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A century ago, Britain's rail
network was the envy of the world.

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You could get a train from
almost anywhere...

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..to almost anywhere else.

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But many of these lines were
considered unprofitable,

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and in the 1960s,

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Dr Beeching was recruited by the
government to come up with a plan

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that would stop the railways
from haemorrhaging money.

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He famously brought the axe down on
over 4,000 miles of track,

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and 2,000 stations.

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Almost overnight,
30% of the network was closed down.

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50 years on, I'm going on a journey

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to discover just a few
of those lost lines.

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This time, I'm in Devon,

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walking the lost railway between
Plymouth and Exeter, via Dartmoor.

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It's a 50-mile journey in total.

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A train still runs
from Plymouth to Bere Alston,

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but from Bere Alston onwards,

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this goods and passenger railway
is lost for 18 miles,

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almost to Oakhampton.

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The line started in Plymouth,

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one of the most historic ports
on the south coast.

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It ran through the fertile farmlands
in the heartland of West Devon...

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..and across a unique iron viaduct,
with a 150ft drop.

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Ah! I'm not going to let go!

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I'll see first-hand where the very
best railway ballast came from.

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I want to understand why
so many people

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want to bring this lost railway
back to life,

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and how they've already
succeeded

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in restoring the rest of the line
to Exeter.

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One of the biggest challenges
walking lost railways

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can be getting started,

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finding the exact point
where the old track bed begins.

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They can be completely overgrown

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and sometimes have been built
right on top of.

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Once you find it, you're well away,

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especially if you've got an old map
that shows you the exact route,

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where the old railway used to go.

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And that's why I've come here.

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I'm looking for the garage that
belongs to house number six.

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And here it is.

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And it's in here that I'm hoping to
find my start point for the journey

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walking the lost section of the
London and South Western railway.

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Hello!

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Hello! Is it Bruce?
Good afternoon! It is!

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Nice to see you.
nice to see you. Come on in.

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Thank you very much! Look at this.

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Thanks, Bruce! Oh!

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It's amazing!

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Bruce is a model railway enthusiast.

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I'm hoping to find some clues as to
where to start my journey

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amongst his meticulous scale model
of Bere Alston station.

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What I am trying to do is walk the
route that the old line took.

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And the tricky thing for me is
finding the point where today's

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railway stops and the lost railway
that's no longer there begins.

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Right! And it's not always easy,
because you're trying to find

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the start point of something that's
no longer there any more. Yep.

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The first thing Bruce does
is emulate the train

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I'll be coming in on from Plymouth,
which still runs to this day.

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This could be you from your train
from Plymouth. Excellent!

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The train journey from Plymouth to
Bere Alston is about eight miles.

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When you arrive on the
train at Bere Alston,

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you need to head that way, just as
the little chappie here will.

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Fantastic, Bruce!

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Have you made this especially?
He was made over the weekend.

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ROB CHUCKLES

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And once you get to the end,

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if you down the ramp and along
the track for about 200m...

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..and then you'll come to
a dead end,

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and carry on just walking
all the way to Oakhampton for you.

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So, Bruce has given me an idea
of where I need to head.

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Now, I need to do it for real.

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I'm just off the train
from Plymouth,

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and I'm here at the real
Bere Alston Station,

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and this is as far as the train
comes in this direction these days.

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But having spoken with Bruce,

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and seeing all this on a miniature
scale,

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I'm pretty confident I know
where the old track bed runs -

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it's this way.

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Ah! Huh.

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A bit stuck here.

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Well, that's obviously good to see,

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railway infrastructure,

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but this fence is not what
I wanted to find here.

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And that's obviously overgrown,
so the track went on through there.

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That's all overgrown now.

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But this fence is blocking me
through here.

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That big bank means I can't
go up that side.

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That fence goes all the way
to the bank over there.

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I can't get through here, and you
can't just go climbing over fences.

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OK. Let's have a rethink.

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Erm... If I want to keep
following the line

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on a roughly northerly direction
through here,

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but because of this obstruction,

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I think I might have to take
a bit of a detour.

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That's all right!

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This is all part of the adventure,
with walking these lost railways.

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This is, in its very nature,
it's partly lost.

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My job is to try and find it again.

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So, I'm thinking if I head back out
from the station

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and try and find some roads which
may cross the line.

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So, here we are.

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Where am I? Yeah, here we are.

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So, from Bere Alston...

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Actually, that's as good.
OK, this is good.

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I've got a good few roads
off of here

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that cross and pass
either under or over the railway,

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so that's where I'm heading now.

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Back out, and along the road.

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See if I can get back on
to this line.

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It might not look like it,

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but this is one of the most complete
lost railways in the country.

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Overgrown it may be, but, uniquely,
all the track bed is still intact.

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There are people up and down
the line

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campaigning for it to be reopened,

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and that's because so
many of the transportation needs

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that motivated the building of this
railway 130 years ago

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still exist today.

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Ha!

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This is what I've been looking for.

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Some brick walls along this road...

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..because...

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..this will be...

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..a bridge over the old railway
line.

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If my map reading's correct, anyway.

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Yes!

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Ha-ha!

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Look at that!

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My goodness, that's a long way down.

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And it's a very steep embankment.

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Ha-ha!

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Woohoo!

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Good echo, too!

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Look at this beautiful brickwork.

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Ah, stunning!

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So, the last bridge allowed me
to go over the top of the railway.

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This one allows me to come
underneath it.

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So, they're different in that
respect,

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but I'm worried they
might be the same

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in that I cannot
get up on to the railway still.

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Looking for a nice, easy way up

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back on to the line.

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I say, "back on."
I've hardly been on it yet.

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This looks like it might have
been walked.

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Try this.

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This is definitely the easiest way
up to the line or down to the line

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I've had yet.

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There's definitely not a
proper footpath here yet.

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All right! bit of a track.

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See how we go.

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Glad I've got trousers on, there's a
lot of stinging nettles here.

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Hard going though it is,
I'm finally on the track bed.

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Ouch!

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And with 17 miles to go,
who knows where this will lead me?

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I'm going to discover the reason why
Dartmoor's rabbits

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were such frequent railway
passengers.

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That's put a whole new bent on
meat pies for me.

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Bring back the railways!

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Bring back the rabbit!

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Delicious!

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I'm following the route of the
London and South West Railway

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from Plymouth to Exeter,

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but I've barely walked a mile from
where I first started

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at Bere Alston.

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Following the routes of
long-forgotten railways

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can be extremely challenging.

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The lines have been closed for
more than 50 years,

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and if the land's been left
unattended,

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they can become extremely overgrown,

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and, in summer, virtually
impassable.

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Ouch!

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A couple of miles later,
I've been forced back on the road.

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Sadly, not every viaduct is safe to
walk on,

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but by keeping sight of the lost
line,

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at least I can see
I'm heading in the right direction.

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A thickly wooded avenue of trees
conveys the lost railway

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into the town of Tavistock, and, for
the first time on this journey,

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I can easily walk the track bed

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thanks to a public walkway across
the great Tavistock Viaduct.

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It breathes life back into this
gigantic structure.

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Imagine people's excitement when
steam trains first ran across

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this railway in the sky,

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towering as it does above the
ancient streets below.

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Tavistock is the birthplace of
Francis Drake -

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the man who was playing bowls when
the Spanish Armada

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was spotted coming up the
English Channel.

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Surrounded by rich farmland,

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it's always been an
important market town.

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Lavish buildings like the town hall
are also a reminder

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that by the 19th century,

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it became extremely wealthy from the
proceeds of a nearby copper mine.

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For all these reasons, and more,

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Tavistock was a perfect candidate
for the railway,

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and still would be today.

