Watchet railway station
Encyclopedia
Watchet railway station is a station
on the West Somerset Railway
, a heritage railway
in Somerset
, England. It is situated in the small harbour town of Watchet
.
was opened from Norton Junction
. On 16 July 1874 the line was extended westwards by the Minehead Railway Company. Both lines were operated by the Bristol and Exeter Railway
which became apart of the Great Western Railway
(GWR) in 1876. The Minehead Railway was taken over by the Great Western in 1897, but the West Somerset Railway remained an independent company until 1922 when it too was absorbed by the Great Western.
Watchet station was the original terminus of the West Somerset Railway. The station forecourt originally linked both station building and goods shed, hence the unusual alignment of the station building facing towards Taunton. The footbridge was built to maintain the public right of way when the line was extended across the original forecourt to . The engine shed
east of the station remained until 1882, although faciltiites were now also provided at Minehead. A signal box
was also needed to handle the traffic on the new line to Minehead, and this was situated on the embankment above the platform.
The harbour was served by a network of railway tracks that were reached by way of a steep incline down from the goods shed. The harbour was also linked to the independent West Somerset Mineral Railway
that linked Watchet harbour to iron ore mines in the Brendon Hills
to the south west of the town. The mineral railway tracks roughly paralleled the main line tracks as far as Washford, but were othewise unconnected.
The Great Wester Railway 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 Watchet, so a passing loop was instead constructed at Kentford just 0.75 miles (1.2 km) west of the station. It was opened on 10 July 1933 but the signal box
was generally only used during the daytime each summer.
Nationalisation in 1948 saw the GWR become the Western Region of British Railways
. On 24 August 1952 the signal box at Washford was closed, and from this time the one at Kentford was permanently open until 7 May 1964 when it was closed for good. Freight traffic was withdrawn on 6 July 1964 and passenger trains on 4 January 1971. The station was reopened by the new West Somerset Railway on 28 August 1976.
at the west end of the station, and a pedestrian level crossing
at the east end. The station building is situated on the platform, but is unusually aligned at right angles to the platform. The former goods shed is on the opposite side of the track, and is now occupied by the Watchet Boat Museum
.
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...
on 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...
, 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 small harbour town of Watchet
Watchet
Watchet is a harbour town and civil parish in the English county of Somerset, with an approximate population of 4,400. It is situated west of Bridgwater, north-west of Taunton, and east of Minehead. The parish includes the hamlet of Beggearn Huish...
.
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...
. On 16 July 1874 the line was extended westwards by the Minehead Railway Company. Both lines were 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...
(GWR) in 1876. The Minehead Railway was taken over by the Great Western in 1897, but the West Somerset Railway remained an independent company until 1922 when it too was absorbed by the Great Western.
Watchet station was the original terminus of the West Somerset Railway. The station forecourt originally linked both station building and goods shed, hence the unusual alignment of the station building facing towards Taunton. The footbridge was built to maintain the public right of way when the line was extended across the original forecourt to . The engine shed
Motive power depot
Motive power depot, usually abbreviated to MPD, is a name given to places where locomotives are stored when not being used, and also repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds", or, for short, just sheds. Facilities are provided for refuelling and...
east of the station remained until 1882, although faciltiites were now also provided at Minehead. A 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 also needed to handle the traffic on the new line to Minehead, and this was situated on the embankment above the platform.
The harbour was served by a network of railway tracks that were reached by way of a steep incline down from the goods shed. The harbour was also linked to the independent West Somerset Mineral Railway
West Somerset Mineral Railway
The West Somerset Mineral Railway was a line which operated in the UK county of Somerset. It ran from the ironstone mines in the Brendon Hills to the port of Watchet on the Bristol Channel. From there the ore was carried across by ship to Newport and thence to Ebbw Vale for smelting to extract...
that linked Watchet harbour to iron ore mines in the Brendon Hills
Brendon Hills
The Brendon Hills are composed of a lofty ridge of hills in the East Lyn Valley area of western Somerset, England. The terrain is broken by a series of deeply incised streams and rivers running roughly southwards to meet the River Haddeo, a tributary of the River Exe.The hills are quite heavily...
to the south west of the town. The mineral railway tracks roughly paralleled the main line tracks as far as Washford, but were othewise unconnected.
The Great Wester Railway 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 Watchet, so a passing loop was instead constructed at Kentford just 0.75 miles (1.2 km) west of the station. It was opened on 10 July 1933 but the 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 generally only used during the daytime each summer.
Nationalisation in 1948 saw the GWR become 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...
. On 24 August 1952 the signal box at Washford was closed, and from this time the one at Kentford was permanently open until 7 May 1964 when it was closed for good. Freight traffic was withdrawn on 6 July 1964 and passenger trains on 4 January 1971. The station was reopened by the new West Somerset Railway on 28 August 1976.
Description
The station has a single platform and running line. The platform is located on the opposite side of the track from Watchet town centre and harbour, and is connected to them by a footbridgeFootbridge
A footbridge or pedestrian bridge is a bridge designed for pedestrians and in some cases cyclists, animal traffic and horse riders, rather than vehicular traffic. Footbridges complement the landscape and can be used decoratively to visually link two distinct areas or to signal a transaction...
at the west end of the station, and 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...
at the east end. The station building is situated on the platform, but is unusually aligned at right angles to the platform. The former goods shed is on the opposite side of the track, and is now occupied by the Watchet Boat Museum
Watchet Boat Museum
Watchet Boat Museum is a small museum in Watchet, Somerset, England.It is housed in an old Victorian goods shed, built in 1862, next to Watchet railway station on the heritage West Somerset Railway....
.