View source for Snapper Halt railway station

{{Short description|Railway station in North Devon, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox station
| name                = Snapper Halt
| status              = Disused
| image               = 
| caption             = L&B Crest
| borough             = [[North Devon]]
| country             = England
| coordinates         = {{coord|51.0916|-4.0110|type:railwaystation_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| grid_name           = [[Ordnance Survey National Grid|Grid reference]]
| grid_position       = {{gbmapscaled|SS 59265 34401|25|SS 59265 34401}}
| platforms           = 1
| original            = [[Lynton and Barnstaple Railway]]
| pregroup            = Lynton and Barnstaple Railway
| postgroup           = [[Southern Railway (Great Britain)|Southern]]
| years               = 1903
| events              = Opened<ref name="Butt214">Butt (1995), page 214</ref>
| years1              = 30 September 1935
| events1             = Closed<ref name="Butt214"/>
}}
'''Snapper Halt railway station''' was a [[railway station|station]] on the [[Lynton and Barnstaple Railway]], a [[narrow gauge railway|narrow gauge]] line that ran through [[Exmoor]] from [[Barnstaple]] to [[Lynton]] and [[Lynmouth]] in North [[Devon]], England. The station served a rural area near the hamlet of Snapper.

==History==
The hamlet derives its name from the station, which in turn was named after the nearby Inn of the same name.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fice|first=J.E.|title=The history of Goodleigh : a north Devon village|year=1982|publisher=Toptown Printers|location=Barnstaple, UK|pages=128|oclc=10917685|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/10917685}}</ref>  The "Snapper" Inn had long become a private house by the time the railway arrived, and is now known by the name 'Glendale'. It is widely believed that the Inn and the hamlet derived its name from ''La Snappe'', which was first shown recorded here in 1256 and means boggy land, inferior pasture or winter pasture.<ref>The placenames of Devon (1931/2)</ref>

The halt opened in 1903<ref name="Butt214"/> at the request of the village of Goodleigh, and closed with the line after the last train on 29 September 1935.<ref name="Butt214"/> Trains stopped here by request, but never after dark.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gower|first=P|title=The Lynton & Barnstaple railway : yesterday and today|year=1999|publisher=Oakwood Press|location=UK|isbn=9780853615378|pages=112|oclc=59457618|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/59457618}}</ref>  From 1923 until closure, the line was operated by the [[Southern Railway (Great Britain)|Southern Railway]].

After closure, one of the coaches - 6991 - was placed on a short length of track at Snapper halt, and used as a summer house.  It was truncated in the 1950s and was eventually burned in the mid-1960s. Some remains of the metalwork was recovered in February 2011 and is waiting reinstatement on a heritage coach of the same layout.

Another coach - 6993 - was left further along the track. In 1959 this was removed by the newly resurrected [[Ffestiniog Railway|Festiniog Railway]] and has now run more miles as [[Ffestiniog Railway rolling stock#Bogie passenger coaches and vans|Buffet Car 14]] in Wales than it ever did in Devon.

==Present day==
In December 2010, Exmoor Associates (EA) - a private company dedicated to securing L&amp;B trackbed for eventual use by the revived railway - completed the purchase of Snapper Halt and {{convert | 700 | yd }} of the original trackbed, including bridge 15 - a [[cattle creep]] - which is still in situ.<ref>[http://www.exmoor-associates.co.uk/2010/12/snapper-halt-is-ours/ Exmoor Associates news item: Snapper Halt Is Ours!] ''(retrieved 28 February 2011)''</ref>

The station building - a simple concrete shelter - still stands and was fitted with a new tiled roof by EA Volunteers in February 2011, replacing the rusted [[corrugated iron]] roof that had been in place for many years. At the same time as the roof was replaced, the platform and trackbed were cleared of undergrowth to improve access for maintenance and management.<ref>[http://www.lynton-rail.co.uk/story/3544 L&BR Trust News Item] ''(retrieved 28 February 2011)''</ref>
{{clear}}
{{Disused rail start}}
{{rail line|previous=[[Pilton railway station|Pilton]]<br />(Goods Only)|next=[[Chelfham railway station|Chelfham]]|route='''[[Lynton and Barnstaple Railway|Lynton & Barnstaple Railway]]'''<br />(1898-1935)||col=66cc00}}
{{end box}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{Butt-Stations}}
*{{Jowett-Atlas}}
*{{cite web | url = http://www.exmoor-associates.co.uk/2010/12/snapper-halt-is-ours/ | title = Exmoor Associates news item: Snapper Halt Is Ours! | date = 10 December 2010 | access-date = 1 January 2011 }}
*{{cite journal |last1= Gover |first1= J.E.B. |author2=Mawer, A. |author3=Stenton, F.M. |date=November 1931 |title= Review of The Place Names of Devon |journal= Geographical Journal |volume= 78 |issue= 5 |pages= 464/5 |doi= 10.2307/1784859|jstor= 1784859 |oclc= 482385470 |url= https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/482385470 |url-access= subscription }}
*{{cite journal |last1= Gover |first1= J.E.B. |author2=Mawer, A. |author3=Stenton, F.M. |date=July 1932 |title= Review of The Place Names of Devon. Part II |journal= Geographical Journal |volume= 80 |issue= 1 |pages= 57 |doi= 10.2307/1785389|jstor= 1785389 |oclc= 482399339 |url= https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/482399339 |url-access= subscription }}

[[Category:Former Lynton and Barnstaple Railway stations]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1903]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1935]]
[[Category:Disused railway stations in Devon]]


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