Reconstructed and considerably extended from a 3' gauge china clay carrier, this railway was owned by an independent company but operated by the Southern railway from its opening in 1925. Planned before World War I, the reconstruction of this 20-mile line from Torrington to Halwill was taken over by Colonel Stephens as engineer and managing director in the 1920s and he oversaw its design and construction.
Although in construction details typically Stephens this was visually a Southern Region branch line. It survived to nationalisation and beyond, largely closing in 1965 although the northern part, reconstructed from the narrow gauge railway, continued to carry china clay until 1982.
Further reading:
Lines to Torrington. OPC. 1984.
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