Bishops Lydeard railway station
Encyclopedia
Bishops Lydeard railway station is the current southern terminus for regular trains on the West Somerset Railway
, a heritage railway
in Somerset
, England. It is situated in the village of Bishops Lydeard
.
was opened from Norton Junction
to . The railway was operated by the Bristol and Exeter Railway
which became apart of the Great Western Railway
in 1876, but the West Somerset Railway remained an independent company until 1922 when it too was absorbed by the Great Western. Nationalisation in 1948 saw it become a part of the Western Region of British Railways
but was closed on 4 January 1971.
In 1862 the station had just one platform, on the west side of the line, but it had a goods yard with a goods shed
and a house for the station master. The second platform was not added until 1906. On 10 June 1936 the line was doubled from here to Norton Fitzwarren. On 1 March 1970 the signal box was closed and the track from Norton Fitzwarren through Bishop’s Lydeard to Williton was operated as a single track.
On 9 June 1979 trains returned to Bishops Lyeard. The West Somerset Railway was now a heritage railway
operating steam and diesel trains from Minehead, and Bishops Lydeard now became the southern terminus of the line, although track remains in place to Norton Fitzwarren to allow special trains and occasional goods trains to operate through from Network Rail
to the West Somerset line. The station is the headquarters of the West Somerset Railway Association which provides volunteer support for the railway, and the "Quantock Belle" dining car train is based here.
has been restored and is used as a visitor centre and museum; its artefacts includes a GWR sleeping car and the Taunton Model Railway Club’s model railway layout is on display. The original station offices are now used by the West Somerset railway Association. A third platform at the Taunton end of the station is normally used to keep the 'Quantock Belle' dining cars, and a locomotive servicing depot has been established nearby.
's tracks at .
West Somerset Railway
The West Somerset Railway is a railway line that originally linked and in Somerset, England.It opened in 1862 and was extended from Watchet to by the Minehead Railway in 1874. Although just a single track, improvements were needed in the first half of the twentieth century to accommodate the...
, a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England. It is situated in the village of Bishops Lydeard
Bishops Lydeard
Bishops Lydeard is a village and civil parish located in Somerset, England, bypassed, since 1967, by the A358 road and West Somerset Railway north-west of Taunton in the district of Taunton Deane...
.
History
The station was first opened on 31 March 1862 when the West Somerset RailwayWest Somerset Railway
The West Somerset Railway is a railway line that originally linked and in Somerset, England.It opened in 1862 and was extended from Watchet to by the Minehead Railway in 1874. Although just a single track, improvements were needed in the first half of the twentieth century to accommodate the...
was opened from Norton Junction
Norton Fitzwarren railway station
Norton Fitzwarren railway station is an untimetabled station on the West Somerset Railway in Somerset, England. It was built in 2009 about north of the site of the old station that served the village of Norton Fitzwarren from 1873 until 1961...
to . The railway was operated by the Bristol and Exeter Railway
Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...
which became apart 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...
in 1876, but the West Somerset Railway remained an independent company until 1922 when it too was absorbed by the Great Western. Nationalisation in 1948 saw it become a part of the Western Region of British Railways
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
but was closed on 4 January 1971.
In 1862 the station had just one platform, on the west side of the line, but it had a goods yard with a goods shed
Goods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
and a house for the station master. The second platform was not added until 1906. On 10 June 1936 the line was doubled from here to Norton Fitzwarren. On 1 March 1970 the signal box was closed and the track from Norton Fitzwarren through Bishop’s Lydeard to Williton was operated as a single track.
On 9 June 1979 trains returned to Bishops Lyeard. The West Somerset Railway was now a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
operating steam and diesel trains from Minehead, and Bishops Lydeard now became the southern terminus of the line, although track remains in place to Norton Fitzwarren to allow special trains and occasional goods trains to operate through from Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
to the West Somerset line. The station is the headquarters of the West Somerset Railway Association which provides volunteer support for the railway, and the "Quantock Belle" dining car train is based here.
Description
The station has two platforms used for passeneger trains. Platform 2 is the 1906 platform but has been extended at the Taunton end. It contains most of the visitors facilities, including the ticket office and shop and a car park has been formed behind the platform. On the original platform the old goods shedGoods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
has been restored and is used as a visitor centre and museum; its artefacts includes a GWR sleeping car and the Taunton Model Railway Club’s model railway layout is on display. The original station offices are now used by the West Somerset railway Association. A third platform at the Taunton end of the station is normally used to keep the 'Quantock Belle' dining cars, and a locomotive servicing depot has been established nearby.
Services
Trains run between and at weekends and on some other days from March to October, daily during the late spring and summer, and on certain days during the winter. During special events a shuttle service runs between Bishops Lydeard and , and form time to time special trains also run through onto Network RailNetwork Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
's tracks at .