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But I've stepped off the line and
into the centre of town

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to try and sample one of
Dartmoor's delicacies.

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In the heyday of the railways,

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rabbit was an extremely popular
and abundant meat.

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00:11:05,850 --> 00:11:10,930
Dartmoor was full of them,
both wild and farmed.

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The "warrening industry,"
as it was known,

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offered a cheaper
alternative to other meats.

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It's been calculated that,
from a station nearby,

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at one point there were more dead
rabbits travelling on trains

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to London than there were people.

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And I'm hoping some of that
rabbit's still available,

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because I'm keen to try it out.

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00:11:35,690 --> 00:11:39,450
Palmer's butchers have been in
business since 1962,

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six years before the
railway was closed,

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so, they should know a thing or
two about rabbits.

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00:11:47,610 --> 00:11:49,050
Hello! Hello, Rob!
Is it Duncan?

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00:11:49,050 --> 00:11:50,850
Hiya! Nice to meet you.
Very nice to meet you!

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00:11:50,850 --> 00:11:52,170
And you! Good! Good to see you.

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This is lovely, all this, Duncan.
Thank you very much.

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00:11:54,370 --> 00:11:56,970
I tell you what, there is a question
that I need to ask you first up.

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Do you still serve rabbit?

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00:11:58,530 --> 00:11:59,650
We do, definitely. You do?

216
00:11:59,650 --> 00:12:01,250
Yep, all year round. Lovely!

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00:12:01,250 --> 00:12:03,450
Is it still a popular meat
in these parts?

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00:12:03,450 --> 00:12:06,170
Is rabbit still in demand in
Dartmoor? Very popular.

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00:12:06,170 --> 00:12:08,570
When we can get it fresh,
then we sell it in the counter,

220
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but this time of
year we sell it frozen.

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Always keep it frozen. So, yeah.

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00:12:12,330 --> 00:12:14,530
Have you got any around to see?
Have you got any here?

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Yeah, let me go and get
a couple for you.

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Yeah, let's have a look.

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There.

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Oh, here we go!
That is a frozen whole rabbit.

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This is a whole rabbit?
That's the whole rabbit.

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And people still come in today and
will ask for rabbit meat?

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00:12:26,370 --> 00:12:27,450
Yep, they do, yep.

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It's normally the older
generation that buy it.

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Why do you think that is?

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00:12:31,090 --> 00:12:34,490
Well, I think if you go back to
World War II,

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where meat was scarce,
rabbit wasn't.

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00:12:36,890 --> 00:12:38,810
And how are they served up today?

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00:12:38,810 --> 00:12:40,450
How do you tend to serve them today?

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If you come up this way,
I have rabbit pies.

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They look very tempting.

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And it is about the time of day
where I am getting a bit peckish.

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00:12:47,890 --> 00:12:49,810
Would I be able to sample one?
Of course you can.

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00:12:49,810 --> 00:12:51,650
I would love to!
Yeah, no problem at all.

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00:12:51,650 --> 00:12:54,490
Thank you very much.
Let me get one.

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00:12:56,330 --> 00:13:00,210
Pies are my weakness,
and these look delicious.

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00:13:05,450 --> 00:13:07,250
Oh, Duncan, that's cracking.

244
00:13:07,250 --> 00:13:09,970
That's put a whole new bent
on meat pies for me.

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00:13:09,970 --> 00:13:13,050
Bring back the railways!
Bring back the rabbit!

246
00:13:13,050 --> 00:13:14,490
Delicious!

247
00:13:17,130 --> 00:13:21,010
After Tavistock, the lost railway
line hugs the western edge

248
00:13:21,010 --> 00:13:23,850
of Dartmoor all the way
to Okehampton.

249
00:13:23,850 --> 00:13:27,930
I've come up to take a peek
at this glorious wilderness.

250
00:13:27,930 --> 00:13:32,530
Rabbits still thrive here, although
not in the numbers they used to.

251
00:13:32,530 --> 00:13:36,770
Too high for the railways, and,
indeed, for most of the population,

252
00:13:36,770 --> 00:13:41,170
just 33,000 people live
amongst this rugged landscape,

253
00:13:41,170 --> 00:13:45,610
yet it covers an area eight times
the size of Manchester.

254
00:13:45,610 --> 00:13:51,210
Strong winds, acidic soils and an
abundance of granite outcrops

255
00:13:51,210 --> 00:13:57,090
mean that Dartmoor has remained
largely untamed and untouched.

256
00:13:57,090 --> 00:13:59,690
The next station on the
lost line is Brentor,

257
00:13:59,690 --> 00:14:03,130
a village topped by a
curious rocky outcrop.

258
00:14:03,130 --> 00:14:08,170
It's back down the hill to the track
bed and civilisation for me.

259
00:14:08,170 --> 00:14:10,730
Trains don't like hills.

260
00:14:13,010 --> 00:14:14,890
I'm back on the road again.

261
00:14:14,890 --> 00:14:18,490
This is all private land around
here to actually walk the line,

262
00:14:18,490 --> 00:14:24,130
but I'm expecting to cross the line
on this road here very soon.

263
00:14:24,130 --> 00:14:26,930
Actually, right where
the station was.

264
00:14:26,930 --> 00:14:30,010
And this is actually called
"Station Road,"

265
00:14:30,010 --> 00:14:33,730
so it should be
around here somewhere.

266
00:14:33,730 --> 00:14:35,170
Hang on.

267
00:14:36,930 --> 00:14:39,490
I caught this out of
the corner of my eye.

268
00:14:41,130 --> 00:14:43,730
Right. well, that's
definitely a station.

269
00:14:43,730 --> 00:14:46,850
That almost still looks
like it's open.

270
00:14:46,850 --> 00:14:50,450
Oh, let's go and have a look,
see what's down here.

271
00:14:52,490 --> 00:14:54,890
Interesting facts for you,
whilst we're here.

272
00:14:54,890 --> 00:15:00,010
Station Road is actually the second
most used road name in Britain -

273
00:15:00,010 --> 00:15:01,810
the first one being "High Street".

274
00:15:01,810 --> 00:15:04,570
Now, what's going on here? I mean,
it's all given away here, look.

275
00:15:04,570 --> 00:15:07,890
Station House. That is a station.

276
00:15:11,410 --> 00:15:14,130
I don't know.
Oh, yeah, we're good.

277
00:15:14,130 --> 00:15:18,690
Hello, there. Hello. I'm Rob.
Hello. I'm Richard. Hi, Richard.

278
00:15:19,690 --> 00:15:22,810
This is, or was, Brentor station.

279
00:15:22,810 --> 00:15:27,170
Until recently it was a B&B,
but the new owner, Richard Meredith,

280
00:15:27,170 --> 00:15:30,090
is restoring it with the kind
of forensic skills

281
00:15:30,090 --> 00:15:33,210
that might be applied
to an old master.

282
00:15:33,210 --> 00:15:35,610
Wow! Look at all this!

283
00:15:35,610 --> 00:15:37,770
We're standing here.

284
00:15:37,770 --> 00:15:40,330
Just underneath this canopy here.

285
00:15:40,330 --> 00:15:44,210
So that building there
is what you see behind you there.

286
00:15:44,210 --> 00:15:47,970
Richard's station is like
a period film set,

287
00:15:47,970 --> 00:15:51,610
complete with old gas lamps,
level crossings

288
00:15:51,610 --> 00:15:54,810
and porter's trolleys loaded up
with heavy luggage.

289
00:15:54,810 --> 00:15:57,010
I'm not a railway enthusiast.
You're not?

290
00:15:57,010 --> 00:15:59,570
It's not as if I'm a trainspotter
or anything like that.

291
00:15:59,570 --> 00:16:02,250
Trains themselves don't actually
really float my boat.

