Lynbarn Railway
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The Lynbarn Railway opened in 1995 as a park ride at The Milky Way, a family-based theme park attraction near Clovelly. It was built and operated by enthusiast volunteers working to revive the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway (L&B) - a nearby historical line running through Exmoor.
Built to the same rail gauge - 1 ft 111⁄2 in (597 mm) - as the L&B, but with a considerably smaller loading gauge, the ride made considerable contributions to the finances, skills and expertise of the L&B and was considerably extended and improved during 2003/2004.
So they could concentrate on operating at Woody Bay the L&B sold their share in the Lynbarn operation to the owners of the Milky Way, who now operate the ride along with the other attractions.
The Lynbarn uses three coaches that were part of a lot bought by the L&B and formerly based at Thorpe Park in Surrey. Three other coaches have been fully rebuilt, and are now carrying passengers at Woody Bay. There are also a number of service wagons, used for maintaining the track.
Motive power is provided by two steam outline diesel locomotives. One of these, 'Parracombe', was built by Baguley in 1947 for the line at Butlins, Clacton. A scene from that period featured in the closing sequences of a popular TV series Hi-de-Hi! (1979-1987).
