Whimple railway station
Encyclopedia
Whimple railway station serves the village of Whimple
in East Devon
, Devon
, England. It was opened by the London and South Western Railway
(LSWR) in 1860 but is now operated by South West Trains
which provides services on the London Waterloo to Exeter
route.
. The station was situated to the east of the village and designed by the architect Sir William Tite
. The main building was situated on the eastbound platform
and was two-storeys high to provide the station master with accommodation. The goods shed
was nearby at the east end of the station, and a signal box
was built opposite on the other platform in 1875. In 1892 Henry Whiteway established a cider
factory on the north side of the station. This generated much of the goods traffic at the station; in the 1930s it was estimated that the factory was responsible for 30,000 tons of traffic each year.
On 11 June 1967 all passenger trains were diverted to the southern platform. The track through the northern platform was retained to serve Whiteway’s factory, but the signal box was closed and the train crew operated the points. Public goods traffic was withdrawn on 4 December 1967 but Whiteways continued to handle rail traffic. The station became unstaffed on 5 October 1970.
The Whiteways factory closed in 1989 and this allowed a redevelopment of the site. The goods shed was demolished in 1991 and houses were then built instead. The following year the track was slewed across so that the northern platform, the one nearer the village, could be brought back into use. The other platform and the footbridge were then demolished.
operate daily between and London Waterloo station, generally calling at Whimple every two hours.
Whimple
Whimple is a village and civil parish in East Devon in the English county of Devon, approximately due east of the city of Exeter, and from the nearest small town, Ottery St Mary. It has a population of 1,642...
in East Devon
East Devon
East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Sidmouth, and the largest town is Exmouth.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Honiton with the urban districts of Budleigh Salterton, Exmouth, Ottery St. Mary, Seaton, Sidmouth...
, 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...
, England. It was opened by the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(LSWR) in 1860 but is now operated by South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
which provides services on the London Waterloo to Exeter
West of England Main Line
The West of England Main Line is a British railway line that runs from , Hampshire to Exeter St Davids in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter...
route.
History
The station was opened by the LSWR on 19 July 1860, along with its Exeter Extension from to Exeter Queen StreetExeter Central railway station
Exeter Central railway station is the most centrally located of the railway stations in Exeter, Devon, England. It is smaller than St Davids which is on the west side of the city but it is served by trains on the London Waterloo to Exeter main line, and is also by local services to , and . From...
. The station was situated to the east of the village and designed by the architect Sir William Tite
William Tite
Sir William Tite, CB was an English architect who served as President of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He was particularly associated with various London buildings, with railway stations and cemetery projects....
. The main building was situated on the eastbound 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...
and was two-storeys high to provide the station master with accommodation. The 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...
was nearby at the east end of the station, and 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 built opposite on the other platform in 1875. In 1892 Henry Whiteway established a cider
Cider
Cider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...
factory on the north side of the station. This generated much of the goods traffic at the station; in the 1930s it was estimated that the factory was responsible for 30,000 tons of traffic each year.
On 11 June 1967 all passenger trains were diverted to the southern platform. The track through the northern platform was retained to serve Whiteway’s factory, but the signal box was closed and the train crew operated the points. Public goods traffic was withdrawn on 4 December 1967 but Whiteways continued to handle rail traffic. The station became unstaffed on 5 October 1970.
The Whiteways factory closed in 1989 and this allowed a redevelopment of the site. The goods shed was demolished in 1991 and houses were then built instead. The following year the track was slewed across so that the northern platform, the one nearer the village, could be brought back into use. The other platform and the footbridge were then demolished.
Description
The single platform has a simple metal and glass waiting shelter. It is on the north side of the line so trains to Exeter travel to the right and those to London to the left.Services
South West TrainsSouth West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
operate daily between and London Waterloo station, generally calling at Whimple every two hours.