The E. & T.V.R. Camping Van was built at Swindon in 1949. Its purpose originally was to provide a place for a Guard to ride, where he could also use the handbrake to steady or secure his goods train. In later years, and until 1995, the van accompanied a track maintenance machine, whose operators needed a snug home from home.

Bought by the E. & T.V.R. in 1997, the van was moved to Christow and temporarily fitted out for camping; it was the intention to refit the vehicle thoroughly in due course. In fact, the first guests came in 1998 and the van was then in continual use until the end of October, 2007, when it was withdrawn. Renovated and improved for what was intended to be only a few more seasons, the van has in fact remained in service and still awaits a full overhaul.

As it stands, the compartment is about 15 feet long by seven feet wide. It has two single beds with sprung mattresses, which can be brought together to make a double. There is a gas cooker with oven and grill. There are electric lights, a radiator, refrigerator, jug kettle, toaster, microwave oven, shaver socket and radio. A large sink and drainer is fitted but there is no running water in the van; a mains tap is situated not far from the line and full churns are provided. A table and chairs complete the furnishings. Tea, coffee and sugar are included, and there are all the necessary crockery and utensils. Blankets are supplied; bed linen and towels can be hired. A barbecue is available for use on the ground and there is an Acme wringer. The traditional bath may have been rendered obsolete by the shower, the first evidence of a pernicious standardization.

The compartment opens onto a semi-enclosed verandah—ideal for alfresco meals or taking a peg at sundown—from where there is a view of the wooded banks of the River Teign. A chemical toilet, regularly cleansed by railway staff, is found not far from the van, as are the temporary Station Master's house, where a shower can be taken, and a store where various requisites are kept.

Even were it fully repaired, the Camping Van would not be as comfortable or well appointed as a modern caravan or chalet. However, the van does provide quite adequate accommodation, to which must be added its novelty value and extremely pleasant location; campers have the freedom of the riverside, railway and wood—two acres in all. The area is quiet and unspoilt, yet is not far from Exeter, the county town, and the South Devon coast with its well known resorts. The Teign marks the boundary at Christow of the Dartmoor National Park and the station is within an Area of Great Landscape Value.

The Camping Van is perhaps best suited to those seeking quiet recreation, for whom the East Dartmoor district has much to offer; but Christow could just as well be a base for others looking for fun farther afield; and of course the van can be used simply as an unusual stopover for wayfarers or as a romantic hideaway. This is primarily a destination for interesting, adventurous people, perhaps a little offbeat.

Lots of information about the locality, its attractions and places of interest, is kept in the van.

A weekday-only, rail-substitute bus service (DevonBus 360) operates between Exeter and Christow, via Central and St. Thomas stations in Exeter and Christow Station (Teign House). DevonBus 361 operates between Newton Abbot and Christow, WO.

A holiday or break at Christow
is sure to prove
enjoyable, relaxing and very inexpensive.

TADPOLE is a narrow gauge brake van, or Whelk, which ostensibly has been converted by the E. & T.V.R. into comfortable sleeping quarters for those of lesser stature. Tadpole is a virtual imitation of the standard gauge Toad.

The compartment has two bunks, each with two-foot wide foam rubber mattresses. The top one is 4 ft. 4 in. long and is clearly intended only for a very small person. The bottom bunk is 5 ft. 8¾ in., making it possible for a parent to accompany one small person. With the top bunk stowed, a single occupant has more space than may be suggested by the external appearance.

Tadpole has a battery-electric system which enables it to be disconnected from the ground supply. A heater is fitted and a listening device allows people in the big van to hear what is going on and know that all is well in the diminutive counterpart.

The little van is normally berthed in a siding adjacent to Toad, but may be moved farther away on the narrow gauge line while remaining within earshot. Larger occupants may prefer a berth on the river bank. The van has a fail-safe brake and is always chained to the rail after being moved.

A reading lamp, kettle and wind-up digital radio are provided when the van is occupied by a single larger soul. A bedtime story, "A Journey in Tadpole," will send small people away into the land of dreams, allowing their seniors to relax at the end of the day.

