Memories shared as event marks 50 years since Launceston lost its railway

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Cornish & Devon Post, a fascinating and very detailed article by Zoë Uglow.

It is a relatively long article, so rather than quote it here in full on the Coffee Shop forum, I would like instead to encourage those of our readers who are particularly interested in the subject to please click on the link. 

[onthecushions]

Launceston of course suffered from the twin drawbacks of the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)/SR^▸ (Southern Railway / Southern Region / Scot Rail / Scottish Region (rather confusing - it depends on the context)) cold war and of the limited passenger and freight business on offer in the West Country.

If the two companies had shared routes (e.g. having a joint line to Lydford) then perhaps the town's rail link might have survived and even prompted the retention of the Exeter - Okehampton - Tavistock - Plymouth line.

The crocodile tears of the WC^▸ (Wiltshire Council (Unitary Authority), was Wiltshire County Council until March 2009) Local Authorities are unconvincing. They have allowed rights of way to be needlessly lost in spite of their expensive (non-) planning departments and achieve near zero in practical reinstatement.

OTC