Next stop Barnstaple...

As the picture shows, the tracklaying along the West Chord of the new Triangle at the WSRA's Norton Fitzwarren site has now reached the former Barnstaple Branch formation. The alignment of the "Barney" is being re-used to form the South Chord of the Triangle, and also for two storage sidings. The works at Norton are proving to be an engineering showcase. Not only are the new embankments, culverts and waterways all behaving impeccably and dealing well anything the sky can chuck at them, but the site itself remains green, with grass fields making the whole scene pleasant to view and likely to be let out for grazing stock before too long. It could look like a bomb site but the WSRA are tidy people, for sure. The reaching of, and relaying of track on, the Barney line could be seen as an embryonic step towards a truly westwards extension of the West Somerset Railway - but the dismantled bridge at Allerford Lane conveniently severs the route at that point which seems terminal to me. Thanks for my good chum Malcolm Anderson for the picture.