THE TRAIN THAT BECAME A TRAM
The East Devon port of Seaton had supplied ships and sailors for Edward I’s wars against Scotland and France, but in the 14th century heavy storms caused a landslip which partially blocked the estuary of the River Axe, and a shingle bank started to accumulate.
The once-important harbour declined in use and by the mid-19th century was in use only by fishing boats.
When the LSWR announced that it was to build a railway from Yeovil to Exeter, Seaton residents saw it as a golden opportunity. However, the hilly terrain of the coast forced the LSWR to choose a route inland. The best it could do for the town was to open a station near Shunt called Colyton for Seaton, four miles to the north.
Local people would not give up that easily, and planned a rail link of their own to serve the town. Their first attempt to obtain statutory powers to build one failed, but an Act of Parliament for the Seaton & Beer Railway was passed on July 13, 1863, permitting the construction of a line from near Colyton for Seaton station to a terminus to the east of the town.
The railway enjoyed easy gradients from Seaton to Colyford, before rising at 1-in-76 with some short easier sections, to meet the main line.