The work of building Tadpole took 1,369 man hours to complete and the vehicle is book valued at £12,488. The primary intention is to give little people an experience that is novel and fun, and one which ought to give flight to their imaginations. It is recognized that these people can sometimes—even usually—be clumsy and rough. Tadpole is not a museum piece; it is robustly made, but guests must show respect for railway property and be well behaved. Strong parental supervision is necessary. Normal wear and tear will be accepted; abuse will not. Please bear this in mind when considering whether your little people will be welcome at Christow.

Great Britain's only Narrow Gauge Sleeping Car
TADPOLE is intended to expand the E. & T.V.R. camping accommodation, making it more comfortable for families and groups staying at Christow and giving children, especially, a quite unique experience.

The original plan was to build an enclosed version of Jenny Wren, the observation saloon built in 1995; the verandah was added partly for practical reasons and partly as a stylish touch. Tadpole thus bears a family resemblance to both Toad and Jenny Wren. The compartment of Tadpole is about the same size and shape as Jenny Wren; the compartment-verandah ratio is the same as Toad.

The very severe curves on the temporary track layout here—and any further expansion or variation of it—require that vehicles have a maximum wheelbase of two feet; any greater than this and the wheel flanges would be fighting the rails on curves. Also the wagon turntable has only a little greater capacity.

If an eight-foot long wagon were to have a central wheelbase, it would be impossible to couple to other vehicles because of "end throw"—the movement away from the line on curves. This design challenge has been met on Tadpole by having an offset wheelbase to allow coupling at one end only, and an underframe counter-weighted so that big people riding on the verandah will not cause too much of an imbalance.

By a concealed extension of the lower bunk into the verandah space, Tadpole is able to accommodate two children or one adult and a child. The top bunk folds up out of the way or down to form a seatback, or it can be suspended in the upper quadrant to allow baggage to be stowed. Tadpole is fully insulated and has an 800 watt fan heater.

The underframe chosen for Tadpole came from one of the wagons recovered from E.C.C. Ball Clays' Kingsteignton mines after cessation of underground working in 1999. It is gathered that the wagons were not factory built, although the wheelsets are Hudson's, possibly off an earlier type which may have been supplied. Tadpole's underframe was so battered and beaten that it would have been much easier to fabricate a new one. Unlike the high tensile steel of Jenny Wren's frame, Tadpole's is of ordinary mild steel. Inaccurately made, it had to be straightened, stiffened and modified. Yet it is rather pleasing to know that its new application follows a long life during which, shift after shift, it was rope-hauled from out of the buried seams of the Bovey Basin carrying 15 cwt. of clay.

For the purist, according to the 1905 G.W.R. Telegraph Code Book, a TADPOLE was an open fish truck (TADPOLE A: open fish truck with guard's compartment). Actually, Tadpole as used here is just a pet name, like Jenny Wren, not a code word.

Tadpole was outshopped in 2003, made to look as if it were a hundred-year old van repaired and converted. In fact, such a vehicle never before existed.

Not as small as is often imagined.
The mattresses making up the bottom bunk in Tadpole are here lying on one from Toad.

The Railway is Not a Free Amusement Park
(tempting though it may look)

The Railway is Not a Free Amusement Park (tempting though it may look) Guests of the E. & T.V.R. have the freedom of the riverside, railway and wood—a quite generous provision. The railway, however, for two principal reasons should not be seen as an inclusive playground.

First, railways, large or small, can be dangerous places, even when there is no movement. Rails and sleepers get very slippery. Wet or frosted sleepers have caused many an experienced railwayman to fall and crack his nut on the rail.

Railway equipment is usually heavy and often dirty. Everything at Christow is stored as safely as possible and rolling stock is secured. But, if interfered with, there is still the risk of crushed fingers or toes and of other serious injuries. Grease and oil, lurking everywhere, may be harmful to skin and difficult to remove from clothing.

The second reason is, the E. & T.V.R. operates as a business: its assets serve a purpose, have a value and must make a return in various ways.

For safety's sake, then, and to show respect, campers will be requested to cross the railway lines with care and not to touch any equipment.