Stogumber railway station
Encyclopedia
Stogumber railway station is a station
in Kingswood, Somerset
, England which serves the nearby village of Stogumber
. It was opened by the West Somerset Railway
in 1862 and closed by British Rail
early in 1971. It was subsequently reopened in 1978 by the present day West Somerset Railway, a heritage line
. It has a different layout to most stations, in that the main building lies on the opposite side of the tracks to the platform
.
was brought into use between Norton Junction
and . The small station building was put on the east side of the track and the platform
on the west; access between the two was across a pedestrian level crossing
. A loop line served a goods shed
opposite the platform to the north of the station building.
The railway was operated from the start by the Bristol and Exeter Railway
which became a part of the Great Western Railway
(GWR) in 1876, but the West Somerset Railway remained an independent company until 1922 when it too was absorbed by the GWR. The platform was extended northwards in 1900 and again in 1933; a small signal box
was in use here for a few years but was closed on 6 April 1926. The GWR undertook many projects to increase the capacity of the line in the 1930s. Because of the position of the goods shed opposite the platform it was not possible to add a second track and platform at Stogumber, so a passing loop was instead constructed at Leigh Bridge just 0.75 miles (1.2 km) south of the station. It was opened on 16 July 1933 but the signal box was generally only used during the daytime each summer. A camp coach was placed in the goods yard for several years. The lack of facilities at this remote location meant that this was accompanied by a water tanker and stores van.
Nationalisation in 1948 saw the line become a part of the Western Region of British Railways
. The goods facilities were withdrawn on 17 August 1963 and the goods shed had been demolished before the end of the year. Leigh Bridge loop was taken out of use from 5 May 1964 as it was in need of renewal. The station, along with the whole line, was closed on 4 January 1971, but on 7 May 1978 trains returned. The new West Somerset Railway operated trains from to Stogumber, and these were extended on to from 9 June 1979.
The approach road is on the east side of the line and drops down to the road that passes beneath the line at the south end of the platform. A footpath from the south end of the platform leads down to join this road which leads to Stogumber itself, but a side road to the north by the old railway hotel passes through the smaller settlement of Kingswood, which is nestled below the railway line.
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
in Kingswood, 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 which serves the nearby village of Stogumber
Stogumber
Stogumber is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, on the eastern flank of the Brendon Hills. Besides Stogumber village itself, the parish includes the hamlets of Ashbeer, Capton, Escott, Higher Vexford, Kingswood, Lower Vellow, Lower Vexford, Preston, and Vellow.-History:The name comes...
. It was opened by the West Somerset Railway
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...
in 1862 and closed by British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
early in 1971. It was subsequently reopened in 1978 by the present day West Somerset Railway, a heritage line
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...
. It has a different layout to most stations, in that the main building lies on the opposite side of the tracks to the platform
Railway platform
A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
.
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 brought into use between 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...
and . The small station building was put on the east side of the track and the platform
Railway platform
A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
on the west; access between the two was across a pedestrian level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
. A loop line served 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...
opposite the platform to the north of the station building.
The railway was operated from the start 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 a part 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...
(GWR) in 1876, but the West Somerset Railway remained an independent company until 1922 when it too was absorbed by the GWR. The platform was extended northwards in 1900 and again in 1933; a small signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
was in use here for a few years but was closed on 6 April 1926. The GWR undertook many projects to increase the capacity of the line in the 1930s. Because of the position of the goods shed opposite the platform it was not possible to add a second track and platform at Stogumber, so a passing loop was instead constructed at Leigh Bridge just 0.75 miles (1.2 km) south of the station. It was opened on 16 July 1933 but the signal box was generally only used during the daytime each summer. A camp coach was placed in the goods yard for several years. The lack of facilities at this remote location meant that this was accompanied by a water tanker and stores van.
Nationalisation in 1948 saw the line 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...
. The goods facilities were withdrawn on 17 August 1963 and the goods shed had been demolished before the end of the year. Leigh Bridge loop was taken out of use from 5 May 1964 as it was in need of renewal. The station, along with the whole line, was closed on 4 January 1971, but on 7 May 1978 trains returned. The new West Somerset Railway operated trains from to Stogumber, and these were extended on to from 9 June 1979.
Description
The original stone-built station building is still in use on the east side of the line and is situated in well nurtured gardens. The platform with its waiting shelters is on the west side of the line.The approach road is on the east side of the line and drops down to the road that passes beneath the line at the south end of the platform. A footpath from the south end of the platform leads down to join this road which leads to Stogumber itself, but a side road to the north by the old railway hotel passes through the smaller settlement of Kingswood, which is nestled below the railway line.