 The line was never on a firm financial footing and the situation worsened with the rising cost of coal and the effects of the First World War; additionally competition from Dymond's Horse Drawn Coach and later Motor Buses took much of the traffic off the line even in summer.Few passengers from Bideford Station at East-The-Water would trouble to change again for the B,WH&A,R at the Quay when alternative transport would take them straight to their destination for less money.Trains did not run at times suitable for manual workers and freight, apart from Westward Ho!