Good memory.

The line closed because the entire Southern system west of Salisbury was transferred to the Western Region at the beginning of 1963. The Western Region was hell bent on getting rid of the lines it inherited. After the 1964 summer, all trains from Waterloo to Devon and Cornwall terminated at Exeter St David's, and passengers had to make do with high-density diesel multiple units for the rest of their journey. Ilfracombe is over 50 miles further on. Other termini were even further. British Rail then ran a through train from Paddington to Ilfracombe, but I think that ceased after the Taunton to Barnstaple line closed in 1966. If it continued, it had to reverse at Exeter. The next stage was to single the branch, and reduce it to "one engine in steam" in 1967, and the freight service had gone by then. The Western Region had an obsession to reduce lines to single track, even main lines. The end for the branch came in October 1970. Although an enthusiasts' society tried to buy the line, they had insufficient funds. Admittedly, Ilfracombe Station was high above the town, even after the railway descended at 1 in 36 for about three miles. It is nevertheless significant that almost all the surviving branch lines in Devon and Cornwall are ex Great Western.

@@andrewtaylor5984 Great, thanks for that. I don't remember much of the journey, just odd bits. One other that did stand out was a train climbing to Central with a pair of bankers!! 👍👍

The famous curved bridge over the river (the River Taw at Barnstaple) linked Barnstaple Junction and Barnstaple Town stations. It became unsafe and was demolished in about 1977.

@@robertbate5790 The climb out of Ilfracombe was 1 in 36 for some distance, and the descent to Mortehoe was 1 in 40 in places. Trains over a certain weight had to be banked, depending on the loco. Two bankers could mean that either the train was exceptionally heavy, or that a banker was needed at Mortehoe. Attaching an extra banker in the case of the latter would save an engine path. There could be congestion at Ilfracombe, especially in summer; one platform was longer than the other, and I think that I am right in saying that a train had to be held well back when the longer platform was occupied, as it may have blocked access to the shorter. In any case, holding a train on a 1 in 36 gradient would be a risk. There could so easily have been a runaway if regulations were not observed, but, so far as I am aware, this never happened at Ilfracombe.

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In common with the entire Southern Railway system west of Salisbury, the line was transferred to the Western Region at the beginning of 1963. That region had no use for the lines it acquired, and did its best to deter people from using them. (See also my other comment.) It also never occurred to Beeching that people bought return tickets; he was only interested in receipts from the station. Holiday resorts, such as those in Devon and Cornwall, would not have sold all that many long-distance tickets, even in summer. The descent into Ilfracombe was 1 in 36, so the station could hardly have been at a lower level.

I think it was mounted somehow, since it is very steady. The music is from KZfaq's catalogue, because they are very particular about what music can and cannot be used on videos. There is a link in the description.

I have been double/triple checking that all morning and that one slipped through. It was 1898, about 125 years ago.