292
00:16:02,250 --> 00:16:04,850
It's purely the historical aspect
of it.

293
00:16:04,850 --> 00:16:07,330
When we were looking
to buy something,

294
00:16:07,330 --> 00:16:11,610
we were looking at an old church
or an old Victorian school.

295
00:16:11,610 --> 00:16:13,970
Yeah. Is there something about
the Victorian era

296
00:16:13,970 --> 00:16:15,570
that maybe interests you, or...?

297
00:16:15,570 --> 00:16:17,050
They built things to last, Rob.

298
00:16:17,050 --> 00:16:19,250
Everything they did was properly
engineered.

299
00:16:19,250 --> 00:16:21,770
It is fantastic! You must get
a huge amount of enjoyment

300
00:16:21,770 --> 00:16:23,250
by having this then? Oh, yeah.

301
00:16:23,250 --> 00:16:25,210
Is that what it's about?
You just enjoy...

302
00:16:25,210 --> 00:16:27,410
Yeah, partly. Just enjoy it. Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.

303
00:16:27,410 --> 00:16:29,650
I mean, listen to it.
What can you hear? Nothing.

304
00:16:29,650 --> 00:16:31,090
You know, it's just so quiet.

305
00:16:31,090 --> 00:16:34,410
Yeah. And I pray, absolutely pray,
that they don't open it up again.

306
00:16:34,410 --> 00:16:36,330
As you're probably aware,
there is...

307
00:16:36,330 --> 00:16:38,530
There's quite a decent movement
behind it.

308
00:16:38,530 --> 00:16:40,730
Well, yeah, I know.
Tell me about it.

309
00:16:40,730 --> 00:16:44,650
Not everybody's campaigning
to bring this line back to life,

310
00:16:44,650 --> 00:16:48,610
and with everything Richard's done
to restore this glorious station,

311
00:16:48,610 --> 00:16:51,890
who can blame him for
fearing he might lose it.

312
00:16:51,890 --> 00:16:55,170
I'm taken inside to see
the ticket office.

313
00:16:55,170 --> 00:16:58,650
This is probably the most historical
part of the whole property.

314
00:17:00,010 --> 00:17:01,490
When I first came and saw the house,

315
00:17:01,490 --> 00:17:04,730
this is the bit that really was,
like, wow, this sells it to me.

316
00:17:04,730 --> 00:17:08,170
It's fantastic. This just gets
better and better. Oh, it's amazing.

317
00:17:08,170 --> 00:17:10,210
Yeah. These are tickets here.

318
00:17:10,210 --> 00:17:12,370
So you would... Obviously,
they'd come there,

319
00:17:12,370 --> 00:17:14,050
they'd say where they wanted to go.

320
00:17:14,050 --> 00:17:16,730
They'd take the appropriate ticket
from the box,

321
00:17:16,730 --> 00:17:18,930
stamp it with the ticket machine
here.

322
00:17:18,930 --> 00:17:21,810
Pass it over,
take the money and away they go,

323
00:17:21,810 --> 00:17:26,290
Your station here is like a living
museum, actually. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

324
00:17:26,290 --> 00:17:30,570
Richard's great western railway map
reminds me that Lydford

325
00:17:30,570 --> 00:17:33,570
is the next station
on my lost railway route.

326
00:17:36,330 --> 00:17:40,130
Known for possessing the deepest
and most idyllic gorge

327
00:17:40,130 --> 00:17:44,370
in the whole of the south west,
the railway managed to transform

328
00:17:44,370 --> 00:17:48,570
a local beauty spot into a
national must-see destination.

329
00:17:50,170 --> 00:17:53,610
It was the upper class escapades,
18th century tourism,

330
00:17:53,610 --> 00:17:59,290
that first truly celebrated the
natural beauty and mystical charm

331
00:17:59,290 --> 00:18:04,210
of this spot, much of which
centred around the dramatic

332
00:18:04,210 --> 00:18:09,170
centrepiece of Lydford gorge -
the White Lady Waterfall.

333
00:18:15,490 --> 00:18:19,250
And it is a truly
impressive cascade.

334
00:18:19,250 --> 00:18:22,690
It's unlike anything most people
would have experienced

335
00:18:22,690 --> 00:18:25,050
anywhere else at the time,

336
00:18:25,050 --> 00:18:29,370
but it was the arrival of the
railway station in Lydford in 1874

337
00:18:29,370 --> 00:18:34,730
which brought tourists here in their
droves and from all walks of life.

338
00:18:34,730 --> 00:18:37,890
Suddenly, day trips
for the working classes,

339
00:18:37,890 --> 00:18:43,530
from the likes of Exeter or
Plymouth, were easy and affordable.

340
00:18:43,530 --> 00:18:48,690
And you can imagine their reactions
when confronted with this.

341
00:19:07,730 --> 00:19:10,970
As I progress on my journey,
I'm round about here,

342
00:19:10,970 --> 00:19:13,010
near Lydford station.

343
00:19:13,010 --> 00:19:16,170
Now, my lost railway,
the London and South Western,

344
00:19:16,170 --> 00:19:22,130
continues up northeast to
Okehampton, but if you can see here,

345
00:19:22,130 --> 00:19:28,250
there's a split and another railway
heads west out through Launceston.

346
00:19:28,250 --> 00:19:33,090
It's another lost railway and I'm
actually on it right here now.

347
00:19:33,090 --> 00:19:37,330
You can see these deep cuttings
on each side of me.

348
00:19:37,330 --> 00:19:42,010
Now, I'm taking this small
diversion, let's call it,

349
00:19:42,010 --> 00:19:45,210
west out here to a place
called Lifton,

350
00:19:45,210 --> 00:19:47,210
because there's a factory there

351
00:19:47,210 --> 00:19:49,890
that's been in operation
for over 100 years

352
00:19:49,890 --> 00:19:53,210
that was only originally
built there at Lifton

353
00:19:53,210 --> 00:19:56,610
because of the existence
of this railway.

354
00:19:56,610 --> 00:19:58,890
And I've got a strong feeling

355
00:19:58,890 --> 00:20:02,650
it's going take me right back
to my childhood.

356
00:20:09,850 --> 00:20:13,650
My Friesian friends in the field
here give a bit of a clue

357
00:20:13,650 --> 00:20:17,490
as to why I've taken this detour
up towards Launceston.

358
00:20:17,490 --> 00:20:21,850
Devon is, of course,
famous for its dairy produce.

359
00:20:21,850 --> 00:20:24,330
In fact, the south west of England

360
00:20:24,330 --> 00:20:28,050
is home to around a third
of the country's dairy cows.

361
00:20:28,050 --> 00:20:33,130
But it's one product in particular
that I've come to explore.

362
00:20:40,090 --> 00:20:42,810
I'm on my favourite kind of road,

363
00:20:42,810 --> 00:20:45,410
Station Road in the village
of Lifton,

364
00:20:45,410 --> 00:20:47,570
and I've come to meet Tony Symons.

365
00:20:47,570 --> 00:20:51,370
Very good to meet you.

366
00:20:51,370 --> 00:20:53,250
I'm finding it a little hard

367
00:20:53,250 --> 00:20:56,170
to actually figure out
exactly where I was.

368
00:20:56,170 --> 00:21:00,370
A big clue for me was the fact that
we've got Station Road along there,

369
00:21:00,370 --> 00:21:02,290
that I was walking along.

370
00:21:02,290 --> 00:21:07,570
But I couldn't really take
the exact line of the route

371
00:21:07,570 --> 00:21:11,010
because your great big factory
here is in the way. Oh, right.

372
00:21:11,010 --> 00:21:15,050
So the factory's been built on
the route of the former railway

373
00:21:15,050 --> 00:21:19,770
and we're stood on the railway
at the moment.

