Bere Alston railway station
Encyclopedia
Bere Alston railway station is an unstaffed halt situated near the village of Bere Alston
in Devon
, England
, 10.25 miles (16.5 km) north of Plymouth
on the branch to Gunnislake
.
The survival of the route is almost entirely because Bere Alston, Bere Ferrers
, and Calstock
are situated in an area which for geographical reasons has relatively poor road connections.
as an intermediate station on that company's line from Lydford
to Devonport
, which – being in effect an extension of the London and South Western Railway
's main line from London Waterloo station to Lydford, enabling the LSWR to reach Plymouth independently of the Great Western Railway
– was immediately leased to the LSWR. Bere Alston station was 220 miles and 15 chain
s (354.35 km) from Waterloo.
The station was renamed "Bere Alston" in 1898.
On 2 March 1908 it became a junction, with the opening of a branch line to Callington Road
. The PDSWJR became part of the Southern Railway
in 1923 and British Railways on 1 January 1948.
The line from Lydford to Bere Alston was closed on 6 May 1968, which left just the Gunnislake service running through from Plymouth and reversing at Bere Alston. The line from Plymouth was reduced to just a single track on 7 September 1970 and the junction changed to allow the train guard to operate the points.
On 18 March 2008 Devon County Council backed a proposal by developers Kilbride Community Rail to construct 750 houses in Tavistock that includes reopening the 5.5 miles (9 km) line from Bere Alston to a new Tavistock railway station
at a cost of £18.5million.
from Gunnislake
to Plymouth
. Connections with main line services can be made at Plymouth, although a small number of Tamar Valley services continue to or from Exeter St Davids
.
. The line is promoted under the "Tamar Valley Line
" name.
The Edgcumbe Hotel
in Bere Alston village is part of the Tamar Valley Line rail ale trail
, which is designed to promote the use of the line. The line is also part of the Dartmoor Sunday Rover network of integrated bus and rail routes.
Bere Alston
Bere Alston is a small village in West Devon in the county of Devon in England. It forms part of the civil parish of Bere Ferrers.-History and geography:...
in 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 10.25 miles (16.5 km) north of Plymouth
Plymouth railway station
Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is situated on the northern edge of the city centre close to the North Cross roundabout...
on the branch to Gunnislake
Gunnislake railway station
Gunnislake railway station serves the village of Gunnislake in Cornwall, England. There are also connecting buses from here to the town of Tavistock. However the station is located in or nearer to the villages of Drakewalls and Albaston...
.
The survival of the route is almost entirely because Bere Alston, Bere Ferrers
Bere Ferrers
Bere Ferrers, sometimes called Beerferris, is a village and civil parish on the Bere peninsula in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It has a population of 3,066, and is located to the north of Plymouth, on the west bank of the River Tavy...
, and Calstock
Calstock
Calstock is civil parish and a large village in south east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, on the border with Devon. The village is situated on the River Tamar south west of Tavistock and north of Plymouth....
are situated in an area which for geographical reasons has relatively poor road connections.
History
Beer Alston station was opened for passenger traffic on 2 June 1890 by the Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction RailwayPlymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway
The Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway in England was built by an independent company but operated by the London and South Western Railway as part of its main line to give it independent access to Plymouth. It ran from to Devonport Junction, just west of Plymouth North Road...
as an intermediate station on that company's line from Lydford
Lydford railway station
Lydford railway station was a junction at Lydford between the Great Western Railway and London and South Western Railway situated in a remote part of north-west Dartmoor in Devon, England.-History:...
to Devonport
Devonport Kings Road railway station
Devonport Kings Road railway station was the London and South Western Railway station in Devonport, Devon, England. It opened in 1876 and closed in 1964...
, which – being in effect an extension of the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
's main line from London Waterloo station to Lydford, enabling the LSWR to reach Plymouth independently of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
– was immediately leased to the LSWR. Bere Alston station was 220 miles and 15 chain
Chain (unit)
A chain is a unit of length; it measures 66 feet or 22 yards or 100 links . There are 10 chains in a furlong, and 80 chains in one statute mile. An acre is the area of 10 square chains...
s (354.35 km) from Waterloo.
The station was renamed "Bere Alston" in 1898.
On 2 March 1908 it became a junction, with the opening of a branch line to Callington Road
Callington railway station
Callington railway station was a railway station in the town of Callington, Cornwall, built by the Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway, but operated by the London and South Western Railway. It was the terminus of a branch line from Bere Alston, and the station closed in 1966...
. The PDSWJR became part of the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
in 1923 and British Railways on 1 January 1948.
The line from Lydford to Bere Alston was closed on 6 May 1968, which left just the Gunnislake service running through from Plymouth and reversing at Bere Alston. The line from Plymouth was reduced to just a single track on 7 September 1970 and the junction changed to allow the train guard to operate the points.
On 18 March 2008 Devon County Council backed a proposal by developers Kilbride Community Rail to construct 750 houses in Tavistock that includes reopening the 5.5 miles (9 km) line from Bere Alston to a new Tavistock railway station
Tavistock North railway station
Tavistock North was a railway station operated by the Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway, serving the town of Tavistock. The station opened on 2 June 1890 and closed on 6 May 1968. The main station building has been completely restored by its current owners and converted in to 3...
at a cost of £18.5million.
Services
Bere Alston is served by trains on the Tamar Valley LineTamar Valley Line
The Tamar Valley Line is a railway line from Devonport in Plymouth Devon, to Gunnislake in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The line follows the River Tamar for much of its route.-History:...
from Gunnislake
Gunnislake railway station
Gunnislake railway station serves the village of Gunnislake in Cornwall, England. There are also connecting buses from here to the town of Tavistock. However the station is located in or nearer to the villages of Drakewalls and Albaston...
to Plymouth
Plymouth railway station
Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is situated on the northern edge of the city centre close to the North Cross roundabout...
. Connections with main line services can be made at Plymouth, although a small number of Tamar Valley services continue to or from Exeter St Davids
Exeter St Davids railway station
Exeter St Davids station is the most important of seven National Rail stations in the city of Exeter in southwest England. Today the station is owned by Network Rail and operated by First Great Western.-History:...
.
Community railway
The railway from Plymouth to Gunnislake is designated as a community railway and is supported by marketing provided by the Devon and Cornwall Rail PartnershipDevon and Cornwall Rail Partnership
The Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership is the largest Community Rail Partnership in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1991 to promote the use of, and improvements to, rural railways in Devon and Cornwall, and also to promote the places served in order to improve the local economy.The...
. The line is promoted under the "Tamar Valley Line
Tamar Valley Line
The Tamar Valley Line is a railway line from Devonport in Plymouth Devon, to Gunnislake in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The line follows the River Tamar for much of its route.-History:...
" name.
The Edgcumbe Hotel
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in Bere Alston village is part of the Tamar Valley Line rail ale trail
Rail ale trail
A rail ale trail is a marketing exercise in the United Kingdom that is designed to promote tourism to a rural area, by encouraging people to visit a series of pubs that are close to railway stations along a railway line. Participants are rewarded for visiting the pubs by train. In doing this they...
, which is designed to promote the use of the line. The line is also part of the Dartmoor Sunday Rover network of integrated bus and rail routes.