Swimbridge railway station served the village of Swimbridge

Swimbridge

Swimbridge is a village in the English county of Devon. It is situated south-east of Barnstaple and twinned with the town of St.Honorine Du Fay in Normandy, France. The name Swimbridge originates from the clegyman Sawin Birige. Sawin was a founder of a chapelry at Swymbridge in Saxon times...

, 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...

 five miles east of Barnstaple

Barnstaple

Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...

. The station was on the Devon and Somerset Railway

Devon and Somerset Railway

The Devon and Somerset Railway was a branch line from near in Somerset to in North Devon. It was operated from the outset by the Bristol and Exeter Railway which became part of the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1876.-History:...

 that ran between Taunton

Taunton railway station

Taunton railway station is a junction station on the route from London to Penzance, from London Paddington station. It is situated in Taunton, Somerset, England and is operated by First Great Western...

 and Barnstaple

Barnstaple Victoria Road railway station

Barnstaple Victoria Road railway station was the terminus of the Devon and Somerset Railway line from Taunton railway station. It served the town of Barnstaple in Devon, England and was opened when the Devon and Somerset line was extended from Wiveliscombe to Barnstaple on 1 November...

. The Devon and Somerset 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...

 and was taken over with the B&E by 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...

.

The section of the line between Wiveliscombe

Wiveliscombe railway station

Wiveliscombe railway station served the town of Wiveliscombe in Somerset. It was on the Devon and Somerset Railway that ran between Taunton and Barnstaple...

 and Barnstaple opened on 1 November 1873. Swimbridge station was originally on a single track part of the line and had a single platform on the down side of the line (towards Barnstaple), where the main building was situated. A crossing loop was installed with a second platform in 1904, and this up platform had a large brick and wooden shelter. There was a goods loop behind this platform and a goods shed that straddled the loop line with its flank wall on the up platform.

Goods traffic was withdrawn from Swimbridge in 1964 and the station closed to passenger traffic with the closure of the Devon and Somerset line on 3 October 1966. The station building was demolished when the railway alignment was used for the North Devon Link Road.

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