Lyme Regis branch line
It opened in 1903; penetrating difficult topography, the line was very steeply graded and sharply curved; on summer weekends high passenger levels were carried, with through carriages from London on many services.
The line was of great interest to railway enthusiasts in later years due to the three LSWR 415 class tank engines in use there; these units survived long after the rest were replaced on the London suburbs.
The hilly terrain and sparse population militated against the financial viability of these projects, and a petition in 1898 with 1,630 names inviting the LSWR to build a branch line to Lyme Regis prompted no result.
A contract for the construction of the railway was let to Baldrey and Yerburgh of Westminster, for a tender price of £36,542; Arthur C Pain was appointed the company's engineer.
It was to take up to 55% of receipts for expenses, plus 4% on the cost of works it provided; the owning company would take the balance unless that proved inadequate to pay 4% on the shareholders' £55,000, in which case the LSWR would rebate 10% on through traffic.
[4][5][6] Other difficulties during construction resulted in delay and an extension of twelve months was authorised, and an application had to be made to the Board of Trade for an additional £10,000 in share capital and £3,000 in loans.
[1] A special train was run on 22 January 1903 with VIP passengers to inspect the nearly-complete line, but difficulties with the Cannington Viaduct prevented the planned opening at Whitsun.
Turning broadly east, it now descended to Lyme Regis, crossing an arm of the River Lim on Cannington Viaduct, and passing through the village of Uplyme: the gradient was too steep to permit a station there.
The station at Lyme Regis was inconveniently located on the northern margin of the town, because immediately beyond the line's buffer stops the land falls steeply towards the sea.
From 1906, the LSWR’s own O2 class were employed; these were more powerful 0-4-4T locomotives, but they were not permitted to run with the engine water tanks more than half full to remain within the axle load limit,[note 2] and they suffered badly from twisted frames and other wear defects due to the sharp line curvature.
As other members of the class were scrapped because of age and obsolescence, the Radial Tanks became inextricably identified with the Lyme Regis line.
During the post-war years, the branch engines alternated, returning to and from Exmouth Junction locomotive shed (near Exeter) piloting a scheduled main line passenger or goods train.
[3][5] As mentioned above, Combpyne was provided with a signal box from July 1906; Phillips refers to the station having a single platform, but also a passing loop.
[6] Maggs says that this took place on 17 June 1930[1] and Mitchell and Smith say that the signal box and the northern points were removed in 1930 and the loop became single ended.
The very sharp curves led to gauge spreading, even under the short wheelbase of the Terrier locomotives, and in 1910 the track was relaid in bullhead material.
A second renewal took place later, in Southern Railway days, and a further time in association with easing and recanting of the most difficult curves in 1959.
When the report The Reshaping of British Railways (often referred to as the "Beeching Axe") was produced, the line was included for closure, and this was implemented on 29 November 1965.
