PRAISE for the volunteers who have worked on Crediton Railway Station for the past 20 years came at a cream tea birthday party at the Station last month, giving a group of railway enthusiasts a chance to get together and, for some, dream of better connections.

This was the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Friends of Crediton Railway Station.

GUESTS

The afternoon was held in what had been the booking hall for the station before the Beeching cuts, now a part of the Station Tea Rooms run by The Turning Tides Project. 

Organised by Mike Szabo, a member of Crediton Town Council with special responsibility for the station, guests included Alan Stewart, the only active remaining founder member.

George Palin, also a founder member who had worked hard helping clear the cattle dock at the side of the platform, create flower beds, painting and much other work in the early years of the group.

TO BUDE

There was Richard Burningham who has managed Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership since 1998, Britain’s first, and who was awarded the MBE in 2010 for services to the rail industry in the South West. 

Dr Michael Ireland, chairman of OkeRail, Richard Westlake, its vice chairman, and Mike Moore, membership secretary for Connect Bude, the group campaigning to reconnect Bude and Holsworthy to the national railway network.  To know more about that, people can check the website: www.connectbude.uk

RESCUED

Both he and Dr Ireland had taken the train to Crediton from Okehampton that afternoon, several others had used the train from Exeter. 

Welcoming everyone, Cllr Szabo said how Linda Rogers (later Linda Brown) had rescued the station buildings in the 1990s and opened the cafe, adding that he saw the people working for Crediton railway station as custodians of that heritage, all volunteers.

REVIVAL

“In the last 10 years or so there has been a revival in the railway.  We are lucky to have this place. 

“In 2001 we had the 150th anniversary of the opening of Crediton Station.  Everyone was in Victorian costume on that warm May day.  David Gosling had been instrumental in this which was the catalyst for work to revive this station with David as co-ordinator.

ACTION PLAN

“The Friends was officially set up on January 24, 2002.  David put together an Action Plan of which at least 95 per cent has been accomplished,” he said.

Cllr Szabo joined Crediton Town Council in May 2011.   It had always supported the station and he had gone to the Friends’ works day when 10 people were working at the station. 

“There was a really good feeling, all these people were volunteers interested in saving the heritage of this great railway station,” said Cllr Szabo. 

Cllr Szabo explained that the Friends were still working to check the number for Grade II listing of the station buildings because the listed signal box had a number but nothing else did.  The cattle dock had been cleared by the Friends some years ago but was again “lost to the brambles of time”.

Working with Richard Burningham, The Turning Tides Project had taken over the station building four years ago and later the garden.

LOOKING AHEAD

Among other guests that afternoon were Andy Hedges, Tarka Rail Association treasurer and membership secretary, and its secretary Alan Clark with his wife, Anne. 

Richard said the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership worked to make the most of our rural railways and that David Gosling had “put his heart and soul” into the station for a long time.  

“It is local people giving up their time to make their station a better place and many congratulations to the Friends,” he added. 

EVERY HOUR

Re-opening of Okehampton station for passenger traffic to Exeter was “fabulous”.  From May this year, this would be an hourly service which would benefit Crediton. 

Saying it had been great to see the growth of the service at Crediton, Richard added that 10,000 journeys were made in the first two weeks of the new service, delighting Network Rail and well ahead over the usual figures for this quiet period. 

Another guest was Richard Westlake, vice chairman of OkeRail, who had worked for 46 years on the railway and for 32 years was a member of Devon County Council. He lives in Exeter. 

LAST TRAIN

His father had been Station Master at Okehampton and the museum on the platform there was named after him. 

“I remember the last train leaving Okehampton.  My father and I were stood watching on the platform - and the train was gone.  The last train from Okehampton.  

“Last year I rode on the first train from Okehampton to Exeter,” said Richard.  He added: “They have done a wonderful job to get it open,  it will make a huge difference when there is the half hourly service from Crediton to Exeter from May.  It will also help Exeter. 

“I was a fireman and worked with the ‘Crediton’ engine before it was taken out of service.  Somewhere in Crediton is a picture of my father with it when it was first built and I worked on it with its last run.”

CAR PARK

George Palin rather surprised and shocked people when he said there would be no more hard copies, printed copies of timetables as from May available anywhere other than a manned railway station.

Cllr Szabo added that Devon County Council was transferring ownership of the Park and Ride car park at Crediton to GWR very soon.