374
00:21:19,770 --> 00:21:22,090
This road is, well...

375
00:21:22,090 --> 00:21:24,690
This road is the path of the
original railway. It's the railway.

376
00:21:26,050 --> 00:21:27,530
So, let's have a look at this.

377
00:21:27,530 --> 00:21:30,930
There's the factory,
and this is a level crossing.

378
00:21:30,930 --> 00:21:33,130
Is that a level crossing?
It looks like one to me.

379
00:21:33,130 --> 00:21:34,530
That's the level crossing.

380
00:21:34,530 --> 00:21:37,770
We're actually stood in front
of the spot at the moment.

381
00:21:37,770 --> 00:21:39,770
That's just here? Fantastic!

382
00:21:39,770 --> 00:21:43,530
So, if you say, so that's heading up
towards Launceston? Launceston, yes.

383
00:21:43,530 --> 00:21:45,970
So, I'm coming this way
from Lydford. Yeah.

384
00:21:45,970 --> 00:21:48,650
So, that is where the trains
would be coming in.

385
00:21:48,650 --> 00:21:51,130
So, the railway went across
this level crossing

386
00:21:51,130 --> 00:21:53,570
and through what is now
the site of a factory.

387
00:21:53,570 --> 00:21:56,850
It's quite hard to imagine that now,
isn't it? Certainly is, yeah.

388
00:21:58,210 --> 00:22:01,530
I can now reveal that the product
I've come to explore

389
00:22:01,530 --> 00:22:03,690
is none other than rice pudding.

390
00:22:05,250 --> 00:22:09,490
The Ambrosia factory owes its very
existence to the railway.

391
00:22:09,490 --> 00:22:11,530
It was built alongside
Lifton Station

392
00:22:11,530 --> 00:22:15,930
for the express purpose of bringing
milk and rice into the factory,

393
00:22:15,930 --> 00:22:19,690
and despatching cans of rice pudding
out to the rest of the country.

394
00:22:22,690 --> 00:22:26,610
Alfred Morris opened the
factory in 1917,

395
00:22:26,610 --> 00:22:30,090
52 years after the railway
was first laid here.

396
00:22:30,090 --> 00:22:33,010
Initially, it was used to
make milk powder.

397
00:22:33,010 --> 00:22:36,370
Then, just before the outbreak of
the Second World War,

398
00:22:36,370 --> 00:22:41,170
Morris' team invented a way of
making rice pudding in a can.

399
00:22:41,170 --> 00:22:43,850
Unopened, it lasted for years,

400
00:22:43,850 --> 00:22:47,450
and so became a wartime staple
in Red Cross parcels,

401
00:22:47,450 --> 00:22:51,650
distributed to prisoner's of war
all around the world.

402
00:22:51,650 --> 00:22:53,490
We've got a lot of empty cans here,

403
00:22:53,490 --> 00:22:57,330
but then, first things first,
is rice going in, is it?

404
00:22:57,330 --> 00:23:00,010
So, the rice is filled on this
machine... Yeah.

405
00:23:00,010 --> 00:23:01,810
..into each of the cans,

406
00:23:01,810 --> 00:23:04,010
and the rice is raw at this point.

407
00:23:04,010 --> 00:23:08,050
And this is the quantity of rice
that goes into each can.

408
00:23:08,050 --> 00:23:09,090
Hey, hey!

409
00:23:11,050 --> 00:23:13,730
The process is fascinating
to follow.

410
00:23:13,730 --> 00:23:16,210
A milk and sugar solution is
added to the rice,

411
00:23:16,210 --> 00:23:18,450
and the can is then sealed.

412
00:23:18,450 --> 00:23:21,450
We don't want anything getting
in or out of the can,

413
00:23:21,450 --> 00:23:23,490
because we're going to use the can,

414
00:23:23,490 --> 00:23:26,050
if you like, as a small
pressure cooker

415
00:23:26,050 --> 00:23:28,650
to cook and sterilise the product

416
00:23:28,650 --> 00:23:30,850
and kill all the bacteria.

417
00:23:30,850 --> 00:23:34,650
The contents are cooked inside the
can in massive ovens,

418
00:23:34,650 --> 00:23:37,410
then cooled and cooked again.

419
00:23:37,410 --> 00:23:41,290
Only then do they become genuine,
canned rice pudding,

420
00:23:41,290 --> 00:23:42,490
ready to eat.

421
00:23:44,850 --> 00:23:47,890
Luckily for me, every batch of
rice pudding

422
00:23:47,890 --> 00:23:50,970
is tested and tasted for
quality control,

423
00:23:50,970 --> 00:23:53,770
and I'm available.

424
00:23:53,770 --> 00:23:56,090
Well, I'm staring looking at it.
I think we've just got to

425
00:23:56,090 --> 00:23:59,050
get in there, haven't we?
Shall we just dig in? Yeah. Dig in!

426
00:24:01,690 --> 00:24:02,810
Lovely!

427
00:24:05,170 --> 00:24:08,090
Now, I... A lot of people have
their rice pudding hot.

428
00:24:08,090 --> 00:24:11,250
I... I enjoy my rice pudding cold,
I have to say.

429
00:24:11,250 --> 00:24:13,530
For me, it feels like
tasting it pure.

430
00:24:13,530 --> 00:24:15,010
Tasting it pure.

431
00:24:15,010 --> 00:24:16,970
Can I...? Can I get in?

432
00:24:16,970 --> 00:24:19,090
I'm really excited about this.

433
00:24:24,490 --> 00:24:26,610
That tastes pretty good to me, Tony.

434
00:24:28,490 --> 00:24:31,530
I'm going to discover how the
railway made it up

435
00:24:31,530 --> 00:24:33,170
onto the high moor...

436
00:24:33,170 --> 00:24:35,650
Ohh! Here we are!
Ha-ha!

437
00:24:35,650 --> 00:24:37,850
We've got ourselves some railway
track!

438
00:24:37,850 --> 00:24:41,250
..and how it helped improved the
army's target practice

439
00:24:41,250 --> 00:24:42,650
into the bog.

440
00:24:42,650 --> 00:24:43,970
It's got a kick like a mule.

441
00:24:46,170 --> 00:24:48,010
WHISTLE BLOWS

442
00:24:50,740 --> 00:24:53,540
I'm following the route of the
London and South West Railway

443
00:24:53,540 --> 00:24:55,340
from Plymouth to Exeter,

444
00:24:55,340 --> 00:24:57,540
and I'm now 23 miles into
my journey.

445
00:25:00,300 --> 00:25:03,540
HE GRUNTS
It is hard going through here.

446
00:25:06,660 --> 00:25:10,980
Thankfully, for me, things are
about to get a lot easier,

447
00:25:10,980 --> 00:25:14,340
cos I've just arrived back on the
outskirts of Lydford,

448
00:25:14,340 --> 00:25:18,740
and from here on, for the next 11
miles to Okehampton,

449
00:25:18,740 --> 00:25:22,380
the old railway line has been turned
into a dedicated

450
00:25:22,380 --> 00:25:24,780
pedestrian and cycle route.

451
00:25:24,780 --> 00:25:26,460
So, I won't be needing that any
more.

452
00:25:31,140 --> 00:25:33,020
Plain sailing for me now,

453
00:25:33,020 --> 00:25:34,820
in comparison to what's back there.

454
00:25:37,620 --> 00:25:42,380
Built in 1874 and straddling a
particularly deep valley,

455
00:25:42,380 --> 00:25:45,740
the Meldon Viaduct was a spectacular
addition

456
00:25:45,740 --> 00:25:48,940
to this section of the London and
South West Railway.

