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Britain from Above

 
Edited

Perhaps others knew about this already but this is a new website to me. The search works with town names and "Lynton" turned up this interesting image of Lynton in 1920:??I hadn't realised how far away from the town the station was. It looks like they could easily have got it nearer.

John
 

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That photo flattens out the contours no end, there would have to be major civil engineering to get any nearer the town.
Phil T.
?

From: John C via groups.io
Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2021 2:12 PM
Subject: [o14] Britain from Above
?
Perhaps others new about this already but this is a new website to me. The search works with town names and "Lynton" turned up this interesting image of Lynton in 1920: I hadn't realised how far away from the town the station was. It looks like they could easily have got it nearer.

John

 

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I found this postcard of Lynton some time ago - gives an idea of those contours! No date, and likely an artificially darkened shot - the ship detail is interesting down in the harbour. I can enlarge if you’re interested.?
David Woodhead







On Feb 17, 2021, at 4:54 AM, Phil Traxson <phil@...> wrote:

That photo flattens out the contours no end, there would have to be major civil engineering to get any nearer the town.
Phil T.
?
 

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Lynton station is almost spot on the 700ft contour. The top station of the Cliff Railway would be the logical point for the L&B terminus (“Lynton Interchange”!), but this is somewhere around the 500-525ft mark (the OS tends to omit contour lines in built up areas), despite being only a few hundred yards from the L&B station as the crow flies. Siting the station nearer to the town whilst maintaining the L&B’s 1:50 ruling gradient would have entailed some heroic engineering plus demolition of property and prime woodland, so no surprise that it didn’t happen.
Of course, if they’d only built the L&B as a Manx Electric style interurban, allowing steeper grades, tighter curved and street running.....
I shall now duck!


On 17 Feb 2021, at 13:56, David Woodhead <davidwoodhead@...> wrote:

?I found this postcard of Lynton some time ago - gives an idea of those contours! No date, and likely an artificially darkened shot - the ship detail is interesting down in the harbour. I can enlarge if you’re interested.?
David Woodhead

<Lynton PC2.jpeg>






On Feb 17, 2021, at 4:54 AM, Phil Traxson <phil@...> wrote:

That photo flattens out the contours no end, there would have to be major civil engineering to get any nearer the town.
Phil T.
?
 

Thanks guys. I should have checked the contours myself. Note I think detailed OS mapping in small amounts should now be free although you may need to create an account and use a GIS like Qgis.

An electric L&B would have been interesting and they could probably have used hydroelectricity given the location. I imagine it would have been a wider gauge had they done so.
 

Bing maps includes the current OS maps - this is only 1:50k (the pink ones), but still quite useful.



Inline image

Cheers,
Pete


On Thursday, 18 February 2021, 08:20:14 GMT, John C via groups.io <jclutterbuck2001@...> wrote:


Thanks guys. I should have checked the contours myself. Note I think detailed OS mapping in small amounts should now be free although you may need to create an account and use a GIS like Qgis.

An electric L&B would have been interesting and they could probably have used hydroelectricity given the location. I imagine it would have been a wider gauge had they done so.

 

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If you search for Old Scottish Maps you should turn up a site which has all the UK and all the OS maps going back to when James Spooner worked for the OS. The OS started because we had no accurate maps for the military in case Napoleon invaded.

With regards to the location of the station, wasn't that for the convenience of George Newne? IIRC the cliff railway was to persuade the great unwashed to go down into the town out of his sight!

?

Frank
 

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Hi,

Watching the box the other night there were 2 programs on which had items on the cliff railway at Lynton.
Railway Architecture covered both Lynton Cliff Railway and Lynton & Barnstaple Railway giving a potted
history of both.

Michael Portillo covered the Cliff Railway in the last 5 minutes, I didn't see the whole program.

Regards

Frank Metcalf




From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Peter Tarver via groups.io <peter_tarver@...>
Sent: 18 February 2021 08:32
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [o14] Britain from Above
?
Bing maps includes the current OS maps - this is only 1:50k (the pink ones), but still quite useful.



Inline image

Cheers,
Pete


On Thursday, 18 February 2021, 08:20:14 GMT, John C via groups.io <jclutterbuck2001@...> wrote:


Thanks guys. I should have checked the contours myself. Note I think detailed OS mapping in small amounts should now be free although you may need to create an account and use a GIS like Qgis.

An electric L&B would have been interesting and they could probably have used hydroelectricity given the location. I imagine it would have been a wider gauge had they done so.

 

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There is also , I often get told off for spending too much time looking at long lost railway routes on it. The 1:10560 for Lynton in 1905 is at?

Regards

Steve

On 18 Feb 2021, at 16:22, Frank Metcalf <frankm70@...> wrote:

Hi,

Watching the box the other night there were 2 programs on which had items on the cliff railway at Lynton.
Railway Architecture covered both Lynton Cliff Railway and Lynton & Barnstaple Railway giving a potted
history of both.

Michael Portillo covered the Cliff Railway in the last 5 minutes, I didn't see the whole program.

Regards

Frank Metcalf




From:?[email protected]?<[email protected]> on behalf of Peter Tarver via??<peter_tarver@...>
Sent:?18 February 2021 08:32
To:?[email protected]?<[email protected]>
Subject:?Re: [o14] Britain from Above
?
Bing maps includes the current OS maps - this is only 1:50k (the pink ones), but still quite useful.



<1613637064495blob.jpg>

Cheers,
Pete


On Thursday, 18 February 2021, 08:20:14 GMT, John C via??<jclutterbuck2001@...> wrote:


Thanks guys. I should have checked the contours myself. Note I think detailed OS mapping in small amounts should now be free although you may need to create an account and use a GIS like Qgis.

An electric L&B would have been interesting and they could probably have used hydroelectricity given the location. I imagine it would have been a wider gauge had they done so.

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