Welcome

Welcome to Hatherleigh History Society

Please Note

Our website will soon be closing down

For those interested in the history of the market town of Hatherleigh in Devon, England

please visit our Facebook page:

Hatherleigh History Society

where we continue to add to our local history archive of photos an information

News

  • ** Important Announcement ** August 10, 2024

    We will soon be closing down our website.

    For those interested in the history of the market town of Hatherleigh in Devon, England

    all these images and more can be found on our Facebook page:

    Hatherleigh History Society

    where we continue to add to our local history archive of photos and information.

    Please do visit us there.

  • Hatherleigh Railway Memorabilia 2 April 7, 2021

    The Colonel Stephens Railway Museum in Tenterden, Kent holds some interesting North Devon railway memorabilia including a platform name from Hatherleigh Station and some further Tyer single-line signal tokens from this line (see previous posting). From the cut-out pattern one of these looks to be the no.8 token from Hatherleigh to Hole along with one for the Hole to Halwill section of track and a leather pouch for the engine driver to carry the tokens in.

    Hatherleigh Platform Sign - Col. Stephens Railway Museum (photo from tripadviser.co.uk)
    Hatherleigh Platform Sign – Col. Stephens Railway Museum
    (photo credit : hildenley on tripadviser.co.uk)
    Hatherleigh Line single line signal tokens - Col. Stephens Railway Museum (photo from tripadviser.co.uk)
    Hatherleigh Line single-line signal tokens – Col. Stephens Railway Museum
    (photo credit : hildenley on tripadviser.co.uk)
  • Hatherleigh Railway Memorabilia 1 : Signalling Token April 7, 2021
    Hatherleigh to Hole single-line signalling token
    Hatherleigh to Hole single-line signalling token
    (Image from gwra.co.uk)

    The Halwill to Torrington railway line was mainly single track with some double track sections such as at Hatherleigh Station to allow trains to pass one another. In order to operate safely the single line sections were controlled by signals and the driver carried a token coded, by cut-out position and shape, to that section of track. The stations at either end of a section had ‘Tyer’ instruments paired together electrically and only when the driver placed the token in the instrument at one end would the signals allow another train into that section. Each line would have had multiple tokens, allowing several trains to go in the same direction if need be, before a ‘down’ train returned. This is a Tyer No. 6 Single Line Token (about 4 1/2 inches in diameter) and is the 2nd token for the Hatherleigh to Hole section.

    There is a lot of interest in railway memorabilia and this token was sold at auction in 2015 for £240.

hatherleigh-history-email-header