457
00:25:48,940 --> 00:25:51,620
Constructed from wrought iron
and cast iron,

458
00:25:51,620 --> 00:25:55,380
as opposed to the more conventional
stone or brick arches,

459
00:25:55,380 --> 00:25:59,980
the elegant and unique Meldon
Viaduct is now a scheduled monument.

460
00:26:02,540 --> 00:26:05,020
I've come to meet engineer,
Simon Hollyer,

461
00:26:05,020 --> 00:26:08,020
who's responsible for maintaining
the fabric and safety

462
00:26:08,020 --> 00:26:09,140
of the structure.

463
00:26:10,780 --> 00:26:13,180
I do have a picture of what
it was like

464
00:26:13,180 --> 00:26:15,340
shortly after it was built. Wow!

465
00:26:15,340 --> 00:26:16,620
You've noticed something.

466
00:26:18,540 --> 00:26:20,740
That's... That's only got one...

467
00:26:20,740 --> 00:26:21,940
Am I...? Yeah.

468
00:26:21,940 --> 00:26:24,660
That's only got one line of, erm...

469
00:26:24,660 --> 00:26:26,620
Trestles, we call them.
These stanchions.

470
00:26:26,620 --> 00:26:27,980
Yeah, the trestles. Right.

471
00:26:27,980 --> 00:26:30,860
Well... Yeah, originally it was
built as a single track.

472
00:26:30,860 --> 00:26:32,700
Erm...
HE CHUCKLES

473
00:26:32,700 --> 00:26:34,660
Four years later, they'd open up a
second one,

474
00:26:34,660 --> 00:26:36,500
and there were two reasons
to do that.

475
00:26:36,500 --> 00:26:38,260
A - to get an extra line in there,

476
00:26:38,260 --> 00:26:40,740
and at the time when they
first opened it,

477
00:26:40,740 --> 00:26:42,620
it was very, very nerve-racking for
the people

478
00:26:42,620 --> 00:26:44,940
to drive the trains across it,

479
00:26:44,940 --> 00:26:47,500
because of the curve on the
viaduct... Yeah, you can see that.

480
00:26:47,500 --> 00:26:49,700
..and the wind. The thing used to
shake around a bit.

481
00:26:49,700 --> 00:26:52,220
As you can see in the photo,
it's a very, very slender structure.

482
00:26:52,220 --> 00:26:53,900
Yeah, it is! So, with the new
structure,

483
00:26:53,900 --> 00:26:55,940
which opened about four years later,

484
00:26:55,940 --> 00:26:57,460
that stiffened the whole thing up.

485
00:26:57,460 --> 00:26:59,660
I guess you are lowering the centre
of gravity,

486
00:26:59,660 --> 00:27:02,260
and you are giving it a much
wider...

487
00:27:02,260 --> 00:27:05,820
That's correct. ..structure for it
to sit on. That's correct.

488
00:27:05,820 --> 00:27:07,340
Every six years,

489
00:27:07,340 --> 00:27:12,220
Simon examines every last rivet,
beam, stay and strut,

490
00:27:12,220 --> 00:27:15,140
as part of a rigorous inspection
programme.

491
00:27:15,140 --> 00:27:18,300
And today, he's agreed to
take me with him,

492
00:27:18,300 --> 00:27:21,780
and that means abseiling down the
iron trusses on ropes.

493
00:27:22,900 --> 00:27:26,020
As you can see, I have an
unusual technique.

494
00:27:26,020 --> 00:27:27,340
Oh, yeah, there we go.

495
00:27:27,340 --> 00:27:29,500
HE GRUNTS
I'm not going to let go.

496
00:27:29,500 --> 00:27:31,460
HE LAUGHS

497
00:27:31,460 --> 00:27:33,780
This is a fantastic way

498
00:27:33,780 --> 00:27:36,140
to come and inspect this viaduct.

499
00:27:36,140 --> 00:27:37,940
Woohoo!

500
00:27:37,940 --> 00:27:40,100
It's only from this vantage point

501
00:27:40,100 --> 00:27:41,580
that you can begin to imagine

502
00:27:41,580 --> 00:27:44,780
how the second half of this
structure was built.

503
00:27:44,780 --> 00:27:48,060
The second row of trusses were
assembled in a railway siding,

504
00:27:48,060 --> 00:27:50,460
then pushed onto the
original viaduct

505
00:27:50,460 --> 00:27:53,540
and swung out into position
by cranes.

506
00:27:53,540 --> 00:27:58,020
Each truss was installed within two
hours and 30 minutes,

507
00:27:58,020 --> 00:28:00,300
which meant it was possible to
arrange the work

508
00:28:00,300 --> 00:28:02,500
around the railway timetable,

509
00:28:02,500 --> 00:28:07,180
and, unbelievably, allow trains to
continue to run.

510
00:28:07,180 --> 00:28:09,380
Simon, this is fantastic!

511
00:28:09,380 --> 00:28:11,900
What a way to view the structure!

512
00:28:11,900 --> 00:28:14,060
This is why you do it, yeah.

513
00:28:14,060 --> 00:28:15,380
That's right.

514
00:28:15,380 --> 00:28:17,020
You need to touch every part of it.

515
00:28:17,020 --> 00:28:18,780
It's the only way you can do it.

516
00:28:18,780 --> 00:28:21,700
Here, you've got the manufacturer...
All those rivets, in good nick...

517
00:28:21,700 --> 00:28:23,860
"..R Moore." ..like they've only
just been put in.

518
00:28:23,860 --> 00:28:26,220
That is brilliant! Look at that.

519
00:28:26,220 --> 00:28:28,980
It's good fun hanging around doing
this sort of stuff,

520
00:28:28,980 --> 00:28:31,700
but at end of the day, I've got to
do a job when I'm here... Yeah.

521
00:28:31,700 --> 00:28:34,100
..and it can be quite difficult.
Yeah, absolutely.

522
00:28:34,100 --> 00:28:36,700
And, as you can see, it's very,
very complex. It is complex.

523
00:28:36,700 --> 00:28:39,260
And it takes quite a long time
to go through the whole structure.

524
00:28:39,260 --> 00:28:40,780
And I guess part of that complexity

525
00:28:40,780 --> 00:28:43,220
is that a number of
different additions

526
00:28:43,220 --> 00:28:45,220
have been made to this structure
over the years

527
00:28:45,220 --> 00:28:48,300
to shore it up and to deal
with the elements

528
00:28:48,300 --> 00:28:51,340
and the traffic that was going over
the top of it? That's right.

529
00:28:51,340 --> 00:28:52,860
And it is those later additions

530
00:28:52,860 --> 00:28:55,620
which have given us the
most problems. Is it really?

531
00:28:55,620 --> 00:28:59,060
The early Victorian materials and
the early Victorian structure

532
00:28:59,060 --> 00:29:01,620
is still holding strong? Wrought
iron, cast iron

533
00:29:01,620 --> 00:29:04,020
is very good against corrosion. Wow.

534
00:29:04,020 --> 00:29:06,660
Let's go down and have a little
look, see what else we can find. OK.

535
00:29:08,420 --> 00:29:11,380
Although the line was closed
in 1968,

536
00:29:11,380 --> 00:29:13,620
the viaduct continued to be used

537
00:29:13,620 --> 00:29:16,140
for shunting local quarry wagons.

538
00:29:16,140 --> 00:29:19,580
It wasn't until the '90s that it
was deemed too weak

539
00:29:19,580 --> 00:29:21,260
to carry rail traffic.

540
00:29:21,260 --> 00:29:23,940
Six years later, it was refurbished

541
00:29:23,940 --> 00:29:25,700
and given a new lease of life

542
00:29:25,700 --> 00:29:28,060
as part of the granite way
cycle and footpath.

