Devon's railway history began when the main line from London reached Exeter in 1844. Links were soon built with Plymouth in 1848 and Barnstaple in 1854. On top of this, in the heyday of railway age, Devon also boasted over 400 miles of branch lines and sidings - nearly all of them to disappear by the end of the 20th century. At a time when horse-drawn coaches and farm carts were the only alternative, the railways transported people and goods to their destinations much more quickly. Sadly, the good times were not to last and by the 1930s competition from road transport led to closures which continued into the 1960s when the Beeching Act finished off all but the main lines. Today two preservation societies, the Plym Valley Railway and the Dart Valley Railway, are keeping the county's railway history alive. In this excellently written and well researched book, author Stan Yorke tells the story of the lost lines - the reason for their construction and for their closure. Modern photographs accompany those taken when Devon's lines were open and bustling.

A5 (Paperback)