Editing Avocet Line (section)

===A viable proposal at last===
[[File:Exmouth first train 1861.jpg|thumb|The first train arrives at Exmouth, in 1861]]

Suddenly the Exeter and Exmouth Railway had the mileage they needed to construct substantially reduced (to about {{convert|5+1/2|mi|km|0|disp=sqbr}}) and avoided the river Exe bridge. Exmouth would get its railway.

A new act of Parliament was needed to authorise the change of route and reduce the share capital, and this was obtained on 28 June 1858; the original capital had been £160,000 with authorisation for loans to £53,000 but this was now reduced to £50,000 share capital and £16,600 in loans. As the Exeter and Exmouth would now only build a line from Topsham to Exmouth, the L&SWR needed authority to build the part from Exmouth Junction to Topsham, and it obtained an act of Parliament{{which|date=May 2025}} for that purpose on 12 July 1858. (The line joined the L&SWR Salisbury to Exeter main line at Exmouth Junction.) Just after opening the E&ER company raised an additional £30,000 in loans at 5% to cancel forfeited shares, and a further £25,000 was raised in June 1861.<ref name = Carter/>{{page needed|date=March 2017}}

The engineer of the line was W. R. Galbraith and the contractor for Topsham to Exmouth was James Taylor of Exeter, for the sum of £39,000. Not without setbacks, the line was completed and inspected by Col. Yolland of the Railway Inspectorate on 27 April 1861, and the line opened on 1 May 1861. The first train was pulled by the 2-2-2 Beattie well tank no. 36 ''Comet''.

Absorption of the Exeter and Exmouth Company by the L&SWR was authorised by an act of Parliament{{which|date=May 2025}} of 5 July 1865, taking effect on 1 January 1865.<ref name = phillips/>{{page needed|date=March 2017}}