543
00:29:30,020 --> 00:29:31,620
Once over the viaduct,

544
00:29:31,620 --> 00:29:33,420
the old railway line continued

545
00:29:33,420 --> 00:29:35,820
alongside a now disused
local quarry.

546
00:29:37,060 --> 00:29:38,980
When the London and South Western
Railway

547
00:29:38,980 --> 00:29:42,140
were excavating the foundations of
the Meldon Viaduct,

548
00:29:42,140 --> 00:29:44,060
their workers were impeded

549
00:29:44,060 --> 00:29:49,140
by layers of an extremely hard
local stone.

550
00:29:49,140 --> 00:29:51,340
But while that stone impeded

551
00:29:51,340 --> 00:29:53,740
the building of the railway
in one sense,

552
00:29:53,740 --> 00:29:55,940
it was an enormous help
in another,

553
00:29:55,940 --> 00:29:58,940
as it was found to have the perfect
properties

554
00:29:58,940 --> 00:30:01,340
for something called railway
ballast,

555
00:30:01,340 --> 00:30:03,620
and it's this stuff here.

556
00:30:03,620 --> 00:30:06,660
It forms a very stable track bed.

557
00:30:06,660 --> 00:30:09,460
It also allows for good drainage
of water through it,

558
00:30:09,460 --> 00:30:13,420
and it's so hard it won't crush
under the weight of the sleepers,

559
00:30:13,420 --> 00:30:16,620
the rails and the passing trains
over the top.

560
00:30:16,620 --> 00:30:20,540
It's quite literally the foundation
stone of the railways,

561
00:30:20,540 --> 00:30:25,500
and you'll find it under almost
every mile of track laid in Britain.

562
00:30:25,500 --> 00:30:28,740
And millions upon millions of
tonnes of it

563
00:30:28,740 --> 00:30:31,220
came from right here -
Meldon Quarry.

564
00:30:34,940 --> 00:30:37,980
First excavated in 1897,

565
00:30:37,980 --> 00:30:41,300
expanded to 200 acres in 1902,

566
00:30:41,300 --> 00:30:47,900
and by 1953, producing 340,000
tonnes every year,

567
00:30:47,900 --> 00:30:52,580
Meldon Quarry became one of the
biggest sources of railway ballast

568
00:30:52,580 --> 00:30:54,380
in the country.

569
00:30:54,380 --> 00:30:58,620
Walking through the quarry now is an
extraordinary experience.

570
00:30:58,620 --> 00:31:03,020
The sheer size and scale of this
place is intimidating.

571
00:31:03,020 --> 00:31:06,180
I've joined Graham Hicks, who
used to run the quarry.

572
00:31:06,180 --> 00:31:08,100
He's going to take me to where
they conducted

573
00:31:08,100 --> 00:31:10,340
the very last excavation blast,

574
00:31:10,340 --> 00:31:13,140
before the quarry was closed
in 2011.

575
00:31:14,740 --> 00:31:17,300
What rock made up railway ballast?

576
00:31:17,300 --> 00:31:20,380
They were seeking the hornfels as
railway ballast.

577
00:31:20,380 --> 00:31:23,020
There are other geological
types here.

578
00:31:23,020 --> 00:31:25,900
Hornfels? That was the name of
the rock type, was it? Yes.

579
00:31:25,900 --> 00:31:29,340
Yeah. And it's very hard, tough,

580
00:31:29,340 --> 00:31:31,380
very abrasive to work.

581
00:31:31,380 --> 00:31:32,820
And so where are we coming to here?

582
00:31:32,820 --> 00:31:35,100
We're coming here now, this was the
last blast,

583
00:31:35,100 --> 00:31:37,100
and this is the hornfels mineral.

584
00:31:37,100 --> 00:31:38,540
The last blast?

585
00:31:38,540 --> 00:31:43,140
And that was probably in about
April or May 2011.

586
00:31:43,140 --> 00:31:44,540
Yeah. And, as you can see,

587
00:31:44,540 --> 00:31:47,060
a lot of it's still there,
unprocessed.

588
00:31:47,060 --> 00:31:49,660
So, it was blasted and
never consumed.

589
00:31:49,660 --> 00:31:52,220
But this is hornfels here, is it?
It is.

590
00:31:52,220 --> 00:31:54,940
This is the rock that was being used
for railway ballast?

591
00:31:54,940 --> 00:31:57,180
But that... Obviously, all this
stuff's way too big.

592
00:31:57,180 --> 00:31:59,380
I mean, what...? Goes off to
a crusher,

593
00:31:59,380 --> 00:32:01,900
and you're looking for something, I
think, with the maximum size

594
00:32:01,900 --> 00:32:03,540
of about 63mm. All right.

595
00:32:03,540 --> 00:32:06,860
So, what, this? That's probably a
bit big, that, is it? But...

596
00:32:06,860 --> 00:32:09,060
That kind of thing? That sort
of area. Yeah?

597
00:32:09,060 --> 00:32:11,620
It's very hard. Cos i guess that's
what you want, wouldn't you?

598
00:32:11,620 --> 00:32:13,260
You want a rock that isn't
going to move,

599
00:32:13,260 --> 00:32:15,500
isn't going to get crushed under
the weight of the train

600
00:32:15,500 --> 00:32:18,340
when it comes along, and gives you a
real stable track bed? Yeah, yeah.

601
00:32:18,340 --> 00:32:21,100
Some stable, free draining.
Hornfel did that?

602
00:32:21,100 --> 00:32:22,740
It performed very well.

603
00:32:22,740 --> 00:32:25,740
So, the ballast from here was
being transported where?

604
00:32:25,740 --> 00:32:29,020
How far and wide from here?

605
00:32:29,020 --> 00:32:30,580
Well, it was really...

606
00:32:30,580 --> 00:32:33,460
You know, by the '30s it was known
as the Southern Railway,

607
00:32:33,460 --> 00:32:35,980
so it's south and west of the
country, really.

608
00:32:35,980 --> 00:32:38,540
Yeah, that's quite a large area,
though. It was a good area.

609
00:32:38,540 --> 00:32:41,180
So, they were doing good business
out of this quarry?

610
00:32:41,180 --> 00:32:43,660
They were doing hundreds of
thousands of tonnes a year.

611
00:32:43,660 --> 00:32:45,660
Wow. Wow.

612
00:32:47,420 --> 00:32:50,900
Sadly, with few new railways
being built,

613
00:32:50,900 --> 00:32:54,620
the demand for railway ballast has
fallen over the years.

614
00:32:54,620 --> 00:32:57,060
The quarry has been mothballed,

615
00:32:57,060 --> 00:32:58,620
until, that is,

616
00:32:58,620 --> 00:33:01,220
they bring back all those lovely
branch lines.

617
00:33:11,340 --> 00:33:13,940
Less than a mile away from
Meldon Quarry,

618
00:33:13,940 --> 00:33:17,340
and up on the high moor is
Okehampton army camp.

619
00:33:21,860 --> 00:33:24,100
For as far back as the bronze ages,

620
00:33:24,100 --> 00:33:27,380
Dartmoor's been used as a
defensive location.

621
00:33:27,380 --> 00:33:29,580
And in the late 19th century,

622
00:33:29,580 --> 00:33:32,580
the completion of the London and
South Western Railway

623
00:33:32,580 --> 00:33:36,300
kick-started military training here
in earnest,

624
00:33:36,300 --> 00:33:40,260
bringing soldiers to and
from Okehampton station,

625
00:33:40,260 --> 00:33:44,140
before making their way here to
Okehampton Army Camp,

626
00:33:44,140 --> 00:33:46,140
up on the high moors.

