The Avocet Line is the railway line in Devon, England connecting Exeter with Exmouth. Originally built as the Exmouth branch railway by the London and South Western Railway, it is now is operated by Great Western Railway.
The line is long and follows edge of the Exe Estuary for about between Topsham and Exmouth. The line is named after the pied avocet, a distinctive black and white wading bird that is a seasonal visitor to the estuary.
History The Exmouth branch line was constructed in 1861 in two portions by two railway companies but always worked as a single branch with trains from Exeter Queen Street to .
Early proposals
Exeter lies on the River Exe in Devon, but the river is too shallow for ships to reach the city. Exmouth, further south on the east bank of the river at its mouth saw some goods transhipped onto smaller boats or road carts which could complete the journey to Exeter. Topsham, also on the eastern bank of the river and only from Exeter, developed as a better place to tranship loads from smaller ships. The Exeter Ship Canal was built close to the west side of the river in the sixteenth century to allow shipping to reach the city. Use of the canal was inconvenient and limited to small vessels, even after many enlargements in the following 200 years. The merchants of Exeter held a meeting to discuss the possibility of building a railway connection from Exmouth to the city as early as 1825. At this date there were no other railways nearby so there was no thought of connecting the line to a network. However the proposal — estimated to cost £50,000 — was discontinued when the Corporation of the City of Exeter agreed to extend the canal southwards to Turf, opposite Topsham, enabling 400 ton vessels to reach the head of the canal by passing a difficult reach of the river channel.
The first suggestion of a railway between Exeter and Exmouth was proposed as early as 1825. No progress was made but in the 1840s the South Devon Railway (SDR) opened from Exeter along the other side of the Exe Estuary. This was the time of the Railway Mania when many new railways were proposed. Two were aimed at Exmouth; an Exeter, Topsham and Exmouth Railway or a (from , or an alternative route from the SDR at which would have been carried over the canal and the estuary on a 14-span viaduct to Topsham).
The gained parliamentary approval through the (9 & 10 Vict. c. cxxix) on 3 July 1846. This would have been one of the local railways supported by the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) in its expansion westwrds, but lack of progress after the Railway Mania saw most of these fail or delayed.
Exeter and Exmouth Railway
Fresh proposals for these routes were presented in the 1850s. The SDR route from Exminster succeeded in parliament and the (18 & 19 Vict. c. cxxii) was passed on 2 July 1855.
Construction of the line had already when on 1 August 1857 the directors of the company announced that they had arranged with the Bristol and Exeter Railway (BER) and the SDR to lease their line for ten years at £3,000 per annum. However the shareholders appointed a committee to review the work. The committee reported back and rejected the lease to the BER and SDR interest. Instead they and recommended altering the route of the line to join the anticipated route of the L&SWR that was being built to Exeter. That company undertook to make a branch line between Exeter and where it would link with the already authorised Exeter and Exmouth Railway from there to Exmouth. These changes were authorised in the (21 & 22 Vict. c. lvi) which was obtained on 28 June 1858. The L&SWR's authority to build the section from Exmouth Junction to Topsham was obtained by the South Western Railway (Works and Capital) Act 1858 (21 & 22 Vict. c. lxxxix) on 12 July 1858. The Exeter and Exmouth Company had to return to parliament for additional capital, which was authorised in the (24 & 25 Vict. c. xv) which was obtained on 17 May 1861.
Bridges and stations were designed by William Tite; the engineer of the line was W. R. Galbraith and the contractor for Topsham to Exmouth was James Taylor of Exeter. The line was opened in 1861; as well as Topsham and Exmouth there were intermediate stations at Woodbury Road and Lympstone. The first train was pulled by the 2-2-2 Beattie well tank no. 36 Comet. It left Exeter Queen Streeton 1 May 1861 at 7.46 a.m. with 11 coaches and about 150 passengers. The journey to Exmouth took about half an hour. At first there were five trains each way seven days a week, increased to seven trains each way (but four on Sundays) from 1 July in the opening year.
A line was opened on 22 September 1861 from Topsham station down to a quay on the River Exe. It was long and dropped steeply, the maximum gradient being 1 in 38.
London and South Western Railway (1866 to 1922)
The train services was worked throughout by the L&SWR. That company was authorised to take over the Exeter and Exmouth Railway Company by the South-western Railway (General) Act 1865 (28 & 29 Vict. c. ccciv) of 5 July 1865 and this took effect from 1 January 1866. A siding was laid from the goods yard at Exmouth in 1864 to where a new dock was being constructed. It was brought into general use for goods traffic in 1868.
By the summer of 1887 the service to Exmouth had increased to 10 with 11 towards Exeter. A limited non-stop service between Exeter and Exmouth was provided in 1905, the journey taking just 18 minutes.
