Colonel Stephens’ Railways in Devon & Cornwall

An online Zoom talk to be given by Chris Jackson from the Col Stephens Society.

The Victorian engineer Lt-Colonel Holman Fred Stephens (1868–1931) was a great believer in the potential of light railways to provide economical transport in rural areas. He was involved in the planning of more than 50 schemes, not all of which came to fruition. As well as building light railways, he and his team managed a number of independent lines from his offices in Tonbridge.

Stephens was called in to advise on the development of the Bere Alston – Calstock – Callington branch of the Plymouth, Devonport & South Western Junction Railway between 1904 and 1910. Around the same time, he became involved with proposals for what became the North Devon & Cornwall Junction Railway, which was eventually completed between Torrington and Halwill in 1925. Both lines were later operated by the Southern Railway and British Railways, lasting into the 1960s.

Stephens (centre) inspecting construction of the North Devon & Cornwall Junction Railway.
Image courtesy of Chris Jackson

A long-standing member of the Colonel Stephens Society, Chris Jackson is currently the editor of its quarterly magazine ‘The Colonel’. He is also the curator of the Colonel Stephens Railway Museum at the Kent & East Sussex Railway in Tenterden.

Please book with the organiser (details below) by a day before the event. You will be sent a link to access the Zoom session. There is no charge for DA members; the price for non-members is £2.50.

If you would like to make a donation for this event (either before or after the event) please click the yellow button below. All donations are handled via PayPal. Credit cards and debit cards are accepted even if you don’t have a PayPal account.