Snapper Halt Devon England United Kingdom - The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway closed in 1935.
 
But it remains a firm favourite with enthusiasts.
 
It is a tribute to both the author and the enduring fascination of his subject that a book on North Devon's famous narrow gauge railway celebrates 80 years in print this month.
 
First published in March 1936, the initial run of just 250 copies rapidly sold out, so a reprint was made that May.
 
Since then, "The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway 1895-1935" by L.T. Catchpole, has not been out of print except during the war years.
 
Excellently illustrated and immensely informative it is little wonder this present version has evolved through eight editions and nine reprints.
 
Here is a definitive account covering everything from construction to closure.
 
Apart from the scenic delights of the line its locomotives were an important part of its attraction.
 
Named after rivers, three 2-6-2 side tank engines Yeo, Exe, and Taw were joined by a 2-4-2 Baldwin tank locomotive built in America, and subsequently named Lyn.
 
In 1923, when the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway was acquired by the Southern Railway, a fifth locomotive, similar to the first three, was ordered and named Lew.
 
Even some of the station buildings held a unique charm.
 
Based on Swiss chalet-style designs they neatly echoed the similar elegance of Victorian properties at Lynton.
 
Catchpole's book oozes with such fascinating factual minutia coupled with an abundance of evocative period photographs that thumbing through the pages is the next best thing to a time traveller's trip along the line.
 
Through it, new generations can discover the spirit of a little railway that pluckily battled with the switchback undulations of the North Devon contours on a daily basis.
 
Catchpole was introduced to this line in its twilight years and was instantly smitten.
 
In 1935 with closure imminent he stayed in a caravan near Snapper with fellow enthusiast Roger Kidner.
 
Kidner had by then been involved in launching the then embryonic railway book publishers Oakwood Press.
 
Between them, equipped with unwieldy glass-plate cameras, they were dedicated to covering the line photographically.
 
The caravan was said to look more like a converted horsebox for them to sleep in, and was pulled by Catchpole's 1926 Dodge Tourer, a vehicle he kept all his life.
 
As Catchpole occupied a semi-official position as photographer for the Southern Railway Magazine he was given all the facilities.
 
Between them they did the line sterling visual service, recording both detail and atmosphere of this unique narrow gauge railway.
 
They would doubtless be delighted that a small part of the line, at Woody Bay, has been restored and is operated by enthusiasts today.
 
Kidner died in 2007 aged 93 years, and wrote more than 30 books on narrow gauge and industrial lines.
 
Catchpole died in 1986 having lived to be well over 80.
 
He never wrote another railway history after the Lynton & Barnstaple, no other railway meant so much to him.
 
Jon Bayley.