04/05/2018
The workings for the line is based upon the the public timetable for the summer of 1947.
Mixed refers to a combination of goods wagons and passenger coaches. The coaches were used as brake vans where necessary, there being no vacuum braking fitted on the goods magons. The branchline engine & coaching stock were stabled at Tiverton Junction, so the first working of the day was to bring the empty coach, empty milk wagons and any other freight down the line.
The first and last working of the day was a mixed train with loaded milk wagons. The milk wagons were uncoupled at Tiverton Junction and attached to the rear of the mainline trains on the up line heading towards London Paddington.
To cope with the torturous curves the 54 feet 6 inches carriages were brought in from the minor Welsh railways and were ex Barry stock. These had been built in 1920 and were now specially rebuilt at Swindon with gas lighting. The slow speeds on the branch were insufficient for the axle driven generators usually used to keep carriage batteries charged up, so these two carriages were the last to be gas lit vehicles on British Railways.
