Blunsdon railway station
Encyclopedia
Blunsdon railway station is a heritage
railway station serving the village of Blunsdon
, north of Swindon
in Wiltshire
, England
.
It was one of the last to be opened by the Midland and South Western Junction Railway
in 1895 on a railway that had opened in 1883. It was little more than a single-platform halt, and milk was the main traffic. It also had a single siding, used for such traffic as fertiliser and other agricultural requirements.
It was also one of the first stations on the route to be closed. Passenger traffic went in 1924, though regular trains had stopped calling in 1922, leaving one solitary passenger train service stopping at Blunsdon on a Sunday. Goods traffic ceased in 1937.
The site became the headquarters of the Swindon and Cricklade Railway
in the late 1970s because it offered the best road access to the trackbed between Swindon
and Cricklade
. By that time, almost every trace of the original station had gone, and the present structures are all new.
Blunsdon station is actually within the boundaries of Purton
, and the Purton area probably produced most of its original business. Unsubstantiated tradition says the station was named Blunsdon to avoid confusion with the Great Western station already existing in Purton village. Blunsdon St Andrew village is more than two miles away.
Blunsdon station offers a variety of services including the Swindon and Cricklade railway shop, canteen/buffet, toilets and car parking space.
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...
railway station serving the village of Blunsdon
Blunsdon
Broad Blunsdon is a village in the Borough of Swindon, England, about north of Swindon itself.Together with the nearby villages of Blunsdon St Andrew and adjoining Lower Blunsdon, the settlement is usually known simply as Blunsdon...
, north of Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, 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...
.
It was one of the last to be opened by the Midland and South Western Junction Railway
Midland and South Western Junction Railway
The Midland and South Western Junction Railway was, until the 1923 Grouping, an independent railway built to form a north-south link between the Midland and London and South Western Railways allowing the Midland and other companies' trains to reach the port of Southampton.-Formation:The M&SWJR...
in 1895 on a railway that had opened in 1883. It was little more than a single-platform halt, and milk was the main traffic. It also had a single siding, used for such traffic as fertiliser and other agricultural requirements.
It was also one of the first stations on the route to be closed. Passenger traffic went in 1924, though regular trains had stopped calling in 1922, leaving one solitary passenger train service stopping at Blunsdon on a Sunday. Goods traffic ceased in 1937.
The site became the headquarters of the Swindon and Cricklade Railway
Swindon and Cricklade Railway
The Swindon & Cricklade Railway is a heritage railway in Wiltshire, England, that operates on a short section of the old Midland and South Western Junction Railway line between Swindon and Cricklade.-History:...
in the late 1970s because it offered the best road access to the trackbed between Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
and Cricklade
Cricklade
Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire in England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester.On 25 September 2011 Cricklade was awarded The Royal Horticultural Society's 'Champion of Champions' award in the Britain in Bloom competition.Cricklade is twinned with...
. By that time, almost every trace of the original station had gone, and the present structures are all new.
Blunsdon station is actually within the boundaries of Purton
Purton
Purton is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire. The civil parish includes the village of Purton Stoke and the hamlets of Bentham, Hayes Knoll, Restrop and Widham....
, and the Purton area probably produced most of its original business. Unsubstantiated tradition says the station was named Blunsdon to avoid confusion with the Great Western station already existing in Purton village. Blunsdon St Andrew village is more than two miles away.
Blunsdon station offers a variety of services including the Swindon and Cricklade railway shop, canteen/buffet, toilets and car parking space.