Mysterious concrete pillars beside the line on either side of Axminster are noticed only by a few. They were part of the defensive line which stretched from Seaton to Burnham, one of many across the country which were built at the beginning of World War II, designed to hamper the advance of an invasion force.
It has acquired a datum plate, so the track authority obviously classes it as an immovable object.
The stills below have been clipped from a film shot from the cab of a Class 50 between Exeter and Salisbury. The former double line has since been reinstated past the traps as part of Axminster’s “dynamic loop.”
The scout’s favourite kind of trap can be found on sections of Bristol’s guided busway.