A new route to Exmouth was opened in 1903. It connected with the Budleigh Salterton Railway and gave a through route to Sidmouth Junction on the main line between London and Exeter. Plans to enlarge the station were set out in 1916 but were delayed due to World War I The line between Exmouth Junction and Topsham was doubled from 31 May 1908.
From 1906 the L&SWR introduced steam railmotors between Exeter and Honiton on the main line, as a response to the competitive threat from street tramways in the city. Two new halts were was opened on 26 January 1906 on the main line between Exeter and Exmouth Junction. Lions Holt (renamed St James' Park Halt on 6 October 1946) and (closed 2 January 1928). These were initially served by steam railmotors to but additional railmotor services between Exeter and Topsham were introduced from 1 June 1908. Two additional halts were opened on the same day. Polsloe Bridge Halt was immediately on the Exmouth side of Exmouth Junction and Clyst St Mary & Digby Halt was further south.
Southern Railway (1923 to 1947) By 1923 the train service from Exeter to Exmouth had increased to 20; in 1937 it was 27 with 19 on Sundays. Extra trains known locally as 'sandhoppers' were provided at short notice on summer Sundays.
The long overdue reconstruction of Exmouth station was completed on 20 July 1924. It now had four platform tracks and a new two-storey station building. Other work at about this time saw the goods yard expand onto land reclaimed from the estuary and a new goods shed.
The short wooden platforms at Polsloe Bridge were replaced in 1927 by longer platforms made of concrete sections cast at the company's concrete factory at Exmouth Junction. Rebuilding of Queen Street station in Exeter was completed in 1933. The main platforms were now much longer but a bay platform was retained for Exmouth services. The station was renamed at this time.
British Rail and later
The wooden platforms at Clyst St Mary & Digby Halt needed to be replaced but this was not possible with more important work needed elsewhere after World War II so it was closed in September 1948. Woodbury Road was renamed Exton on 15 September 1958.
The train service had increased by 1957 to 30 on weekdays and 17 on Sundays. Non-stop expresses were reintroduced in 1960. Diesel multiple units were introduced on the branch from 15 July 1963 and this allowed some through services to operate as far as or .
The Budleigh Salterton line from Exmouth closed on 6 March 1967 and Exmouth signal box was closed on 3 March 1968 leaving just one platform left in use. It was intended to reduce the whole branch to just a single track in 1967 but the engineer did not have resources to do this until 5 February 1973. A passing loop was retained at Topsham to allow trains to pass. General goods traffic ceased and the line to Exmouth Dock closed in December 1967. The level crossing at Topsham was modernised with lifting barriers in May 1973 but the signal box was closed on 30 January 1988 with control of the level crossing and all trains on the branch transferred to Exmouth Junction.
Exmouth station was rebuilt in 1976, trains using just the north end of one shortened platform from 2 May and a new station building provided. A new station was opened the following day, 3 May 1976, called to serve the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines . The existing Lympstone station was renamed on 13 May 1991 to reduce confusion. From May 1977 most trains ran beyond Exeter Central to .
was opened on 23 May 1995 near the site of the earlier Clyst St Mary & Digby Halt. Newcourt railway station opened between Digby & Sowton and Topsham on 4 June 2015.
The route is supported by the Avocet Line Rail Users Group but is not designated as a community railway.
Route
The northern part of the line is in the city of Exeter, providing a service to suburbs in the eastern part of the city such as Whipton and newer developments at Digby, Sowton and Newcourt. The station at Topsham is the last in Exeter, beyond this the line crosses the River Clyst and then follows the eastern side of the Exe Estuary through Exton and Lympstone to reach Exmouth.
The first of the route from as far as Exmouth Junction is double track and shared with the West of England Main Line. After diverging from the main line, the branch to Exmouth is single except for a passing loop at Topsham. The signal box at Exmouth Junction controls all trains between there and Exmouth. Mileposts on the branch are measured from a zero point 1 chain onto the branch at Exmouth Junction.
Exeter St Davids was the first station in the city (it opened in 1844) and is the largest, with connections to long distance services west to , east to , and north and beyond. Avocet Line services are able to use platforms 1 and 3. Immediately outside the station, the line starts to rise at 1 in 36. Special signalling arrangements ensure that trains do not come to a stand on this steep climb, and safety equipment prevents a train running away into the station should its brakes fail. After passing through the St Daid's Tunnel, the line reaches ( from St Davids). This is a busier station because of its central location; the main entrance is on Queen Street but there is another entrance on New North Road at the other end of the platforms.
A short distance beyond Exeter Central is ( from St Davids). The station's short platforms are in a cutting next to St James Park, the home ground of Exeter City F.C.. Just beyond this station is Blackboy Tunnel (). was between the tunnel and Exmouth Junction ()) where the signal box stands between the Avocet Line and the West of England Line. The current building was opened on 17 November 1959..