The Torrington and Marland Railway was a narrow gauge railway built to carry clay

Clay

Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...

 from the quarries at Clay Moor to Torrington

Torrington

-People:* Jeff Torrington, Scottish writer* George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington, British naval officer and statesman-Places:In Australia:* Torrington, New South WalesIn Canada:* Torrington, AlbertaIn the United Kingdom:...

 in north Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

.

History

The line was surveyed in 1879 by John Barraclough Fell

John Barraclough Fell

John Barraclough Fell , was a British railway engineer and inventor of the Fell mountain railway system.Fell spent the early part of his life in London, living with his parents. About 1835 he moved with them to the Lake District. In 1840, he married a 25-year-old woman named Martha in Kirkstall,...

 who was also the consulting engineer to the nearby Pentewan Railway

Pentewan Railway

The Pentewan Railway was a British narrow gauge railway in Cornwall. It was built as a horse-drawn tramway carrying china clay from St Austell to the harbour at Pentewan. In 1874 the line was rebuilt by engineer John Barraclough Fell and converted to locomotive working, at which time the gauge was...

. Fell's survey was notable for its use of ten wooden viaducts, which were an unusual feature for a British railway.

The railway was a private line, built to serve clay traffic, but part of the agreement with the landowners over whose land it passed was that it would carry local passengers. Steam locomotives were used on both the main railway and the internal lines in the clay pits.

In 1925 the main line was replaced with a standard gauge

Standard gauge

The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

 branch of the North Devon and Cornwall Junction Light Railway. The Torrington and Marland was cut back to a 1½ mile stub and the internal quarry lines. These continued in use until 1971 when the line finally closed.

Locomotives

Number	Name	Builder	Type	Date	Works number	Notes
1	Mary	Black, Hawthorn & Co Black, Hawthorn & Co Black, Hawthorn and Company was a steam locomotive manufacturer with a works situated in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, UK.-John Coulthard and Son:...	0-6-0ST	1880	576	Scrapped 1925
2	Marland	W.G. Bagnall W.G. Bagnall W. G. Bagnall was a locomotive manufacturer from Stafford, England. It was founded in 1875 by William Gordon Bagnall and ceased trading in 1962 when it was taken over by English Electric Co Ltd. The company was located at the Castle Engine Works, in Castle Town, Stafford...	0-6-0T	1910
3	Peter	Stephen Lewin Stephen Lewin Stephen Lewin of Poole, Dorset, England was a builder of steamboats and steam locomotives.-Locomotives:Only a small number of locomotives were built, including:* 0-4-0 Ant and Bee, for 20 inch gauge Great Laxey Mine Railway, Isle of Man...	0-4-0ST	c. 1870		Scrapped 1925
4	Merton		0-4-0 tender			Constructed from pieces of three Fletcher Jennings locomotives.
11		Avonside Avonside Engine Company The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company.-Origins:...	0-6-0ST	1901		Scrapped 1925