a shortish video.
Take care,
Paul
Lovely tour, Paul - I enjoyed seeing the variety of bridges and tunnels that the rail line traveled through. The brickwork on many of them is so lovely. I also enjoyed that story of the train taking refuge in the tunnel during the bombing - great thinking on the driver's part. Thank you for taking the time to travel around and connect all the pieces together.
Thank you Donna!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Yes, unfortunately, much of former route this one isn't walkable, so I couldn't do it as part of my Lost Railway Walks series (I will have another one of those soon, hopefully). It was nice to be able to walk a section of it through the trees following the river though - it is a beautiful area.
Hope all is good with you.
Take care,
Paul
What a wonderful way to welcome people to Kingsbridge. Also what a perfect way to memorialize the railway with such a beautiful flower garden. Great walk. Thank you Paul.👍
Thank you Daryl!
It is a brilliant feature point and gateway to the this town.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Take care,
Paul
Thanks for posting this, it's a lovely area certainly. The picture of the camping coach comes from a TV series made in the late 1950s and early 1960s called Railway Roundabout. The camping coach item was filmed at Gara Bridge and shows a school or youth group staying in a camping coach there and watching the trains and splashing about in the river. A rather nice memory of times past.
Thank you!
Yes, I have a couple of that Railway Roundabout series on DVD but not the one that covers this line.
I think the group of children were a scout group. It must have been a wonderful experience to have stayed in it.
Cheers,
Paul
Paul, what a fantastic video we really enjoyed watching it, so interesting and such beautiful countryside. Once again, your knowledge is astounding. You really ought to be on TV, so that more people can enjoy your work, thankyou regards Gary and Julie.
Thank you Gary and Julie.
Glad you enjoyed the video.
Not sure about being on TV bit though! I prefer to do things under my own steam, rather than have a paymaster or time restraints and deadlines.
It is a super area to explore around.
Take care,
Paul
Hi Paul. thanks for the mention and the rest of the line. caroline
You're welcome!
I thoroughly enjoyed exploring around the beautiful Avon Valley again last Friday.
I was delighted to find the remains of the level crossing gate in Topsham Bridge.
Paul
great video as usual, thank you paul.
Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Cheers,
Paul
Really interesting video Paul! especially the train hiding in the tunnel from the Bombers. brilliant! best wishes Darren👌👍👍👍
Thank you Darren!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Yes, it really is a lovely area.
Take care,
Paul
Hi Paul, That must have been a wonderful branch line back in the day. I wonder if there is anyone who remembers staying in those holiday coaches?
The walk was perfect just on its own but you kept on finding more and more relicts. My favourite was the iron crossing gate hinges half hidden away under the ivy.
If you'd ask me where your dentist was, I think I'd have probably said in an old railway building. I can visualise you and Ron in the waiting room waiting for your fillings!!
The river looked really healthy very clear fast flowing. It reminded me A bit of a river a bit further north and to the east of Dartmoor, where you will find Becky Falls, a place we often stop at on the way to Cornwall.
Anyway great video, I'm glad you had no need to enter that last station building!!
All the best!!
Thank you David!
Yes, it is good having a dentist there as you can keep your mind occupied by watching the trains pass by frequently.
It is actually a pleasant and light and airy building inside what was once the goods shed.
But they do need some old photos of The Primrose Line on the walls inside it though!
Yes, Becky Falls is a super location - I have been there a few times now.
Hope you are having a good weekend.
Take care,
Paul
Wonderful video of a truly beautiful area. What a shame that they have no railway there now. What a wonderful resource they would have. Camping Coaches, simply wonderful idea!
Thank you - glad you enjoyed the tour.
Yes - the roads around the beautiful South Hams aren't the best, and can become easily clogged at any time of the year.
Such a shame and a waste of infrastructure that this line - like many, closed, when it could have taken a lot of holiday traffic, and some regular traffic, particularly that heading on to Salcombe, and the coast, off the roads.
Camping coaches are fab - I do think there are some you can still stay in - I think there are a couple at St. Germans on the mainline in Cornwall.
Cheers,
Paul
@@westcountrywanderings Thanks for the great reply. I live in America now but I am from Glasgow and studied the Geology of Malvern and Dartmoor. Even the Romans had a hard time understanding that area and further west to Penance.
Hi Paul. I found journey along the sadly lost Kingsbridge line very interesting. As an early GWS member I well remember TWE Roche who was really one of the driving forces promoting the Society. In the early days he campaigned flat out to save the line, having it seemed a favourable liason with B.R. and the contractors.As I remember it an arrangement was made to postpone lifting the line until discussions for saving the line could take place. Apparently due to a 'misunderstanding' the contractor somewhat stealthily moved in and started ripping up the line. Also of interest, another GWS member Ken Williams and Dermot Reynolds produced an excellent history of the line in 1977. Not sure if still generally available. What a loss to the Heritage Movement.
Thank you Bob - and glad you found the video and wander here in the South Hams interesting.
It would have indeed made a spectacular heritage line, with stunning views, although having two other preserved lines nearby would have possibly reduced visitors numbers, perhaps? This would still make a useful commuting and tourist line, as I am sure you are aware, roads around the South Hams are not the best! It would have been especially useful if there were through trains to Exeter and/or Plymouth to Kingsbridge and bus connections to Salcombe - both towns have grown considerably in recent times.
Thank you for a great comment.
Take care,
Paul
Thanks!
Thank you!
That's very kind and generous of you.
Paul.
As you know this railway line had its own climate. caroline
Oh, gosh yes! The dividing 'line' is Modbury - anything to the north and west of it has a much wetter climate. I lived in South Milton, and I would often leave home on a sunny evening only to arrive in work less than an hour later in pouring rain in Plymouth (I worked night shifts there). The reverse would happen in the morning - the rain would stop around Modbury on the A379.
All to do with the pull of Dartmoor hills I believe.
Thanks Caroline!
Paul
Well im here and have nearly caught up already .At this rate ill be a month ahead of you soon 😂😂😂😂
Lovely video again and a gem of a waterfall .
Thank you Shaun!
Yes, that waterfall on the River Avon was astonishing - all that rain we have had cascading off of Dartmoor.
Cheers,
Paul
Hi Paul nice video and info and history 🚅
Good morning Roy!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Hope you are having a good week.
Take care,
Paul