Rebuilding the London & South Western Railway Line between Torrington and Bideford
The Tarka Valley Railway is a Torrington based Heritage Railway in the process of rebuilding the five and a half mile line back to Bideford and aims to advance education about the history of industry and transportation in the Torridge Valley.
So far we have restored the station platform, laid 360 yards of track, the coal dock and adjacent siding in the station yard have also been reinstated. Our next goal is a further 300 yard extension of the railway line to the first bridge over the River Torridge, here we will build a halt to allow passengers to further explore the Tarka Trail and the path of the former Rolle Canal. We have working days every Thursday and one Saturday a month and our shop is open every Thursday and from Easter will be open every Saturday (subject to volunteer availability).
Our railway relies on volunteers of all ages, some help regularly others occasionally, some have previous experience but many do not. It’s not all track laying work! There is woodworking, metalworking, painting, store-keeping, gardening working in our shop, as well as behind the scenes work such as fundraising, advertising and marketing, as the Railway progresses there will be further opportunities for team leaders. Whatever your skills there will be an opportunity to use them at Tarka Valley Railway.