627
00:33:46,140 --> 00:33:49,020
But, there's a short section
of railway

628
00:33:49,020 --> 00:33:51,220
hidden away out there somewhere,

629
00:33:51,220 --> 00:33:54,380
that helped those soldiers with
their sharp shooting.

630
00:33:55,460 --> 00:33:57,660
Crispin, we good to go?
Let's do it!

631
00:33:57,660 --> 00:33:59,340
Let's mount up and head out.

632
00:34:01,340 --> 00:34:03,380
The London and South West Railway

633
00:34:03,380 --> 00:34:06,100
never ventured up onto
Dartmoor itself -

634
00:34:06,100 --> 00:34:08,020
the gradient was too steep.

635
00:34:09,220 --> 00:34:12,380
But a very different kind of railway
was constructed here.

636
00:34:14,020 --> 00:34:16,380
Built in the shape of a
figure of eight,

637
00:34:16,380 --> 00:34:19,060
the sole purpose of the
Rowtor Railway

638
00:34:19,060 --> 00:34:21,820
was to provide moving target
practice for the army.

639
00:34:22,900 --> 00:34:25,380
Fallen into disuse in recent years,

640
00:34:25,380 --> 00:34:27,980
Lieutenant Colonel Crispin d'Apice

641
00:34:27,980 --> 00:34:30,100
has offered to show me what's
left of it.

642
00:34:31,540 --> 00:34:34,340
After an extremely bumpy ride,

643
00:34:34,340 --> 00:34:37,340
we arrive at what looks like a
stone bunker.

644
00:34:38,540 --> 00:34:39,740
Here we are!

645
00:34:39,740 --> 00:34:41,180
Ha-ha!

646
00:34:41,180 --> 00:34:43,940
We've got ourselves some
railway tracks.

647
00:34:43,940 --> 00:34:46,620
And what looks like a railway shed.

648
00:34:49,220 --> 00:34:51,060
Wow! There you are.

649
00:34:51,060 --> 00:34:54,580
Inside, is what's known as a
Wickham trolley,

650
00:34:54,580 --> 00:34:57,100
a railway engineering personnel
carrier.

651
00:34:57,100 --> 00:35:00,260
Let's have a look.

652
00:35:00,260 --> 00:35:03,140
Powered by a standard
four-cylinder car engine,

653
00:35:03,140 --> 00:35:06,180
each Wickham trolley was adapted
to a specific use.

654
00:35:07,540 --> 00:35:09,500
Even got a registration number.

655
00:35:09,500 --> 00:35:11,020
THEY LAUGH

656
00:35:11,020 --> 00:35:14,260
This Wickham trolley could be
expected to be shot at

657
00:35:14,260 --> 00:35:16,500
and shelled on a regular basis,

658
00:35:16,500 --> 00:35:20,140
so, to protect it, it was thoroughly
armour-plated,

659
00:35:20,140 --> 00:35:23,620
which is why it ended up looking
more like a small tank.

660
00:35:23,620 --> 00:35:25,420
This is an infantry target. OK.

661
00:35:25,420 --> 00:35:27,260
So, this is a charging man,

662
00:35:27,260 --> 00:35:30,220
and what you do... In reality it'd
be a much bigger target.

663
00:35:30,220 --> 00:35:32,660
It'd be replicating a tank,

664
00:35:32,660 --> 00:35:34,020
but you'd put this here,

665
00:35:34,020 --> 00:35:36,780
trundles along and therefore what
you're hoping is people firing,

666
00:35:36,780 --> 00:35:39,220
they don't see the engine. They're
not engaging the engine.

667
00:35:39,220 --> 00:35:41,220
They're obviously engaging
the target. Gotcha.

668
00:35:41,220 --> 00:35:42,820
And then you're getting indications

669
00:35:42,820 --> 00:35:44,420
as to whether they're hitting
it or not.

670
00:35:44,420 --> 00:35:45,860
So, now I've seen how it all works,

671
00:35:45,860 --> 00:35:47,820
Crispin shows me the route the
railway line took

672
00:35:47,820 --> 00:35:49,860
the moving target on.

673
00:35:49,860 --> 00:35:53,020
OK. yeah. So, it's the little
turning loop here. Yep.

674
00:35:53,020 --> 00:35:55,460
And then... Yeah, and so it just
putters along, comes around,

675
00:35:55,460 --> 00:35:57,220
keeps on going, comes back on itself

676
00:35:57,220 --> 00:35:59,780
and then goes back down this way.

677
00:35:59,780 --> 00:36:01,220
An embankment was built

678
00:36:01,220 --> 00:36:03,420
along the straight section of the
target railway

679
00:36:03,420 --> 00:36:06,380
to protect the Wickham trolley from
being fired at.

680
00:36:06,380 --> 00:36:08,740
This is where you want to be
engaging the target, so... OK.

681
00:36:08,740 --> 00:36:10,740
On the long straight? Yeah, on the
long straight,

682
00:36:10,740 --> 00:36:12,900
so that way it's your moving target,

683
00:36:12,900 --> 00:36:14,700
right to left, left to right.

684
00:36:14,700 --> 00:36:17,300
Having grasped how the target
railway works,

685
00:36:17,300 --> 00:36:20,260
we retreat to one of the
firing positions.

686
00:36:20,260 --> 00:36:22,700
Over the years, generations of
recruits

687
00:36:22,700 --> 00:36:25,820
would have perfected their aim
on this firing range.

688
00:36:25,820 --> 00:36:27,820
That target's quite small from here.
Yeah, it is.

689
00:36:27,820 --> 00:36:29,180
Thankfully for the sheep,

690
00:36:29,180 --> 00:36:30,940
this rifle's been decommissioned.

691
00:36:30,940 --> 00:36:32,900
It's got a kick like a mule.
SHEEP BLEAT

692
00:36:36,380 --> 00:36:38,740
I'm going to complete my journey
to Okehampton

693
00:36:38,740 --> 00:36:41,100
with a man who wants to bring my
lost line

694
00:36:41,100 --> 00:36:43,580
back into the national rail network.

695
00:36:43,580 --> 00:36:46,420
I'm hoping that I'll live long
enough

696
00:36:46,420 --> 00:36:49,220
so I'll be able to ride on
a train again

697
00:36:49,220 --> 00:36:53,780
from Exeter to Plymouth,
via Okehampton.

698
00:36:53,780 --> 00:36:55,140
TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS

699
00:36:58,160 --> 00:36:59,840
TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS

700
00:36:59,840 --> 00:37:01,400
I'm following the route

701
00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:02,920
of the London and South West Railway

702
00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:05,200
from Plymouth to Exeter.

703
00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:07,600
I'm back at Meldon Viaduct station,

704
00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:10,000
waiting for the next heritage line
train

705
00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:13,760
to take me the last three
miles onto Okehampton.

706
00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:15,880
I'm being joined by
Richard Westlake.

707
00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:20,680
Richard spent his entire life
working on the railways.

708
00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:23,360
He regularly drove trains just like
this one

709
00:37:23,360 --> 00:37:27,560
along the entire length of the lost
line I've just walked,

710
00:37:27,560 --> 00:37:30,280
before it was closed in the 1960s.

711
00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:33,560
Oh, yeah. These were the excellent
compartments you have -

712
00:37:33,560 --> 00:37:35,320
all first class.

713
00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:38,280
I want to hear what life was like
working on the railways

714
00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:39,800
in their heyday,

715
00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:43,480
and I want to understand why
Richard thinks this lost line

716
00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:44,720
should be reopened.

717
00:37:46,040 --> 00:37:47,200
SHE BLOWS WHISTLE

718
00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:53,000
Oh, here we go. There's a whistle.

719
00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:54,880
Yeah, there we are. Here we go.

