The branch to Ilfracombe in Devon ended in a terminus station accessed by a 1 in 36 incline, the steepest gradient in and out of any main line station in Britain. Short and light trains were the order of the day and departing trains were often double-headed. In this early 1950s view, ex-Southern Railway Bulleid 'West Country' 4-6-2 No. 34021 'Dartmoor' is having its tender trimmed at Ilfracombe's small and compact engine shed. 34021 was built at Brighton in Jan. 1946 as SR No. 21C 121 and was withdrawn in Jan. 1965.

© Raymond McCarthy-Eddie Johnson Archive