Sidmouth in Devon was already popular as a health resort before the railway age, which first embraced the town in 1836 when a short railway was constructed to move building materials to the site of a new harbour.
The story of this is briefly told in the book’s first chapter. It was not until 1874 that Sidmouth got a connection to the main network of the L&SWR. Further development came with the construction of the Budleigh and Salterton Railway, which opened in 1897 from Tipton St John’s to Budleigh Salterton. In 1903, this was extended to Exmouth.
The lines enjoyed healthy summer season passenger figures into the 1950s, but the usual fate befell them in the 1960s, and closure came in 1967.
This book tells the story of these two branches through nine chapters:
- History of the Sidmouth Railway
- Description of the Line to Sidmouth
- Train Services to Sidmouth
- Locomotives and Coaches on the Sidmouth Branch
- History of the Budleigh Salterton Railway
- The Extension from Budleigh Salterton to Exmouth
- Description of the Line from Tipton St John's to Exmouth
- Trains Services on the Budleigh Salterton Branch
- Locomotives and Coaches on the Budleigh Salterton Branch
Originally published in 1996, this title has been unavailable for many years and is a straight reprint of the 1996 edition in the traditional A5 Oakwood format. Illustrated throughout with black & white photographs and maps. 104 pages.