720
00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:57,600
And a little toot from the engine,

721
00:37:57,600 --> 00:37:59,320
and we're away, look! Hey, hey!

722
00:38:03,360 --> 00:38:05,520
So, this, albeit quite a short bit
of line here,

723
00:38:05,520 --> 00:38:06,800
it's fairly important, this.

724
00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:09,560
This is a heritage railway now
running here? Yeah.

725
00:38:09,560 --> 00:38:12,240
It's a heritage railway, which
runs from here...

726
00:38:12,240 --> 00:38:13,920
From Meldon. That's right.

727
00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:15,920
And that's been running
for how long?

728
00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:17,640
Oh, I suppose about ten years now.
Yeah.

729
00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:19,720
Before that it was the main line -

730
00:38:19,720 --> 00:38:22,320
the southern region main line -
to Plymouth.

731
00:38:22,320 --> 00:38:24,600
Your relationship with this line
goes right back

732
00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:27,480
to the very start of your life,
doesn't it? I suppose, in a way.

733
00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:29,400
I was brought up in a railway
family.

734
00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:31,200
My father was a train driver,

735
00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:32,600
had six or seven brothers -

736
00:38:32,600 --> 00:38:33,680
I think seven -

737
00:38:33,680 --> 00:38:35,440
and all were on the railway.

738
00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:37,880
So that leaves your
immediate family.

739
00:38:37,880 --> 00:38:41,120
Was the railway, then, kind of an
extended family for you,

740
00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:42,720
and everybody else who worked
on there,

741
00:38:42,720 --> 00:38:44,800
be it an actual relative or not?

742
00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:47,200
Very much so, and they always
did say,

743
00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:48,920
and I think there's some
truth in it,

744
00:38:48,920 --> 00:38:52,800
that to get on to the footplate on
the railway,

745
00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:55,600
you had to be a part of
that family.

746
00:38:55,600 --> 00:38:58,720
You had to have a father who was a
fireman or a driver.

747
00:38:58,720 --> 00:39:02,320
I think some of it was because of
the shift system we used to work.

748
00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:04,640
You could come on at any time
day and night -

749
00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:06,840
1:00, 2:00, 3:00 in the morning -

750
00:39:06,840 --> 00:39:10,880
and if you were perhaps unreliable,
you overslept,

751
00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:12,760
you didn't turn up,

752
00:39:12,760 --> 00:39:14,720
then you could always have a word
with father,

753
00:39:14,720 --> 00:39:17,280
or someone in the family and say...
Who could cover your shift?

754
00:39:17,280 --> 00:39:20,640
"Come on! You've got to buck up,
otherwise you won't have a job."

755
00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:23,960
I'm with you. So, it was a very
close-knit community,

756
00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:25,800
and everybody knew everybody,

757
00:39:25,800 --> 00:39:28,520
and we all worked together,

758
00:39:28,520 --> 00:39:30,320
and they were very enjoyable days.

759
00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:34,080
Richard believes the lost line I've
just walked could be reopened

760
00:39:34,080 --> 00:39:36,360
and brought back into the
rail network.

761
00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:38,560
I want to know why.

762
00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:40,040
I want to give a bit back,

763
00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:44,440
and therefore I'm part of the
Okerail Forum,

764
00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:47,600
who are really campaigning hard

765
00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:50,480
to get this line reopened
to Okehampton.

766
00:39:50,480 --> 00:39:54,200
What's happening now is,
there's a resurgence in rail travel,

767
00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:59,520
and to not to be on any network at
all is really a downside,

768
00:39:59,520 --> 00:40:02,000
I think, for tourism, but not
only that,

769
00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:03,560
for the economy of the region.

770
00:40:03,560 --> 00:40:07,080
I'm sure Okehampton to be back
on the map again,

771
00:40:07,080 --> 00:40:09,240
to be a major rail head,

772
00:40:09,240 --> 00:40:11,120
will make a huge difference.

773
00:40:11,120 --> 00:40:13,760
Are you hopeful, then, that the
service will be extended

774
00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:15,360
back along where I've come from,

775
00:40:15,360 --> 00:40:16,960
all the way back down to Plymouth?

776
00:40:16,960 --> 00:40:19,680
I'm hoping that I'll live
long enough,

777
00:40:19,680 --> 00:40:22,520
so I'll be able to ride on
a train again,

778
00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:24,920
from Exeter to Plymouth,

779
00:40:24,920 --> 00:40:26,600
via Okehampton.

780
00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:28,400
Through Dartmoor? Through Dartmoor.

781
00:40:28,400 --> 00:40:30,840
And what better scenery could I have
anywhere in the country?

782
00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:36,640
It would be a huge achievement for
Richard and the Okerail Forum

783
00:40:36,640 --> 00:40:40,880
if the lost line between Plymouth
and Okehampton was reopened,

784
00:40:40,880 --> 00:40:43,520
and there's a fighting chance
it might.

785
00:40:43,520 --> 00:40:46,680
After all, Okerail was successful
in reopening

786
00:40:46,680 --> 00:40:48,440
the Okehampton to Exeter line,

787
00:40:48,440 --> 00:40:51,400
and bringing it back into the
network in 1997.

788
00:40:58,240 --> 00:41:00,600
This is the end of my lost line,

789
00:41:00,600 --> 00:41:02,400
and the beginning of the
refound line

790
00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:06,320
that will take me from here to
my final destination,

791
00:41:06,320 --> 00:41:07,320
Exeter.

792
00:41:13,680 --> 00:41:15,200
Walking this line,

793
00:41:15,200 --> 00:41:18,200
I've seen the abundance of uses it
was put to

794
00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:22,000
over its almost 100 years
of service.

795
00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:24,040
The fact is that many of the demands

796
00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:26,480
that drove the development of this
railway in the first place

797
00:41:26,480 --> 00:41:28,240
still exist today.

798
00:41:28,240 --> 00:41:32,280
So, the call to reinstate it isn't
purely nostalgic,

799
00:41:32,280 --> 00:41:34,520
and it's only due to dogged
campaigning,

800
00:41:34,520 --> 00:41:37,520
like Richard's Okerail Forum,

801
00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:40,000
that I'm able to complete my journey

802
00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:42,200
from Plymouth all the way to Exeter,

803
00:41:42,200 --> 00:41:46,120
just as they did 50 years ago,
on the train.

804
00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:50,240
SPEAKER: The 17:59 Great
Western Railway Service

805
00:41:50,240 --> 00:41:54,280
for Exeter St David's is now
ready to depart.

806
00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:56,720
Please stand way clear.

807
00:41:56,720 --> 00:41:58,080
HE BLOWS HIS WHISTLE

808
00:42:17,720 --> 00:42:20,560
Next time, i walk the
lost lakes line,

809
00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:22,320
from Penrith to Cockermouth.

810
00:42:22,320 --> 00:42:24,160
To the great unknown.

811
00:42:24,160 --> 00:42:28,640
Built to ease the backbreaking
strain on miners and their beasts...

812
00:42:28,640 --> 00:42:30,560
Before it was a horse and cart.

813
00:42:30,560 --> 00:42:32,920
Well, where are you going to go
with a horse and cart?

814
00:42:32,920 --> 00:42:35,360
..but became useful for all
sorts of reasons.

815
00:42:35,360 --> 00:42:36,800
Quite a few people use the railways

816
00:42:36,800 --> 00:42:38,760
to have one girlfriend in Keswick

817
00:42:38,760 --> 00:42:39,840
and one in Penrith,

818
00:42:39,840 --> 00:42:42,040
and that made sure they never met,
you see.

819
00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:44,480
And I consider the future
of the route.

820
00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:46,000
Something like driverless pods?

821
00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:48,760
There's a thought. Yeah.

822
00:42:48,760 --> 00:42:50,960
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